Water bottle set up on my tri bike

Put your second water bottle holder between the aerobars so the bottle slips in from the front and sits horizontally between your forearms.  Convenient and very aero.

I saw the aerobar setup at the last tri I was at. I was kind of jealous because one athlete had a straw and could just drink whenever she wanted.

I'm not clear why you can't have a rear hydration system due to the shape of the seat post. HydroTails or XLabs connect to the seat rails, not the seat tube. They are available on line at various tri shops.

The xLab rear wing clamps to your seat rails (not the seat post) and holds 2 bottles. It can also hold a CO2 cartridges and an nflator.

Standard water bottle and cage mounted horizontally between your aerobars. Simple to do using zip ties. You might have to drill some holes in the cage for the ties. As mentioned, very aero and convenient.

Strictly my opinion, but if you need more than 2 bottles on your frame at any one time, you're doing something wrong in your nutrition strategy.

Thanks for the tips - so the ones that attach to the seat will presumably fit any seat??
 I was looking at the xlabs things on the net and then there were so many bits and options that I was starting to get confused.  And then if on seat then no room for my tool bag thing.  And then one type said "designed for cervelo" so I thought asking to see if anyone knew more than me (not difficult!) would be a good start

For racing I don't particularly need more than 2 bottles but some of my longer training rides in the middle of nowhere with no opportunity to top up I like to have as many as poss!

I would go with a standard cage on the downtube (as opposed to the Specialized Virtue Bottle) and a standard cage mounted horizontally between the aerobars.  This way you can refill water and Gatorade at each aid station.  That combined with your Bento for any gels you grab on the way and you should be good to go.

ETA - I don't know what happended to my picture so I just edited for the part that responds to the OP.

Shane

Edited by gsmacleod 2009-07-24 12:13 PM

Yes, they will fit to your seat. Both systems offer three points of contact, so you can have 2 bottle cages and one with straps to hold your repair kit on the back

I had issues with the spalsing form the profile aero bottle. I asked about it here last week and lots of people told me to put electrical tape over the cap or saran wrap under the cap. I used the electrical tape and it worked great. No more splashes at all! Also you can still pull the cap off to refill since it is connected to the bottle.

Thank you again - the ones that attach to seat seem the way to go for me. Thanks for confirming they'll fit my bike.

If you need more for training rides, just get a Camelbak. No threat of launching bottles from a rear carrier, various sizes, and you barely need to move to drink.

Hello

My road bike has two on the frame & I have a seat mounted double bottle holder. The only issue with the seat mounted holder is that you really have to throw your leg up high to get it over the bottles.  Sometimes and issue getting on & off the bike.

I added these so I would have plenty of water on my 50-80 mile bike rides and have found with the rest stops that I use these two extra water bottles to pour water over my head & body to cool off.

Practice getting on & off your bike with the seat bottles.

Kevin

I have the Xlab on my Transition.  I'll snap some pics when I get home tonight.  It fits great, is very secure, and has room for 2 bottles, co2, phone/keys/id/credit cards/etc, and a tubular tire (or in my case, a can of Pit Stop).

"Strictly my opinion, but if you need more than 2 bottles on your frame at any one time, you're doing something wrong in your nutrition strategy."

Umm....what?? I drink a bottle an hour . 2 bottles ain't gonna cut it for a long ride......... 

 Anyway........get an Xlab. They rock. Worth every penny. I use mine with Profile Design carbon holders. The only time a bottle was every launched was when I crashed.

Good Luck with your IM!! 

Edited by aquagirl 2009-07-24 4:02 PM

Shack!  I like my 2 in back, one up front for training. The Xlab setup wasn't cheap, but it's well worth it. Rock solid, all the storage I need, and no bottle launches (xlab gorilla cages for me).  

Cheers, Chris 

In the bottom bag I keep a can of pit stop and my Nuun tablets.  Within the zip lock bag (which is secured with that top strap) I keep my phone, credit card, id, and insurance card which is all contained within my phone's case.

If you go this route, just make sure you get a bottom bag that has a long enough strap.  The Xlab bag was actually a little longer than I liked.  There is about a 2 inch section that isn't secured by the velcro.

More photos available on my photo album

Edited by saldana_joel 2009-07-24 10:47 PM

Thank you
I have just ordered a hydrotail plus straps and xnut which they say are compatible.  I'm going to see if my current bag will fit/ be held with this.  I can't afford to go with expensive bottle holders at the mo so will pick up a couple of cheapies from my bike shop.

..and just in case anyone is involved with marketing the xlab the reason I didn't go with that was simply too much choice and I couldn't decide! (typical woman???).  

Thanks again everyone

Good call. I prefer the Hydrotail as it sits lower behind the seat making getting on and off easier. Get those X-Lab Gorilla Grip cages in the picture above, they are awesome and you won't loose a bottle with those.

He means when racing on a supported course like an IM, not for long training rides.

Well THAT makes more sense!     

Exactly. For long rides, I throw on a Camelbak, which I mentioned in a later post. If I'm riding 3+ hours, then I just bring a couple of bucks and stop at a convenience store to refill the Camelbak with a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade.

I really recommend podiumquest for an aero bottle.  They dont splash.  They have a hexogenal rubber cap rather than the shower puffy that allows you to put the water in on the go, but then returns to a snug possition when not being filled.  I modified mine by also putting camelback bite valves on them because my roads are really bumpy and I like the soft rubber rather than the mean staw ends.  The one I have is 2 chamber, 1 for nutrition and 1 for water.  I then have one downtube cage and a never reach on the back.  I can load 140 ish oz of water on the frame for training rides.  Ya I live where you can go 60-100 miles between water stops.  

For my first IM in 1 week, provided my calf strain allows me to comptete, I will have 1 chamber water, 1 chamber nutrition, downtube waterbottle with unmixed powder for 2nd half of bike ride (mix it at aid station 4 and the never reach is there if I need more than 1 bottle of water between stops.  As temps will likely reach 95 F I will keep an emergency resevior of about 8-12 oz of water back there just in case the temp gets closer to 100 F.  My water needs go up past 95F.  

Luck on your setup decisions.  

I was thinking about wether someone could make an aerodynamic camelbak the same way our helmets are aerodynamic.  Just have it match up with the helmet and possibly make a jersey you can shove the camelbak into.