Why I Switched to Hydration Packs and Never Looked Back

I’ve started riding a bicycle recently. I figured it’s a lot easier and more relaxing to be doing a fair amount of exercise outdoors than it is in the gym; too much heavy weights eventually take their taxes on your health. So I turned to the riding tracks; riding a bike daily provides me with enough heart rate acceleration and sweat and also calms my mind. After a long and very loud day in the office, a little cut-out of the world and letting your mind drift away can only do you good.

The gear I used the first time didn’t change much – compression tights, a shirt and a pair of very comfy running shoes along with a bottle of water – you know, the ones specialized for sport. It really doesn’t make any difference that I use my gym clothes for riding a bike. And while everything was going smoothly with the clothes and the shoes, it didn’t go so well with the water bottle. Apparently, I can’t just reach for it and drink. I need to stop, get it off , drink and put it back – a procedure that results in me becoming aware of how tired and sore I am just after 20 minutes of riding.

Lucky for me, manufacturers of sport equipment developed a very convenient piece for resolving the hydration issue – a water bladder. It’s funny cause it looks just like a bladder (as much as one can picture it). Point is, you get to fill your water bladder with water, put it in your backpack and drink whenever you want. There’s a trick though; you drink through a special drinking tube and no, you don’t need to do anything with your hands or stop the ride. Ha, imagine that.

The importance of not stopping

It’s important not to stop when you’re riding a bike. When you stop, your heart rate decreases, you start feeling the pain and soreness in your muscles and you generally want to simply stop riding, sit down and fill your body with bunch of crappy food and coke. And you’ll get there if you have to stop every 10 minutes to take a sip. With a water bladder in the game, full concentration while riding is actually possible – you only need to put the small water hose in your mouth and make the sip.

Better hydration

You’re actually a lot more hydrated when you use a hydration pack instead of a water bottle. With a water bottle, knowing that you’ll stop if you decide to drink, you won’t do it. You’ll compromise on being dehydrated in order not to stop the ride. And that’s just bad in so many ways. With a water bladder you know you won’t have to stop so you’ll actually finish up more hydrated. And a hydrated athlete is a healthy and winning one.

Fancy design

It’s not an ordinary bottle, so yes – it’s a lot fancier! The water bladder can vary in its design, depending on the manufacturer. However, the fact that you get to drink from a tube and that your water is stashed in something that resembles a lot like an actual bladder, is cool enough. And yes, the bladder can be in all colours, which allows you to choose by your preference.

So yeah, like sweating and exhausting myself isn’t enough, I’m damn straight going to drink from a tube! If there’s any convenience I can get while I exhaust my legs and body on the bike, I’ll get it. And so should you, if you like comfort, of course.