Ditching the camelbak

Most of my rides now around around the 1-2hr mark, and I find myself wanting to ride without a rucksack (Camelbak).

I can only fit a single bottle on my frame (actually, I could fit 2, but the other would be under the down tube and covered in crap). But assuming I’m hydrated pre-ride a single bottle should be enough I reckon.

It’s the other bit’s i’m wondering about, do I opt for some kind of hideous under-seat storage device, or are there people around who carry tubes/multitools etc in their vest pockets?

I ride without camelback or water bottle on rides of this length. Or at least try to. Just drink and eat before the ride so you don’t bonk/cramp up

I have a bottle/pump on the frame and a topeak saddle bag for multitool & tube plus a couple of other bits and pieces.

I did stuff the gear in back pockets, but it was a bit saggy.

hmmm good Q.
saddle bags rattle annoyingly.
stuff in pockets can cause sever injury when crashing.
some kind of tight frame bag maybe?

i use a small camelbak for short rides but it is nice to have nothing on, so to speak.

I’ve read about people storing stuff in water bottles/cages…

On the search now to see if I need to butcher a bottle!

1 bottle and a hideous under-seat storage device for me. Oh, and you’ll need a pump as relying on the cartridge things is unwise.

I use one of these in a bottle cage when I don’t want to carry a bag. Holds a tube, multitool, tyre levers and powerlinks fine.

http://www.madison.co.uk/productinfo.aspx?vertical=Cycling&tier1=Tools%2c+Maintenance+%26+Repair&tier2=Tool+Kits&catref=PRS100330

http://www.xcracer.com/shop/viewproduct.php?productid=205

I have one of these too (the older version).

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/tri_drybag?WYSESSID=tmq9rl316k9vk51rjksniiuo32

My small saddle bag is stuffed and secured very tight, so I never notice the rattle of the bag.

Going to get a couple of bottles and cages at the end of the month and give that a go. Not a massive fan of saddlebags, and too anally retentive to strap things to my seatpost! 8)

I often go out for an hour or so with nothing-, no water, tools or mobile phone. Drink a pint of water before I go and keep some haribos in my pocket. Fine for a pootle / new trail hunt when its not hot.

I ditched my camelbak until i got a puncture!

I’ve got a Pro water bottle thing & I’ve seen the lid for them on the side of the trail several times. Will only just fit my SKS CO2 cartridge with a tube & tools.
Lost my crank bros multi tool using the butchered water bottle.
Otherwise it’s great travelling light with just a phone & wallet in the back pockets.

Revelate Tangle bag or similar – same capacity as most Camelbaks, takes pump, snacks, tools, phone, minimal waterproof.

saddle bags rattle annoyingly.
stuff in pockets can cause sever injury when crashing.

The former is solved by an old sock to hold everything together
I’ve never seen or heard of the latter?

Did 8 hours on the road bike on Sunday, 0.2l saddlebag takes a CO2, tube, patches, chain links multitool and tyre levers. Back pockets took walet/phone/keys, jellybabies and a couple of spare tubes/CO2.

I took a tiny (1.5l and no storage) camelpack to take additional fluids (not really needed could have managed without or begged some water from a farm if needed) and a gillet, the gillet could have easily fitted in my jersey.

The only times I take a camelpack on short rides now is at night as the batteries tend to drag the jersey one way or the other.

I have a bottle and a pump on the frame, a small under seat pouch with the minimal kit I carry – multitool, tube/ patches/ spare chain links/ emergency energy gel. Food goes in my pockets

this is my set up
[/url]
IMG_2662[/url] by TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr

I use a bar bag. It can carry a fair bit of stuff, probably more than my Camelbak. Though it can be a bit rattly, depending on how its packed.

i meant to say “severe” not sever, unless you’re carrying a saw on your pocket :p

i think there were two guys on here who broke their legs after falling with something in their pockets. sounded nasty. not sure, i don’t know them personally but i know keys etc can really hurt and tools.. don’t risk it.

also weight on my back helps me ride, something to shift about.

smiff – Member

i meant to say “severe” not sever, unless you’re carrying a saw on your pocket :p

i think there were two guys on here who broke their legs after falling with something in their pockets. sounded nasty. not sure,

which is why I have he seat pouch for stuff like that – only jelly babies and so on in my pockets

I use an old bumbag for local rides, pump attached to bottle mount.

I have a water bottle and a frame mounted pump with a tube tapped to the seatpost. Puncture will be your most likely mechanical by a long margin and is a showstoper.

For short local MTB rides I never took anything, just jumped on and went. Chances are if I did puncture I could get home before it went flat. Longer rides I would take Camelbak with tools and usually a waterproof.

Road bike I take a bottle on the bike, pump on the bike, tube and levers in back pocket on jersey. Longer rides add bottle and possible sweets.

Rides under 3 hrs I rarely take a bag – pump, tube, tool, lever, sweeties, phone goes in my pockets.
Have crashed many, many times and not suffered any injury due to the contents of my pockets.

+1 sefton’s suggestion. Strapping all the way. You can get quite a tidy set up with a bit of strapping for the nasty things that might hurt if they’re in a back pocket and put the nice squidgy things (sandwiches and windproof) in the pockets. Works for long days out as well.

I’ve kept the camelbak but ditched the bladder, water is well heavy, I’ve fitted one of these on the back of my saddle for longer rides. It came in handy on my 7 hour epic on the SDW, no faff to refill mid ride either.

EDIT: obviously my one as water bottles in it. 😉

Should I have mentioned I ride offroad, and never onroad? 😛

The multitool in pocket injury does sound very unlucky / unlikely. However, I wouldn’t do it (or a pump in jersey pocket for that matter) I know someone that had a very slow speed fall onto the keys in his jeans pocket when riding and broke his thigh bone into 3 pieces as a result.

How big were his keys!

I used to cram everythign in my jersey, but now go for the tJ school of thought and put soft stuff in there and hard stuff in a saddlebag, did it for comfort reasons though, never thought about it from a safety perspective. Still keep my wallet/phone/keys in my jersey though, less hastle at stops rather than emptying/repacking the bag unnececeraly.

plenty of scope on the saddle water bottle mount for some straps/small bag in the middle for holding a multitool, tubes etc.

I am thinking of going back to a saddle bag and single large water bottle for shorter rides. Tempted to invent some neat but secure mounts that bolt onto specific places for holding things like a multitool, tube etc.

Also need to have a way to secure a ricotta cheese tub to the bike for putting bags of dog poop in and secure some gravy bones for the dog to stop her eating horse poo when she needs energy.

Oh and I won’t ride with anything in pockets – either on my shorts or top as I hate things in my leg pockets when riding, don’t want to fall on anything hard in my pocket and worry about losing stuff out of them.

I know someone that had a very slow speed fall onto the keys in his jeans pocket when riding and broke his thigh bone into 3 pieces as a result.

Say what?

I just fill my fatbike tyres with water, never run out ubt it does get a bit harsh riding in winter

don’t like water bottles, they have a habit of getting covered in crap.

I just fill my fatbike tyres with water, never run out ubt it does get a bit harsh riding in winter

Just add your preferred spirit to stop the water freezing.

no such problems here, dogs scoop up their own poo at the sight of my 4″ wide Barry tyres.

Anything local less than two hours and it’s a water bottle, phone and wallet…
K.I.S.S… 😉

don’t like water bottles, they have a habit of getting covered in crap

+1, small Camelback can’t remember what is called but it just holds a litre or so of water, a mini pump and tube) on the road/CX bike. Ordinary Camelback (Mule or something) with at least 3 tubes on the MTB.

I’ve commonly rode to get somewhere and spend some time there. Not just a non-stop ride. This means I’m psychologically uncomfortable with a bare back.

Aside from tools, spares and water, I tend to carry a microfleece, wooly hat, small radio and the makings of a picnic in my bag!

Guess some of us are having different rides altogether here 🙂

suppose I could just do what the dog does and drink out of livestock troughs. Wonder how long it would take me to build up resistance to dodgy tummies 😕

suppose I could just do what the dog does and drink out of livestock troughs. Wonder how long it would take me to build up resistance to dodgy tummies

I work on the principle if it’s running and clear it’s probably OK. either that or so toxic nothing can live in it in which case I’ll be dead before someone gets chance to tell me it was a stupid idea. My dad uses water purification tablets but they make it taste like drinking a cross between a swimming pool and paracetamol (IMO).

Saying that, I did have a banging headache last night and bleeding lips/gums this morning, anyone want to guess what I’ve contracted this time?

I used to use a bottle in a cage on the frame for rides up to 2 hours but it very often used to get covered in 5h1t. Then I discovered the Cambelbak FlashFlo which is basically a hydration bumbag.

Although the bladder has a 1.5 litre capacity I only half fill it and hardly notice the weight so low down and it reduces sweaty back syndrome. It also has a couple of useful pockets to stash some stuff as well such as wallet, mobile phone etc. Brilliant.

http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs/2012-FlashFlo-LR.aspx