As a middle/long distance triathlete, turning your bike into a mobile buffet is a rite of passage. TT riders have beautiful stripped-down machines of elegance and power; we have a slightly more aerodynamic version of the lunch trolley.
Moving to a new bike this season (well, the second half at least, thanks to the previous owner managing to break the saddle clamp and Canyon taking months to send a new one) has prompted a rethink of my nutrition and hydration setup.
Bottle/tool storage
I've gone for the X-Lab Super Wing here. I used the Turbo Wing on my QR Cd0.1 but the Canyon's laid-back seat tube and wide saddle clamp means that's no longer an option. I decided to take X-Lab up on their offer of assistance and sent them some photos of my saddle; they were very quick to respond and confirmed the Super Wing would work - happily they were right and it looks great!I had a bit of a debate as to whether I really needed two cages at the rear. For middle distance I've always had one 750ml bottle and a tub of tools/inner tube etc in the other. For O3 two bottles seems to work, but for IM I think I'll need to pick up at least one bottle from the course. The Super Wing is wide enough to fit a small bag between the cages (the Turbo Wing was a fair bit narrower) so I may move the tools there and have a bottle and a spare at the back.
I'm tempted by the X-Lab Gorilla/Gorilla XT cages but they're too expensive for me to buy on a whim at the moment. I've always used the fairly cheap Elite cages, with a postman's rubber band to give the bottle a bit of stability.
'Bento Box'
My first one of these was a fairly 'orrible one from Powerbar, but at a race recently I picked up a Bontrager Pro Speed Box. It's nicely designed - the attachment straps enter through holes in the compartment and velcro inside the box - and reasonably aerodynamic I think. On the old bike it was up against the head tube/cables but the top of the Canyon slopes down so it's probably catching the wind a bit. However, there's so much in front of it while I'm riding (drink, arms, computer) that I doubt it's that significant.BTA Bottle
It's becoming fairly well established that the best place for your drink is between your arms, even if it's just a normal bottle in a cage zip-tied between the bars. Various drink systems exist but all have a reputation for becoming portable showers and gradually rotting your headset with corrosive sugary drinks. I'm coming to the conclusion that there isn't really a 'best' solution in that regard as, if you're going to refill it while riding, there's always an opportunity for taking an electrolyte shower. The X-Lab Torpedo Versa System and the Profile FC25/FC35 were both well written up in terms of aerodynamics; I eventually went for the Profile FC35 on the basis that it's deep enough to keep the drink low and hopefully away from shower range. It doesn't come with a 'bite valve' which is a pain so I added an old one from a Speedfil. I've had a soft spot for Profile ever since experiencing their customer service a while ago immediately sending out spare parts for aero bars that I'd bought second hand when I only emailed to ask if they sold them separately!A first ride with the FC35 demonstrated as expected that it only 'showers' when it's fairly full (very small leak around the straw) or when I was refilling it (really my fault and will happen with basically any system!). The computer mount for my old 310XT is a nice touch - though they could probably have gone for a Garmin-specific mount rather than what is probably a fairly un-aerodynamic round bar. The small basket at the back held gels without incident despite roads that were capable of launching bottles from the Elite cages on the rear (couldn't find a rubber band!) - I've heard of issues with things bouncing out but had no issues myself.
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