Road Cycling - Road cycling and Camelbaks

How many roadies use a Camelbak or similar hydration pack? In my area, I haven't seen one roadie with one. Perhaps it is "uncool," but the benefits seem to outway being uncool, especially on a long ride.

I use one on rides over 50 miles. Water in the Camelback and Accelorade in the bottles.

On long rides here in tejas I use em.
Bikesnobs (myself included) be damned.

Marty

Rarely gets hot enough here in Boston to bother.

My wife and I got one for my mother in law, she hates to wear it because she thinks its uncool, then we remind her of how often she gets dehydrated and how "cool" that is.

I use one. Keeps me hydrated and it's nice to have all my tools in one place so no matter what bike I grab I have them with me.

-s

My experience is that on long rides I get an aching back/neck. Most traditional roadies will never, ever wear a Camelbak. Kind of like keeping your spoke protector on your bike. Not cool.

I guess I would use one if I had things to carry...

But ugh. I find a backpack while riding to be way too uncomfortable. I don't care how cool it is or isn't.

I was mainly a mountain biker but am switching over to road. I had been wondering what I should do when I get my road bike. I will be using a Camelbak.

About three weeks ago in a group road ride a guy was taking a drink from a bottle. With his head tilted back and one hand on the bars he hit something in the road and went down face first. His face was an absolute mess. Another guy that went down dislocated his shoulder. I can't help but thinking that a Camelbak may have prevented two people from having serious injuries.

If you want to see something that is "not cool", it is a guy with a two inch section of his top lip dangling from his face.

Sounds like your "group ride" needs some lessons on group riding.

Let's see. About 85 people. Some are professionals. Some are Olympians. I think that most know what they are doing. The guy hit some road debris. I am sure glad that no one in Atlanta ever falls. Must be nice.

Where's da luv dawg?

Sorry if I took offense. The guy didn't make any group riding mistakes, but he got seriously hurt. He just hit something when he was getting a drink and the front end went out from under him. It could happen to anyone. It just made me wonder if using a Camelbak would / could have prevented it. And this thread brought it up.

I use a Camelbak on rides greater than 50 miles. The one I have also has room to stash a jackety and an extra Power Bar or two.

Kind of like keeping your spoke protector on your bike. Not cool.

I guess that means I should get rid of the playing cards and clothes pins, too. But, darn, but they make such a cool sound.

:rolleyes:

These posts can be sometimes unsympathetic. My bad. You are very fortunate to be able to ride with an elite group like that. I would absolutely be thrilled to be able to ride with that caliber of rider. We've got some decent Cat. 1 & 2 racers here, just never in the same place or on the same group ride. I guess my worthless point was that most of the times crashes happen because someone wasn't paying attention and just screwed up. I've had 2 good friends do almost the exact same thing here. One guy broke his frame and the other lost 4 of his front teeth. That ain't cool.
Anyway, be safe and use the hydration system that works best for you.

Now you get it! :D

For mountain biking I can see using a camelback. Factor in the lack of facilities to refill bottles with clean water and the amount of gunk they can get covered with while riding off road, and the camelback is a reasonable fix for these two big issues. I’ve also never used a seatbag off road and carry my tools & tubes in my camelback. Even with all the good points, they’re still heavy, hot and not nearly as comfortable as not wearing one.

On road, why do it unless you're riding unsupported in an area with absolutely nothing?

Most if not all of my road riding has rest stops or stores along the route for water / food refills long before I'd run out of anything. My water bottles combined hold just over 50 ounces of water and that is plenty to carry on any ride IMO as you can always stop at even a fast food restaurant to refill bottles. The only time I could see myself using one would be in the dead of winter when bottles freeze.

I've found that I don't get quite as hot when I ride without the CB, but I run out of H2O. I have a friend that bought a Neverreach and he is digging it. Here is a link: http://www.all3sports.com/product/categoryID/19/Manufacturer/0/ProductID/3827

I just bought a Camelback Hydration System thingamajig this past weekend. I bought it because my riding buddy has one and it just seems so much easier. I carry all my tools and a mini-pump in it too. I love it!

I guess I'm not your typical roadie. Many of my road rides involve a bit of trail and I often get pretty far out and away from stores or gas stations. I also like a camelback for when I'm starting a ride with a hangover ^h^h^h^h^h dehydrated and need to consume all the water I can as fast as I can. A camelback allows you to drink constantly while climbing without slowing down, hard to do with water bottles.

-s

The problem with camel backs is that you must be very careful with drying them properly between uses. If you don't prop them open and allow air to get in you will get mildew and all kinds of stuff growing in there. One manufacturer makes a plastic thing you stuff in the bladder to allow it to air. To me it is a pain in the butt to clean and dry. They are also hot on the back if you don't have the type with the standoff. Aside from that they are easy to use and practical.
Jeff

I use a hydration pack on long rides, especially when the temperature and the humdity are both high.

I have two, the lobo and transalp. I only use them on rides that are longer than 2 hours. Mainly cause my when i train I'm in the ass end of nowhere. i.e. limited water access. Oh word of catution. Castelli jerseys and camelbacks don't mix well. The webbing tends to tear at the material.

Never had a problem with overheating while using one. Actually the pack always made my back feel nice and cool.

The transalp is a major source of aerodrag. But great for long weekend long training, all the gear/clothing space you need

The "uncool" thing reminds me of an interview with Christian VandeVelde. He was saying how he and other pro riders had lots of stories about riders they encountered on training rides giving them flack about their pro kit. "You ride for Postal? heh heh heh", "Um, yeah."

The moral: the style council can be pretty clueless, too.

I rarely need to use my Camelback, because of stores and other watering holes on my rides. And mostly don't like to because it's uncomfortable to me. If necessary, I can usually get away with an extra water bottle or two in jersey pockets. Wouldn't that give the fashion police conniptions!

Then there was the Montebelo ride, a steep climb near here, last spring. I was doing alright, keeping the leaders in sight mostly, and got my @ss handed to me by a guy wearing, I swear, what must have been a 2 gallon Camelback. Full. :exhausted smiley w/tongue hanging out:

I have a Camelback HAWG that I take on some road rides, mainly the longer rides or those occasions where I need to carry a lot of stuff. The style thing doesn't bother me, but it's way heavy when you've got it loaded down with water and stuff so I try to do without it whenever I can. I'll probably leave it at home on this next MS-150 ride since the rest stops are frequent enough that the water bottles on the bike ought to be plenty.

They're as dorky as helmets with mirrors.

I was in a race where I saw a guy with a camelback. It was a 40 mile race. What the .... ???

i agree with the racing with a camelbak comment. Doesn't fill me with the greatest coinfidence seeing a racer with one. But then again it's completely about presonal preference. Totally non consequential in the end. So who are we to judge them. More riding less snobbing

I was mainly a mountain biker but am switching over to road. I had been wondering what I should do when I get my road bike. I will be using a Camelbak.

About three weeks ago in a group road ride a guy was taking a drink from a bottle. With his head tilted back and one hand on the bars he hit something in the road and went down face first. His face was an absolute mess. Another guy that went down dislocated his shoulder. I can't help but thinking that a Camelbak may have prevented two people from having serious injuries.

Hey Avalanche....do you ride a Trek?

Sure is nice to dump ice cubes in the camelbak and have that nice cold water on a hot day. I found that the camelbak keeps the water colder a lot longer than bottles do.

OTOH, it's also nice to have a long road ride without that thing on my back. So I guess it's whatever mood I'm in that day.

Style? When I'm out riding, the only person I need to impress is myself. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

Style? When I'm out riding, the only person I need to impress is myself. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

amen.

The problem with camel backs is that you must be very careful with drying them properly between uses. If you don't prop them open and allow air to get in you will get mildew and all kinds of stuff growing in there. You know people say that but I've never had that problem. I think the mildew tends to build up if you leave it damp or almost empty. I keep mine filled up all the time, never dry it out and have never had a problem with mildew.

-s

I use one on longer rides were there is no were to get water. I see quite a few roadies here in Ca. in the bay area using them, I think they are becoming more popular.

I use one on rides over 50 miles. Water in the Camelback and Accelorade in the bottles.

This is also my approach!

If I think I am going to need the hydration I use the Camelback. Mine is actually one of the BIG ones that will also hold my car!!

Seriously, your body needs to remain hydrated. Who cares if it isn't cool! I'd rather not end up in a heap on the side of the road with a paramedic sticking an IV in my arm because I got dehydrated. That really ain't cool!!

Bill

funny... i find camelbaks uncomfortable. particularly on long, hot rides. i much prefer a couple of bidons that i can fill up every couple of hours at a water stop. i do use my camelbak on shortish [40-50 km] off-road training rides on my cyclo-cross bike, but only because i don't have a bottle cage on that bike.

I use it for longer rides and for days where I need to carry more spare clothing. It does make my back a little bit sweatier, but it doesn't really bother me too much. As others have said, it keeps the water cold for so much longer than even insulated bottles for me.


You know people say that but I've never had that problem. I think the mildew tends to build up if you leave it damp or almost empty. I keep mine filled up all the time, never dry it out and have never had a problem with mildew.

-s
I've never had a problem with that either. As soon as I get home, I empty it out and put it into the freezer.

I use mine whenever I'm riding over 40-50 miles and don't have access to water. I also use it when the temperature is over ~80F (27C) and I'm riding 25+ miles.

<edit> Thanks for reminding me Marty. I have Gatorade/Powerade in the water bottles. </edit>

Cool?? Not cool?? Who cares. ;)
I've seen some roadies around here with them. And I've seen rec riders with them. The rec riders usually don't ride more than 15-20 miles. Why do they need a Camelback? :rolleyes:

I'm with Bobatin H2O in camelback on long rides,
accelerade or whatever is on sale in water bottles.
I could give a rats @ss what someone thinks of
me while I'm riding, I'm not a racer I don't pretend
to be.
Mateo, nice to see you again.

Marty

I don't like the feeling of it on my back...

I like to ride with one because it holds 72 ounces of water. Thats about 4 water bottles worth. You should drink about 1 bottle every half an hour if you are pushing it hard and it is warm/humid (if you want to keep from getting dehydrated that is). I also do not like to have to stop to refill bottles in the middle of a ride. If anything is "un-cool" it is "stopping to take a break!" Just kidding. I'm used to a pack from commuting to work so it doesn't bother me.

Hey Avalanche....do you ride a Trek?

No. I am on a GT Avalanche. I am one of the crazy people on a MTB on the sat morning rides. A road bike is coming soon.....

Are you going out this Sat?

I was in a race where I saw a guy with a camelback. It was a 40 mile race. What the .... ???


Just a thought. This guy would be able to keep the hammer down for all 40 miles. You can drink from one of these and not break your cadance. That sounds good for a short race where every pedal stroke counts. What do you guys think?

I found mine beneficial in my triathlons. Able to focus on the road better and did not give me an excuse to break cadence and slow down.

FB,

What size camelbak for which type of race. I plan on doing tris this summer. Last night's pool workout did me in. I was thiking of getting the water bottle holder for my seat instead

I do both.

I sweat a bunch, so I need more hydration. I use a Siren, which is pretty small and light at 50oz and I have a Profile dual-bottle holder behind my seat. For training rides I go all water, but for the tris (olympic), I have water in the c'back and gatorade or emergen'c or whatever in the bottles. I've found that bottles are easy to get a grape smell out of better than a c'back. The bottles are also what I drink at the middle and then end of the ride to get me juiced up for the ensuing 10K.

Use a 2-Liter for all rides. I'm going to upgrade to a 3 ltr: It gets hot here in N Florida. I wouldn't leave home with out one. We also use ours for long duration outdoor events during the summer like fairs, art shows, kids sporting events. We get lots of thirsty folks come up and ask us where we got those things. One guy in Canada thought I was on oxygen. His daughter straightened him out.

Al

I took my 100 oz. Hydrapak to Arizona this past summer. It was wonderful when we were hiking in Sedona.

I have a hydro pack..Reason I have hardly ever used it, I ride mostly about areas where I know drinking fountains are common. Must say, I do not like the feel the pack on my back...Feels wet and clammy. Like the unencumbered feel of just a jersey on my back.. Have been a couple times I wish I had had on on certain desert rides...30 miles of very warm conditions with no drinking fountans...Maybe 2 water bottles can't get you 60 miles out in the desert.
Don't use it because I think it uncool, just don't like the feel of it. I am sure when out in the desert sooner or later I will use it.

For keeping the Camelbak clean and stink free. I am now keeping mine full and in the fridge (until the wife boots me out). Once in a while, or after putting something with flavor in. Fill it half way with water, put a couple tablespoons of baking soda in and slosh it around. Smells and tastes are gone. To disinfect, do the same with a little bit of bleach to kill any critters, then do the baking soda to kill the bleach taste. You don't have to do this very often, and it works great.

For keeping the Camelbak clean and stink free. I am now keeping mine full and in the fridge (until the wife boots me out). Once in a while, or after putting something with flavor in. Fill it half way with water, put a couple tablespoons of baking soda in and slosh it around. Smells and tastes are gone. To disinfect, do the same with a little bit of bleach to kill any critters, then do the baking soda to kill the bleach taste. You don't have to do this very often, and it works great.
I fear growth within the pack.....Also do not like the feel of anything between my back and fresh air..Same goes for a backpack,even though I once use one.
Possibly..Put ice in the hyrdo pack and it would have a cooling effect upon your back...Still interfere with wicking.