Originally Posted by Peterpan1
Think of it this way; when drive in your car, do you use a cup holder or a camel back for the beverages you enjoy there? Do you use a CB when you are on the computer, or watching TV?
Some people seem to feel they can't control a bike when reaching for bottles. OK they have to do whatthey have to do, but for the rest of us, why should we be the beast of burden when the bike is begging to do the work?
Water bottles are great for carrying a lot of water, drinking it fast, collecting from sources, cleaning up/maintenance. There just isn't any disadvantage. You can use both systems if you want to, but out from under the foliage, I sometimes need to cycle a lot more water than is practical in a CB.
From the other side of the fence, do you enjoy tepid water that has been baking in a plastic bottle all day? No matter what you do, you can't keep a water bottle in a cage cold for more than an hour or so. I don't mean cool ...socks and evaporative cooling are okay at keeping the bottle at slightly less than bath water temperature ... I mean cold, as in the temperature of ice - 32 F! A 100 oz Camelbak will hold around 7 lbs of ice and some water. It will keep the ice solid for hours. When riding in 100+F heat, ice cold water is way better than tepid bath water
Additionally, that cold water does seep some coolness to you so you gain a little benefit there also. Also, as with mountain biking, the tube is easy to use so I end up drinking more water than with bottles which is always better.