I am doing my first IM this fall, there are so many different ideas about the best way to carry water tube and c02. What are some of the better contraptions/systems out there?
if you only need 1 water bottle between each aid station
and you can handle the stuff on course and don’t need 10 gallons of custom infinite to pedal a bike
then a between the aero bars bottle holder is ideal.
I used this setup for a HIM, never done a full, but this would work just as well for a full IMO.
Aerodrink up front
Bento box with Nuun tablets
Xlab Superwing which carried my tube, lever, co2, and 2 bottle cages
I started the race with water and Nuun in the aerodrink, then would grab water when needed and add one of the Nuun tablets. When I grabbed the water I would put it in the cage on the Superwing and ride on a little further to avoid the cluster fu*k, then fill my aerodrink. I am not reliant on some super special mixed drink so I wasn’t concerned with carrying 10 gallons of it.
Aerobottle with water.
One bottle of concentrated Infinit.
One wedgebag with spares.
No bento box.
No xwing, ywing, or Death Star to hold all my stuff.
Pickup second bottle of Infinit at BSN.
Pickup water on the course. Mix Infinit and water in the aerobottle.
Seems far simpler to me than tablets, gels, and other kerfuffle.
-Jot
Maybe the local roadies influence me too much, but why doesn’t anyone use their back pockets for anything?
I did an IM with 2 frame cages (carbo pro mixture), a bottle in one back pocket (hydration), and a few gels/a sandwich in the other pocket.
I’d agree, but I “race” with a shirt without back pockets. I still wouldn’t put
anything in them I don’t think.
I had one frame cage, one profile aero bottle up front and a wedge bag.
Left one cage open for course water.
I guess I could package the spares into something, toss it in the jersey pocket
and go with that, but it’s easier to have it on the bike for me.
I go with simpler == better.
Then again I’m slow, so don’t know why people would pay attention to what I do. 
-Jot
I use 2 cages. One for water and the other for the Gatorade. Aid stations every 10 miles…
I might try and use 1 cage on the bike and 1 cage between the aerobars this summer.
Derek
Gamebofh,
You mentioned that you use a concentration of infinite on the bike. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your system for making this work?
Gamebofh,
You mentioned that you use a concentration of infinite on the bike. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your system for making this work?
Take sip of concentrated drink then drink some water.
Sacrificial Water Bottle mounted between aeros
One bottle of Concentrated Gatorade (aka Turbo-Gatorade)
Bento box with tabs, gels, etc.
I leave a couple CO2’s and tubes rubberbanded together with my bike at transition and put it into my jersey pocket at T1. whatever’s left is jammed into the horizontal aero bottle holder at T2.
Toss the water bottle and pick one up at aid stations.
SIP the Gatorade to mix with water in my tummy.
I’m a total nerd. I’m the BOPer that everyone on here makes fun of but I’ve come to terms with it. I take more time out on my bike than most. I’ve finished 3 IMs and I figure that is more than at least 70% of the people on here.
So, here is what I do. My last IM, CdA '08, I used an Aero Drink and I loved it. I tend to forget to drink and especially in a hilly course so having it right in my face made it easy to take sips regularly. I also don’t want to take a big swig because that tends to make it sit and slosh around in my belly. I also have a sensitive stomach and Gatorade makes me vomit. I use Perpetuem. I carried it dry in a bottle in a regular water bottle cage and would mix it in my Aero Drink when I needed it. Kept it light weight but it took practice to get the maneuver right without killing myself.
I had some gels with me for if I started to bonk and kept those in a Bento. My tri-top had pockets on the side that didn’t handle stuff well so it was a Bento for me. It also allowed me to carry an extra pair of contact lenses and a little butt butter.
Yes, a Bento is sacralidge on here but you gotta do what works for you. It is your butt out there on the bike, no one else’s.
You mentioned that you use a concentration of infinite on the bike. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your system for making this work?
It’s a highly scientific system:
- 1x 24oz polar bottle of 3x concentrate of Infinit (made by putting in six scoops,
adding water, shaking, putting in fridge, scooping off excess foam, more water, repeat.
For IMAZ I did this with a second bottle as well, froze it and put it in BSN) - 1x Profile aerobottle on the front (standard aerodrink).
- 1x empty frame cage (other one holds concentrate bottle)
Race day routine:
- Fill Aerodrink with water.
- Put InfiniT concentrate bottle in cage
- Swim like a wounded brick
- Come out of the water, get on the bike and go. Drink some water for first 20
minutes. - Add squirts of concentrate to Aerodrink.
- Get water bottle from course at some point
Here comes the magic part:
- When i feel hungry, add more concentrate
- When my stomach feels a bit unsettled, add more water
- If I find I’m having to pee too much, provided #2 above is ok, then less water.
I plan on patenting this super secret system soon.
-Jot
What worked at my last IM…
Seattube cage for concentrated calories/sodium…2nd bottle at special needs
Horizontal cage on aerobars for water (better than an aero bottle in hot conditions as I needed it to dose myself in water occasionally)
Stem-mounted gel flask & holder (tucks in nicely out of the wind behind the horizontal bottle)…2nd flask at special needs
Energy bars in the back pocket (in a KiWAMi short these are inside the garment under the waistband)…refill on course
1 x tube, 1 x lever, 1 x mini-inflator & 2 x CO2 bundled tight & taped under the rear of the saddle
All nutrition was the same as that served on course…I mixed/filled/packed my own so I didn’t have to slow stop at aid-stations (water only) but if I dropped bottles/flasks/bars or needed more I had options.
After 15 IMs, I have become a minimalist: one bottle with a nutrition mix (I use Perpetuem triple strength - 750 cals) on the down tube cage; grab water or Gatorade at the aid stations every 10 miles. If I really MUST carry a bottle between aid stations, it goes on the seat tube cage.
In the Bento Box go a 270 cal Zone or Kashi bar, and a 6 oz of Hammer Gel flask. At special needs, another energy bar. If I could learn how to open and eat a gel pak without getting terminal stickiness, I’d get rid of the Hammer Gel. Ditto the energy bar if I could chew a power bar. That’s 1900 cal total - more than I can actually absorb in 5 h 45 min +/- .
Tube and CO2 (and a few tools) go into a little pack entirely underneath the saddle. One extra of each in special needs.
When they offer so much fluid and nutrition at the IMs, why carry any more weight or air flow disruptors than I have to?