umd

Very carefully...

Machka 

Hmmm ... I found just the opposite to be true. My water stayed icy cool with my Camelbak.


But then ... I only rode 400 kilometers in 110 degree heat in California with it. So maybe it would have warmed up if I had ridden longer or in hotter weather.

rollin

I use bottles. One frozen overnight and and one chilled in the fridge. I add Nuun tablets which I carry. Temperatures here usually top 100 deg so I find I fill up on the ride. I find water isn't enough.

I also use Gu gels for a hit of energy or Clif Bars if I want a sustained release of energy.

mx_599

https://www.neverreach.com/page/page/276159.htm

mine works well

mx

IndependentMind

Hmmm, well this was a couple years back before i took a break. Maybe the new ones have better insulation? I have noticed though that the new bladders appear to be made of a better material

Red Rider

Me, too, but right now my electrolyte drink du jour is Accelerade.

I know where to stop to refill the water. I keep a couple of Gu packets, maybe some dates or dried figs, and some money in case I need a sandwich. I dislike stopping but will when it comes to food and water.

urodacus

through the mouth.

weavers

i am really glad that he is drinking water and not lemonade. at first glance that does not look like a water bottle.

maximum01

being tall and slim ive noticed i need to eat allot more than some of the bigger guys i ride with, i guess it has something to do with energy reserves in the muscles. anyways, what i eat depends on ride distance and intensity:

century rides:
2 x large bottles of SiS powder sports drink (with potential refill stop)
1xbanana
3xjam sandwiches with brioch loaf
1xpacket of jelly beans of equivalent sweets
1x small bag of roasted potatoes with salt (the small salad potatoes)
2xchocolate biscuites

50 miles or less:

about half of the above

ehidle

I love my perpetuem. I use it half-strength, though. It's a little too hypertonic at their recommended usage. I start with two bottles, and carry two GU-type flasks full of the powder on the longer rides for when I refill. I might also carry a Clif bar or something if the ride is going to be over 80 miles or so.

dark13star

If you do long, unsupported rides, there is nothing wrong with a camelbak. Out here in Colorado, you see roadies wearing them in the mountains all the time. When you are riding 80 miles on rural mountain roads, you need the fluids and a place to carry some gortex for a storm. However, they are uncomfortable and hot, so avoid them if you can. Just don't sacrifice hydration for style.

For normal rides, when I can just use water bottles, I carry two 24 oz bottles with a scoop of HEED in each. When I use a camelbak, I put two scoops of HEED in each bottle and a NUUN tablet or two in the camelbak. I also carry gel and Hammer Bars as necessary.

beavertoof

i have better luck in keeping hydrated if i make sure i down a fair amount of sport drink and water -prior- to the ride, say an hour before.

then i just carry two bottles, and almost always fine for rides up to 50 miles.

RomeRider

I live in Georgia and it's fairly warm here. I was debating about getting a Camelback for a while this Spring after moving here from Maine, but I decided to just go with a 2nd water bottle because I'm not doing very many rides over 50 miles. I can get a 30 to 50 mile ride in on Saturdays before it heats up too much and I'll have a Gatorade before I leave, then just water on the bike. I put 2 or 3 packages of crackers in my seat bag and shirt and I'm good to go. For any longer rides I will need to stop and refill my water bottles, but I don't want anything on my back and I don't want to pay $80 for something I only could justify using a few times a year. I ride on a low budget plan so I've never bought gel packs or any other specialized cycling product like that, but I do have a great time riding and my times have consistently improved.

Garfield Cat

It all depends on the type of ride. The longer the ride distance, the more the need for planned stops. At those stops I get hydration and nutrition. In between the planned stops, I have sufficient hydration with the two bottles.

On planned stops, I kindly ask the attendant at a fast food place for permission to fill up the bottles with ice and water. Usually no problem.

If I know I am down one bottle and see someone with a water hose, I will stop and kindly ask for a fill up and its ok, no problem.

I don't know what I'll do in August in Death Valley at Furnace Creek.

dark13star

Love it! There is just such prejudice against Camelbaks in this forum, but some of us need them for survival on such rides.

BTW, I agree that the insulation on my Camelbaks keeps the water cooler than what is in my bottles.

brian416

I use two big waterbottles, one with water and Accelerade in the other. I usually bring along two gu's or a pack of Cliff bloc shots

90% of mine rides are 50miles or more also

OCshark

I'm following the advice laid out by the ultra endurance gurus over at The508.com. There are several good articles on nutrition there, specifically referring to the Hammer line of products.

In a nutshell for me right now:

Up to 2 hours - 24oz of HEED/hour
2 - 4 hours - 24oz of Sustained Energy/hour
4+ hours - 24oz of Perpetuem/hour

On rides > 60 miles, I also carry a flask of Hammer Gel, and about mile 70 I know I need to get something substantial, such as a CLIF bar to get me to 100 miles without bonking.

On really hot days, I'll carry an extra bottle of water in my back pocket. Obviously you have to plan refueling stops and carry baggies full of the Hammer stuff to replenish.

dark13star

I just don't find I need drinks with protein in them, and I regularly ride over 80 miles, and in the mountains. HEED, Hammer Gel, and maybe a Hammer Bar or Power Bar along the way. I just eat protein at breakfast and then after the ride.

umd

Ug, I can't stand HEED.

dark13star

Yeah, we all have our preferences when it comes to energy drinks. I am on my 3rd huge container of HEED for this summer and I love the stuff. I switched from Cytomax, which I had been using since it came out, I think...

Shipht

Great responses, definatly have a lot of stuff to take into account.

I probably won't be going the Camel-Back route, because I'm really not doing that far rides, most recent was about 60km, and it will take me some time to get up to the century mark.

However, I am looking for a cheap setup, would Gatorade be compareable to Heed or other sports drinks geared towards Cyclists? Thinking of getting a huge tub of powder for my rides.

Avalanche325

I use a CamelBak. I came over from MTB also and just never switched over. I did get a road specific one, Rogue. I ride 50 miles each Sunday in So Cal and that is just the right amount of water. I usually put about 12 oz of Gatorade in with the water. The water will stay nice and cool.

I also use the Camelbak on short rides just for the fact that it is what I am used to and it has my spares, tool, and pump in it.

For centuries I use the Camelbak and two bottles. One with water one pure Gatorade. I do my first stop at 50+ miles. Sometimes I get into the water bottle. The Gatorade is for adding some to the Camelbak when I fill up, or for a quick hit if I am getting tired.

I use GU gel packs for food.. I tried cliff bars, but it is hard to choke one of those down on a hard ride.

caloso

Couple of bottles, one with diluted Gatorade, one with water. A gel or a banana or a ziploc bag full of cookies. Sometimes all of the above.

If I'm going more than 50 miles, I like to get a can of Pepsi and a Snickers bar. Lots of sugar, tastes great, cheap and available. And make sure to refill those bottles.

UtahWasatch

WHey protein drink night before my ride.

HEED & Hammer gel for ride.

Works for me!

ericm979

Probably about the same price in bulk powdered form.

What's important is to find drinks whose taste you can tolerate and which work ok for your digestive system.
I personally think that Gatorade is incredibly nasty and HFCS doesn't sit all that well with me. But I like HEED. Other people don't. Most people's tolerance of sweet-tasting things goes down after some hours on the bike. So a drink that might taste ok at first may be yucky by hour five. Especially when it gets warm in the bottle.