camel back vs bottles on bike

[Crankin]

I'm sorta like Duck. My bottle skills got a lot better this year, but on any ride longer than say 40 miles, I use my Camelbak and fill 2 bottles with Accelerade, especially when it's hot. I drink the whole 50 oz. of water on a fifty mile ride, plus at least one bottle of Accelerade. I have the small Siren model, which only has a small sip for keys or an energy bar. I hardly ever ride with the Camelbak I have with a backpack in it. That is heavy. The Sren is not.

[VeloVT]

I think this is really personal. I love my camelbaks for long runs, but they make me crazy on the bike. My bike has a very stretched out position. When I first got the bike I too had trouble drinking while riding (this does come with practice though! I can do it now), and took my camelbak on some rides -- and I found that it made me uncomfortable, as I always felt I was hunching my back/shoulders to keep the camelbak from shifting. For me this led to some shoulder fatigue (which I otherwise never get), and I was just generally always aware of it. Again though, I think some of this is that my position on the bike is pretty stretched out, with a lot of weight on my hands, so the weight tends to slide up/forward.

I ran across this the other day and, while I'm sure it would draw some stares, thought it was a clever idea:

http://www.trisports.com/nesy.html

Also I wonder if rear-mounted (that is, seatpost or saddle mounted) cages would be easier to master at first -- since you don't have to deal with moving legs or looking down.

Anyway, while I didn't like riding with camelbaks, I think you should experiment and do whatever makes you most comfortable. Congratulations on your event! I REALLY want to try a century and maybe a tri this summer.

[Jen]

I am not yet comfortable drinking from the bottle. I can get it out, harder to put back in but tiping my head back to drink while riding is difficult. I got a camel bottle with a straw so I don't have to tip my head back but it is a very tight fit in the bottle holder. I may opt for a fanny pack style of camel back. It holds 50 ounces and take one bottle refill. OR, maybe this spring I can practice and will get better at it.

[Jen]

I like that rear mounted gadget. That looks easy. Anyone ever tried it?

[nuthatch]

I am not yet comfortable drinking from the bottle. I can get it out, harder to put back in but tiping my head back to drink while riding is difficult. I got a camel bottle with a straw so I don't have to tip my head back but it is a very tight fit in the bottle holder. I may opt for a fanny pack style of camel back. It holds 50 ounces and take one bottle refill. OR, maybe this spring I can practice and will get better at it.

I talked to a bike shop guy at a race last summer, who said he was working with Camelbak on making one of these 'sipper' style bottles specifically for bikes, with an insulating sleeve on it. The only problem is, the volume of liquid would be reduced because it needed to be more narrow to fit in the cage.