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Free Water Source Along Routes

Old 08-22-19, 04:11 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
What make and model of bottle cage do you use for that?
More importantly a crank with a large Q factor
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Old 08-22-19, 10:30 PM
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Jet wash

Windscreen washer refilling hose/tap

Walmart's cheapest lemonade (prob 20c a litre)
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Old 08-23-19, 06:11 AM
  #28  
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Growing up in Minneapolis, I was very fond of the Lake Harriet water pump.
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Old 08-23-19, 06:24 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
What are some ideas to refill the water bottle for free?

For example, do you walk into a gas station and ask the clerk if you can refill your water bottle for free?
No ... I go into a service station and buy the water.
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Old 08-23-19, 06:37 AM
  #30  
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If I get water from a place of business, I usually buy a few things from them. But that's usually a few hours into a long ride so I can use something.

Out in the wilderness though, I often use a Sawyer filter with caveats. Unless it is a matter of life or death...
- I don't filter water downstream from human habitation. Filters will not block viruses.
- I don't filter water downstream from mining operations. Many heavy metals leech out of rocks when exposed.
- I don't filter in heavy sediment areas such as below a glacier. It will clog a filter quickly.

I also take aquamira tablets along just in case.
Being way out in remote areas is not a place to get dysentery or similar.
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Old 08-23-19, 06:40 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Machka
No ... I go into a service station and buy the water.
My thoughts exactly for crying out loud a bottle of water is 2 bucks or less if u stop a few times during a ride to refill. Can't cost more than five bucks . And further more it's cold
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Old 08-23-19, 06:56 AM
  #32  
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Any bar or tavern (in Wisconsin, every little town has at least one). They will fill it up no questions asked. Well, sometimes they'll ask a typical Wisconsin question, i.e. "Beautiful day for a bike ride, ainna? Where youse guys headed?"
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Old 08-23-19, 07:15 AM
  #33  
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I love it. Sounds like California used to be, about 50 years ago.
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Old 08-23-19, 07:27 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by ridingfool
My thoughts exactly for crying out loud a bottle of water is 2 bucks or less if u stop a few times during a ride to refill. Can't cost more than five bucks . And further more it's cold
And especially if you're going to use the toilet!
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Old 08-23-19, 07:27 AM
  #35  
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I have, on one hot, summer day riding out in the middle of nowhere (very small towns, no convenience stores) stopped at a liquor store to see if they sold any non-alcoholic beverages I could consume. A beer really sounded good but I was getting low on water and didn't want to dehydrate myself any more than I already was. The lady said that their liquor license didn't allow them to sell anything that wasn't alcoholic. So I opted to buy a bag of ice and filled my water bottles and hydration pack with the ice, which promptly melted as I rode.
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Old 08-23-19, 07:28 AM
  #36  
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On some of my routes there are fill stations specifically for water bottles. Other sources are bubblers located near facilities. Lastly, I buy water. A source of water is usually part of route planning, is it not?
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Old 08-23-19, 07:37 AM
  #37  
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For 95% of my rides I usually carry as much water as I need. Also, I'm usually riding urban/suburban routes where I'll pass at least 1 convenience store every other mile. I have no problem throwing down a couple of bucks for an ice cold drink and guzzling it down on the spot.

But I have to say that there are some pretty good solutions that I would have never thought of mentioned in this thread .
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Old 08-23-19, 12:25 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Also look on the sides of public buildings, churches, etc. Many have faucets.

In desolate areas, when desperate, I've gone up to houses and asked if I can use the outside faucet. No one has ever refused me.

Also: consider buying a Camelbak or similar hydration system.
On my tour in June, I would ride all day with no place to stop for water. One day, I stopped in the only town I went through, and there was no business still open, it was a dead town. I rode on and saw a church on a lonely stretch of road. I stopped to see if they would fill my bottles. There was a young boy outside playing, and some adults in the back doing doing some tree work. The boy said hi, so I asked him if there was anyone inside the church, and if I could go in. He said he would have to ask his grandma. He opened the door and yelled, "Grandma, there is someone here!" She came to the door and invited me in, and I saw it was no longer a church, but was now a house. I apologized and told her I stopped to see if the church would let me fill my bottles. She said she would fill them, and invited me further in, I said that was okay, and didn't want to intrude. She insisted. She told me she recently retired from running heavy equipment, and had moved to Ohio since she had family there, and was in the process of remodeling the church into a home. She proceeded to fill my bottles, and gave me a drink mix she said she always used when she was working int he heat in Florida. It was a nice chance encounter.

I ride on, and about ten minutes later, a car stopped and asked if I needed water, and that they lived less than a quarter of a mile up the road, and I was welcome to stop by and fill my bottles. I thanked them and told them the story of the church. Once I got close to the state park I planned on staying, there was a convenience store connected to a bar. I bought water and smelled food. Heaven awaited...beer, food, and a gallon of water.
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Old 08-23-19, 12:29 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by ridingfool
My thoughts exactly for crying out loud a bottle of water is 2 bucks or less if u stop a few times during a ride to refill. Can't cost more than five bucks . And further more it's cold
I buy it too, but some days there are no places to do so. I ran into that recently. I would only have places to buy water where I camped, and then again where I planned to camp at the end of the day. I would end each day buying a gallon of water, and after having found too often that opportunities to buy water water was scarce where I was, I would buy a gallon when I had the chance and strap in to the bike. A gallon can be had for less than the price of a bottle of water most of the time.
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Old 08-23-19, 03:33 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by bakerjw
If I get water from a place of business, I usually buy a few things from them. But that's usually a few hours into a long ride so I can use something.

Out in the wilderness though, I often use a Sawyer filter with caveats. Unless it is a matter of life or death...
- I don't filter water downstream from human habitation. Filters will not block viruses.
- I don't filter water downstream from mining operations. Many heavy metals leech out of rocks when exposed.
- I don't filter in heavy sediment areas such as below a glacier. It will clog a filter quickly.

I also take aquamira tablets along just in case.
Being way out in remote areas is not a place to get dysentery or similar.
hard to find "downstream" from "humans"anymore!
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Old 08-23-19, 04:21 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Dirt Farmer
Any bar or tavern (in Wisconsin, every little town has at least one). They will fill it up no questions asked. Well, sometimes they'll ask a typical Wisconsin question, i.e. "Beautiful day for a bike ride, ainna? Where youse guys headed?"
When I rode across the country with a small group we found that to be the norm in the midwest. We usually got offered ice if it was available. One warm, humid morning in Minnesota a couple of us stopped at a bar because we were desperate for water. Place wasn't open yet, but the owners were there. They saw us outside, invited us in, filled our bottles with water and ice and chatted with us for a bit.

In Iowa, two of us who were ahead of the group stopped into a senior center to get water because there was no store in town. The guy who ran the place, after checking with the town's mayor, invited the group to spend the night there. To have A.C. was heavenly. Another extremely hot and humid day. They refused to take any money, but we left our night's camping budget as a donation to the center, which had been built entirely with donated materials and labor.

In extremely rural Illinois three of us stopped at a school that was holding extracurricular classes on a Saturday. Temperature would top out that day at over 100. Filled up out bottles from a water fountain. The teacher asked us if we would talk to her class. At first we were hesitant since we had nearly a century that day. She pleaded with us. She wanted the kids to know that there were all sorts of opportunities in the world. We couldn't resist after such hospitality and spoke and answered questions for maybe 30 min. She took this photo. She also had each kid write us a thank you letter and mailed them and the photo to Bowling Green, OH, which is where our next rest day was scheduled for.







Later in the trip someone remarked about seeing a "Restroom for Customers Only" sign. I think that was somewhere NY.

Last edited by indyfabz; 08-23-19 at 04:42 PM.
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Old 08-23-19, 04:37 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by phughes
On my tour in June, I would ride all day with no place to stop for water. One day, I stopped in the only town I went through, and there was no business still open, it was a dead town. I rode on and saw a church on a lonely stretch of road. I stopped to see if they would fill my bottles. There was a young boy outside playing, and some adults in the back doing doing some tree work. The boy said hi, so I asked him if there was anyone inside the church, and if I could go in. He said he would have to ask his grandma. He opened the door and yelled, "Grandma, there is someone here!" She came to the door and invited me in, and I saw it was no longer a church, but was now a house. I apologized and told her I stopped to see if the church would let me fill my bottles. She said she would fill them, and invited me further in, I said that was okay, and didn't want to intrude. She insisted. She told me she recently retired from running heavy equipment, and had moved to Ohio since she had family there, and was in the process of remodeling the church into a home. She proceeded to fill my bottles, and gave me a drink mix she said she always used when she was working int he heat in Florida. It was a nice chance encounter.

I ride on, and about ten minutes later, a car stopped and asked if I needed water, and that they lived less than a quarter of a mile up the road, and I was welcome to stop by and fill my bottles. I thanked them and told them the story of the church. Once I got close to the state park I planned on staying, there was a convenience store connected to a bar. I bought water and smelled food. Heaven awaited...beer, food, and a gallon of water.
Sweet. See my stories and photo above. Some people need to get out and explore by bike.
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Old 08-23-19, 04:47 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I sympathize with stores that do "restroom for customers only." Because I used to work at this restaurant, and someone started using our restroom to shoot up drugs and left a bloody mess afterward.
No charge.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/empathy-sympathy/

When are you going overseas?

Last edited by indyfabz; 08-23-19 at 04:50 PM.
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Old 08-23-19, 06:13 PM
  #44  
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Those who drink unfiltered water from natural springs are taking a huge risk.

Some won't believe me, others rely not having had a problem in the past and some will rage at reading this.

None of this however, will change the fact that Giardia and Cyrptosporidium cysts are widespread throughout the world, including the US.

Filters are extremely small nowadays and very effective. I hope some of you will consider using one.


-Tim-
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Old 08-23-19, 06:15 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
What are some ideas to refill the water bottle for free?
Water sources are included in the Open Street Map cycle maps, although you need to zoom in to see them. They're included as Points Of Interest when you download the OSM cyclemaps from openfietsmap.nl to your Garmin GPS.

You can sometimes use the bathroom sinks at places with public restrooms like grocery stores, although they often lack the space to accommodate a water bottle.
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Old 08-23-19, 08:58 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Those who drink unfiltered water from natural springs are taking a huge risk.

Some won't believe me, others rely not having had a problem in the past and some will rage at reading this.

None of this however, will change the fact that Giardia and Cyrptosporidium cysts are widespread throughout the world, including the US.

Filters are extremely small nowadays and very effective. I hope some of you will consider using one.


-Tim-
I once had a bout of Giardia after some backpacking in Colorado. As they say, it will make the bottom fall out of your world – and vice versa. It is nothing to mess with. I ended up in the hospital for a day or two, and my intestinal system was messed up for at least six or eight months afterwards.
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Old 08-24-19, 05:46 AM
  #47  
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Most of my rides are urban. Most of my urban rides intentionally skirt or go through at least three of our many urban parks. Most of those parks having working fountains. Never seen the homeless showering in those fountains, but wouldn't be surprised to find it happens. I'm one of the least sick persons I know at times going years in a row not taking sick a day. Likely more genetics, but I like to joke about it being my extremely lax attitude towards germs, it boosts my immunity. I am the polar opposite of a germ-aphobe.

Writing this got me to thinking about how many gangway spigots I drank water out of as a kid when we played outside 90% of the summer. It was pretty rare someone actually chased us off.
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Old 08-24-19, 06:33 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Also look on the sides of public buildings, churches, etc. Many have faucets.

In desolate areas, when desperate, I've gone up to houses and asked if I can use the outside faucet. No one has ever refused me.

Also: consider buying a Camelbak or similar hydration system.
I'm actually looking for a good Camelbak to use in the forest trails. Any recommendations?
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Old 08-24-19, 06:53 AM
  #49  
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I've never had an issue getting free water refills here in the states, I'm surprised this is even a thread topic. If I don't top-off at one of my regular convenience stores, I'll just walk in someplace and top-off with water, usually without bothering to ask. I'll sometimes let the cashier know I just got water, but they've always been so completely cool about it, they dismiss it like I didn't even need to mention it.
One place I often stop at, the two girls will be walking outside to smoke a cigarette as I'm walking in. They'll stop to wait on me, then say, "oh, you're just getting water", and they'll head outside and sit down, leaving me alone in the store !
But then again, I live in the rural Deep South, where folks just ain't as wound up as the rest of the country !
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Old 08-24-19, 07:14 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by Ahkhira
I'm actually looking for a good Camelbak to use in the forest trails. Any recommendations?
Nope, I've never used one. But I know there are plenty of good options, including some that are cycling-specific. I'm sure some 'net searches will turn up some good options. Good luck!
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