Trouble drinking from bottle on the move
Comments
-
dodgy wrote:Not sure I'd be keen on riding in a group with someone who couldn't drink on the move without wobbling. But like someone else said, stop looking down, just reach for the bottle and drink but keep looking ahead.
It takes all sorts dodgy, we have riders who fly up hills, we have riders who cant ride a hill for toffee and if you went round vetting club members with a clipboard questionairre whilst deciding whether to join or not I think you`d look pretty silly. Waterbottlegate is my problem to solve and it would be a shame if you wouldnt ride in a pack i was part of because of this, im sure there are areas in your cycling that are less than perfection.2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 1050 -
Don't matter the weight of the material, if you got 4 litres on your back thats 4kg.0
-
But in the grand scheme of things is it really a problem? Less than 8% of body and bike weight and that is not just on random parts, it's on something important.
I ride in clubs with a Camelbak and no one has said anything to me. In all honesty, no one really cares.0 -
Raffles wrote:dodgy wrote:Not sure I'd be keen on riding in a group with someone who couldn't drink on the move without wobbling. But like someone else said, stop looking down, just reach for the bottle and drink but keep looking ahead.
It takes all sorts dodgy, we have riders who fly up hills, we have riders who cant ride a hill for toffee and if you went round vetting club members with a clipboard questionairre whilst deciding whether to join or not I think you`d look pretty silly. Waterbottlegate is my problem to solve and it would be a shame if you wouldnt ride in a pack i was part of because of this, im sure there are areas in your cycling that are less than perfection.
No, no. Safety is very important to me, I will not ride with someone who isn't safe. I'm not choosing to ride with people because of the colour of their bike FFS!
Like I said, ride and look straight ahead when drinking.0 -
Use the smaller 500ml bottles, they're easier to hold and get some cages that don't grip the bottle too firmly i.e. you can easily slide bottles in and out e.g. Tacx Tao. In bunch races, I use the seat-tube bottle first because I can reach down and find the bottle whilst keeping my eyes on the road and the same with replacing it. Persevere and practise - it'll become second nature in time.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
-
Some good advice here, especially about using the 500ml bidons (there's a reason why the pros all do) and cages that aren't over-grippy.
Riding 1 handed is easier if you use the one hand to grip the bars on the tops, nearer the stem (where the rider giving a handsling change holds the bars)
Basically I'd suggest that it's about just practising more. However, check your headset (notchy headsets make riding with one or no hands harder), and make sure that your position is correct, and that the majority of your weight isn't too far forward.
On your own, get used to riding no-hands, then 1 hand will seem easy.
When you're confident with the bidon, you can move on to putting a rain jacket on and off on the move! :-)0 -
You could always practice on the rollers (might get messy though)!
Must admit I've not really thought about this all that much. I tend to drink at lights, and if we stop to regroup. So when you take a drink is the hand that is still on the bars in a position to apply the brakes? If not what happens if someone in front slows down?0 -
I used to have a problem looking backwards with confidence at junctions. Practising on quiet, smooth roads paid dividends. Also agree with the suggestions are practising one/no handed. Develop the no handed riding to the stage where you aren't having to use your arms for balance, then you can start zipping/unzipping jerseys and so on. By this stage drinking from a bottle should be fine.
Martin0 -
Spend a few rides practicing this just by yourself.
Whenever you find a quiet road- practice getting it out and drinking and putting it back.
And if you can't do it safely - then don't do it on the club run. Wait until you're at the back or they've stopped at a junction or something.
But practice practice practice. Getting a Camelbak is avoiding fixing the problem and those tri bottles with long straws are worse.0 -
As with most things,practise makes perfect.Cervelo S5 Ultegra Di2.0
-
gloomyandy wrote:?.....(edit) So when you take a drink is the hand that is still on the bars in a position to apply the brakes? If not what happens if someone in front slows down?
Isn't this basically what happened on stage 4(?) of tdf when there was carnage? I know the speeds concerned are a bit different
And for my tuppenorthworth of advice is,
all of the above0 -
johnboy183 wrote:gloomyandy wrote:?.....(edit) So when you take a drink is the hand that is still on the bars in a position to apply the brakes? If not what happens if someone in front slows down?
Isn't this basically what happened on stage 4(?) of tdf when there was carnage? I know the speeds concerned are a bit different
And for my tuppenorthworth of advice is,
all of the above
It's people braking in a peloton that cause the crashes (that's why track bikes haven't got brakes!)0 -
Raffles wrote:There are riders on the club outings who make it look so easy, they reach down whilst pedalling and lift bottle, ride perfectly straight whilst they drink and replace bottle. Im a different kettle of fish :oops: , I grab the bottle and when it comes to trying to take a drink and continue pedalling , I cant ride in a straight line and im all over the place :oops: Would hate to be using a camelbak as noone else does and id just love to know what im doing wrong.
You suffer from what is known as: bambi on ice syndrome, and should not be on a bike!
jokes aside, perhaps practice on a turbo? 0 -
giropaul wrote:Some good advice here, especially about using the 500ml bidons (there's a reason why the pros all do)
maybe OP should get a team-car and a domestique too
Camelbak for roadies :
http://shop.camelbak.com/2012-mens-racebak/d/10160 -
This afternoon I bought a drinks bottle for 39p that holds 500ml and it really does glide in and out of the cage a lot easier. I was out on the road pedalling and trying to drink and I did find that holding the top of the handlebar beside where the hood is mounted and drinking from the bottle with elbow tucked in and holding bottle side on made a big difference and improved things drastically. All I need to do is build up the confidence to do it at 20mph in the middle of a pack.2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 1050
-
To the OP, some have said about not riding with you if you can't handle bike and drink. I see ther point, it is not a personal attack on you but it is basically a safety issue as you obviously have a lack of basic handling skills which you need to work on and bunch riding is not the place to do it. For some it is natural for others its not.
I would forget the advice about no handed riding as it has nothing to do with being able to drink as the best way to ride no handed is upright and leaning back and relax and this is nothing like the skill you need to grab a bottle.
You need to have a relaxed grip on bars, even for normal riding, many ride with too tight a grip on bars making speed wobble easy to happen. try riding over a cattle grid with tight grip and it feels awful.
To be able to remove bottle and drink you have to be able to ride one handed and this is easiest with one hand on the hood, its a bit harder on drops.
When riding a bike you tend to ride where you look so if you look right you drift right and same for left, try this on open road, so you can practice looking round and riding straight and practice riding and lifting one hand off but still look where you normally would. You do not need to look for the bottle.
Once you practice basic riding skills drinking becomes easy and without thought.
Mosts guys who race can take bottle out and drink even when almost flat out in a race, even on fast descents, this is often best time to drink in a race.
Good luck.0 -
-
Agree with the above, obviously it depends on the weather and distance but if your finding yourself needing to drink at inoppurtune moments on a 50-60 mile club run are you not dehydrated before you set off?gloomyandy wrote:Must admit I've not really thought about this all that much. I tend to drink at lights, and if we stop to regroup. So when you take a drink is the hand that is still on the bars in a position to apply the brakes? If not what happens if someone in front slows down?0 -
You need to know instinctively where the bottle is, without having to grope around for it or look down to see it. It never moves, so get used to locating it without having to think where it is. You should be able to whip it out and put it back without looking down or fumbling for where it goes. Insert your own punch line here if you want.
Drinking? Sit up, tip it down your neck with one hand whilst holding the bars lightly with the other and all the while looking where you're going, not at the bottle, at some totty at the side of the road or at anything else that catches your eye.
Most of us can drink ok; practise getting the bottle in & out by feel.0 -
Like many have said practice, practice and practice.
I have a 750ml Camelback bottle, love it because I don't have to tilt my head up to drink, I can concentrate on the road with one hand etc.
The bottle holder is tight as a ducks arse, good in that nothing will ever fall out but bad in that it does need a bit of effort to pull the bottle out. With practice, I know lean down to slide the bottle 70% up and then once I checked ride position etc I lean down again to lift it out. Isn't ideal and easily curable by having a new holder, but I'm happy with it as I've got used to it.
As some have said, if you have a turbo at home, great place to 'practice' etc.0 -
I fail to see how practising this on a turbo is going to help.
You can look wherever you like, let go altogether AND close your eyes and the bike will still be going nowhere.
Just practice on the road when you are on your own and in no danger from traffic.Yellow is the new Black.0 -
smidsy wrote:I fail to see how practising this on a turbo is going to help.
Minimal, but you should be able to instinctively learn where the bottle/cage is so you can grab/replace without looking; which is a start.
I've just been practising this on the rollers, requires concentration...0 -
Ive recently changed from lifelong bottle cages to elite plastic ones and the difference is night and day.
The elite ones are superb, and I know as soon as that bottle starts to go in that cage it aint moving so replacing it mean I don't have to worry so much.0 -
These ones you mean? I have these - very pleased with them. Bought them cos they were the only ones in the shop that matched the colour scheme of my bikeScotty-Gee wrote:The elite ones are superb, and I know as soon as that bottle starts to go in that cage it aint moving so replacing it mean I don't have to worry so much.
Is the gorilla tired yet?0 -
I honestly never realised that there were any difficulties in drinking on the move until reading this thread. It's on 3 pages now!0
-
dodgy wrote:I honestly never realised that there were any difficulties in drinking on the move until reading this thread. It's on 3 pages now!
Belongs in Road Beginners, not sure why the OP has strayed0 -
So many people with drinking problems.0
-
SmoggySteve wrote:So many people with drinking problems.
I have - its a terrible affliction. Two hands and one mouth.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
After having a few wobbly moments like the OP,I have come to conclusion that drinking while moving is more hassle than it's worth.Riding a bike is hazardous enough without riding one-handed and looking at the sky while trying to breathe and swallow at the same time.
Give-way junctions and traffic lights present regular opportunities to have a slurp.Failing that stop at the side of the road somewhere nice and admire the scenery whilst re-hydrating.0 -
Are you a big gear masher?
Does your body rock or your head bob when you ride?
Or both?
We have one guy who is guilty of both, and when a hand comes off the bars it's a signal to keep away from him.
Try keeping your body still. And drink from the side, tilt the bottle not your head and squeeze it.
A bottle on the downtube is far more ergonomic.
Remember when everyone had downtube shifters, just the same.Ridley Supercross the cross bike
E W Hannington the vintage bike.
Trek X-Caliber the MTB.0
