Sorry for bringing this back from the dead but I have been looking through here to get some ideas myself a dow degree why maybe more people weren’t getting those saddle bottle holders to hold two more bottles? You’d have to find another place for the contents of your saddle bag but it seems easiest? I always run into the issue of not having enough bottles then I rarely stop because on a 4+ hour ride I’m racing against time for other obligations as well. I also find if I bring just mix and no regular water I get really thirsty for just water at some point
Because then people would think you are a triathlete. Ewww…
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It sounds like a good idea for your use case. It just depends on the ride and the rider.
Two more bottles
- Where I live, those bottles would be hot by the 3rd hour of a ride
You’d have to find another place for the contents of your saddle bag but it seems easiest?
- I’d rather have smooth powder on my back than pointy tools and a bulky tube
I rarely stop because on a 4+ hour ride I’m racing against time for other obligations as well.
- I’m rarely more worried about time than the need to pee and take a break from the saddle
Not saying my way is any better than your extra bottle scenario, it just depends on the rider and the ride.
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My wife likes Nuun so I use her empty tube containers to carry my back up skratch powder.
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Lol fair enough
I use these to carry mix (they’re easy to pack, and each holds just slightly more than two servings of scratch hydration mix, which is perfect for me): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ES3THJK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When it’s really hot, I’ll go through two 30-ounce bottles in an hour/75 minutes, but I plan my rides for water stops every 60-90 minutes, so I’m usually covered there. I bought these 30oz bottles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094XXQ3XD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1&psc=1
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Good points for sure. I guess I’m used to drinking a pretty warm bottle as mine aren’t insulated but it is something to think about.
Your point about a rest from the saddle is a good one. I rarely get off or take a break and that may not always be good so an excuse to run into the convenience store and grab more water might be worth the time it takes to get off the saddle for a bit.
Love the nuun tablet container idea. I’d have to see if my homemade mix fits but that might be a nice solution. If not the reusable baggies look to be a good option.
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Yeah, I have a really troublesome stomach. If my sugar water gets hot, I’m destroyed. I have even found that it’s picky about which sugars I consume when it’s hot outside. It took a ton of trial and error to figure out the right mix ratio. I envy people who can just eat gas station food and drink!! I’m better off with just plain water than with some of the things I see other people eating on rides (hot dogs, I’m looking at you!)
Haha yea that’s tough. I seem to do ok but anything too heavy on the digestion is like an anchor. Hot dogs is a brave move!
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Super late reply, but wanted to know how much powder you are able to keep in these? I tried getting some narrow 4oz/115mL plastic tubes to do the same thing and I couldn’t get 90g of mix in there…
Each one can carry two servings of skratch sport hydration mix, which is 40g of carbs.
I can easily fit 4 containers (probably 8 if I tried) in a single jersey pocket, so that would be 160/320g of carbs in a jersey pocket.
In my experience, the sport hydration mixes quickly and easily with water. Skratch Superfuel is great, but I usually need 4-5 minutes of mixing and shaking to get it close to dissolving.
I also find this more important in the summer, when I’m sweating a lot and need more water, than in the winter, when I can use pre-mixed Superfuel for my rides and just carry all the water with me…
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For my long rides, I have resorted to just carrying a 2L hydration pack filled with carb mix (60g per 500ml water), along with two bottles filled with the same mix. That gets me through about 5-6 hours of zone 2 without having to stop. For longer rides, I carry zip lock bags with enough mix to refill the hydration pack, and I store the zip log bags in the zipper compartment on my hydration pack and I plan my route so that I pass by a park or other location with a drinking fountain that I can use to refill everything.
I want to be careful to not be perceived as actively self-promoting subtly, so for full disclosure: this is my company and it is a for-profit endeavor.
In short, I built www.fuelrodzendurance.com to solve this exact problem, because I freaking hated dealing with baggies of powder, dosed out by hour, no control over caffeine on the move, etc. I turned powdered carb mix into self dissolving nutrition Rodz (which are now patent pending), 20gr of CHO each, color coded to indicate caffeine. Grab a handful, throw them in a reusable silicone bag, drop them in your bottle as you go based on your needs and how you’re feeling. I’ve been using prototypes for a year now, and imo, it’s a game changer to never need to juggle 4 baggies of powder. If you’re really fancy, you can even add rodz to your bottle without stopping. 
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Just curious, why 20g each? Last week I was mixing up 60g and 90g bags and remembered FuelRodz. Looked at your website and didn’t find an answer. Great job on filing for a patent!
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20gr is intentional! In testing, 20gr Rodz were the best for physical size and math based on breaking. So for instance, it works out to 3-4Rodz / hour being the right amount for most people. Want to push or reduce that by 10gr? Then you’re at half rod intervals. Most people are 3,3.5, or 4Rodz/hour. If it was one giant 80gr Rod, but your goal was 60/hr, then you’d end up with a 20gr leftover. TLDR, the math worked best at 20gr, in my opinion.
And thanks! My patent attorney is also a triathlete, which was fun. 
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Thanks! I did look at the 60g bag and thought it would take an old school candy bar shape if it was a FuelRodz.
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I think that would be going to full circle and just fueling with Snickers bars (which I have absolutely done before!)
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Like most people in the thread, I’ve carried measured out drink mix in sandwich bags and put them in my jersey pockets. But for multi-day rides I learnt that a bottle of coke/Fanta or apple juice in the bidon topped up with water and an electrolyte tablet works really well too. This might not be a revelation for others but it was for me 
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