Originally Posted by enduro
Could it be weight? Probably not, the weight of the pack is insignificant compared to the weight of the water.
Weight is indeed a factor. The pack isn't empty it's filled with water. Some people don't care, cool. But if you see a roadie with bottles, some of them (like me) do NOT want that weight on their back. It's not as comfortable on my roadie as my mtb... which has a suspension.
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Originally Posted by enduro
Aerodynamics? I'd think wearing a Camelbak would improve things.
Bottles can't be that much of a factor. If it is, I haven't noticed the drag.
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Originally Posted by enduro
You can continue to ride hard while drinking from a pack, while dealing with a bottle breaks your rhythm.
Grabbing a bottle while riding the hoods or fully sitting up to drink and get a stretch doesn't break my rhythm.
Somthing you didn't ask about... how about bottles on a mtb?
I don't have the coordination to grab a bottle and drink while climbing over roots, so the camelbak is necessary for me on a mtb. So maybe it's not why do roadies like bottles, but why mtbers don't use bottles?
Also, I like having plain water -and- cytomax in different bottles, depending upon my thirst. Can't do that with one water container. And I never mtb as long as I ride pavement.