Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Take some cheap water purification things if you're worried. You can get 10l worth for like a quid posted

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324835787862?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Z-2odyWzRaa&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=sTgzeTNDS6q&var=513839861491&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

This has escalated quickly. I only wondered if people used hydration packs. If anyone suggests drinking my own piss, I'm out.

This is why I've never ridden gravel before.

Fair enough.

I'm not a hydration pack fan, find them difficult to clean which leads to funny tastes. I'm also not a big drinker so a single 750ml bottle does me for most rides, when I'm going further I'll do 1 bottle of plain water and one with some electrolyte tabs in

I do ride with a waist pack though. Mtb and gravel. Find that on either if the pack is heavily loaded it will bounce around a bit which leads to tightening it up which leads to the strap digging in.

Still preferable to a full on backpack and the sweatiness that would bring.

And FWIW, I'll occasionally drink stream water or wash my face in it, which is enough for leptospirosis to get in iirc, so only when high enough or on terrain where it's unlikely there's sheep etc upstream that may have been pissing or dying and falling into the water.

On that note, Mrs M_V has an aunt and uncle who live in the highlands and get their water from a stream. I think it comes out pretty high up and gets filtered/uv treated before it gets to their tap but they still say they can taste when something has died within the vicinity of the stream and will have to go out and move the remains further away. Yummy!

If you’ll be riding a crust/have a silver chainset then the hip bag will be fine. On a CX bike/S Works Crux and I’m afraid you’ll have to fork out for one of these

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I'm sorry, it's how many millions of pounds for a £10 soft flask?

Last big Gravel(tm) ride I did had a Land Rover carrying water. Don't they all do that?

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Have a Dakine Hot Laps 5 that I wore for some of the King Alfred's Way, two days of 80 miles each, and it was great. Sure you notice it, but never enough to wish I didn't have it

Riders had hip bags during AMR so it's clearly possible to use them for long periods.
Most riders used backpacks though.
Personal preference. Since you already have a hip bag, I'd start with that.

Great, thanks everyone. And even if I do find it annoying, I can stop and sulk whilst having a drink

:: Gets custom frame tube bladder made ::

I have a custom frame bag for the 29er and the Mason for this kind of thing. Road is less of an issue but in Atlas there's requirement to have water for 100km of off-road (which could take all day) so I also took 2L bladder in backpack. All depends on resupply options. On AMR route there's limited options for filterable water.

bikes are made to carry things, don't carry them on your body and get sweaty

Hippy's going to get sweaty, wherever he carries his water

Hippy's going to get sweaty, wherever he carries his water beer

Oh no, I mean inside the tubes.

Solved

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Generally I'd agree, but the advantage of using a hydropack is that I can drink without taking my hands off the bars and I can drink while pushing the bike without having to stop and grab a bottle. Plus I already own hydropacks and didn't fancy clipping more shit to my forks or buying one of those big bottles for the downtube.

Someone did that for Iditarod/snow rides didn't they? Fatbike with stove fuel storage in the tubes.

any mild crash sounds like it could end a little Hollywood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfmYCM4CS8o

Screenshots from Jprollys IG...

Defo porn too...

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To me, that just looks like a cobbled together 90s MTB, but arguably worse

Is that not what it is?

It’s the new Arkose

I don’t think there is anything arguable about it. The worst kind of retro mythology.