I wrote earlier about my
DIY hydration system for winter cycling. The main problem with existing models is that if you want to keep the water from freezing it is not easily available (you need to open your jacket) or some part of the system freezes (even insulated tubes freeze after an hour or three in -20c). I decided to run the tube from the reservoir on the back of my arm where it is protected from the elements and body heat keeps it from freezing. The mouth-piece is on your wrist where you only need to pull back the sleeve a bit to drink. I had a few test rides in above freezing temperatures and used it on the global fat bike day for a three hour ride in -5c. I already knew that technically the system works. I just needed proper winter temperatures to put it to a real test. Finally, on Friday 6 January 2017 we got -15c - -20c in Helsinki and I had a day off. I did a four hour, 40km ride on my
fattie without going indoors a single time. After the first real test, I can say with confidence: this system actually works!
The setup
For this ride I used the setup described in my earlier post. I had a merino wool base layer and
Raceface Stash Tank and attachments for the tube on top of it. The hydration system was fully under my fleece shirt and
Gore windstopper jacket. I couldn't fit the mouth piece under my gloves, but I had the
Bar Mitts on my handlebars and the mouth piece got some extra protection from them.
Anti-freezing test
I had a 2l reservoir full of cold water on my back. I think cool or room temperature water would be better for rides in the cold, but since I wanted to put the hydration system to a real test I filled the reservoir with as cold water as I was able to get from the tap. when I started my ride our thermometer was on -18c and I believe it stayed between -15 and -23 the whole time. I wanted to have a real test right at the start and didn't stop for the first 45 minutes. I had water sitting in the tube. I started to get nervous. Is the tube frozen, it feels kind of cold? I stopped for a drink and it was perfect. The first sips, i.e. the water that was sitting in the tube, were warmer than the water from the reservoir. For the next 3+ hours I stopped every 30 minutes or so and water was always great. I had a Klean Kanteen thermos full of hot tea with plenty of honey in the back pocket of my jacket. It was boiling hot when I left home. I drank half of it after about 1,5h. When I drank the other half after 2,5h, it was colder than the water from my hydration system. After a four hour ride in -20 I got back home with about half of the water left in the reservoir. I don't believe longer ride or even colder temperature would have made any difference. The system was protected by fleece and soft shell, not facing wind and heated by my body. If it gets colder here or when I'm up north, I will have another test ride and give you an update. It is safe to say that water in this system will not freeze, but is it easily available?
Ease of use
I use
Camelback gear for the reservoir and its drinking valve. I like their mouth piece. It is an easy to use bite valve that does not drip. In this system the drinking valve is on your wrist. You only need to pull back your sleeve a bit to drink. I was actually able to use the system without taking off my
Craft Shield lobster gloves. If you compare this to existing commercial hydration system I think this is a major improvement. You don't need to open your jacket and loose heat to drink. I would not use this while riding on ice or snow, but in principle that would be possible also (if you're not wearing a facemask, I usually am when it gets this cold). So my DIY hydration system passed the usability test in extreme cold also.
Word of caution
Even though I said I really like the Camelbak bite valve there is one problem. The valve doesn't know whether you are biting it or is it under pressure for some other reason. On global fat bike day we stopped for coffee and I was carrying my helmet and stuff. The valve opened and leaked into my sleeve. You just need to make sure that you don't put any pressure on the valve and it's just fine. But I've been thinking about trying another kind of valve with twist locking system (e.g.
Osprey). If I try another valve, I will post an update.
DIY!
As I said before, I'm a firm believer in open source. Even though I think this system is great, I have not patented it and now that I have published the concept my understanding is that it is impossible to patent it. If you make winter cycling gear or hydration systems, feel free to "steal" the idea. If you want to do it yourself, you can find the
instructions from the previous post. If you have questions, please, don't hesitate to ask. If you have made your own system, especially if you have improved this in some way, post a comment with pictures. I know there aren't too many of us who like to ride for hours in -20c or below, but let's work together to develop a hydration system for us. I think this is a good start.
