Avoiding spills while staying 'hydrated'

by Lars Goeller

Even though the hot weather is behind us, staying hydrated remains foremost in the experienced rider’s mind. “Know thyself” is the key to good hydration. Do you prefer water or gatorade? Whiskey or beer?
Legend has it that Billy Spaceman and Joseph Ahearne were sipping whiskey out of the Spaceman’s flask when they had a bicycle epiphany. Why carry a flask in your pocket, when your bike can carry it for you?
After creating a number of strange, artistic, and hard-to-make prototypes, a sort of flattened water bottle cage emerged. In a world of mass-produced bike accessories, the Holster has a subtle individuality that looks good on my bike. Formed from hollow stainless steel, it can be modified and manipulated to fit just about any flask without being damaged. I like to keep mine snug, since I enjoy riding off road, and I don’t enjoy losing my flask on the trail. One single-malt evening of going where the bike wanted to go and stopping where the flask wanted to stop, and Joseph Ahearne was convinced that the Flask Holster was a winner. I tested the flask under more extreme conditions: sharing a sip while the sun set over Vancouver Island and during rest stops in the Endowment Lands. It came through every time, holding the flask steady, and ready for a drink.
Available at Mighty
Riders, or online at
www.ahearnecycles.com

The folks at Surly Bikes take hydration seriously. If you go to Mighty Riders (10 East Broadway) you can pick up a Surly six-ounce flask for $35. It fits nicely in the Spaceman Holster without much bending. Aesthetically, the bevelled corners are a nice touch, but the key is the hinged cap attachment. It wedges under the tightened cap so it won’t rattle when you ride, eliminating the sound popularly known as the “bike flask maraca.”
If you’re a hophead, Surly offers you two keys. The Singleator Scrap Tool is made from the two-millimetre thick stainless steel centre of a Surly chain ring. One end is an 18-millimetre wrench that adjusts the Surly Singleator spring tension, the other will release the tension on the metal cap of a carbonated beverage. It’s a compact (70 millimetres long) answer to your question, “What do I need in my tool kit now?”
Where to find it: Mighty Riders, if you’re lucky. Surly also makes the Jethro Tule ($35 at Mighty Riders). It combines a double-sided 15-millimetre box wrench on one end, and a tool specifically designed to release the carbonated pressure from a metal-capped bottle on the other. (Did I hear somebody say “great gift idea”?) After you’ve removed your wheel, you can hand it to your friends so they’ll stay hydrated while you’re changing a flat. It would be rude to let them stand around just waiting for you.

Lars Goeller is Momentum’s Gear Editor. Reach him at momentumgearATgmail.com