Originally Posted by
Sgt. Spillco
Good grief, 4 bottles of water! I usually take 1 bottle in mild temps and 2 in the summer but there's stores about every 10 to 15 miles where I can get a refill if needed. I see way too many cyclists, mostly beginners carrying way more than they need. Bags under their seat, on top of the top tube, camel backs - YUK! I can't stand using a saddle bag but I will if I'm riding solo. If it's a group ride I take it off. If you can't fit it in your jersey pocket you don't need it. Sarge
Might be more to this than meets the eye, Sarge. Where I ride most often, temps are often 90-100 in summer, and it can be 40 miles between water stops. I go through a bottle every 20 minutes or so. I always carry two, and sometimes a spare one or two in a handlebar back or great big carradice saddle bag i love more than chocolate. Not often a camelback, but sometimes (i just don't like riding with a backpack). we also have 8000-foot passes with no water at the top. I'm not a beginner--I bought my first "real" bike in college 40 years ago this month, and i've run out of water enough times that i know i don't want to do it anymore.
Incidentally, for the OP, hopping something the size of a water bottle is a fairly basic skill, something you might work on. I got back into cycling on a mountain bike after a post-college layoff, and in the days before suspension, the first thing a beginning MB rider learned was how to negotiate technical terrain. I'm 65 now, but some of the skills persist. The other day I was rummaging around in my handlebar bag and looked away from the road for a few seconds. When I glanced up, there was a section of 4x4 post lying across the trail. I had about half a second to figure out what to do, and i instinctively lifted the front wheel and cleared it. I'm sure if I hadn't done all those hours on the mountain bike, i would have crashed.