How much water per hour?

[Kies]

Not that different to me then ;-)
My point being drink at natural or man made junctions, which then gives you replenishment of fluids lost throught sweating. It may not be perfect, but it should be close enough to stop dehydration.
I usually start drinking after the first 10 miles, and regularly after that.

 

[Rob3rt]

Why wait for a junction, just sip when you are thirsty, moving or stationary

 

[Hill Wimp]

I may take the odd sip on my rides which usually go between 20-40 miles but i have never finished a bottle even on a hot day. I do make sure though when i get back home to drink.

Just listen to your body,if you are thirsty then drink, getting hungry or getting the shakes then eat.

Don't get carried away with it, just ride.

 

[Rob3rt]

I may take the odd sip on my rides which usually go between 20-40 miles but i have never finished a bottle even on a hot day. I do make sure though when i get back home to drink.

Just listen to your body,if you are thirsty then drink, getting hungry or getting the shakes then eat.

Don't get carried away with it, just ride.

This is where the spirit of the "drink before you are thirsty" advice is actually spot on, you should never wait until you have the shakes before starting to eat, once you are getting the shakes then you have left it too late!

 

[Linford]

I'm diabetic so getting to the shakes point is a fairly dangerous place to be. Got to balance the sugars carefully, too much, and it robs me of energy.... and risk a heart attack etc, too little and risk a hypo.

 

[helston90]

There's no hard n fast rules- it depends on terrain, effort, weather, distance, fluid consumed through the day.
My 36 mile ride last night I got through 2 x 500ml with half a tab in each to give it some taste, seemed about right but it was over 2000ft of climbing and warm when I set off.

 

[Jaco45er]

Interesting stuff guys.

Although water is so yesterday, couldn't be assed with a ride this evening (roadie has rear puncture too) so swapped water for beer tonight. Salut

 

[Gravity Aided]

Well done- carb loading!
Heat makes a big difference with water intake. Last week, when it was 97f (36c)and 54% relative humidity, I went through 2 Camelbak 750ml on a 1 hour and 47 min ride. At that rate, I also added a pinch of salt as well, to each bottle.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

To the OP: one thing to remember on hotter days is to drink more when you start to sweat less. Sweating less (or the sweating completely stopping) is the sign of imminent dehydration.

 

[Misusawa]

I did a seventy mile ride last week with a couple of cups of coffee beforehand, a small carton of orange after 20ish miles,and a 750 ml bottle of water kept me going through the rest. But there were occasions when I've been out in hotter weather and have got through 2.5L of water in a thirty mile meander about.

 

[ufkacbln]

There are two rules of thumb......

The first is to spend a couple of days timing yourself going to the loo!
Then when you are out, this should be about the same, if less then you are not drinking enough!

The second is to watch the stream, and look at the colour. If it is light straw colour then you are hydrated, but darker colour says you are dehydrating. If an almost amber colour then you are beginning to seriously dehydrate

 

[Herr-B]

The second is to watch the stream, and look at the colour. If it is light straw colour then you are hydrated, but darker colour says you are dehydrating. If an almost amber colour then you are beginning to seriously dehydrate

Either way Fosters would like their drink back!

I'm another who takes two bottles on a ride but only start the second if it's very hot (today should do it).

 

[Brandane]

I agree with the "how long is a piece of string" replies....
I did a century (miles) the other day, with a lot of climbing, and got through my 750ml bottle 3 times, plus a can of coke at one stop. I did require a few pints of Greene King at the end .
I did the Loire valley last year in temperatures of >35c, and was probably drinking that amount every 20 miles.
On the other hand, I can go out on a damp winters day and do 50 miles and hardly make a dent in a 500ml water bottle.

 

[ufkacbln]

Bad news is that unless you are properly hydrated in the first place, coke, beer, coffee, tea all contain diuretics which increase the renal output exacerbating the situation

 

[fimm]

"Is it possible to drink too much water?" - yes it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia - it can be fatal.
The "right amount" is personal, though - if my boyfriend & I got out for a long cycle together, with two full 500ml bottles each, there's some chance that I'll drink both of mine and pinch his second one - with no harm to either of us. He acknowledges that he seems to require less fluid than "normal" though - but it seems that this is "just the way he is".