PoorInRichfield

Here's one solution I'm not considering (Although I'm wondering what this person is wearing that has this huge "pocket" on the back?)



I did a 66 mile ride last weekend and used my existing insulated CamelBak for extra hydration. I filled the pack with ice water before leaving and while that started out as a good idea, it sure didn't take long for all the ice to melt and the water got warm. So much for the insulation. I guess a better summer insulated CamelBak should probably be white in color instead of black like my bag is. (In all fairness, it's intended for Winter use to keep the water from freezing, so black makes sense in that case.)

Other than gross, warm water, the only other issue I had using the CamelBak is that I wasn't super fond of having to "suck" water versus squeezing a bottle and having water injected into my person. When I was breathing hard and tried to get some water, having to suck the water out of the CamelBak made me feel like I was going to pass-out (not literally, but...). It's so much nicer just to be able to squeeze a water bottle for a drink which doesn't interrupt one's breathing as much.

Other than that, for my purposes, the CamelBak is a reasonable way to add additional water to my ride w/o having to mount anything on my bike that I wouldn't use on my normal length rides. It's not the perfect solution, but seems to work OK.

colnago62

He has the bidons stuffed down the back of his jersey.

himespau 

Is he carrying them up to his teammates? Seems like it'd be a challenge if he was hoping to use those to drink.

fietsbob

Yea camel backs are a thing..

I was thinking of the tapered bulge at the top of FIM Superbike GP racer's leathers,
it continues the aerodynamics behind their helmet when in the racing crouch over the tank..

A camel back thing like that would be cool.. same idea when in the drops..

noodle soup

fietsbob

I meant this kind of trailing edge fairing , As seen on the right rear view (above even full is still rather flat ) but speeds on a bicycle are kind of low..

canklecat

This thread piqued my curiosity so I bought a cheap but functional no-name hydration pack a week ago and used it this weekend for an attempt at a solo unsupported century on a day when the temperature peaked around 110F. It holds 2 liters.

Usually I take two 24 oz bottles, one frozen in summer, and plan my usual 20-50 mile routes within easy reach of a convenience store.

But this time I knew my route would take me far enough from the nearest convenience store that I'd get into trouble at some point if anything went wrong -- a flat tire, crash, injury, etc.

Sure enough, stuff went wrong.

About 20 miles of my planned route used to be decent pavement last time I rode, but was now a combination of the roughest chipseal I've ever ridden, and pavement that was chewed up apparently in preparation for resurfacing, but left neglected for months. It looks like the rural county ran out of money due to the pandemic and the commissioners improvised by dumping a mess of sand, pea gravel, railroad ballast, whatever they could find to fill the holes chewed up by the initial attempt at repaving.

So I was already an hour behind schedule. Then I had two flat tires -- my first punctures in about two years. And while Continental Ultra Sport II tires are usually good they have one serious flaw -- the fit is extremely tight, making them very difficult to remove and remount. Fortunately I brought a bead jack. But the two puncture repairs ended up taking an hour total.

I had planned to be home by noon, just before an expected heatwave. But I was running very late, still 20 miles from home and 20 miles from the nearest convenience store, which would have taken me farther from home. Between 11 am and 1 pm the temperature went from the low 90s to over 110F.

By the time I got home at 2 pm I was down to about 8 oz of hot water and glad to have it.

On the plus side, my usual trick of freezing one Polar bottle of electrolyte water stayed frozen for an hour even in the heat, and stayed cool until I finished the bottle.

I chilled the hydration pack bladder in the fridge and the backpack padding kept it cool longer than I'd expected.

As the OP noted, the bite valve and sucking action was annoying and took more energy than I wanted to waste. So during brief rest breaks I'd refill my water bottles from the hydration pack. That worked fine.

The low cost hydration pack isn't bad, but the O-ring connection between the hose and bottom of the bladder leaked a bit. Not enough to waste much water and the leak actually felt good on my lower back. I can probably just replace the O-ring but I'm not gonna worry about it for now. Mostly I was curious to find out whether a hydration pack would be useful on a road bike with minimal stuff for venturing into remote rural county roads in unknown condition, more than 10 miles from the nearest store.

Yup, it works fine for that purpose. Well worth the $20. I might pony up for a better hydration pack. And while that CamelBak RaceBak didn't catch on, I can see how it could be useful.

I don't have any way to objectively measure anything, but I felt a bit more aero with the cheap hydration pack I did get. Odd because I expected that hump and exposed hose to be a drag, but it didn't seem to slow me down. The heat and road conditions slowed me down, but not the backpack and extra weight.

I finished with 50 miles and was glad to bail out early. I don't mind riding a couple of hours in 100+F heat, but I ended up out there for 5 hours due to delays, and the temp didn't fall below 100 until after dark Saturday. Not realistic to tackle a solo unsupported century. I'll try again soon when the weather is a bit less hostile.


Semi-remote, still working cattle ranch, highest elevation of the day, and the temperature had just peaked at 126F according to my bike computer. I figure it reads about 10 degrees high, but it was still at least 110F at this point. I had just refilled my water bottles from the hydration pack. I was 20 miles from home one direction, and 20 miles from the nearest store going the opposite direction. I headed home.

First of two punctures. I still had half a bottle of water and maybe 16 oz left in the 2-liter hydration pack. I was 5 miles from home at this point. And I had one more puncture coming up in just a couple of miles. Dadgum rednecks and broken beer bottles.

adamrice 

It had been a long time since I used a Camelbak on a bike, but when the pandemic hit, I bought one (the "Classic," 2.5 liter) so I could go for longer rides without stopping. On balance, I think I prefer it now. I don't find it to be uncomfortably hot, and I've been riding in 100°F+ weather.

himespau 

I wonder if the issue with the camelbak racebak was that folks didn't want to spend $70+ on a baselayer that they'd have to buy multiples of. Or if it meant that they'd have to buy jerseys the next size up and no one wanted to feel fat by buying a medium.

a1penguin

A few weeks ago I went on a metric century. It was a heat wave and the temps in the sun were 100+ degrees. In the shade it was 94. I had top stop and rest three or four times after the halfway point of a 72 miles ride/ I had likely under-hydrated during the ride. After embarking on my ride at 11 am, I drank over 200 ml of fluids before peeing at 12:30 am, more than 13 hours later.

If you are going to bike in extreme heat, CARRY ENOUGH WATER! Camel baks are ugly? Crashing or dying from sunstroke is more inconvenient I am hoping to go on another metic century on Sunday and it's going to be another high 90s day. I intend on wearing my 100 oz hiking camelbak on this ride. Chill the water overnight in the fridge and add two trays of ice cubes.

Heat stroke is serious. Screw wearing an ugly water tank on your back. STAY SAFE!

noodle soup

Just a PSA.

Jenson has most Osprey hydration pack on sale now.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Osprey