Originally Posted by
mjoekingz28
Thats good to hear. I was under the impression that 20 oz bottles were 'the' size and that was it. Do you have to have special bottles or special cages?
That would be great to be able to have almost a gallon mounted to the bike. 3 more bottles hid somewhere else or the 2L hydration pack and it sounds like you'd/I'd/we'd be ready for the sparsely populated, very dry desert.
I don't see it as a huge problem only having two 20 ounce bottles mounted on the bike. Just carry whatever extra capacity you need either in a pannier, under a pannier flap, or on the rack. Stopping and refilling the bottles on the frame once in a while is just not a big hassle. I generally am ready to get off and stretch or rest in the shade for a while by the time I have emptied my bottles. Actually I can reach the extra bottle under the pannier flaps while riding, but never do because I am ready for a quick stop by the time I need to refill bottles.
Another option is to do as my companions on the TA did and put a camel back type bladder in a front pannier and run the hose up the the handlebar. They bought some generic one complete with hose and bite valve for something like $10 at walmart. They were able to drink while riding and water stayed cold for hours even in 100F heat if filled with ice in the morning. The one drawback they found was that they had no idea how full or empty it was.