Water stops? ….and how much water are these people taking on at each stop?

Enough to keep hydrated depending on exertion level. A drop of only a few % in fluid levels can cause huge drops in performance & bring on potentially life threatening conditions. The info is all out there on the inter web & it’s well proven.

yeah on hot days your water will run out…must be lots of stops at the petrol garage…more water please or do you just go through the car wash to hydrate agin lol. 😉

Enough to keep hydrated depending on exertion level. A drop of only a few % in fluid levels can cause huge drops in performance & bring on potentially life threatening conditions. The info is all out there on the inter web & it’s well proven.

Amazing.

How we ever managed to exercise without carrying water about with us I just can’t imagine.

Maybe, just maybe, the human body has the capacity to manage a little bit of fluid loss without potentially life threatening conditions occurring?

Or maybe you believe the hype?

Or maybe you arent working hard enough? 😉

There is mountains of evidence out there that show fluid loss can lead to a significant drop in physical. Try it maybe & see if it makes a difference. If not then no worries but if it does well there is no need to thank me 😉

Tell me if you’d like to read some of the science regarding hydration and exercise…

+1 crikey

I’ve read plenty & had plenty of experience in the field.

Try this for starters…

http://www.sportsscientists.com/search/label/dehydration

The key idea is that thirst is a perfectly evolved mechanism for fluid replacement; evolved over millions of years….. Regardless of what the energy drink manufacturers would have you believe.

Seriously, and all point scoring in internet arguments aside, it’s interesting to see how we have had our opinions manipulated by adverts and marketing with regard to fluid during exercise.

There is also the whole cramp = electrolyte loss concept which is wrong too…

( in the interests of true STW argument, I should point out that my job involves monitoring and correcting electrolyte and fluid imbalances)

I carry at least 10 L of water with me on a hot day. It’s the only way. One day I only one bottle. That day was 11/09/2001, and we all know what happened then.

200k with only half a litre of water? That’s some serious dehydration you’re rockin there.

Don’t worry I didn’t drink it all, so if I had got dehydrated there would have been some left. After todays ride I must have dumped 3ooml, just the way I was brought up. If you did a 100 it was miles not Ks and bikes didn’t have bottle bosses.

Back to my point, if your riding road how do you stop CB sliding over your head?

Back to my point, if your riding road how do you stop CB sliding over your head?

Umm… I use the straps that my arms go through, the one across my chest and the one round my waist.

Essentially it talks about drinking to thirst which I’m aware of. However I am happier drinking a set amount of fluid per hr, it works for me. I can’t be out for 4+ hrs only carrying a bottle. I could carry 2 say & hope that I don’t run out but I’ve tried that & it wasn’t pretty.. 😥

It is also very dependent on the level of exertion & climate. That report talks about what if performance isn’t important (which is most mtbrs) & that failure to hydrate on long days can result in a bad time. So I would say he is bearing out the concept that CB’s are a good idea.

What if we are talking about ultra-endurance over multiple days? IMO drinking to thirst won’t cover that scenario as you have to a view towards the next day. Hence for me a CB. It’s not an exact science that’s for sure & it’s really down what works for you.

“Back to my point, if your riding road how do you stop CB sliding over your head?”

That’s easy. Mountain bikers set their road bikes up with the bars 3 feet higher than the saddle!

My view is that the advent of Camelbaks and the like is generally a good thing in terms of people hydrating during exercise, but it is waaaaaaay overdone. There is no need for the average STWer, chubby IT manager type, insert stereotype of your choice, to be carrying 3 litres of water for what is realistically a hour or so of exercise and 40-60 minutes standing about chatting about coffee machines or which razor to buy.

It is clear from any observation of top athletes competing in endurance sports like running, that water intake is minimal, and that we are perfectly evolved to be able to deal with a little dehydration without melting like that witch in the Wizard of Oz.

We have also bought into the whole “drink this sports drink or you’ll be as weak as a kitten” and “that slightly overweight girl from accounts will laugh at your pathetic attempts to chat her up” thing.

Road riding is not rocket science, and you really really really don’t need to carry a litre of water for every hour you are out there, even in the summer, should it ever happen.

I think we agree don’t we? Kind of 😉

Yes, we do! 🙂

Umm… I use the straps that my arms go through, the one across my chest and the one round my waist.

I know that’s how you wear one, but how tight must it be to stop it sliding forward if not over your head into your lid?

STW in forum agreement shock!

I was out for over 4 hours today and drank around a litre (I had 2 x 750ml with me). Can’t say that I felt I “needed” to drink that much, more just in an effort to stave off any potential dehydration issues.

oldgit – Member
I know that’s how you wear one, but how tight must it be to stop it sliding forward if not over your head into your lid?

Surely you don’t want the arm straps tight at all? The waist strap will surely hold it in place (assuming you have a waist).

That’s easy. Mountain bikers set their road bikes up with the bars 3 feet higher than the saddle!

many a true word spoke in jest

When i’m out on the mtb, i take a few things in my Camelbak pack, i.e..

– Large tyre levers
– Spare Tube
– Multitool
– Pump
– tube repair patches
– Cash
– Phone
– Water (Normally 1.5litres in my camelbak)
– Torqx keys
– Car keys
– Camera

If i’m only going local, i.e. out of my front door i only take my phone and a multitool. If i get a puncture, i push the bike home.

On the roady i take..

2x 750ml water bottles on the bike
and in my back pockets;
– 2x oat bars
– ipod
– multitool
– tube
– co2 pump
– £5 note
– front door key
– Phone

That’s it.

I’ve tried it and apart from bits falling out of the top, you have to have then uncomfortably tight, which when you’re tucked is almost painful, like having your chest squeezed. Then all the contents end up around your neck.

I’m wondering how cyclists even survived before the invention of Camelbaks. Did lots of them collapse in a heap at the side of the road due to dehydration, or did they just not do as long rides as all the hard nuts on the STW forum do?

elaine anne – I can only assume that you’ve never done any road riding (either that or you’re trolling). Or maybe you go on 8 hour+ rides, given the normal definition of “lots” is more than 2, and I can quite happily carry enough liquid for more than 2 hours riding in 2 bottle cages. Usually only stop once to fill up in 100 mile sportives.

It is funny how attitudes to hydration and fuelling vary across sports (and in this case sub-divisions of sports) though. I also “compete” in XC ski marathons – the ones I’ve done have taken me between 2.5 and 3 hours (for 40-50km). Despite never using a CB on a road bike, at the start line of one of these I’ve been the only person wearing a CB that I’ve seen. Everybody else has to stop at the drinks stations to grab a small amount of drink, whilst I go sailing straight past – given how difficult it sometimes is to overtake people, it’s crazy how many I overtake at drinks stations. Not to mention the fact I’m properly fuelled and hydrated, at the cost of not a huge weight penalty. Of course this is also a fashion thing as the pro racers get drinks handed up to them without having to stop, and are also out there for short enough time they don’t need so much.

oldgit – Member
I know that’s how you wear one, but how tight must it be to stop it sliding forward if not over your head into your lid?

I forget i have it on so not that tight. I think the position is more important and tightness.

nope neva done any road riding 😉 i would like to tho… i could go super fast then… mite look out for a good second hand bike…and make sure i have at least 3 spare pockets in the riding shirt for ‘goodies’ and water and my ‘whippet’ 😉

Always brought up never to carry a backpack on a bike but to make the bike carry the weight in a saddle bag /seat pack .Back packs on any ride are a pita

Why don’t roadies carry backpacks?

Because it’s bloody uncomfortable, there’s no need to carry that much, and it looks ridiculous.

During my 100mile days, I carried a coule of spare tubs (why I love them), 3 CO2 carts, tyre levers 10/12 gels,x2gel flasks with energy powder & a light rainproof jack and a few mini mars bars. That’s it, all in the jersy pockets you see, shops and campsites provide the replen needs so no need to go mad with ‘spare’ stuff in a ruc sac.

Oh, x 2 750 drinks bottles.

+, you’d defo look a ****t 😛 :lol:,,,esp. if said ruc-sac didn’t match ur bike, helmet, shoes, oakelys, gloves, bar tape, tyre trim, bib shorts, jacket and mini-wedge 😯

rlebowski – Member
Oldgit

200k with only half a litre of water? That’s some serious dehydration you’re rockin there.

That’s the reason I where a CB ‘cos you can’t ride for 3+ plus hrs without taking in fluid & fuel.

Bollocks! Totally depends on the person.
I was out on the road bike for 3hrs riding today. drank under half a bottle. (about 300ml)

When running me and a mate would be fine on a 2hr offroad run (even in summer) without carrying water.

And just after the new year me and the girlfriend went and did the west highland way (97 miles from milngavie to fort william) over 4 days (so about 24 miles a day) mixed terrain and mix of walking and running, for 4 days on the trot i’d consume less than 1L when running/walking. And was fine.

If your generally proper hydrated anyway, you can go do a fair amount of exercise without the need to drink L’s an hour!

Q – Why don’t roadies carry backpacks?

A- Fashion.

Both of these threads have accusations of following fashion. But the point with fashion is it’s meant to be cool, cycling in any form, no matter how casual or hardcore, is only ever cool to cyclists. The rest of the world think we’re all geeks, there is no cool cycling.

I’ve done my own hydration experiments. When I’ve drunk 8 pints of lager, I’m frequently still thirsty. I wear a hydration pack to avoid situations like this, as sometimes it can lead to nausea 😀