Carry More, Drink More: High Quality H20 Storage for Endurance Cycling

[@matthewnormand2041]

An idea or two... I once tried the dual rear 750ml bottle setup on a fast and flat 300k (11 hours flat!) combined with a 750ml bottle on the seattube. Had a small frame bag and a tool bottle on the downtube. Never used it before but I wasn't a big fan. One of the cages came loose and dangled the bottle on the rear tire. Had to stop and retorque all the bolts. Got dropped from the group I was in at 50km because of that. Didn't feel very secure and was not convenient to use. I just used the seattube bottle as the "on service" bottle and rotated the bottles as I used them. Also, I've recently started using the Wolf Tooth B-RAD adapters to shift the bottle cage bosses up or down as need for optimal positioning and more flexibility. Looking at your bottle setup when loaded, it may be useful as you could shift your bottle cages down a bit for less interference with the frame bag. It's only about $20 USD each. They also make a dual bottle adapter where you could mount two bottle side by side on the downtube. I've never used it before. Doubt it's good for aero and I don't know if it'd interfere with pedaling but it's an idea. My $0.02...

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Great ideas Matthew! I agree that behind the seat is quite problematic. Many products for those mounts seem poorly designed too. I would like to give the Woho stabilizer a try though. I think Strasser is using it on TCR right now. I have some Topeak bottle mount adapters on another bike at the moment and they are quite nice. Both my rando bike and my wife's bike (XXS) would benefit from a set too, so I should probably order some more. I should have included it in the video, but it slipped my mind. I'll pin your comment so viewers are aware. It's a great solution for big bottles!

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

@@overbikedrandonneuring Yes Matthew I remember that day and those bottles coming loose in our lead group. It was scary as I was 1 or 2 wheels behind you when it happened. I can usually get by with 2 standard non insulated water bottles (26 oz) insulated reduces capacity. If I need more water/fuel than that then I get the Soma Further bottles that are 38 ounces or I wear a USWE 2 liter hydration pack. But that's more when I want to go 200km at a time between stops.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Yes Matthew I remember that day and those bottles coming loose in our lead group. It was scary as I was 1 or 2 wheels behind you when it happened. I can usually get by with 2 standard non insulated water bottles (26 oz) insulated reduces capacity. If I need more water/fuel than that then I get the Soma Further bottles that are 38 ounces or I wear a USWE 2 liter hydration pack. But that's more when I want to go 200km at a time between stops.

[@TomekK94]

1 more water storage overkill: Cranktank with up to 4l of water that takes less space in the frame than 2 bottles. Mostly Im super happy with this solution, only downside is that you need to decide on 1 type of liquid unless you need to carry even more. Easy to drink, nice and low center of mass, leaves space for frame bag, somewhat aero, light in comparison to multiple bottle and cages. With less surface area it also stays cool for longer.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

That's a new one to me! Thanks for sharing. It's like Trek SpeedConcept bottle for any bike. I bet they could make a slimmer version, name it aerotank, and it would sell well.

[@pip119]

I can't see my previous comment for some reason, so: Strap-based bottle cage systems such as from Wolf Tooth (B-RAD Everywhere) and SKS (Anywhere Topcage) allow you to be pretty creative with mount points for additional bottles. I often seeing touring bikes with bottle cages on the front forks (instead of panniers) and in pouches behind the handlebars. Personally I think a downtube mount for an extra bottle is a clear winner - low centre of gravity and you weren't using that space anyway!

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Cheers, and glad your comment is sticking now. We had the SKS system when my wife was riding an e-bike. It worked for casual riding, but was a bit flimsy for my taste. The B-Rad straps look more robust with the rubberized coating. I have a recumbent bike project coming up next year that may benefit from those. When I had the Silex with downtube bosses, I couldn't reach the bottle while riding, but it was perfect for dry carb mix since the lid also collected road gunk. I think downtube bosses will be a priority for the next bike whenever the Polygon bites the dust.

[@pip119]

@@overbikedrandonneuring Oh good, I went with B-RAD and have not had much problem with movement on the downtube. Good point, your bottle will definitely get covered in muck down there - I use one of those tool bottles with a flat lid as a reservoir to stop and fill up my other two bottles when they run low (as you say you can't easily access on the go).

[@lancescarborough1]

You left out the waist pack with or without bladder. Thanks for the videos and keep up the great work that you do!!

[@StephanBechert]

Another water storage tip is to carry a lightweight flexible water storage system like the Hydrapak Seeker™ 2L. You can fill it for longer stretches and mount it inside the drop bar like a front roll bag.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Great idea. I used to carry a few spare collapsible platypus bottles hiking and would only fill them on long stretches that lacked water. The Hydrapack has strap mounts, so it could be added when riding through the night with limited services open, but stored out of the wind when unneeded.

[@brentprockert5679]

I have also seen people attach bottles to their front forks as well as under the downtube. I just did a ride with a stem bag that i used to hold a bottle it worked great.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Cheers, I've always been tempted by those little stem bags, but like fork leg storage, would seem pretty poor aerodynamically. Downtube is a good place for a spare bottle for sure. Would love if the Orbea downtube toolbox was more universally mountable.

[@StephanBechert]

Great Content. THX. I think we randonneurs can learn a lot from long distances triathletes.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Agreed. I find myself wanting to stay up to date on a wide range of cycling disciplines as they each target different elements that are important to randonneuring. Unfortunate side effect is being the weirdo trying to attach the Aeria bottle to my Shockstop stem.

[@brentprockert5679]

i have also seen people attach bottles to thier front forks or the bottom of thier downtube. I also just did a ride and used a restrap stem bag that i carried a bottle in worked great.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

I have used 1 liter bottles (eg. Zefal Magnum) on the down tube and seat tube on long hot rides. Although as noted, it can interfere with frame bags or small frames.

[@paperjourni8964]

Thank you for the video. I recently did dehydrate after not being able to find a single open shop on my 170k ride. I had brought my running vest but not filled it with extra bottles. So yesterday I finally bought the 1.5l water bladder. But what I can recommend is to not use such a backpack as you are showing (as that seems to waste a lot of space on the body) but perhaps a Salomon running vest. They are lighter. Have way more storage in the front, for gels, phone, whatever and are really breathable. also you can add two more 500ml bottles in the front and keep them secure with a band. But one question: with all those bags on your frame did you put any kind of foil on it to prevent it from scratching?

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Thanks for the feedback. That sounds like a really rough experience going so long without water. Were you ever tempted to use someone's outdoor hose tap or knock on a door? I don't use tape for mounting bags, although with a higher end frame or a wetter or dustier climate, I would.

[@TheWoogeroo]

What is that frame bag please? Looks nice.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

It's the Lifeline framebag, size large. Cheap, simple, and as waterproof as could be hoped. Zippers don't last forever though.