N_C

No, I'm not talking about the water that we are partially made up of, about 60% I think. I'm speaking of water we carry with us on our rides.

First of all how much do you carry and how often do you take a drink? I carry as much as I need in my Camel Bak depending on the distance I ride. And take a drink every 10 min. or 1 mile, depending on what comes first.

I'm trying to think of ways to shave some of the water weight off with longer intervals in between taking a drink. Maybe take a drink every 2 miles or 20 min. With longer intervasl I will not need to take as much on my rides which will save weight. Keep in mind water weighs 8 pounds per gallon.

What does everyone else do? What are you thoughts on an idea like this?

Thanks.

joeprim

Don't forget you need to keep hydrated. I think you can get by with a driink every 20 0r so min., but then they will be bigger drinks. I do a lot of sweating and get thirsty so the weight of a water bottle or two and a camelback is reassuring. Anyway when I'm tried the weight will be almost gone - it's only there when I'm freah and don't care.

Joe

Styk33

1 gallon = 8.34lbs.

I drink 24 oz every hour on mild days (<25C). I usually will drink 32oz every hour on hotter days. That is what I plan for when figuring out how much to bring on rides.

Csson

On every ride of 30k and up I always bring two big (8dl) water bottles and my 2L Hydrapak. While I have never been close to use even one bottle on a normal 30k ride I prefer to bring too much water. Since I have been dehydrated a couple of times I would never take chances with how much and when to drink in order to save this kind of weight.

I have found that I drink more often but less water per drink since I got my Hydrapak last spring.

/Csson

ZackJones

When it comes to water I live by the "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" rule. With the exception of my commute I start every ride with two full water bottles and have another one or two in a cooler in the Xterra.

If you want to drink less, chew gum when you ride. Half a stick of gum does the trick for me.

Zack

caloso

I don't worry about it. I figure that most of that water weight will be shed by the end of the ride. It goes from the bottle, into me, and then evaporated into the atmosphere. In theory, I should be going faster at the end of the ride because I'm pushing less weight, right?

ChezJfrey

I see no reason to skimp on water. I want plenty of it while riding and tend to get nervous if I finish a ride and only have a quarter of my initial supply remaining. If looking to save weight, cut the unnecessary stuff. Water is necessary, so I wouldn't consider cutting it to diminish weight.

Paul L.

To save on weight I will plan a store or a park with drinking fountains about halfway through my ride. I purchase bottled water and refill all my canteens and finish the ride. Thus I only have to carry 1/2 the water at any one time. The store idea also works really good for bananas as well.

jatkins679

I carry one bottle on my 20-25 mile rides, but I don't usually drink any water until after I get home. Except on the hottest days, I usually just don't feel like taking in any water.

I think that people's bodies tell them when it's time to drink best, not some arbitrary schedule.

JMTS

Chris L

As a rule I carry two water bottles, totalling 1.5 litres on my rides. I also look for opportunities to re-fill them quite often. Another thing I partake in is drinking deliberately excessive quantities of water when I'm not riding. If you start a ride well-hydrated, it reduces your chance of suffering dehydration during the ride. Under normal conditions, I drink 5-10 litres of water per day.

RWTD

First I actually carry excess water to add weight(and I feel this is the smartest way to do it in Fl) and I have it distributed in bottles between easily accessed in rear pockets to relatively easy access in pockets on rear of bike to packed away on rear of bike (ie harder to access for emergency).However if I was trying to minimize weight here are some tricks I'd try.First if I went with a camelback I'd go with a small size to get weight off my back and because in hot weather you will tend to drink the water too fast if it is that easily accessable and run out too soon.I would subliment that with a bottle or two less accessible in case I ran out.But the real key is to try to drink the water evenly and sparingly until you get to a refill source and then at that time splurge and drink all you can and then top off the supplies before you leave.

supcom

Unless you are racing or can't make it up the hills, why worry about the weight of the water? If you are trying to lose weight it matters not whether the equipment weighs 20 lbs, 50 lbs, or 100 lbs. Just adjust your speed accordingly to stay aerobic and not deplete your glycogen before the end of the ride.

If you think about it for a 300 lb rider+bike, 10 lbs of water is only 3% of the total. If you drink all of the water at a constant rate during the ride, then you are carrying around only half that on average. Actually, the average is probably even lower since most of us will end up dehydrated at the end of the ride.

threadend

Something just doesn't sound right.

If your drinking water every mile and traveling at 6 MPH ( 1 mile / 10 minutes) the you either have to take very small drinks, carry very large quantities of water or go for very short rides.

If you are travelling faster than 6 MPH and drinking water every mile the same applies.

If you ride slower than 6 MPH and drinking water every ten minutes, the same applies.

Me, water every 15 minutes whether I'm thirsty or not, sometimes more, but never less.

N_C

First I usually carry no less then 32 ozs of water, this is for a 20 mile ride, I cary more for longer rides, etc.

When I take a drink I drink until I feel the cold water hit my throat, drink for about a second more then stop. I use a Camel Bak so the water thats in the tube is warmer then whats in the bladder which is kept insulated from the heat. I don't know howe much I drink but I'd like to think its an ounce or 2. I don't know how much the tube can hold but I drink whats in the tube then propbably another tube full when I feel the cold water hit my throat.

I never ride slower then 6 mph even going up hill.

Richard Cranium

Since, everbody and every ride is different, I wouldn't know how or why anything anyone says would work more than once for one person.

I do know one thing, the range some people can go on little water is far greater than you can imagine. An average adult, a little overweight, may require a quart an hour to a 3 hour/50 mile ride. A highly trained racer could complete the same ride in 2.5 hours using 16 ounces.

Keep that in mind when giving or getting hydration advice.

The Terminator

I have quit carrying water on my daily 14 miler. I planned to do 40 today, but I will instead do it tomorrow. I will carry 2 bottles. Hey, two bottle racks is a nifty thing. I did 30 a few weeks ago, I carried two bottles and had an extra 32 ounce drink in the truck for when I got back. I ended up drinking both bottles.

stridercc

I always carry at least 2 full bottles with me even if its only a 20 mile ride. I do this so when I race and only need one its alittle bit of a boost, and when I race and need 2 I'm use to it. Depending on the weather, I will bring 3 if the ride is going to be over three hours.

-Matt-