Water/Fluids

[MattLiverpool]

Just how much difference do they make in road riding?

Anyone who has read any of my previous posts will be aware that I'm an absolute beginner. I've spent a while looking at bikes and parts and have noticed that everything is marked with a weight and that seems sensible to me. Clearly the lighter your machine is the less work you need to put in.

However....

Nearly all the frames I've seen have space for two drinking bottles. If you were to use 1ltr bottles that's an extra two kilos!!! How much difference in speed is that much weight going to have compared to just ending a ride a bit dehydrated?

Cheers

Matt

 

[Maz]

Depending on how far you're riding, you may not need a water bottle. My commute is 6.5 miles each way and I don't bother rehydrating mid-journey, but everyone's different.
The second set of nut things on the frame might be for carrying a pump.

 

[domtyler]

Weigh yourself before a ride and then weigh yourself after, having not drunk any fluids, divide by the number of hours you have been riding and then you will know how many litres per hour you require.

E.g. if you ride for two hours and lose 1 kilo then you need half a litre per hour of riding.

 

[Tynan]

I've got a bottle left on from the L2B and I've got used to a sip/glug at the lights on my hour commute, you don;t have to fill it up, I usually just put in what I know I'll use

 

[yenrod]

MAtt - ive found that in hot weather as it has been recently I wsa taking 2 bottles out got thru the 1st one over the 1st 3rd of the ride.

So its better to over do it, slightly, as you can always take a p@ss stop...

One of the base rules is that its better to have water than NOT...

Excising without water is a big big no=no ! - Easily forgot to not drink at times, even if a chill is blowing, in the air !

 

[Blue]

Nearly all the frames I've seen have space for two drinking bottles. If you were to use 1ltr bottles that's an extra two kilos!!! How much difference in speed is that much weight going to have compared to just ending a ride a bit dehydrated?

If you dehydrate you will notice a big drop in performance. That said, if I cycle for less than an hour I just drink before and after rather than carry any fluids. If I cycle between 1-1.5 hrs I carry 500ml. Up to now I've carried 750ml when cycling between 1.5-3hrs, but I don't think that's enough at the top of that scale and I intend to start carrying 1L on my 50 milers. If I were to be out for longer I would prefer to refill my single bottle mid ride rather than carry 2 full large bottles from the start. I use my 2nd bottle mount to carry a waterproof top if the weather is likely to turn wet.

 

[byegad]

I drink on any ride over half an hour. I sip regularly, at around every 20 mins and whenever I feel thirsty. On a recent 30 miles I drank 3 600ml bottles, it was hot and windy and I was working hard. Another day might see me drink less than one similar bottle on the same run.

 

[HJ]

Dehydration will reduce your performance more that the extra weight will, how much you need to carry really depends on how much work you are doing and how warm it is. It is worth keeping the bottle cages, but you don't need to carry two full bottles on every ride...

 

[MattLiverpool]

Thanks everyone yeah I know that you don't have to carry water all the time but room for two bottles seemed excessive. I hadn't thought of a pump.

I suppose that if you look at it another way there's room to add two kilos to the bike to train with and then remove it for racing. It'd be like training for swimming in pyjamas.

 

[fossyant]

You'll need two bottles on rides of over 2 1/2 hours. I'll take a drink even my 30 minute commute.

If you are thirsty, then it's usually too late - you have become de-hydrated.

 

[domtyler]

Thanks everyone yeah I know that you don't have to carry water all the time but room for two bottles seemed excessive. I hadn't thought of a pump.

I suppose that if you look at it another way there's room to add two kilos to the bike to train with and then remove it for racing. It'd be like training for swimming in pyjamas.

Matt, it really depends on the length of your rides. If you enjoy going for four hour rides and you had only room for one bottle it would be a bit of a pain! Indeed many touring bikes have braze ons for three bottles for just this reason. It's not like the country side is replete with standing taps for you to refill as and when you see fit.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Matt, it really depends on the length of your rides. If you enjoy going for four hour rides and you had only room for one bottle it would be a bit of a pain! Indeed many touring bikes have braze ons for three bottles for just this reason. It's not like the country side is replete with standing taps for you to refill as and when you see fit.

OK, joke's over. What have you done with the REAL domtyler?

 

[DinasBran]

What do people tend to carry in their bottles? Plain old water, fruit juice or anything a little more exotic (like one of those isotonic dooberies)?

 

[Twenty Inch]

You can make your own isotonic drink for pennies - 1:1 fruit juice:water, pinch of salt, put in the fridge, drink during exercise.

Isotonic drinks work better than water for rehydration during heavy exercise, but the likes of lucozade etc are overpriced, and most of us are not exercising or competing at the level where using a home-made drink instead of a branded one would be the difference between success and failure.

 

[fossyant]

Rides up to 2 hours I'll just use water, or maybe one isotonic drink if the going is tough. Where I'm on longer rides with many hills then it will be two bottles of isotonic stuff and maybe a banana or two. Sometimes a frusili bar as well.

I generally use Decathlon's endurance drink and Isostar Long Energy - read the label as you want 'endurance' drinks - not the quick fix ones.