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How do you stay hydrated on long rides?

melensdad

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My wife and I have always been short distance/local riders.

Commute to a point. Ride to a restaurant. Short pleasure rides of a couple hours.

We are both now retired and have far more time so we have been stretching out to all day rides and plan a long distance trip. The new riding style brings some different challenges. Like thirst on the road.

For long rides do you wear a hydration pack? Slip a bladder into your riding gear and snake a sip tube? We’ve been carrying bottles in the Frunk but that is less than convenient.

Ideas? Thoughts for sipping while riding on an NC7..x
 
My wife and I have always been short distance/local riders.

Commute to a point. Ride to a restaurant. Short pleasure rides of a couple hours.

We are both now retired and have far more time so we have been stretching out to all day rides and plan a long distance trip. The new riding style brings some different challenges. Like thirst on the road.

For long rides do you wear a hydration pack? Slip a bladder into your riding gear and snake a sip tube? We’ve been carrying bottles in the Frunk but that is less than convenient.

Ideas? Thoughts for sipping while riding on an NC7..x

Good topic! I have a camelback water carrier with a sip tube that I use under my ski jacket while snow skiing. I have a very difficult time riding motorcycles in the heat, and nothing ruins my ride more than getting too warm. Since you brought this up, it reminded me that I want to try this water carrier under my summer motorcycle jackets. I’m going to grab it right now and try it next week, since I hear it’s supposed to get up around 80*F, which for me is quite warm.

I also just realized I had bought a backpack from Amazon that carries water as well as other items, and has a sip tube. It is a hi-viz color, and would go over my jacket. I’m going to try that out, too.

Edit to add: For clarity, I realized my desire for camelbacks was from the perspective of dual sport and dirt bike riding, where there is no frunk or easily accessible tail trunk. For that I’m more inclined to keep the water on my person, hence the thought of using a backpack style carrier.
 
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For long rides do you wear a hydration pack? Slip a bladder into your riding gear and snake a sip tube? We’ve been carrying bottles in the Frunk but that is less than convenient.

Ideas? Thoughts for sipping while riding on an NC7..x

I think the unless you are running an aux fuel tank the range on the NC is so limited (especially two up @ highway speeds) that you will be stopping every two, two and a half hours anyway to refuel.

If you do try a hydration pack you will learn 'very' quickly to blow back into the tube 'before' you try taking a gulp of 100 degree water from the bite valve ;-)

I never got used to wearing a hydration pack (uncomfortable) and instead I carry a quart of water or so in an insulated thermos for emergencies. If I have the aux fuel tank mounted and trying to make big miles I'll pack a second, larger thermos with an additional 2 quart capacity.

I find that not having access to the water 'while riding' to be a moot point, I simply stop for a few minutes and take a drink. I used to run with with a one gallon jug of ice water, a hose w/bite valve mounted on a retractable key fob that I could reach while riding. Didn't really work all that great for me.
 
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On my long rides I carry a couple water bottles OR a thermos (cold water) in case I really need to stop for a sip. But the vast majority of time I’ve found that my need to take a drink tends to coincide with my need to take a leak which coincides with my need for gas which coincides with a need to stretch my legs. It all works out about right. Yeah, I know - that didn’t really answer your question... I’ve tried the “sip as you ride” methods - to many encumbrances for me.
 
Hey Bob, i too have tried many things on my 400-500 mile single day trips and have just resigned to using the water bottle or two on the Frunk. I just got back from a 9 day 2600 mile ride down to 3-Step Hideaway which is just south of Moab Ut. Several days it was 80f-85f. I found that carrying a couple of water bottles in my tank bag worked out great. As others have said, by the time i started to feel that i needed a drink i was already stopping for a picture, fuel or snack anyway. Four of my days were spent just chewing up the miles and were 500 +/- days. I really put the new RDL seat to the test and it passed with flying colors. As i ended each of those 10-11 hours days in the saddle, i was tired but still felt good, i stopped often, stayed well hydrated but i was ready to relax. My vote stays with small water bottles, they're easy to use, convenient to store easy to grab at any quickie-mart. :{)
 
The only time I _need_ water is when I’m going somewhere (vs commuting), and it’s HOT. It’s HOT here for a vast portion of the year, so I try to not go anywhere then. :) I was coming across the Mojave a few years ago, coming back into the Sonora (deserts) on an afternoon where temps ranged from 112 to 118 along the route. It was a genuinely terrible experience at a couple points. I was carrying a bunch of water, but the bike was totally full with luggage and gear and ‘stuff,’ so the water bottles were just stuck wherever I could fit them, including on my handlebar cup holder. Drinking was a challenge using a plain straw, but it did work. The trouble was that the water got hot very quickly, and I had to use some of it to re-wet my LD Comfort shirt. Without the extra water AND a stop at nearly every gas station and town for a ways, I wouldn’t have made it.

I’ve used the water bladder that goes on my jacket, but I don’t like the thing on my back pushing the armor against me (inhibiting air circulation). I don’t like carrying water in the frunk because engine heat warms it there sooner than outside. That said, if one doesn’t have the bike totally loaded up, an insulated container would be completely feasible.

As I mentioned, a straw is very challenging to use, but it can be done with some degree of success. A modular or open-face helmet would make it a piece of cake.
 
I tried a Camelbak once in preparation for a long trip but found it uncomfortable under or over my riding gear. For really long rides I use a Coleman 1 gallon cooler filled with ice water and accessed with a hose and bite valve but I sense that is not what the question is about.

What does work for me is to buy flip-top 500 or 700 ml bottles of water. One is plenty for most rides and easily refilled or replaced at a gas stop. Easy to access and drink while riding. No straw, just squeeze.

If riding for long distances I try and set a "sip schedule" so that I stay hydrated but don't have to stop soon after swilling an entire bottle of water. My goal is to go pee when I stop for gas and not before. I may start out with 5 good pulls on the bottle every 15 minutes in hot conditions or 3 pulls every 20-30 minutes in less extreme conditions and adjust as needed. I try to ride tank to tank when traveling but not everyone will like to do this.
 
I like very long rides. Alaska, Yukon, that sort of thing Starting from Seattle.
I considered a camelback but decided against it. I like to stop every Hour to Hour and a half to drink water, stretch my legs, take pictures, and focus on why I ride. I love being there.
 
I found that carrying a couple of water bottles in my tank bag worked out great. :{)
Rapture, what kind of tank bag do you have for an NC?

I have a 100 oz water bladder I put in my tank bag (for other bikes).
I also have a Camelback that I strap to my dry bag. The hose is long enough to use easily.
I put ice in the tank bag bladder and it does a good job.
 
I find I tend to dry out if I don't have some kind of water bladder system. I don't get off often enough to stay hydrated without sipping on something the whole time.

I need to get a tank bag because I don't really like carrying all that water on my back for long rides, which means more strain. I tend to ride tank-to-tank and don't really do many photo or rest stops in between fill ups. I have a camelback bicycle backpack that works pretty well, all compromises considered
 
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Rapture, what kind of tank bag do you have for an NC?

I have a 100 oz water bladder I put in my tank bag (for other bikes).
I also have a Camelback that I strap to my dry bag. The hose is long enough to use easily.
I put ice in the tank bag bladder and it does a good job.

I use an older one. My bike is still in storage for the snowy winter we’re no longer having so I’m itching to go dig it out of storage and ride it the next couple of days as it will be in the 50’s!!
 
I always carry water bottles with me, and/or stop at gas stations for a break and may buy a drink/snack there. No matter the length of the ride, I still enjoy stopping at least every couple hours to stretch my legs, drink/eat, go to bathroom, etc. I guess everyone is different, but I could never really ride comfortably long enough to need to drink while riding.
 
I always carry water bottles with me, and/or stop at gas stations for a break and may buy a drink/snack there. No matter the length of the ride, I still enjoy stopping at least every couple hours to stretch my legs, drink/eat, go to bathroom, etc. I guess everyone is different, but I could never really ride comfortably long enough to need to drink while riding.
Have you ever been in the desert during the summer? 2 hours is way too long! Anywhere else, I think you're ok but I prefer shipping as I go.
 
A couple months short of 2 years since I started this topic.

What I ended up with was just carrying water bottles and making stops.

Sometimes we stopped because we were thirsty or hot so we pulled over in a safe place. Sometimes we come into a town that looks interesting or to a memorial or to a tourist attraction or whatever. But basically we simply decided that worked best for the 2 of us.

One interesting thing we found by accident is that my Hepco & Becker GOBI panniers & top box are double wall construction like an IGLOO cooler. While they are uninsulated, they actually will hold a cold can of soda or bottle of water cool for several hours, even in the hot sun, especially if loosely wrapped with my rain gear as added insulation. My top box does double duty now as a lunchbox.

What I tried was pretty much everything I could think of from water bladders (I have those in my backpacks when we hike) to sip tubes in water bottles (another hiking thing) but realistically they were all a compromise of convenience and safety and even water taste. What I might have liked my wife did not, what she might have found acceptable didn't work well for me. But what we both found was we could stop and sip.
 
On road trips I'm inclined to have a Dew every other drink and then Propel for some electrolytes in between. It seems to work pretty well and I don't need to stop for a leak as often as when I drink just water. I usually stop once an hour or so or when a picture begs to be taken. Off road and trail riding I stop more often 'cause it's more work. Either way, stay wet inside.

Rapturee,

Just up the road from you in Athol area...The 50's and better finally got here!! Ride safe!
 
Anyone use / have a cup holder mounted to their handlebars? . If so, what brand?.
I'm considering this setup with a water bottle within.......insulated of course. TIA
 
Anyone use / have a cup holder mounted to their handlebars? . If so, what brand?.
I'm considering this setup with a water bottle within.......insulated of course. TIA
Ram swinging cup holder mounts on the ball. I have them everywhere I might need a drink...motorcycle, side by side, atv, boats, canoes, kayaks, next to my computer...must have missed some...I should buy stock in Ram.
 
20 oz stainless steel bottle ... keeps cold cold, and hot hot (how do it know?). I find that stopping for gas or to take a drink makes every ride more enjoyable. I need to stop and stretch my legs occasionally, have some water, and them back to the ride. I also like stopping to look around ... too easy to just get lost in the churning miles and not enjoy the scenery. Even on the Dalton it was helpful to stop every so often to have drink and look around. I refill the bottle at gas stations.
 
Greg.....I presume your 20oz SS cup fits in a Ram ball mount?.
No. I just keep it in the frunk. I can get it at a stop if I need it, but typically it'll be during a stop where I get off the bike for a few minutes.

I wished they still made these ...
wabo bottle.jpg
 
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