Ever pee standing up?

[lizbids]

I have been hearing a lot of women who use devices such as the "Freshette," and I read some of a thread that was put up about a year ago regarding this topic. I sure would have liked one of them today...I wanted to continue riding but can't lock my bike up in the park (convinced by the time I get out of the restroom it'll be gone). Plus, half the time the restroom is locked :eek:
So my question for women who use this device: How easy is it to carry around when you're on the road? How is it cleaned after you use it? How do you store it after cleaning/using?
The web site offers no help on this!

[KnottedYet]

I take my bike into the restrooms with me. She doesn't mind...:rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure that urinating standing up in a park is still considered "public urination" whether you're a man or a woman using a funnel, and is a no-no. All in all, you might be better off taking the bike into a restroom with you. (use the wheelchair stall)

You clean the funnels by washing them out at the sink. Store them in a ziplock bag. (a "dirty" bag for when you have to pack it up and carry it around without washing it first, a "clean" bag for after you've washed it. Don't put the washed funnel back into the "dirty" bag!) They are a lot of trouble. But at least with the funnel you're not exposing much.

Depending on the legs of your shorts, you might be able to do the "lycra-pee" without exposing yourself: pull the leg up as high as you can, then stretch it open (toward the inside). Just be sure to keep your fingers out of the way. But it does make life easier on loooooong road rides.

[lizbids]

Unfortunately sometimes I've actually had to publicly urinate (trust me, LAST RESORT). It's just sort of good to know that if all the restrooms are locked, I can hide in some trees and pray no one will stumble upon me. The surrounding areas are pretty well-hidden. Maybe that makes me irresponsible or piggish, but I'd rather take the chance of being "caught" than peeing in my pants.
I had a friend who actually had to pee at the end of an isolated subway platform b/c it was 3am and there were no restrooms available. He felt terrible doing it...and sure enough a cop spotted him and cuffed him. They ended up letting him go after a small fine, but he felt pretty humiliated. He still agreed it was better than urinating in his pants. :p

[KnottedYet]

We've got so much woodsy/wildish overgrowth around here that we're pretty lucky in the "public" activities department.

I don't think I'd last long in a big city...:o

[bike4ever]

I actually keep extra tissues with me for the times when I have to just stop.:D

[lizbids]

hi bikemom--
Have you ever used one of those Freshette devices, or do you just kinda hop behind some bushes and squat like most women? I'm not so great at that technique, which is why I'm considering the device! :rolleyes:

[doc]

DebW sent me the "travelmate" which is another one of those funnel devices. I must be some kind of spazola because I cannot get the hang of it. Sure a large percentage of my urine goes out the funnel, but I always manage to leak around it too. That's all that matters. The small amount I leak around would run down the leg and into the shorts. Not a good plan. I intend to continue practicing in the shower for now.

[bike4ever]

I just squat behind the most concealing bush/tree.

[li10up]

I've used one on backpacking trips. When you have to go in the middle of the night and it's really cold outside you just use the freshette inside the tent. Just make sure the container you pee into doesn't leak. It's not really all that compact. I don't think I would take it on my bike unless I was on some sort of self-supported tour. Ditto the dirty bag/clean bag. You can use your water bottle to rinse it off. Hand wipes are good to have for afterwards.

[mimitabby]

Just don't squat on a stinging nettle!

[Susan126]

Good advice mimitabby!

I have peed hundreds of times outdoors in mother nature while mountain biking . . . no problem when you are in the woods but I have never done it while road riding. I pick my courses very well . . . making sure I find a sanican or public restroom or McDonalds along my routes. So far I have been lucky and have not had to face the dilema of finding myself in need of a potty while out road riding. And I have never cycled on the road alone so I always have someone with me so we take turns guarding the bikes while one of us uses the restroom.

[Tuckervill]

During cooler weather you can tie a jacket around your waist and face towards a building, tree or a car. When you squat, make sure the jacket is not folded up underneath you, but carefully spread out to provide a visual screen.

Another thing I do when camping is ask my girlfriends to make a human shield while standing with their backs to me. Sometimes my husband has done this for me. If there is a sheet or towel available that can be wrapped around you caftan style and you squat down inside it.

Peeing outside is one of the greatest joys of life. For men. lol.

Karen

[mimitabby]

Riding out in the sticks (in Washington state) I have had many opportunities
to watch ants running around furiously as I squatted in their territory.
Fortunately even in eastern washington, there is plenty of shrubbery to find
and dips and hillocks to help you hide when you need to.

And although I always carry TP now, there have been times I had to choose a leaf, hm,, Salal, vine maple, dandelion, which would be best?

[bike4ever]

One of my routes goes through some new housing (used to be country). All of these new developments have nice entrance signs with fancy bushes and stuff. These are nice to bring my bike behind and take care of business without anyone knowing.:p

[ridethewind]

I have bad knees and haven't been able to squat down for years. Fortunately, it hasn't presented a problem (yet) while I'm riding. Not sure what I'd do if I had to go and no restroom was near. I probably should look into getting one of these devices.

Jean

[lizbids]

They're a little pricey, but I think it may be worth it. I would def take one since I'll be doing a self-supported tour.

Siiigh...I guess I'm one of those gals who has to pee often. After two hours on my bike, I'm ready! :o I don't like to hold it too long b/c of bacterial build-up...I got a UTI last fall and sure don't want another.:eek:

[emily_in_nc]

I have a Freshette, and it's pretty convenient for hiking, where I typically have on pants or shorts with a zip fly. I can unzip the fly, pull down my undies, hide behind a tree, and go standing up. I have a small bottle of hand sanitizer for after (as well as TP in another small ziploc). But with bike shorts, which you have to pull down anyway, I'd just as soon squat - normally in the woods on our rural rides. It's just not worth the trouble of having to keep a clean and dirty bag for the Freshette and carrying it along. The whole purpose of it is to avoid having to pull down your pants completely, which just isn't really an option with cycling shorts!

Emily

[ClockworkOrange]

You guys really make me laugh, I have never heard of a 'freshette' or similar.

Had to find out what one looked like, the site even has detailed info on how to use one!

http://www.freshette.com/usage.html

Go pee.............I mean go see! http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/4.gif


Sally

[Kitsune06]

I'm a fan of the travelmate when in the kinds of situations where one has to be very neat about it i.e. where you can't do the wide-shorts-pantleg freehand/standing maneuver... It takes practice either way. There's a definite learning curve with either method... and even after you get 'good' you can still slip/drip sometimes. :o Not good. Everyone's anatomy's different but I find the best leak-free use is between the labia minora, right over my urethra. (I'd say TMI but how else does one word these things?)

When at outdoor fairs and the like, I use the travelmate and the portapotty urinal. I carry a bottle of alcohol with me (or vodka? depending on the venue...) and of course a camelbak of water (those outdoor venues are hot...=P) so after use it gets a quick flush with alcohol then a rinse with water, a shakeoff and goes into a baggie.

Bear in mind- urine is essentially sterile *to you*- HOWEVER due to the mineral/salt/sugar/protein contents, it breeds bacteria quickly... so you don't have to act like it's poison or anything, but be sure to give it a decent rinse-down.

[lizbids]

yeah that's what I hear...today I did my 21 miles in the park, and again, I wanted to do just one more lap, but the sun was going down, the air was getting chilly...and yup, I had to pee!!! I scoped out some bushes, but because there are no leaves on the trees yet, things are pretty bare.

[mimitabby]

Liz,
we have planned more than one ride around toilet stops..
Knowing that every 10 miles we have a bathroom waiting for us takes a lot of
anxiety out of the ride for me at least!

[lizbids]

LOL i can last around 25 miles...but I make sure I drink some cranberry juice at the end of it, you know, to flush things out. But yes, doesn't it provide anxiety? It's like sitting in a crowded movie theater, and 45 minutes in the movie the urge to go hits you like a ton of bricks. So you either sit there in misery so as not to disturb anyone around you, or get up and have everyong huff and sigh. :p