Standalone 

I'm riding my first supported century (other than the MS-150s I did as a kid) on Sunday and I've been working on food and water solutions.

I rode a solo metric yesterday with a lunch bag and a bag of chips tied to the front rack. My main problem was hot water in my water bottles. I'm not picky about water, but yesterday was too much. I got a cheap bag today.

The ride has about 4-5000 feet of climbing, if their mapmyride is correct.

So is this contraption ridiculous or workable?

electrik

All those straps make me nervous

Standalone 

yeah, I was going to chop it up, but I also go backcountry camping, and I couldn't bring myself to cut it up.

Phil85207

Is the bag to haul more water or keep it cool or what. You could freeze the bottles leaving room for expansion and fill them with cold water just before
you start. On my centuries I use a fanny pack to keep nutrition items in. It is easy to get into and has several pockets to keep things separate. It works
for me.
If the race is supported they will have water at the aid stations, along with some nutrition items. Be sure to keep up with electrolytes too.
Good luck.

c.miller64

Way overkill for a supported century- unless you're trying to complete it without stopping.
I would ditch those bottles though and pick up a couple of insulated ones. They keep cool for a much longer time.

Bacciagalupe

One vote for "ridiculous," sorry. Better options include:

• A decent Camelbak, mixing ice and water (very useful for hiking / camping btw)
• Thermal water bottles (both Polar and Camelbak make 'em these days)
• Either get a real bag that will fit on the front rack, or get a cheap rear rack and a trunk bag
• Add additional bottle racks to either the saddle or the handlebars
• Refill your bottles at the rest stops

electrik

Camelbak also sells a tougher bladder that can be affixed to your top-tube and hangs there. Depending on how hot it is though and distances between rest stops you should be ok with two insulated bottles(24oz each). Just keep topping up and swapping in cooler water.

SlowRoller

You could bungee an insulated vinyl cooler to that front rack. It would probably hold a couple of water bottles and some food, and provide a tidier and more stable solution.

Richard Cranium

I doubt the need for anyone to use a hydration pack on an MS charity ride.

A better plan than the misuse of equipment is to simply use several water bottles and make a point to drink generously at each stop.

Many charity rides offer bottled drinks in addition to water. If you drink at each stop and take a disposable bottle with you as you leave i would think that would be enough for any "normal" charity ride.

The bag is a bad idea. Any time you use equipment incorrectly you are taking chances with your ride safety. Putting that bag on your handle bar creates more problems than it solves. Either wear the bag correctly or leave it at home.

Standalone 

Thanks for the different perspectives.

I never drink bottled drinks-- I'm afraid it might throw off my system. I'm strictly a coffee / water / beer guy.

It's not a charity ride, though. Just a local club/shop sponsored century. I'm not sure how much support to expect. I think I made do with one water bottle with me on my MS150s.

And I'm not that scared to be resourceful with what I have on hand or what's cheap.

I've ridden around with the bag a bit-- it's actually great. I don't think camelback branded bags are necessarily any better than this one, maybe a little lighter. This one was $40, and has insulation along the entire length of the removable drinking tube. The tube is threaded through a hole in the strap-- 1t's a good design. Well, at least for camping.

I'm 190 lbs, and burn a lot of fuel, so I need easy access to a lot of food. I want my nuts and bars and chips right up there. But I'm thinking that the extra weight is going to kill me on the climbs. The route is relatively hilly, at least relative to general riding around coastal Connecticut. Guess I'll go back to my even more jerry rigged lunch bag contraption and save this bag for touring.

edit:
this bag, while it might not look so tidy, is actually very stable. It's wrapped up tightly to the cheap sunlite/nashbar rando rack, the HT, and the handlebars.

in the last picture, you can see that it presents a narrow profile to the wind.

Anyway, if I really enjoy this century, I'll spring for a nice acorn bag or something. Just to make you guys happy.

clarkgriswold

What are you carrying in your jersey pockets? I can carry quite a bit, including a spare bottle of water.

Definately looks like overkill on supported ride.

For a supported ride with stops every 15 miles or so, you shouldn't need more than two bottles of water or fluids. Putting a third smaller one in your jersey is plenty of insurance on a hot day.

Different story for unsupported or remote riding in extreme heat. Down here I went through two bottles and my entire camelbak in 35 miles with the Texas heat+humidity. I dislike camelbaks but the ride was remote enough that there wasn't really a place to stop so i needed it. It kept my water ice cold till the last drop.

Standalone 

dang, I need to buy a jersey, too?

ks1g

I'd be really nervous about all those straps close to your front wheel. Since you already have a usable front rack, a small handlebar bag would be safer and fit better. Or bungee a bottle or 2 to the rack. Larger bottles (uninsulated or insulated) will fit your current racks and give you approx 16oz more water (50% capacity boost). You have plenty of space along your top tube for a top-tube bag (place for the water bladder in that pack) and space for munchies. AND, a cheap jersey is going to be more comfy than a t-shirt (unless you already have "technical" fabric t's that don't get sweat-soggy) and gives pockets for water and food items.

My preference on hot rides is 2 24-oz bottles on the bike filled with mix (pick something you already like and tolerate well), a 3rd bottle water-only in a jersey pocket for add'l fluids or dumping on head or sweat rinsing. I use a bento box behind the stem for reachable munchies and resupply from jersey pocket or at rest stops. Even a minimally-supported ride (but ask about stops and provisions) is going to have water supplies (even if it's tap water in a hose) and you can purchase COLD bottled water and sports drinks at convenience stores, groceries, and gas stations along the route.

If you are determined to use a pack, get a cycling-specific camelback. It will fit and ride MUCH better than that bag.

As to weight, how heavy is the pack? At 190# an add'l 10 pounds may not be that huge a difference. Enjoy the ride!

Standalone 

yes, I'm definitely not wearing cotton T's on the ride. But $9 dri-weave polyester shirts fit more into my commuter's bike budget than $40+ jerseys. I'll go with bigger insulated bottles, that's good advice.

edit: and wait.. you eat SUSHI on the ride???

canopus 

I use the large zefal bottles and put a wet sock over them. The sock as a cooling effect on the bottle (not much but a little) and it protects them from the sun.
I use two most of the time but during the summer I put on my third bottle cage below the downtube for "just in case" and cooling water. I also have a large H-bar bag i keep my fruits/sandwiches/cliff bars and other stuff in. On rides over 80 miles I like to stop and have a lunch simply because i am slow and am out there for 8 to 12 hours.

After my last one (only my 2nd century) I decided I would move to night rides. First one was last weekend and I liked it but it seemed awfully busy for the middle of the night.

Standalone 

Looks like there's only 4 rest stops....?

https://beta.mapmyride.com/route/detail/18791146/

The other day, on my last 62 mile training ride, I didn't stop for water replenishment until mile 45, and that's with one little and one medium size water bottle. I'm used to long commutes w/o water. But now I haven't trained at all with that big bag, so I'm still not as inclined to use it.