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Long Ride Hydration Solutions

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berkshire_rider

berkshire_rider

Growler
Feb 5, 2003
2,552
10
The Blackstone Valley
Partially motivated by the "What is the longest You've Ridden" thread, but more beacuse I have been wondering, how do you stay hydrated on 4-5+ hour mtb rides when you can't stash an igloo somewhere or refill your camelback part way through the ride?

For instance, in the Northeast, two of the true long-distance remote riding places are Northern / Western Maine and the White Mtns. of NH. The places are very remote, and the only water you will see is a stream / river. Do the things like charcoal filters and those purifying tablets work? How about the water bottles I've seen at EMS with the built-in filter?

What tips / experience do you :monkey: 's have? :confused:
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

Vagina man
Aug 6, 2001
32,743
10,686
MTB New England
Well for the Kingdom Trails rides (four hours or so), I fill up a 100oz bladder, carry a bottle of Gatorade in my bag, and another in my bottle cage. That's 140oz of liquids and I try to ration them out.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,827
14,165
In a van.... down by the river
If it's 4-5 hours, a 100oz camelback is sufficient. If it's more like 8-12 hours, we usually have someone pack a water filter.

Morryjg has a pack with a bladder that I think holds a gallon of water. :think: :thumb:

-S.S.-

Edit: a key is hydrating the crap out of yourself just before starting the ride. Drink a couple liters of water on the drive to the start of the ride.
 
MMcG

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
I Are Baboon said:
Well for the Kingdom Trails rides (four hours or so), I fill up a 100oz bladder, carry a bottle of Gatorade in my bag, and another in my bottle cage. That's 140oz of liquids and I try to ration them out.
Click to expand...
That is one other nice thing about my Iron Horse - a truly useable water bottle mount on the frame! Will be good for those Kingdom Trails rides and also for holding my Kamikaze light for the 24 Hours of Dalton! :dancing: :dancing:
 
berkshire_rider

berkshire_rider

Growler
Feb 5, 2003
2,552
10
The Blackstone Valley
SkaredShtles said:
If it's 4-5 hours, a 100oz camelback is sufficient. If it's more like 8-12 hours, we usually have someone pack a water filter.

Morryjg has a pack with a bladder that I think holds a gallon of water. :think: :thumb:

-S.S.-

Edit: a key is hydrating the crap out of yourself just before starting the ride. Drink a couple liters of water on the drive to the start of the ride.
Click to expand...
I find that during the summer, 100oz does not last more than 3 hours, tops. At least for me. :help:
 
berkshire_rider

berkshire_rider

Growler
Feb 5, 2003
2,552
10
The Blackstone Valley
MMcG said:
That is one other nice thing about my Iron Horse - a truly useable water bottle mount on the frame! Will be good for those Kingdom Trails rides and also for holding my Kamikaze light for the 24 Hours of Dalton! :dancing: :dancing:
Click to expand...
At least at KT you can bail onto the VAST trail go back to town and top off the camelback. Up in NH of the Kanc, there's nothing unless you are near a campground, which isn't often.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,827
14,165
In a van.... down by the river
berkshire_rider said:
I find that during the summer, 100oz does not last more than 3 hours, tops. At least for me. :help:
Click to expand...
Well........ you *do* have humidity to deal with........ we don't have to worry about that. :p

Do you over-hydrate before your rides? That helps me quite a bit. I only end up nipping at my water for about an hour if I'm fully hydrated before....

-S.S.-
 
MMcG

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
berkshire_rider said:
I find that during the summer, 100oz does not last more than 3 hours, tops. At least for me. :help:
Click to expand...

As many of you who ride with me know.....I sweat loke a mofo when I ride and I too go through water like crazy. I think I may start doing the Babs thing and carrying an extra bottle of water in my camelback and also getting a really big waterbottle for the waterbottle mount on the IH.
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

Vagina man
Aug 6, 2001
32,743
10,686
MTB New England
MMcG said:
As many of you who ride with me know.....I sweat loke a mofo when I ride and I too go through water like crazy. I think I may start doing the Babs thing and carrying an extra bottle of water in my camelback and also getting a really big waterbottle for the waterbottle mount on the IH.
Click to expand...
Captain Sweaty Pits! :D

I only carry extra liquids for those long rides. For a post-work Reservoir ride, I barely fill my bladder halfway.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
I can do a 4+ hour ride on a 100oz camelbak. I sweat like a, well... like an MMcG, but for some reason I've never been a big drinker. Dehydration is never far off for me, but it's never been an issue either. If I don't think about drinking, I could probably do a 3 hour ride on a single water bottle.
 
Pau11y

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Oct 20, 2004
1,968
0
In a web in the corner of your room
SkaredShtles said:
Well........ you *do* have humidity to deal with........ we don't have to worry about that. :p

Do you over-hydrate before your rides? That helps me quite a bit. I only end up nipping at my water for about an hour if I'm fully hydrated before....

-S.S.-
Click to expand...
Over hydrate is key. If you stay hydrated most of the time, I've found that I don't even really need a bottle on a shorty 1 hour road or mtn spin. And when I know I have a big ride, I often start over hydrating the night before (only bummer is the 3:00am pee session). I don't do coffee so no big for me there, but I wouldn't do coffee the morning before a big day.
 
Morryjg

Morryjg

Mr. Ho Jangles
May 9, 2003
905
0
Littleton
Finally.....other people that drink a lot of water! S.S. will start a ride in the middle of the summer with a half empty camelback that has been sitting in his car for the last two weeks. So, the water is about 200 degrees and tastes gross. I have my 120 oz. filled to the max which is probably more than a gallon and I'll go through it completely on the ride.

When we do big rides up in the mountains one of us always carries a water filter just in case.
 
Pau11y

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Oct 20, 2004
1,968
0
In a web in the corner of your room
Morryjg said:
Finally.....other people that drink a lot of water! S.S. will start a ride in the middle of the summer with a half empty camelback that has been sitting in his car for the last two weeks. So, the water is about 200 degrees and tastes gross. I have my 120 oz. filled to the max which is probably more than a gallon and I'll go through it completely on the ride.

When we do big rides up in the mountains one of us always carries a water filter just in case.
Click to expand...
Dude, I need to hook up w/ you and SS for some rides this summer. But I'll need till at least June to get back into shape since you guys can ride now whereas I need to goto the gym :blah:
 
Morryjg

Morryjg

Mr. Ho Jangles
May 9, 2003
905
0
Littleton
Pau11y said:
Dude, I need to hook up w/ you and SS for some rides this summer. But I'll need till at least June to get back into shape since you guys can ride now whereas I need to goto the gym :blah:
Click to expand...
I'm stuck in the gym as well. FR trails still have snow/mud. Plus I'm ripping out our bathroom and remodeling it. So, there is no playtime. :think:
 
golgiaparatus

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
Well I drink a lot of water.

On my longest ride I sucked my 100oz camelbak blatter dry and I had another 32 oz Nalgene bottle loaded with gatorade... that was dry at the end too.

If I could have done it over I sould have filled the camelbak and had 2 water bottles mounted to my frame and a nalgene strapped to my pack. Thats just me though, on a hot day I'll drain 80 oz in about 2 hours.
 
berkshire_rider

berkshire_rider

Growler
Feb 5, 2003
2,552
10
The Blackstone Valley
Morryjg said:
Finally.....other people that drink a lot of water! S.S. will start a ride in the middle of the summer with a half empty camelback that has been sitting in his car for the last two weeks. So, the water is about 200 degrees and tastes gross. I have my 120 oz. filled to the max which is probably more than a gallon and I'll go through it completely on the ride.

When we do big rides up in the mountains one of us always carries a water filter just in case.
Click to expand...
What brand / type of filter do you use? :confused:
 
riderx

riderx

Monkey
Aug 14, 2001
704
0
Fredrock
1st, make drinking lots of water a habit in your daily life so you are always hydrated. I've got no idea what my total intake is, but for work I take a 1.5 Liter bottle and it's gone by the end of the day. Plus water before my morning coffee, water when I get home.

For 7 hour rides here in the depths of hell (a.k.a. the summertime humidity of Baltimore) I'll run a 100 oz. bladder and two bottles of endurox on the bike.

If you need a lot, double bag the bladders. Plus some packs have dual water bottle holsters.
 
bballboy388

bballboy388

Monkey
Dec 4, 2004
812
0
i dont even have a camelback i dont feel i need one because the only time i get thirsty is when we stop to eat cause im eating and it makes me thirsty i just take a bottle of gatorade and 2 botles of water and im straight. i donno how u guys drink so much and dont have to stop to take a piss damn.
 
riderx

riderx

Monkey
Aug 14, 2001
704
0
Fredrock
bballboy388 said:
i donno how u guys drink so much and dont have to stop to take a piss damn.
Click to expand...
When you do 35 - 50 miles on the trail you'll figure it out - there's nothing left to piss!
 
.:Jeenyus:.

.:Jeenyus:.

Turbo Monkey
Feb 23, 2004
2,831
1
slc
I could get through a full day (9-4) at Whistler on a good deal less then 80oz. I know that dosen't involve pedaling a lot, but it is demanding nonetheless.
 
Skookum

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
Pau11y said:
Over hydrate is key. If you stay hydrated most of the time, I've found that I don't even really need a bottle on a shorty 1 hour road or mtn spin. And when I know I have a big ride, I often start over hydrating the night before (only bummer is the 3:00am pee session). I don't do coffee so no big for me there, but I wouldn't do coffee the morning before a big day.
Click to expand...
Bingo.
100 oz for 4-6 hr. ride, i always down a jug of gatorade before the ride to get my electrolytes right. Having a jug of water waiting at the car is always a good idea.
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Elete (http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?&CI=1,226,347&PRRFNBR=33056&CGRFNBR=347&CRPCGNBR=347&TextMode=0 for some) has been my standby during long rides and endurance races. Dump some of this in the Camelbak, and it seems to last twice as long. I used to go through water like a mother, but not anymore.

For ultralong rides, I'll normally fill the MULE up, and put another 20 oz bottle into the pack, along with a water filtration system I got from REI a long time ago just in case.
 
lovebunny

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,317
245
San Diego, California, United States
yeah when i went to big bear over the summer i usedless than half my 100 oz. but in the summer time i can draion it in less than 2 hours. sometimes i hydrate the night before. actually what im doing right now. but i gotta up in 2hrs so no point in me sleeping
 
jdcamb

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
20,050
8,769
Nowhere Man!
I Are Baboon said:
Well for the Kingdom Trails rides (four hours or so), I fill up a 100oz bladder, carry a bottle of Gatorade in my bag, and another in my bottle cage. That's 140oz of liquids and I try to ration them out.
Click to expand...
Pretty much what I do.....jdcamb
 
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