The "what bike bits have you just bought" thread Vol 2
Discussion
President Merkin said:
The Camelbak fans I ride with look on enviously at my simple bottle as they sip their nicely warmed up water with its faint touch of Milton.
I've used Specialized Pure bottles previously but fancied a change (and save a few quid). But I will bin these and go straight back if they impart a flavour.Can someone explain to me the reason behind carrying 2 water bottles as I see this quite a lot these days.
One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
272BHP said:
Can someone explain to me the reason behind carrying 2 water bottles as I see this quite a lot these days.
One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
I'm very sweaty. I go through 750ml in roughly 60-90 minutes. I cycle mainly around rural Welsh back roads; most drinks readily available would be streams. Also, I hate artificial sweeteners due to their taste/aftertaste, and am a slow metaboliser of caffeine which means I can't drink any after about 2pm if I want to sleep at a reasonable hour (and note I'm typing this at midnight, which I consider reasonable One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
). I'm also a slow metaboliser of fructose, which means I dare not drink random sports drinks on pain of getting the trots 24 hours later.I do like fizzy water, but it gets a bit samey and doesn't sit so well with exercise shortly after drinking.
So I take plenty of my own*. I'm no weight weenie!
*I get on with Skratch. Enough electrolytes for me, not fructose loaded, very small amount of cane sugar, no sweeteners, no caffeine.
272BHP said:
Can someone explain to me the reason behind carrying 2 water bottles as I see this quite a lot these days.
One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
Went for a two hour ride last weekend. Fairly hard and no interest in stopping. One bottle is not enough.One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
272BHP said:
Can someone explain to me the reason behind carrying 2 water bottles as I see this quite a lot these days.
One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
I don't stop on rides and certainly not "for a nice break" or cafe stop. I prefer to take what I'll need (unless it's > 100 miles then I'll need to source some extra water). For yesterdays ride (75 mi ~ 4 hours) I took (and consumed) 2x 950ml bottles. Anything under 2.5 hours I'd just take the one.One water bottle I can understand but two?
If you are racing then it's 20% extra weight on that lightweight bike that cost you a fortune. If you are not racing then why not just plan to stop somewhere nice for a break and buy something?
Genuinely puzzled.
Surely stopping at a shop / asking at a cafe for a refill and buying some water will take way more time than the extra weight?
272BHP said:
But why do you not stop? Completely understandable if it is a race but if it is just a ride out then why on earth not?
Is this a Strava stats thing?
I am not having a dig here as I have done many endurance events (just not cycling) and I understand about hydration plans.
I'm sure people have lots of reasons for not stopping, a few I can think of:Is this a Strava stats thing?
I am not having a dig here as I have done many endurance events (just not cycling) and I understand about hydration plans.
a) simply wanting to do a long ride and not two shorter ones with a break between
b) if on your own what do you do with your bike while you are shopping?
c) not wanting to rely on there being a suitable shop/source of water when you need it and preferring to be self sufficient
d) the single use plastic reason I gave above - I'd certainly prefer to carry a bottle than buy (and throw away) a plastic bottle. On principle I'm very much against buying water.
I'm not sure there is always somewhere easy to stop.
I did a trial ride to/from my new office last weekend, needed both bottles for the 2.5hour total ride. Not really sure where i'd stop half way on the outskirts of london at 8am on Sunday. It would have taken longer and cost money to stop somewhere to buy a drink.
I did a trial ride to/from my new office last weekend, needed both bottles for the 2.5hour total ride. Not really sure where i'd stop half way on the outskirts of london at 8am on Sunday. It would have taken longer and cost money to stop somewhere to buy a drink.
272BHP said:
But why do you not stop? Completely understandable if it is a race but if it is just a ride out then why on earth not?
Is this a Strava stats thing?
I am not having a dig here as I have done many endurance events (just not cycling) and I understand about hydration plans.
Depends why you ride I guess - I do it to improve my fitness and only ride alone. If I were riding in a group socially then maybe that would be different, but that doesn't appeal to me at all. Is this a Strava stats thing?
I am not having a dig here as I have done many endurance events (just not cycling) and I understand about hydration plans.
I wouldn't expect a runner to stop halfway through a run and I wouldn't go to the pub half way through a film either.
Strava's stats are based on the time spent moving so a stop would probably improve the key stats 🤣
On a bike you can ride and take in food/drink. There's no need to stop unless you want to. Here's a list of all the sports/exercise I've taken part in over the years:
- Judo
- Karate
- Squash
- Tennis
- Athletics
- Resistance training
- Crossfit
- Kickboxing
- Boxing
- Krav Maga
- Running
- Swimming
Not one of them had a chill-out in the middle of them apart from some competitions, where they were enforced. That's normal. Cycling does it differently IF you want to.
- Judo
- Karate
- Squash
- Tennis
- Athletics
- Resistance training
- Crossfit
- Kickboxing
- Boxing
- Krav Maga
- Running
- Swimming
Not one of them had a chill-out in the middle of them apart from some competitions, where they were enforced. That's normal. Cycling does it differently IF you want to.
Been caught out enough times on longer rides that I'm happy if I take two x 700ml bottles and bring a full one back. It's much easier to lug around an extra 700 grams for 40 miles than to extend a ride and find myself short on fluids.
Because I often start riding in the afternoon, by the time I need more fluid most shops and cafés are closed. This is rural Dorset mostly, and the New Forest.
A couple of days ago I went out at an easy pace planning a 60 km loop. I got distracted by some roads I "needed" for Wandrer.earth purposes, and stayed out for 101.01 miles in the end. Mostly urban, quieter residential roads. But it was Parkstone/Upton/Turlin Moor, near Poole. Plenty of shops and takeaways in the evening, but no way I'd have taken my eyes off my bike for even a second. Proper grim in places, groups of feral youth, real dodgy scrotes cutting about on motorbikes without helmets, and a general look to the area of "Mad Max x The Walking Dead". Apart from the GPS trace, Strava stats didn't even cross my mind. But two bottles got me to the end of an 11 hour ride. I'd ideally have liked to have had more available, but equally I didn't fancy walking home to fill in an insurance claim.
The rural rides, though? It can be tough to find a village shop, and even if you know of one from previous experience you can't rely on it being still in business, or if it still exists it being open. I'd never head out with a single bottle on my bike, unless I was absolutely certain that it was going to be a short, local ride. And certainty isn't something I do very much of when riding. It's been two years since I left home with a GPS track to follow as part of a rigidly planned route. Most rides bear little resemblance to the (loosely) planned route I had in my head at the start.
Because I often start riding in the afternoon, by the time I need more fluid most shops and cafés are closed. This is rural Dorset mostly, and the New Forest.
A couple of days ago I went out at an easy pace planning a 60 km loop. I got distracted by some roads I "needed" for Wandrer.earth purposes, and stayed out for 101.01 miles in the end. Mostly urban, quieter residential roads. But it was Parkstone/Upton/Turlin Moor, near Poole. Plenty of shops and takeaways in the evening, but no way I'd have taken my eyes off my bike for even a second. Proper grim in places, groups of feral youth, real dodgy scrotes cutting about on motorbikes without helmets, and a general look to the area of "Mad Max x The Walking Dead". Apart from the GPS trace, Strava stats didn't even cross my mind. But two bottles got me to the end of an 11 hour ride. I'd ideally have liked to have had more available, but equally I didn't fancy walking home to fill in an insurance claim.
The rural rides, though? It can be tough to find a village shop, and even if you know of one from previous experience you can't rely on it being still in business, or if it still exists it being open. I'd never head out with a single bottle on my bike, unless I was absolutely certain that it was going to be a short, local ride. And certainty isn't something I do very much of when riding. It's been two years since I left home with a GPS track to follow as part of a rigidly planned route. Most rides bear little resemblance to the (loosely) planned route I had in my head at the start.
2 sets of Ashima semi-metalic brake pads for my SRAM Rival brakes. Ordered from my go to local (ish) bike shop.
A Swissstop pair I'd previously bought from a shop that was closing down turned out to be the right sized backing plate, but they had too much pad material, so the disc rotor didn't fit between the newly installed pads.
I'm in need of new SPD MTB/gravel shoes, and new bib shorts soon, but local shops seem to have really pared back their clothing offering, and I'm not so much of a fan of the Internet shopping "guess your size" game.
A Swissstop pair I'd previously bought from a shop that was closing down turned out to be the right sized backing plate, but they had too much pad material, so the disc rotor didn't fit between the newly installed pads.
I'm in need of new SPD MTB/gravel shoes, and new bib shorts soon, but local shops seem to have really pared back their clothing offering, and I'm not so much of a fan of the Internet shopping "guess your size" game.
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