That's pretty much what I do for my long training rides. The only thing I'll add is that preventing bottles from launching isn't rocket science (pun intended). Just use plain vanilla aluminum wire bottle cages and bend them in slightly to increase their grip on the bottles. It ain't that hard.

I'll second that. Keep it simple, and you'll never lose a bottle. Cheap aluminum ones bend in easily, not a problem. Or save a few grams and go fluid-less at an inopportune time.

for a race, even an IM, why would you need anything more than two frame bottles anyway? I really think behind the seat bottle launchers should be banned, they are a hazard and are probably not anymore aero after you factor in reaching back fumbling with it then after drinking having to do it again, and again.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I have been trying an aero bottle, a bottle on the frame and one in the jersey. As I finish the aero drink I refill it with one of the other two.

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I'm not sure why it is so difficult to reach behind for those bottles, although I am much better at it with my right hand than my left. I use broccoli rubberbands around my carbon cages back there and that seems to prevent launch over the meanest of bumps.

I'm a sweater and use liquid nutrition exclusively so I need as much as i can carry (3 24oz bottles over 1/2 IM). It sucks to carry that much fluid out of T1, but when you have a sensetive stomach you have no choice. I practice using them when I train as I tend to go through alot of fliud then too.

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This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
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Because some of us don't have two bottle mounts on our frame.

I am the same way: aero bottle, plus 2 behind the seat, Vineman 70.3 was a bottle disaster....now I am thinking Camelbak 3 liter pouch? Why do so few people race with Camelbak? Not aero? Chafe? I am going to try it in my next half next month...

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I ride a Cervelo...get over it....

I plan on using the aerodrink and 1 frame mount at Moo. I use a profile aquarack during training.

If you only reach for it at a time when you'd be sitting up or decellerating anyway, it's not really lost aeroness is it? That assumes you are transferring the fluid to a frame mount cage or dumping it into an aero bottle up front.

As for why more than two bottles... You are right, 2 is fine. Unless you hate Gatorade's sugary mix! Then you want to carry as much of your stuff as possible (assuming you use something other than water, like Cliffshot, etc.). I tried the concentrated mix, and only took in water from aid stations, but my tummy never really liked that.

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I used the Cat Carbon Bikes (a.k.a. Cheetah) behind the seat bottle holder, and I can count the number of times it launched my bottles on one hand (and have fingers left). Every place I lost bottles, I would have *possibly* lost them on the frame with these bumps (yes, I have lost bottles mounted on the frame). I don't know if it is the shock absorbing carbon or what, but I nearly lost faith when it came to the X-Lab mount. I had a Corima Fox, and I was unwilling (but able) to put water bottle bosses on there. The Cat Carbon Bikes water carrier is the best I have used, period.

I may do a one-off bladder holder/ seatpost that would fair a rider's ass. I guaran-frikkin'-tee that it would not launch.

for a race, even an IM, why would you need anything more than two frame bottles anyway? I really think behind the seat bottle launchers should be banned, they are a hazard and are probably not anymore aero after you factor in reaching back fumbling with it then after drinking having to do it again, and again.

I raced IM with an aerobottle for gatorade (easy refill, frequently used & no position change required) and two behind-the-saddle holders - one for nutrition shakes & one for water to wash down the shakes & gels. Only had to go back there every 30-40 minutes or so. Worked like a charm.

Oh, didn't lose a bottle either. I put a large rubberband around the holders to tighten them up.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

"Why do so few people race with Camelbak?"

All it takes a picture of a pro racing with a camelbak. After that it'll became the official hydration device of slowtwitch.

A question for those of you who sweat profusely (as I do) and so have large fluid requirements - what do you do about nutrition on long rides / races? I've tried mixing perpetuem into a concentrated goop inside a gel bottle in my jersey, and diluting it into water bottle, and succeeding only in having a pasty gel that wouldn't mix. So am thinking about putting a double bottle cage behind my seat, with one bottle for perpetuem and the other for water. The comments here about rear bottle launchers are not too encouraging, however.

Thoughts?

I trained with the same formula as posted above, but here's a more detailed breakdown:

1. Gels for carbohydrates & electrolytes - "e-gel" has the most electrolytes per package than anything else on the market, great for sweaty hogs like me (and you :)

2. Slim-fast Optima shakes (poured into a standard 24oz bottle) give you calories, protein, vitamins & minerals, as well as a much-needed break from the sticky sweetness of gels/gatorade. Not as much sugar as other meal-replacement shakes, so easier on the stomach than regular Slim-fast. Doesn't require refridgeration, so it can stay warm (on the bike & in your special needs bag).

FYI: send them an email about how you use their products for triathlon & they'll send you about $20 worth of coupons.

3. Water in the other behind-the-saddle bottle holder to wash it all down. Gels are made to be taken with water for proper absorbtion - the combo of gel with gatorade may be too much for some stomachs.

I used the Minuroa double bottle holder with profile design cages, then took two thick rubber bands from broccoli stalks and wrapped one around each cage. It snugs it up nicely & will keep your bottles firmly in place. I don't think I've ever launched one with that setup.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Thanks!

For the most part, we are talking Half and Ironman. The most simple system that I have used is one on the seat tube and an aero bottle. I know that at the Half's that I do, I will go past 3-4 aid stations on the bike so I put 3-4 scoops of Cytomax in the bottle and mark it with a marker. I pour a 1/3 or 1/4 into the aero bottle as I get close and add water from the aid station.

Ironman is the same but you have an add station every 10 miles give or take a bit. I just add a few extra scoops into the bottle and follow the same plan. I will have another bottle in my special needs bag following the same principle.

I went aerodrink up front and two in the back secured with rubber bands to prevent ejection. when my aerodrink ran low, I would pull the bottle (it took about 1 second to remove the rubber band from around the tip), filled my aerodrink, and chucked the bottle. I thought about going just aerodrink, but I wasn't sure the location of the aid stations would have lent itself to doing that.

So basically doing the same thing you are planning, but with aerodrink instead of seat-tube bottle. I'd be very surprised if a seat-tube bottle was better than an aerodrink for aerodynamics, but that is of course just a guess.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Camelbak isn't a bad idea, just not particularly comfortable or easy to re-fill.

Another bottle holder I have tried, with great success on the back of my XLab is the Specialized Rib Cage:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=15523

Elastics built in on the cage (and easily replaceable with Brocoli elestic, larger generic bands, etc if the 'Specialized' ones break). Only lost one bottle from a Rib Cage but it was due to user error (didn't seat it in there properly, hanging half out... just WAITING for that next bump in the road!)

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Fortius quo Fortitudine, et nun cedere
(Strength through Endurance, and never to yield)

Bingo. DualFuel's suggestion is exactly what I do.

Do you like drinking liquid at body temperature?

I just use an NXT water bottle up front and take gels/endurolytes/etc. I have a somewhat concentrated mix of Gu20 and Ultima Replenisher in the bottle at start, drink a bunch of water in T1 before I leave, and just grab a refill bottle of water at each aid station. No extra bottles, no extra crap or rocket launchers on my bike.

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First, Perpetuem is practically devoid of electrolytes. I sweat like a pig. At Eagleman, I used an aero bottle for water picked up three times at aid stations, and a seat tube bottle with 3x infinIT mix. That stuff stayed mixed and was far more palatable than Perpetupaste (bleah). I drank water ab libitum (is that the fancy Latin for "drink at will"?), and took a hit or two of the infinIT every 15 minutes and washed it down with 3 or 6 hits of water to get the correct concentration.

I did about 90oz during the 2:34 bike ride, and that's with running out of fluids with 5 miles to go (last aid station was at like mile 42).

Try a Tallac double cage:

http://www.nashbar.com/...rand=5204&init=y

Works great on my P3. The stainless model is a little lighter, but the aluminum one is stiffer.