pallen

While commuting, I rarely even carry a bottle. I used to bring coffee when it was cold out, but I've gotten better at timing lights and rarely have time to stop and sip. When its really hot, I may carry water or watered down gatorade.

JPprivate

beer


just kidding...

heywood

yea water.. I tried some flavor crystals once since i was kinda sick of just water...really, really dumb... now i only stick with H2O and snag an ice coffee when i take a break.. beers a treat for those nice long evenings off the bike or at the end of a good ride.

Fizzaly

Unicorn tears.

RichardGlover

For rides less than 2 hours (which includes my commute), I stick with a low-sugar energy drink. e.g. Gatorade G2, or a powdered low-carb sports drink in a full bottle. I had problems with cramping and pain, and my doctor and nutritionist told me it was time to switch to a sports drink instead of water/flavored water to replace the electrolytes I sweat out.

sulr

Coffee in the morning, water when I get to work, water before I leave work.

If it is warm out, I prefer to bring water in the morning, but I never really have a chance to drink while I'm commuting (like others have said, time my stops and lights pretty well now). I mean I could stop, but I would rather just get to work.

clasher

I don't get thirsty enough on my 10k to merit drinking whilst in transit. I've stopped at the bar and had a few before work but who hasn't eh?

ace587

mines water, but ive packed lemonade sometimes on a hot FL day

nkfrench 

Morning: Before: diet coke. During: water. After: water; then either coffee (latte w/ skim milk, either hot or iced!) or diet coke.
Afternoon: Similar but usually post-ride is zero calorie zero caffeine fruit-flavored water (key lime flavor is great).

For non-commute rides longer than 1.5 hours or in heat, I'll take something like G2. I like to freeze 1/2 bottle overnight then top it off with cold G2 before leaving the house. It makes kind of a slurpee thing that is really refreshing. I have to drink plain water too; the G2 will cause abdominal cramping / too much fructose if I slam it. I have to plan summer rides where I can buy water/G2 every 15 miles or so, and I still am down about 5# when I finish. Just can't drink fast enough to replace sweating.

Sizzle-Chest

I make it a point to drink any standing water I pass along my commute.

busted knuckles

eggnog.

scroca

Nothing unless it's hot. Then I have a mixed drink.

Here's the recipe: one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds.

Commodus

My commute is just 15kms, though, so just water for that.

On my longer rides, I like a nice cane sugar cola, usually at the 70km mark or so. If I can't find one, I'll drink Coke if I want to wake up a bit. I started doing this when I read Parkin's descriptions of doing so in professional races in "A Dog in a Hat". Yeah...I'm a dork.

jdswitters

Every time I bring coffee to drink at the lights I get a free pass the entire way, I think I'm on to something. No lights this morning and caught my cat6 challenger right as the last light turned green. Not racing but it was funny to catch up because I have figured out that when he sees me on the MUP in front of him he has to pass. If I get on the trail after him we seem to ride at the same speed.

WhyFi

I used to carry water, but I noticed that I never touched it on my 40 minute commute, so I stopped carrying it altogether.

mnaines

I usually fill my 100oz Camelback water tank full of water then take sips here and there during my commute (I can get by on 10 ounces a mile) then for the electrolyte boost, I typically bring along a small bottle of Powerade that fits into a pouch on the side of my pannier. I also pack a few nutrigrain bars and/or protein bars - I usually eat one before the commute and another one right after the commute. When I get home, I drink a glass or two of 2% milk and some Simply Orange, which is 100% fresh-squeezed orange juice with only one or two extra additives to prevent spoilage.

homebrewk

+1 on water.

WhyFi

Wow - that's a lot to me. How long of a commute? Is this in lieu of breakfast or something?

jdswitters

With your user name I'm a bit surprised, and disappointed.

EKW in DC

He's a troll. See the LED headlights thread.

10 oz. a mile? That's a lot of liquid consumption for someone who averages 4 mph.

WhyFi

Ah, that explains it. Thanks.

Seattle Forrest

Water. Or an iced espresso.

mnaines

Who you calling a troll? So you're basically saying me never knowing about the Cree LED lights and not understanding the point of having a flashlight that only runs for 2 hours makes me a troll? Get a life, dude.

The difference between you and I is I do not see a point in having to replace the batteries in the bike lights after every commute. The difference between you and I is I do not see the point in having a light that is only designed for a one-way trip. The difference between you and I is I do not see the point in these Cree lights because I ride more than 1 hour at a time and I ride more than just to work and back home. The difference between you and I is I do not see the point in using anything that puts limits on how long, where, and when I can ride.

Also, I'm a big eater. I've been known to eat an entire large pizza by myself in a single sitting. My metabolism is so fast that I literally have to consume 1,000 calories or more a day just to keep from losing weight.

Just to give you an idea of how badly out of shape I really am: I'm 6'4 and 148lbs - I should be 165lbs - but I can only do a 65lb bench press and can only do a 110lb leg press. That's the primary reason I am trying to spend as much time as I can on my bicycle, and why riding for short one-hour-at-a-time bursts won't help me.

Commodus

Troll or just really du...er, ignorant?

I think the jury's still out on this one.

mnaines

Dude, all you're doing is starting fights with the "troll" label. Drop it. Seriously. None of this would have ever happened if you guys had not been so adamant about hawking your uber-high-tech LED flashlights. This is not a marketplace forum to sell stuff. You guys were obviously trying to sell, hawk, push, or advertise those cree lights. I said it before and I'll say it again, there is no "best light" because it depends on where you ride, what the terrain is like in your area, what the local ambient light level is like, what time of day you ride, and how long you ride.

HID headlights for bicycles like the Cree flashlights and the HID headlights for cars aren't even street legal in America anyway. Go ask the US Department of Transportation if HID headlights are street legal and you'll get told that they're too bright for street use because they blind oncoming traffic. Its just like factory-installed tinted windows - most of the factory-installed window tint on cars is 15% visible light transmission but most places won't let you go darker than 35% VLT (the lower the number, the darker the tint), and cops here WILL make you take off the factory tint because it is too dark. They will do the same for any factory-installed part that violates the law, like HID headlights. If your car comes out of the factory with a high-flow exhaust that's really loud (like on Harley motorcycles or Mustang GT's), the cops here will make you put a muffler on the vehicle to quiet it down.

Hell, here in Kansas City, its basically a police-state type situation...You can't even take a dump in this city without the cops taking an interest. Talking on cell phones is illegal here, not wearing your seatbelt is illegal here, not wearing a helmet is illegal, not having proper safety equipment is illegal...There is no such thing as "free will" here. You basically do what the city government and the police tell you. You use the equipment they say you can use. You drive how and where they say you can drive. If you don't do what they say, its a fine, with the fines starting at $350 for not wearing your helmet and going all the way up to $800 for more heinous stuff like failure to obey marked traffic signals.

Inattentive driving here is a $500 fine and is defined as "Any operation of a motor vehicle without due regard to road, weather, or traffic conditions". Bicyclists here have to follow the exact same traffic laws as automobile drivers.