I am looking for some input on racing with my camleback on. I have a plain old 2L model. I often train with it and have not found it restrictive in any way. The thing I like the most is you do not need to reach down or behind you for your water bottle. I have had a few close calls doing this…bumping the bottle into my handlebar with my knee and dropping bottles. With the camelback I can just tilt my head and take a sip. It seems like this is more efficient than all of the movement involved with drinking from water bottles. I can also take a good amount of water along with me for those long, hot rides.
In T1, I hang it on my handle bars, it takes me about 2.5 seconds to put it on. I have not had a problem with this yet.
I brought this up back in the summer. I just wanted to know if anyone else was doing what I was doing. I have a “roadie” style Camelbak (50 oz. bladder)and I love it. I got a lot of negative comments from people who a) didn’t know that there were “roadie” style versions or b) didn’t think it was cool … as if people in lycra shorts and man bras have a clue what cool is.
I’m short. I ride a small frame. I can’t carry much water on the frame and studies have shown that a behind-the-seat bottle position is an aerodynamic disaster. The roadie-style Camelbak struck me as a very good solution for someone like me and it has, in fact, proved to be so.
So, if you’re looking for validation, I’ll give you some. I use one. FWIW.
I think it’s a great idea. I’ve lost more than a few bottles from my “behind the seat bottle launcher” and am considering options. Have been toying with positioning a small camelback underneath the front of a jersey. Airflow probably starts slowing down and backing up somewhere around the lower ribcage and positioning here might get it out of fast airflow??.
I would say it depends on the distance and the terrain. Shorter than half-IM you don’t really need more than one bottle on the bike. Most half-IMs have bottle hand-offs so I use a front profile bottle for water and one frame bottle for my calorie needs.
Also, on a hilly course, you don’t want to be carrying that much water up and down the hills.
When I moved to the California desert, I dug out an old Camelback I won back in '92. I was amazed how convenient it was for long rides and decided I couldn’t care less what it looked like. In a race though, I just don’t need that much water. If it works for you then just use it. It certainly has to be better that the rear bottle holders. I tried that for a couple of races and it was horrible.
I use one regularly, both training and racing. Living in a warm and humid climate, sufficient water intake is essential to lasting any distance and I find gulping periodically from a bottle is inferior to continually sipping from my camelback for hydration needs.
In addition, one of the reasons I bought a soloist was for the aero factor. Loading up two bottles in the triangle doesn’t make a lot of aerodynamic sense and imagine a streamlined roadie style camelback would be superior in beating the drag factor. I’m not sure if there’s any evidence to support that statement but may exist out there somewhere.
I don’t use a frame-mounted bottle when racing, either. I use a Profile bottle up front, which I refill from – steady now – ordinary water bottles I carry in my jersey pockets. I can carry as much as I need in three pockets, and I’ve never lost a bottle out of a pocket. It’s an old-school solution.
"The only problem that I’ve found with camel backs is that you sweat like hell underneath them. Otherwise they’re great for long rides. "
The 50oz model that I use (designed for road riding with a slim profile to fit beneath a jersey) has a removable panel that leaves only a thin mesh between your skin and the bladder when the panel is removed. If you freeze the bladder the night before, then let it start melting the morning of the event, trust me … you won’t sweat beneath it. You have to endure a moment of shock when you throw it on your back. Then it feels awesome the rest of the race.
Word of caution. Don’t freeze it solid and head out on the road with it that way. It can take longer to unfreeze than you expect … and you can end up dehydrated. Also, don’t fill it to the top, then freeze it. The bladder will bust. Leave some room as ice expands.
I agree … you don’t need to carry 50 oz of water if you’re doing 1/2 IM or less. Guess what. You can actually put less water in it. Amazing. Also, to the poster who talked about having water sloshing around … I’ve never felt that with the roadie model. I have with the mtb models.
Finally, to the poster who talked about not wanting to carry all that water up and down hills. I’ve passed more people fumbling with bottles at water handoffs than have ever passed me on hills.
to get rid of the sloshing, fill it up, close it off, tilt it upside down and suck out the extra air in the bottom, then put it in your pack. no slosh.
I wear it for 1/2 IM’s. It does take a couple of seconds to put on but it has been useful especially in hot condition races. I wear a 70 oz no frills version and like Burn said if you make sure that all the air is out of the bladder you will not hear any sloshing.
Like anything else practice putting it on in a race simulated transition before the race to minimize the fumbling during the race.
I wore mine for my first 1/2 a few weeks ago. My frame only has one bottle cage and the race only had two handups. I needed something for calories. My choices were adding a behind the seat carrier or the camelbak. It takes all of about 5 seconds to put on, it’s more aero than adding additional bottles, and you can drink from it while on the bars (potentially saving the time it took you to put it on). The one downside for me is that it occassionally drips and the top of my right thigh ends up looking sunburned from the red Gatorade dripping on it.
The tip about taking the air out is spot on. I’ve actually used my camelbak on 15-20 mile training runs with no problems. If you take the air out and cinch it up well enough, it’s great.
I used one this summer in a long time trial called “Hotter than Hell TT” north of Houston, TX in August. 54 rolling miles with no support. I used the profile aero bottle up front and the camelback with a frozen bladder.
Everything was perfect for two hours until I ran out of water! I still had plenty of ice, about 2-3 lbs I estimate, but no water. 97 degrees, fourteen miles to go, and no H2O really sucked. I learned that lesson the hard way.
The set up worked well…my back was cool all race, the pack grew lighter as I became fatigued, sipping regularly is always better than gulping, and without my mistake in freezing it solid I think it would have been perfect.