Race day backpack?

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I tried racing for a while with just bottles. I ended up not drinking enough.
Me too. I'm thinking of trying bottles-only again though, because the feel of the Camelbak is getting on my nerves lately.

You will see packs on 40+ Experts and there are a couple of guys running them in Expert SS. On techier courses the pack certainly lets you get more drinking done.

I carry the pretty much the same stuff as Ben.
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
I can't get my kid to take out the garbage in 2 minutes.

Forget about changing a flat with a pegged heart rate

I think we need to have a tire changing class or maybe even a tire changing competition at the MTBNJ picnic!!:getsome:
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Me too. I'm thinking of trying bottles-only again though, because the feel of the Camelbak is getting on my nerves lately.

You will see packs on 40+ Experts and there are a couple of guys running them in Expert SS. On techier courses the pack certainly lets you get more drinking done.

I carry the pretty much the same stuff as Ben.

You may want to try a diiferent brand. I find most camelbacks are uncomfortable. Hydropack and TNF are much more comfy.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
You may want to try a different brand. I find most camelbacks are uncomfortable. Hydropack and TNF are much more comfy.
Good thought. I've been running an ancient "Pakster" and probably my biggest desire is for greater stability as I'm shucking and jiving on technical terrain.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Ok, that's scary. With the amount of time you spend on a bike, why don't you invest in a Camelbak from this century.:D
What's really scary is that it's the same one I was using when you and I were blasting around Hartshorne on our steel hardtails.

It would be interesting to calculate how many hours I've used this thing at this point...
 

Bike N Gear

Shop: Bike N Gear
Shop Keep
What's really scary is that it's the same one I was using when you and I were blasting around Hartshorne on our steel hardtails.

It would be interesting to calculate how many hours I've used this thing at this point...

Rumor has it you're not on steel anymore. Are pigs flying or has hell frozen over?
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
hmmm, just incase there are any other AARP folk out there that are thinking of racing ...... I also carry 1.5X magnifying glasses in my pack, so that if I do break my chain, I can see the pin.:rolleyes:

Don't laugh, I lent my glasses out in the parking lot 2 days ago. ... removing thorns, reading maps etc.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Rumor has it you're not on steel anymore. Are pigs flying or has hell frozen over?
Pigs are still grounded and no ice in hell- main ride is the ENO'ed Bontrager with a Vicious fork. And lately I've been spending a lot of time in the woods on the Bonty CX, which is so much fun it should be illegal.

I had three full seasons on the Racer X, but it's been collecting dust for the past two, so...

Long-term plan is steel 29er with Paragon dropouts and derailleur bosses, methinks.

Any chance of you and I hooking up for an afternoon ride before the clocks go back?
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Any chance of you and I hooking up for an afternoon ride before the clocks go back?

I am tempted to bust out my moderator hat and bang you with a 1 day ban for even bringing this up.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I am tempted to bust out my moderator hat and bang you with a 1 day ban for even bringing this up.
Hey, this is a calendar event.

It's not remotely the same as what happens when you begin prognosticating about meteorology.:D
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Hey, this is a calendar event.

It's not remotely the same as what happens when you begin prognosticating about meteorology.:D

Hey it's not on the highly official MTBNJ calendar :D

You will note that the day after I registered for the race it's heating up. Should be well into the 90s for race day, most likely a record high, completely unexpected. And then it will rain Juicy Juice, grape flavored.
 

Bike N Gear

Shop: Bike N Gear
Shop Keep
Pigs are still grounded and no ice in hell- main ride is the ENO'ed Bontrager with a Vicious fork. And lately I've been spending a lot of time in the woods on the Bonty CX, which is so much fun it should be illegal.

I had three full seasons on the Racer X, but it's been collecting dust for the past two, so...

Long-term plan is steel 29er with Paragon dropouts and derailleur bosses, methinks.

Any chance of you and I hooking up for an afternoon ride before the clocks go back?


I'm still closed on Wednesdays, so they are (almost) always open. I can try to chase you around Six mile, Chimney Rock or Hartshorne (if you insist).
 
Wing Nut Gear

Getting back to the initial post about Race Day Backpacks,...

I don't race but I would think that a small hydropack filled with one's preferred beverage, that's either partially or completely frozen at the start of a long race would provide a cool drink to keep your core temp a bit lower, and cool off your back as it's melting so that you have something to drink.

I sometimes do that on long, hot summer rides and that cold liquid is real refreshing. I once had a frozen water bottle with me that I used as an ice pack for my knee when I wacked it on some nasty part of my bike.

Also, I was wondering if any of you racers out there have tried the hydration packs from www.wingnutgear.com ? They were designed for adventure racing I believe. They have regular type shoulder straps, but the pack itself sits lower down on your back. I haven't used or seen one in the flesh, but they bear looking into for racing.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
Bill aka Graveyardman who is on the MTBNJ team won the 40-49 class at the LMC by 5 minutes and he got a flat. But that's a bit of an exception case. 2 minutes is a speedy change! Man I don't even have CO2 yet.

Gah! You gotta get some. If anything just for the convenience factor. A few days ago i drove my a woman changing a flat with a pretty small hand pump. She looked like she had been at it for some time, so i turned around and filled her up w/ some Co2. She was amazed. She didnt know about Co2 but she was gonna get some! She was there for about 20 minutes she said before i stopped.

before or after we start drinking? can there be a singlespeed class for this competition? :D

Ill probally be the only one in the class again to DNF. Grr

but wait...you dont race SS class right? ;) :p
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Yes, I need CO2. For sure.

Also, I was wondering if any of you racers out there have tried the hydration packs from www.wingnutgear.com ? They were designed for adventure racing I believe. They have regular type shoulder straps, but the pack itself sits lower down on your back. I haven't used or seen one in the flesh, but they bear looking into for racing.

I have one and I like it more than the camelbak I had previously. It's a great pack but a bit too much for these short XC races. It has easily accessible lower side pockets and a small pouch on the strap in the front. The bladder sits better so I find it's easier to get a faster flow of water out of it. Plenty comfortable, but a bit too much for a short race. I used it for the Chain Stretcher race.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
I don't race but I would think that a small hydropack filled with one's preferred beverage, that's either partially or completely frozen at the start of a long race would provide a cool drink to keep your core temp a bit lower, and cool off your back as it's melting so that you have something to drink.


if i remember correctly, cold liquids will not lower your core temperature, because they typically are brought to the same temperature as your body by the time they reach your stomach. most of the advice i've read has been for mildly cool, but definitely not cold liquids during competition. they(cold drinks) are certainly refreshing in ones mouth though.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
if i remember correctly, cold liquids will not lower your core temperature, because they typically are brought to the same temperature as your body by the time they reach your stomach. most of the advice i've read has been for mildly cool, but definitely not cold liquids during competition. they(cold drinks) are certainly refreshing in ones mouth though.

The problem is that your body will warm the liquid to your body temperature. And the colder it is the harder it has to work, thus the more energy it produces. Since your body is not terribly efficient at this, you add a lot of wasted heat. If you're dehydrated to begin with, your body will then struggle further to dissipate this heat.

Practically speaking though...if you can drink cold liquids at double the rate you can drink warm liquids, then your body will dissipate any heat more efficiently. So in a real world situation, cold water may very well be much more useful than warm water. I know when it's really hot out I can drink a quart of cool (not cold) water in no time but warm water is tough to get down.

All things being equal though, the cold water is going to make your body work more in the long run.
 
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