subigo

I know everyone drinks different amounts, but I was wondering what you average in a day on tour? I just read two journals, one with a guy that drank like half a gallon a day, the other drank 5 gallons a day. I would probably put myself in the 1/2 to 1 gallon a day group.

p.s. - I'm talking nice temps, not a lot of stressful riding, 50-75 miles.

nm+

About 6L in my camelback and 2 waterbottles of gatorade in 60mi or so.
Much more if its hot, up to 12L and 6 bottles.

bronskcloosper

5 gallons? that's a lie.

subigo

It was on here somewhere: www.crosscountryforcancer.org

acantor

I don't keep track. I am not normally a big water drinker, but I chug it a lot on tour because I am genuinely thirsty. I refill my two bottles about five times per day, so say 10 bottles, so maybe a gallon -- about four litres -- give or take a bit.

I started mixing sport drink with my water on my last summer tour, and I plan to continue to do so.

jamawani 

You say
"nice temps - not a lot of stressful riding"
But that varies from person to person and place to place.
I can do 75 miles in Nevada - where you really have to plan your water - in early summer with 4 bottles that total about 3.5 liters. But I hydrate before and guzzle afterwards. So that would make it about 7 liters or 2 gallons. Also, I avoid the hottest part of the day. Mid-summer you might need 2.5 to 3 gallons. Same applies for back east. The humidity doesn't make you sweat less - it makes you sweat more! Haven't you noticed that people outdoors in Tennessee in the summertime are dripping wet? A good rule of thumb is one liter per 10 miles. If you are touring in relatively populated areas you may only need to carry 2 bottles on your bike. Greater distance mean more water. I think 4 bottles is sufficient for almost anywhere.

nm+

Oh yeah, before and after I drink about 2L of water.

vik 

I drank 4 large water bottles on a 6hr ride today plus another 3 after the ride. It was 26 deg C and sunny.

Bekologist

i rode 110 miles on Monday, (9 1/2 hours) across hot, dry and dusty trails East of the Cascades and back to Seattle,

carrying over a gallon of water on my bike ( 4- 1 liter Zefal Magnums and an extra 1/2 liter) and drank them all, then refilled and finished most of those too (i think i had a quarter liter left) before hitting my doorstep, where i consumed another couple of liters.

that put me pretty darn close to 3 gallons for the day.

I drank about that much the day before too, on the 110 mile ride from Seattle up and over a mountain pass to eastern washington. out of the 220 miles total for the weekend, about 85 was on dirt, which seems to make me thirstier because of the greater perceived or actual effort...

If someone is only drinking a half gallon a day on a full day of riding loaded touring bikes in the summer, i would almost guarantee a small degree of dehydration and the associated reduction in your performance and comfort. these people must be fond of midafternoon headaches and the evening heaves, eh?

nm+

I met a guy going the other way on my trans-am who basicaly only hydrated before and after rides. he seemed fine. I though it was nuts, but he did a lot of touring with no ill effects.

Bekologist

the body of science surrounding human physiology would assert that, if a person doing day long physical exertion DOESN'T rehydrate during the activity, their performance will suffer. simple fact. the rider you ran into, nm+ would be guaranteed to not be performing at his optimum if he is not rehydrating during heavy, extended bouts of physical activity.

Lolly Pop

I drink at least 5 litres in 50 miles, in moderate temperatures with moderate effort and a moderate pace.

I am a moderate kinda girl.

I should add, however, that everyone in my touring club drinks far less. They think it odd that I drink so much. They haven been at it for years, however, so we agree to disagree on the water issue. They are not exactly racy, however.

jcm

A gallon or so in 80 to 100 miles. More later.

tacomee

Years ago, I went on a 100+ mile MTB ride in Utah and me and my buddy drank 11 gallons plus-- and we could have used more! But we're talking 14 hours riding in 100F degree heat and lots of dust.

Most of the time, drink between one and two gallons a day of riding. But I'm sure I'd go through a lot more in Texas. Climate really has everything to do with it.

Saudade

I'm lucky if I drink 2 litres in a 60 mile day. I'm probably chronically dehydrated but it doesn't seem to affect my performance. My theory is that my ancestors mated with camels at one point and I have special reserves of energy elsewhere in my body. My other theory is that I am bionic. This last theory seems unlikely, however.

chephy

I am a moderate water drinker, I guess. Probably drink on the order of 4 litres (1 gallon?) on an average touring day. I seem to sweat extremely little though, and don't pee any more than usually, so I don't know where the rest goes.

FarHorizon

I've three water bottle holders on my bike, and each accepts the large-capacity "tall" bottles. In a fifty mile ride, I'll consume all three.

Bacciagalupe

The rule of thumb is 500ml - 750ml of water per hour of riding, more when in really hot environments. You also want to sip consistently rather than gulp down a ton of water at once, as it will be easier on your stomach.

It is critical that you hydrate while riding because:
1) You're constantly losing water via sweat
2) Your body requires water to function properly
3) You'll have a difficult time recovering if you get dehydrated

On a similar note, you also need to take in some calories as you ride, 250 calories per hour for most people to avoid ye olde bonk. This is one reason why people go for energy drinks.