Tandem Cycling - Drinking While Climbing

Anyone use a handlebar waterbottle holder with "straw"? I'm finding on some climbs at slow speed I really don't have the luxury of reaching down and getting a drink: we may be climbing for 45 minutes to an hour. This is too long to go without drinking on a warm day. I'm really not anxious to use a Camelback just for drinking on the climbs, but I'm going to try one this weekend.

BTW, I bought my stoker two Arundel sideloader WB cages; these were expensive, but much easier to manage than the SS cages we had. Of course on the daVinci she can stop pedaling, but that's not a behavior I want to encourage.;)

Doesn't Stoker hand you the bottle, then drink herself? To trade her empties for your full bottles, she puts the used one in your jersey pocket, you hand her the new one, she hands you the old one.

Using one Camelbak for both riders would be a good idea, though. Never thought of that. Used to use one on my single, years ago, but Machka talked me into switching to liter bottles and I do prefer them.

Been using that type of system since the early1970s when braze on mounts were rare. Used to have a double mount on my PX-10 for long events.
Currently, on both tandem and single bike, we utilize a Minoura handlebar mount.
The bottle's cap has the little pop-up plunger removed and a plastic drinking straw is inserted. No need to remove bottle to drink; dip your head down and sip away!
The 'straws' are plastic tubing bought at hardware store that fit properly and cut to your desired length.
For pilot we use a stiff/non flexible tube; for stoker a bit longer flexible tube so she does not bop her head into my butt when drinking.
This had worked fine for use for over 3 decades.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Doesn't Stoker hand you the bottle, then drink herself? To trade her empties for your full bottles, she puts the used one in your jersey pocket, you hand her the new one, she hands you the old one. We use this technique, works well for us.

I'd love to be able to handle the bike with one hand and use the stoker-as-waterperson approach. On these harder climbs I'm max'ed out and taking a hand off the bars is out of the question. I will try a Camelbak this weekend, but the handlebar WB mount has a lot of appeal.

The camelback works fine if both of you stand at the same time or you rig has plenty of room for stoker... otherwise it may be on the way while the stoker stands alone. A triplet is a lot harder to maneuver with one hand while slow/steep climbing than a tandem.

I'm sold on using a Camelback. I've been using one while riding my single road bike for many years. I also started using it while single mountain biking a while back and I find that I drink much more. The mountain bike certainly demands alot of attention from my hands and the camelback does not. I spent this past winter and spring using regular water bottles on my road tandem, and I found that the early warmth that we had snuck up on me. I wasn't drinking nearly enough and I felt it on those unseasonably warm days! I will never again use water bottles except as storage from which to refill my camel. I don't like the weight of 70 or more ounces of water on my back, so I refill often. I am trying to convince my wife (stoker) to use a camel back, but she insists that she finds time to drink enough with conventional bottles. The fact is that I am constantly reminding her to drink.
I've done a few mountain bike trips in the Utah desert, and I'm sure that the almost total lack of humidity out there would have really hurt me if I didn't use a camelback.

The biggest problem with a Camelback on a tandem is that the stoker can find the pockets in it very useful/convenient and load it up with all kinds of stuff. Aside from that, I do find that I drink more regularly with a Camelback, but sometimes I am still reminded by the stoker when to drink. We usually have water in the Camelbacks and energy drink or Coke in the bottles. In the later stages of a long ride the stoker, who keeps track of calorie consumption per hour, is typically handing me the bottle so I don't bonk and get grumpy.

Anyone use a handlebar waterbottle holder with "straw"?

The straw thing is found in Tri, usually tucked in among the aero bars. You likely don't have aero bars. NeverReach (http://www.neverreach.com/page/page/276159.htm) makes a system in which the reservoir is behind the seat. It looks like it would interfere with the stoker, but it might go on the stoker's top tube (and you could share?).


<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PSgeQwR52KY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PSgeQwR52KY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Been using that type of system since the early1970s when braze on mounts were rare. Used to have a double mount on my PX-10 for long events.
Currently, on both tandem and single bike, we utilize a Minoura handlebar mount.
The bottle's cap has the little pop-up plunger removed and a plastic drinking straw is inserted. No need to remove bottle to drink; dip your head down and sip away!
The 'straws' are plastic tubing bought at hardware store that fit properly and cut to your desired length.
For pilot we use a stiff/non flexible tube; for stoker a bit longer flexible tube so she does not bop her head into my butt when drinking.
This had worked fine for use for over 3 decades.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandemTwo of these things, right?
http://www.minourausa.com/english/accessory-e/bh60-e.html
Plus two bottle cages, bottles, and straws . . .

I've got a center mount for a small handlebar bag. I'm wondering if I can find a compatible adapter for a WB cage? Would definitely be the way to go.

On these harder climbs I'm max'ed out and taking a hand off the bars is out of the question.

Stop and take a drink.

carbonfiberboy:
Our Minoura HB bottle cage mounts are the older model and a tad different, but essentially do the same thing.
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Stop and take a drink.And watch the other bikes go up the road? I'd die of dehydration first. Arrrgh.

Just saw the "SipStream Hydration System" (http://www.roadbikerider.com/producttests.htm) on my RoadBikeRider newsletter ... might be of interest for some.

And watch the other bikes go up the road? I'd die of dehydration first. Arrrgh.

I must have misunderstood, I didn't realize the OP was racing or an organized ride, or even other bikes around. But I do know that even if it was a tough organized ride, there are waterstops every ten miles on the tough climbing rides (10,000 ft rides). Just about everybody stops on "these harder climbs", as described by the OP.

I'd like to see a one hour climb that doesn't ease up on on atleast a few short flat sections that doesn't allow the rider to take a drink.

Mr. B,
Your one hour climb and our one hour climb (on our tandem) are two different animals. At our ages we're not doing any 10,000 ft. climbing centuries on the tandem no way no how. But, point well taken: even it if eases up for only 50 yards I ought to be able to snatch a WB and take a drink. So what I'm going to do is experiment. I'll try a Camelbak since I might want to use one of these on a really tough solo ride. I'll also set my pride aside and consider stopping which usually we only do when I'm about to fall over; sometimes the climbing roads are narrow and on a big ride (CV Wildflower had 3800 entrants) you've got to be aware of what's around you.

Good ideas one and all.

Sunrise, WA? Stevens Canyon, same? Cayuse Pass from the south, same?

However, I did have to extract my tongue from my cheek and use it to type the above. Nasty wet keyboard now.

Maybe I'm just weird because we mostly ride with other bikes, though we don't do "organized rides." Why pay money to ride a bike? But we have the same issue, even on spring rides with only 500' climbs, because we're either in a paceline, climbing, descending, or doing something that requires concentration, and usually other bikes around. Right now we use the Stoker system, but we're always interested in a better way. Paceline's not too bad - we just show the bottle and move left, but that means no traffic, so not always possible.

My stoker likes organized rides - nuf said?

We're totally agnostic: like organized rides - sometimes, like the select friends rides - sometimes, and like to ride just the two of us, -sometimes. I guess the common thread is that we like to ride. Strictly a water bottle tandem here, but always thinking about new ideas, so keep 'em coming.