ain't nothin wrong with camelbaks, but it depends on where the ride is going to end-up. on a normal ride, i go bareback -- just two bottles and whatever the jersey pockets will hold. but i've done rides where we go as far up the coast as we can, then take the train home. i have two camelbaks..a HAWG and an older blowfish. the blowfish -- good for centuries, and the HAWG is cool to have if i feel like i'm going a long way and may have to stay overnight. so it's cool to be able to carry a regular pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops or whatever.
as for MTB rides, i always use a camelbak. when i first started going offroad, i used bottles, but they would mysteriously disappear while riding and/or crashing. not to mention the fact that they get filthy and it's hard to reach down, grab a bottle, and pop the top just to take a swig without falling behind your buddies.

I wore one in Italy when I was doing longer rides, for a couple of reasons.

1. I wanted to be able to carry anything I needed in case of an emergency, and an under-seat bag just wouldn't cut it.
2. I liked the ability to carry extra water, to cut out stops.

However, there are some definite drawbacks.

1. The weight shifting of a pack, no matter how tight you tie it to yourself, especially with a full bladder (in the CamelBak, that is).
2. After 100+ miles and countless long climbs, even an empty backpack begins to feel like it weighs a ton, and your shoulders (at least mine) were screaming.
3. Sweating underneath it. I know they have specially designed fabric on the back to allow air through, but it only works so well.
4. I know it's due to tradition, but it just looks weird seeing a roadie with full gear on and a backpack. I got many a strange look from other riders.

If I am riding in a place where I know help is a long way away I have no problem with a CamelBak. However, for rides I know, or know there is help if I need it, I think a CamelBak is non needed and a hinderance.

I rode with a camelbak for a long time. Had the rocket model, backsweat wasn't a problem. I ride a cross bike. Now that the cross season is over I put slicks and a cage on my bike so I have one less thing on my back (plus the material on my particular model was starting to cause fraying on the weave of my jersey)

I just got the Camelbak Ferrata on sale at Performance for $35. Inside, it's big enough to carry anything, including my laptop if I want to leave the bladder out and just use it like a backpack.

Where I live, a typical ride is a loop through very rural farmland and there really is nowhere to stop to get water. And if you did stop, the water here is pretty nasty to the point that the plastic/rubbery taste of the water is actually an improvement.

And finally, it's so hot here during the summer that it's not uncommon to drain both bottles after 10 miles. I might find myself carrying the Camelbak and water bottle.s

I have always used bottles for road, camelback for mountain. Every time I try to use bottles on Mtn. I lose at least one. I will however try using my camelback on longer summer rides especially solo. On some of my rides, I end up so far out in the middle of nowhere that there are no parks or stores for me to refill and the weather around here gets in the high 90's and very humid and I have baked my brain a couple of times. I'll let you all know how that goes.

gcassillo, you stole my thunder, I was going to bring up Jullich as well. I was just watching my Tour tapes from last year while riding the trainer and they (Phil and Paul) were commenting on Bobby's use of a camelback during the TTT.

I generally use 1 or 2 water bottles for short (< 30 mile) trips and switch to a Camelbak for longer treks. I found it handy during my first Century for storage (arm/leg warmers) and frequent sips of water.

My guess is that your average roadie doesn't do rides that are long enough to require a gallon of water.

Though proper hydration is important, I still think most people overestimate how much water they need. A 35 mile ride does not require 75 oz of watter. In my 4-5 years of racing I never once needed more than a couple water bottles.

People here are talking about self-sufficiency, which is smart and cool.

But you don't have to carry everything and you can carry enough on bike. With a medium pouch to hold tools, tube, patches, money, ID, credit card, and even a cell phone, you're set with a frame pump and bottle cages. I can go 65 miles with four water bottles. This has to be my favorite purchase...
http://www.performancebike.com/produ...50/20_1951.jpg

If you need a camel (or other) pack on pavement, perhaps you're carrying too much? You don't have to bring supplies to survive over night in the woods if you're on pavement. Yes, on some dirt trails, I'll bring water tablets, extra layers, one of them space-age metallic/foil blankets (forgot their name), first aid kit... not usually, but if you're gonna be 15-20 miles from the trailhead, it could take emergency services a long time to get to you.

You just don't need to bring the kitchen sink on pavement.

10 mins into the ride? If so, may I suggest being fully hydrated before heading out? I drink so much before hand that I don't start drinking for at least 30 mins. If I'm going for just an hour, I sometimes bring no water at all. Which leads me to this...

Oh, another great reason to normally carry all your supplies on your bike instead of your camelbak is cuz then you never forget anything if it's always on your bike.

I split my riding about 50/50 between road and trail. I always relied on bottles until one day, when riding the crushed cinder trails around here, I wiped trail dust off the bottle nipple for the umpteenth time before drinking. While doing so, I spotted one of the many piles of horsecrap that dot the multi-use trail and realized just what was in that dust I was wiping off on my sleeve. I bought a Camelbak that night and used it faithfully in my off-road riding.

When I began putting in longer distances on my road bike, I started using the Camelbak there, too, and found that it was comfortable and that I drink more often and stay better hydrated. If I really gave a rats rump what other roadies think, I wouldn't be riding a 22-year-old road bike and wearing mountain bike shoes, so public opinion doesn't matter much.

I don't recall the model of my 'bak, but it's the 50-oz., water-only type, that hugs the back and provides no extra carrying capacity. I can see where the larger ones might look and feel clunky.

It is amazing the amount of crap people carry, isn't it? 3 tubes, a patch kit, a frame pump and 3 CO2 canisters? :p

People spend a crap load of money to get a super light bike and then proceed to carry 10 pounds of stuff with them. :p

the behind the seat mounts might be a good idea for me. 4 bottles would obviously suffice. The kind of rides Im talking about trying out the camelback on are rides over 100 miles where I'm unsure of being able to reload on water and 2 bottles may not be enough.

I use mine on longer rides when it's hot. 2 bottles just ain't enough, & no place to re-fill the bottles. I also find myself drinking more with the Camelbak. Where I live, it's 50-50 roadies using them; course that just means I use one & the other guy doesn't.

I do 3 rides per week that are 4-6 hours in duration. Where I live, it is normal for the temperature to be over 100 during the day from June through September. In addition, the closest town is 20 miles away and there are no stores/gas stations/restaurants for 20 to 35 miles in most directions. I have to be self supported and anyone with any experience knows that randonees are for the most part self support rides.

I start my long rides with two large waterbottles frozen and a 70oz camelbak filled with ice cubes and water. At the end of 1.5 hour the first water bottle is gone and the second is thawed and at the ambient temperature. Like any experienced long distance rider, I try to drink at least 6 oz of liquid every 20 minutes.

Those without experience or those who have never suffered heat stroke or dehydration would say something like "perhaps you're carrying too much", but the invention of the camelbak has extended my time on the bike significantly and gives me a hydration safety net. Plus, I get on the bike when my ride starts, and I get off the bike when it ends. I don't have to stop, get out of sync, or cool down because I don't have enough water.

As for efficiency, I don't really notice it's there.

Water bottles are easier and cheaper to throw at foaming-at-the-mouth Cujo's who think I'm Meals on Wheels.

Even when I do ride with a CamelBak, I'll try and take along a water bottle since they make for a good way to get that on-the-bike shower or to use for washing out cuts and road rashes.

haha, I've done that in the mts with my camelbak... felt almost like a Scot playing the pipes :D

18oz/hour is enough for you? Does your body simply manage fluids better than mine or are you doing something specific to not need more? (I drink ~30oz/hr)

You weren't that guy I saw riding in a kilt, were you? Gotta watch which way the wind blows on those rides...

I'm guilty as charged, mostly because I just don't care and I'm too lazy to clean the pack out. The light bike isn't about going faster, either I'm afraid. I just want my bike to be happy. :) Just kidding - actually, though, i think I have two separate hobbies - one is riding, and the other is building a light bike. Oddly, not sure the two are related in my case . . . think there are more like me than not, if we're all honest at the end of the day.

For me theres a few reasons I wear one on my MTB and not on my road bike. Your bodies position. Being more hunched over on the road bike, the weight is more on your back vs on your shoulders contributing to higher fatigue. Also the issue of being able to stop at a store to purchase or refill water bottles if I run out. Can not stop and fill up in the woods unless you know for certain it's a clean source of water.

I'll use a camelbak for long solo rides, like a lot of you. I also really don't like to put anything but water in it, so I often take a bottle for gatorade/propel/whatever in addition. It will also keep liquids colder longer, and I like that. I haven't been impressed with my Zefal "insulated" bottle.

I just got a rogue for lighter summer riding. I also have a platypus roadrunner, which can carry far more than I need. What do people put in there? Then I see the handlebar bags my parents use and I understand: box of Kleenex? Check! etc.

The platypus is convenient for winter riding, when I use my mountain bike/commuter for the road. The frame is bare - no cages/seatpack, so the roadrunner carries pump, tube, wallet, and water.

I do hate the sloshing when I stand up, though, and it does get hot on a long summer ride.

I use both. On long rides and hot days, I use a 100 oz Mule. I hate having to stop frequently and clack around liquor stores in search of Gatorade. If you watch the dvd PRO, you'll notice that Eric Saunders put a Camelbak on for one of his training rides. I know lots of elitist roadies think it's a fashion boo boo, but I've stopped caring about what the elitists think. well almost; I don't use one during races.

I guess Nathan O'Neill doesn't care about what the elitists think either. But then, he's probably carrying too much too. :rolleyes:

"I do hate the sloshing when I stand up..."

ensuring there are no air bubbles in the bladder may cut down or eliminate this