Road Cycling - Whats up with Camelbaks?? Other road bike no nos..

Hey-

Just started road biking after a long stint of mountain biking and I'm wondering why nobody uses hydration backpacks. I figured that the aerodynamics of the bag were the reason but it seems staying hydrated better would be more beneficial than a .02 lower drag coeffecient. Is it just a road bike faux pau, like helmet visors or full euro kit??
what else is in this category????

Ross

I just bought a Camelback for hiking in Yosemite. Those things are a lot more troublesome than just using water bottles. I'm sticking with water bottles.

I've heard that mtn bikers use camelbaks because of all the dust, dirt and mud that gets kicked up. You don't have that so much with road bikes. Not a no-no to use camelbaks. Go ahead if you want to. As for helmet visors, also not a no-no. I would rather ride with some sort of visor than not. It helps keep the sun out of my eyes and the rain off my face. Of course I wear sunglasses, but sometimes the visor really helps.

aerodynamics, center of gravity, pain in the a to clean, tradition, etc.

I noticed that too......I love mine and when I finally get my road bike, (it is on order), I will be wearing it with pride. Yesterday I drank the whole 2 liters on my ride. I also think it helps build endurance, because you are carrying extra weight on your back. When I ride without it, I can tell the difference.

I wear my camelbak when mtb in part cuz it's spine protection :D

I have 4 water bottle cages on my roadie, I have no suspension and carrying that much weight on my back for hours is uncomfortable.

I used one once on a very hot day during a century ride. While I was glad to have it for the sake of hydration, it started to bother me towards the end of the ride. Shoulders got all tense and sore which hadn't happened on previous long distance rides. They usually get stiff but not sore. Now I just carry an extra bottle or two in my jersey which seems to be plenty of fluids for me.

[edit] - I should add, that I won't rule out the use of one again though. The rides are getting longer and I hate to run out of fluids when far away from home. The convenience of the drinking tube is nice too instead of having to reach for bottle in the frame, especially when fatigued towards the end of a ride.

no no's? i pretty much do what i want, i figure its my bike and my ride and peer pressure be damned. i like my camelbak, i carry tools, mobile phone, snacks and water in one pack, i can use it on my roadie or mtb without having to move gear back and forth. shrug, use it if you like, don't if you don't :-)

-- michael

another no-no... triples.

troll!!

I use a 2L Hydrapak. It was a bit uncomfortable on the first rides, but after that I really don't notice it that much. To me the advantages are much bigger than any disadvantage: I can carry twice as much water and it stays cooler longer, shorter periods of one-handed riding, if something suddenly appears that demands two hands on the bar I can just let go of it (I once dropped a bottle that got stuck and dragged by the back wheel, not much fun). I also find drinking from it much less intrusive to the pedaling than drinking from a bottle.

And yes, I have a triple on my bike too :). But I haven't used the granny since climbing this road (http://www.trolltoget.no/Photo/Ny09896-028dalen.JPG) while touring in Norway earlier this year.

/Csson

i road bike with a camelback... i always end up sparing some water to my friend. plus it has room to carry wallet/phone/tools/etc...

too useful to leave at home. screw vanity :rolleyes:

I agree with redfooj!

:D

Ed

When I ride before all the stores open a hydro pack is the only way i can carry enought water to last a long ride in the summer(I guess you could say I use both bottles and Camelback in this case). But I am not your typical roadie all decked out in kit and no accessories (such as a rack). If I need it, I'll use it. I figure if the bike and I weigh a little extra on training rides then that just gives us a better workout.

troll!!
But it is a no-no. I ride a triple and get crap for it.

merged 2 threads (identical title, subject etc.
also deleted duplicate post.

Marty

But it is a no-no. I ride a triple and get crap for it.

perhaps you need some better ride partners ....

I use visors, wear baggies and ride in mountain bike shoes most of the time, but I don't use a Camelback either on or off the road. I have two of them (bought one, then got one as a gift), but I'd just rather not ride in a backpack.
I don't know HOW you arrogant roadie geeks ride without visors, though....

perhaps you need some better ride partners ....
I didn't say my friends or riding partners gave me crap.

I ride a triple and wear a helmet with a visor on my road bike. I have yet to get any crap for it.

I have not tried a camelback yet, but it would seem that the straps would be annoying on long rides. Also I can carry 2 bottles on the bike, 2 more if I want in my jersey (but that is annoying too so I may buy a behind the seat water bottle cage) and can also stop to buy more gatorade (most of the time) in my area.

I see nothing wrong with wearing one, if it suits you

The main reason I stopped using the camelback with my road bike was heat. I would get home from a ride and my shirt would be soaked under the pack. I'll still use it when I get into longer rides, but for now, I like going back to bottles.


Oh, and I ride a triple. With pride : P

I have a CamelBak Mule, and love it for mountain biking. I used it for a while while road biking, but the aero position required on a road bike made the extra weight on my back uncomfortable. Plus, I had a problem with my back sweating underneath the CamelBak. I have since moved to a seat pack for tools and two 24oz water bottles for hydration.

Who cares what others think. Just do it.

I use a Camelbak Siren for all my road biking...I carry other electrolyte based drinks in the water bottles and straight water in the camelbak. IMO the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I like having extra storage & water on hand...makes me less dependant on rest stops, and it keeps my back cool too!

Don't worry about what others think...just do what makes YOU happy! ;)

I never saw a reason to use one. I never did rides longer than 70 miles and two large bottles is plenty for that distance. Plus, I never saw a great hardship in reaching down and getting a bottle.

I never saw a reason to use one. I never did rides longer than 70 miles and two large bottles is plenty for that distance. Plus, I never saw a great hardship in reaching down and getting a bottle.
You've never ridden more than 70 miles? Ya gotta try long distance someday, it's tons of fun.

I don't know HOW you arrogant roadie geeks ride without visors, though....

Visors on helmets are generally too heavy. They cause neck pain when on a road bike (especially on longer rides), due to the leaned forward position that is normal on a road bike. You don't notice it as much mountain biking because the rides tend to be shorter, and you're sitting up straighter (this is the same reason why most roadies don't use Camelbacks).

A much better solution is a cycling cap underneath the helmet. Absorbs sweat, and block sun in the eyes.

I was browsing the Camelback website and watched the demo on how to clean the water bladder.

Supposed to be 9 easy steps but then I actually visualized myself cleaning it and decided no way was I going to spend all the real time it would take cleaning the bladder out after each ride.

You need to get those little tablets to clean the bladder too?

Way too much work. I'm sticking with my water bottles too.

If you follow those steps you'll never want to use it.

For a quick cleaning, fill with water, drop in a couple tbls of baking soda, shake and leave overnight.

For a good disinfecting, fill with water, a couple of tbls of bleach, shake and leave overnight.

Ensure that you thoroughly rinse the bladder before use for either method. Been doing it this way for years now.

I have a visor clipped onto my triple

when my bladder starts gunking up, I just use mouthwash... let it sit overnight. Rinse. And enjoy the added flavor and lack of deadly chemicals :)

You all do know that camlebacks and their analogs come in many different forms don't you? From actual hiking packs with bladders to adventure racing packs and mtb packs to sleek liquid only back huggers for roadbikes. All with capaities from 1 to 4 liters not that you have to fill them full and different models/brands fit different too.

I use bottles for quik rides because they're quick but I do like my hydration pack. I always thought that adding weight to the rider rather than the bike would be best as you could put more downforce on the pedals. (if your going carry the weight anyway)

cleaning? just rinse it well after the ride and set it out to dry. I didn't and it got kind of goopy by the next ride so I did the whole 9 step baking soda thing(different brand and lost instructions) I just made up the steps and I tried iodine as a sterilizer as its what I had(for beer brewing sanitizing) and I thought bleach might do something weird to the plastic, well the plastic pulled the iodine out of the water staining it a weird dark-yellow brown and leaving nearly clear water. Does this mean its perma-sterilized?
I think I'll try the mouthwash thing next time.

As for the original question, baggies are a bit taboo for road bikes.

You've never ridden more than 70 miles? Ya gotta try long distance someday, it's tons of fun.

I chose to ride fast rather than long. I wasn't real good at combining the two.

Speed's all that matters.

Visors on helmets are generally too heavy.

You're kidding right? I can understand the visibility on road bike issue, but weight? The visor on my Bell Influx must weigh all of 20g.

I was browsing the Camelback website and watched the demo on how to clean the water bladder.

Supposed to be 9 easy steps but then I actually visualized myself cleaning it and decided no way was I going to spend all the real time it would take cleaning the bladder out after each ride.

You need to get those little tablets to clean the bladder too?

Way too much work. I'm sticking with my water bottles too.

I learned the hard way, mine would never dry all the way, so mold built up in the tube. I got a new one, and I never clean it. I just freeze it every time. I put a little bit of water in the bottom, then clear the tube by blowing into it, and I put it in the freezer. Voila, you have a decent sized chunk of ice that makes the water ICE cold for a long time in the pack. No Muss, No Fuss. BTW, it is OK to freeze them, I found that on their website.

Oh and you can also add a bit of lemon or lime juice to give it a little flavor. Not a lot, just a little. The lemon/lime will also help keep it clean.

I think you should use whatever is comfortable for you. I tried to use camelback but for some reason using a straw type of pipe to suck water from a sack, to me, not refreshing. I take 2 or 3 bottles with me, I just think it is a lot easier to clean bottles. And using different sources (different bottles) during a ride ensures that the bacteria from your mouth does not go in and stay in the sack for a long time.

You're kidding right? I can understand the visibility on road bike issue, but weight? The visor on my Bell Influx must weigh all of 20g.

Not at all. When you spend a lot of time down low, the weight becomes an issue. At least it does for me on rides of 75 or more miles. Your head doesn't weigh that much to begin with, and the weight of the visor is sitting out there in front of your forehead (and catching wind), so over the course of 5+ hours or so, it can contribute to a sore neck. At least, that's what I found to be true when I got a road bike after a number of years of mountain biking. Of course, YMMV.

As you note, it is also a safety issue in that it blocks your view up the road when you're down in the drops. With a cycling cap, you can either turn it around backwards, or flip up the brim to see up the road. And, obviously, a cycling cap is a whole lot more stylin' than a helmet mounted visor :D.

bobby julich(sp?) wore a camelbak during the TTT in the TdF. jeff

Rode with out my pack today. It was nicer. But in 90 T & H, it goes with me.

Plus, I never saw a great hardship in reaching down and getting a bottle.
I have personally seen two crashes because of it.

I use one. I came over from MTB and used a MULE for a while. I was thinking of ditching it and going to bottles, more just because that is what everyone else does than anything else. The two bottle related crashes that I saw changed my mind. The MULE is a bit heavy, unaero and hot for road use though.

I went and got a Camelbak Rogue. Your aerodynamics are actually improved by wearing it. (Yes, they did wind tunnel tests). It is lighter and much cooler on the road.

Plus, it goes nice with my triple, MTB helmet (sans visor), and MTB shoes/pedals.

no no's? i pretty much do what i want, i figure its my bike and my ride and peer pressure be damned. i like my camelbak, i carry tools, mobile phone, snacks and water in one pack, i can use it on my roadie or mtb without having to move gear back and forth. shrug, use it if you like, don't if you don't :-)

-- michael

Same here I pretty much do what I want I wear MTB shoes and use STB pedals on all my bikes one sh fots all. I hydrate myself better with a hydropack and it cartry's a;; sprts of handythings thta I won't have to carry in my shirt pocket.

There is no right or wrong way to outfit your bike or yourself

For MTBing the CamelBak is a must for me. My MTB only has a single cage and because of the frame geometry, it only holds a smaller bottle. If I'm riding at night, that spot gets taken up by the battery for my lights. I'll carry a water bottle even with the CamelBak since it's nice to have some water to use for a moving shower. I also tend to carry more stuff while MTBing than road biking.

When I'm on the road, a single water bottle is often good enough as I've always been able to find places to fill up. Lately, I've started using the extra cage to carry a "Travel-Pak" which is essentially a bottle-shaped container that I use to throw in things like a small bottle of sunscreen, contact lens case, spare lens for my sunglasses, Rx insert, special Mavic spoke tool for my Ksyriums, etc. My seatbag is small and running out of room. My jersey pockets are fairly well filled up too. I also prefer to have things in my jersey pockets rather than in a backpack because I can't really pull stuff out of the backpack easily. And hydration packs block access to the pockets.

The problem I have with the CamelBak is that the straps start to strain my shoulders after a while and I will get prematurely sore there.

I just couldn't stand to have that thing flaying around on my back the whole time I was riding. I have a "race" position on my bike, meaning I am very bent over while in the drops. A CB would drive crazy. Mountain biking is soooo much different than road biking. I also wouldn't like to have to reach down for a water bottle on a single track climb, in this case the CB is much easier.

I'm a roadie and I use the new REI packs. I love the women's mtn bike version, 70 oz bladder, room for my camera and cell phone and energy bars, jacket or rain pants, if I need them. Very comfortable, don't even know it's there on hot days.

I use Accelerade in it, it's easy to clean,wide mouth so I can put my hand inside it to clean it. I drink a lot more on long rides because of it. My bike can only carry 1 water bottle so I'd be up a creek without it on long rides.

I also dumped the visor, on a windy day it was tugging to much on my helmet and causing neck pain on long rides (50 - 70 miles). However, I noticed my face sunburns more without it.

Kathi

Very new to road biking. Picked up a 2005 Trek Madone 5.2 last Friday. Great ride, scarry fast. I've been using a Camelbak Lobo for the last few months while backpacking up the mountain behind my home. I'm now used to the extra weight. While biking I can carry the Lobo with 70 oz. of fluid along with a mini first aid kit, spare tire tube, Topeak Alien II tool set, mini CO2 pump, wallet and pair of sunglasses. Till my balance on my new bike improves, I find that bending over to pick up a water bottle may lead to a crash. I do carry two bottles filled with Gatorade when I stop. At 51 years young, and living in the mountains of Northern New Jersey, I find a triple the only way to go. Not really concerned with what other people think of me. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Happy Trails!!! David

I also got accustomed to Camelbacks as a mtn biker and purchased a Rocket shortly after my first road bike. Thought the standard bottle cages looked dorky and messed up the clean lines of bike.

"Rode with pride" about 10 times. Rocket has an aero shape and I was skeptical about claims of increased wind resistance (still am). As I started riding longer I got sick of having it on my back though.

Eventually found some much cooler looking cages (Specialized Ribcage) and tried bottles again. Much nicer to have a nice clean jerseyed back, and happier now with water bottles. Probably would still use Camelback on mtn bikes to keep bottles from sloshing around.

Incidentally, I also swore up and down I would not wear a jersey while riding, cause as a layperson I thought it was just good for being a bike geek. That changed after about a month of riding, when I realized the aero and comfort benefits of a jersey.

I get crap for the triple already too...but that's usually right before I ride away...lol

Supposed to be 9 easy steps

just 9 steps, huh? :)

you have the bladder, the rubber-coated wire thing to hold it open, the tablets, the mouthpiece that needs to be replaced, etc.

bottles, thanks!

Just bought a CB knock off, Sierra Trail or some such unheard of brand at Big 5 (local sports chain) They are on clearance for $12.99 USD carrys 1.5 litres. Good buy while they last...