CamelBaks and roadies
 

I am a mountain biker that has been clocking a lot of road miles lately. I know that back mounted hydration systems are not popular with the road crowd. I hardly ever see a serious roadie with one. I was curious as to why.

CamelBak makes a road model that has proven to actually help aerodynamics. Also, I can't imagine having to stop pedaling to get a bottle in and out of the cage.

Is it a fashion thing? Or, is there a practical reason? Just curious.

I know I want a Camelbak (or Platypus) hydration system. I just bought my Hardrock Comp, and a buddy of mine who also rides, mentioned these. Very cool!

Now......which brand??!! He has the 100oz. Camelbak M.U.L.E. ($79.99), and he really likes it. I noticed in the Bike Nashbar catalog (and their website), they also have the Platypus Thunderhead (on sale) for $39.50. Regular price is $79.99. Both of these can hold 100oz.

Decisions.....

And; the Camelbak and Platypus brands can be found on eBay.

I also have a CamelBak MULE and I love it. It is actually my second one. The first one lasted over five years until a zipper gave up. I think the MULE is a great size. (Make sure you get the newest model - they have done lots of improvements) I don't know about the Platypus, but I can vouche for the CamelBak quality.

Here's a sweet deal.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2415237726

Greg :beer:

The Road model is the Camelbak Razor holds 72 oz. Good for those long rides.

I have a CamelBak Mule. I like it, but cleaning the reservoir is a nuisance, so I only use the backpack for longer rides. On the shorter rides, I use a bottle or two.

As to the question ...

Personally, I am not comfortable with something on my back while logging road miles. I have been a roadie for many, many years, and have gotten quite comfortable with drinking and eating while moving ... I don't usually stop peddeling, but sometimes ride sitting up.:)

I drink from a water bottle on my mountain bike as well ...
years of habit, I guess.

I use to be a hardcore mountain biker, the camelbak was my best friend during that time. I've since converted to being a roadie.

I don't know why some of the roadie crowd frowns on the camelbak. Nowadays, I usually don't wear one unless I'm riding 40+ miles on the road. The last thing I want to do is plan a road route around a filling station.

I guess I'd just rather ride without something on my back.

I ride with a large group on Saturdays and see a few roadies wearing the camelbacks. Granted these guys look more like tourers than racer types. For me, I don't see the point. I rarely go on a ride where I need that much liquid. All the rides that I do that require that much, have rest stops. I just carry two of the large bottles and then take a regular bottle in my jersey pocket on hot days. It also comes down to economics. Two bottles and cages for less than $20. Camelbacks are like $40 and up. Money talks....

Why would you need to stop pedaling to get a drink from a bottle? I ride a fixie, so coasting isn't an option.

Dave

under uci regulations, camelbaks and other backpack hydration systems are not permitted in events sanctioned by member federations [like usa cycling]. since a lot of roadies race, and since roadie culture is very much saturated with road racing culture, camelbaks just never really caught on.

the other thing is that they really aren't more convenient than bidons for roadies, who -- unlike their trail-riding and free-riding brethren -- can afford to take one hand off the bars from time to time. moreover, most roadies i know just don't like carrying anything on their backs when they ride. it's not that comfortable.

i have a camelbak that i use when i train on my cyclo-cross bike in the fall, since i take off the bidon cage for race season. but i never use it on road rides.

For me it comes down to a combination of comfort and convenience.

My preference is without the water pack, trail or road.
It could be freezing outside, my back would still be sweaty after a good ride if I'm wearing a pack. Plus, it's just more comfortable without something weighing my back down.

If you're a roadie, chances are good you'll eventually come across someplace you can refill your bottle(s)...park, gas station, grocery store. You don't have this option if you're off in the woods. And velocipedio's pointed this out already, but you generally can afford to take a hand off to take a drink. If you're mt. biking, you're too worried about the fallen tree that's blocking your path, much less thinking about keeping hydrated.

I have ridden with my smaller Camelbak Lobo (I also have a MULE which I use mostly for MTB rides as my MTB can't fit a larger bottle and only has one mount) on road rides but I've found that there's little advantage for me. I still carry water bottles because I like to have something I can squirt from from in order to wash myself off... especially if I've crashed. On longer rides, I'll carry one bottle with water and another with a sports drink. I wouldn't want to put anything but water in my Camelbak. I find that there are plenty of places for me to refill my water bottles so the Camelbak just makes my back hot without adding much real functionality. For most short (under 50 mi) road rides, I am quite happy with a single water bottle filled with water and nothing else. If I am planning on being out on an all day ride in sparsely populated areas then I'll consider taking my Camelbak along with both 20 oz. bottles. The Camelbak will also allow me to carry extra gear, jackets, etc...

This non racing roadie likes the hydration systems I have always been a back pack user so I don't mind them I use a Camelbak Mule for my recreational rides which these days are usually not less than 40 miles and I have a performance back pack with a camel back bag in it for my commute I started using them when I had to give up one of my water bottle cages to a battery for my light system and the other one is reserved for my steel belted coffee cup ( I've said it before and I will say it again someone told me once that it is illegal not to drink espressos here in Seattle and I do not want to break the law) when I am doing short rides it is usually for running errand and then I have my pack on. A side benefit to the larger back pack is that it is easy to smuggle beer into the ball games so I don't have to pay $7.00 for warm red hook and since it is insulated it does keep the beer fairly cool.

I don't think I've ever actually drunk coffee while riding. This is not to say I haven't stopped at a coffee shop during a ride to down a grande mocha. I just haven't actually sipped coffee while on the bike. That said, I believe the mean-free path between coffee shops/houses in the Seattle area is about two city blocks (I'm sure this is in accordance with a special coffee-law too). Coffee shops are also an excellent place for me to refill my water bottles and so the ease by which I can find one is yet another reason I don't ride with a Camelbak on the road. :D

Glad to see you have the priorities right there ngateguy :) Reminds me of one time I was commuting a few months back... Going past one of the numerous espresso huts on the way to work I got thinking how it would be great to be able to mount a cup of coffee in such a way that it would be easy to reach and not spill. The downtube cage wouldn't work becauce the angle would cause spillage of precious coffee, the seattube cage always seems a pain to reach for me... I spent the rest of the ride dreaming up weird gimbal contraptions that would put the coffee up on the handlebars or something. Well anyways, my friend at work who also occassionally commutes by bike turned up that day a couple of hours late. Turned out he'd been thinking the same thing, only he couldn't leave the house until he had a solution. Sure enough he'd rigged something up to get his Mocha up there on the bars :D An old bottle cage, zip ties, part of a coat hanger and copious amounts of duct tape. It wasn't pretty, but it did the job :D

I also have the Camelback Mule. The main reason I use it on all my rides is it keeps the water Ice cold. I 'll fill the pack with Water and Ice and after 2 hours in the GA Heat I still have Ice in that thing. I hate drinking warm water ...
I've been on supported rides and I got to a rest stop and guess what they ran out of water. Well no problem I had my camelback and I still had water and Off I went, Some people were hurting because they were out of water and had to start asking where the next rest stop was or closest gas station.. Be prepared....

I do not use a back system. If I go on a long ride (>50 miles) I will put an extra bottle in a rear pocket. This time of the year when it is still cool I can get away with that.

When it warms up and I need more water, I usually stop and ask someone who is watering their garden or lawn and refill.

I have used back systems for mtn biking but can not imagine using one on the road. I guess I like the weight on the bike instead of me.