Nein! Nein! Nein! Wasserflaschen sind verboten!

[CampyorBust]

A bit a of a rant here followed by some serious questions

Much like myself I assume that most of you like to drink water during your ride and that at some point you run out of that magic life giving substance and need to refill? If so chances are you stop at the closest gas station or convenience store, purchase a plastic bottle of water and refill your personal bottle, recycle the plastic bottle (if possible) and continue on your ride. What if you walk in and are told that water bottles have been banned in that town, you cannot buy your bottle of badly needed water, it is illegal. That's right selling water bottles is illegal, forbidden, VERBOTEN!:crap: So in desperate need of water you search the town for a source of drinkable water, shady trench coat water bottle dealer whatever, you zero in on a public water fountain and gladly fill your bottle with free water. Then you taste it, it's damn near pool water it's is so heavily fluoridated/chlorinated that you might as well go to the aluminum plant and have a snort or two of that wonderful sodium fluoride they dump in your water supply. I am exaggerating a bit of course but the water was not drinkable to me.

A town (a progressive beacon of healthy living) where I like to ride from time to time has banned the water bottle. To be fair not all water bottles are banned just the smaller ones that perfectly fill up your bottle (and often litter our streets). You can still buy the much bigger bottles and gallons. Now I actually fully support the battle with pollution, fossil fuel use and plastic usage. However I take issue with the fact that while I am trying to live a healthy lifestyle by cycling and driving less I cant purchase a gosh darn bottle of water! This is silly at best not to mention tragic, talk about a road to ruin being paved with half-@$$ed good intentions. What makes it even worse is that while a person can't purchase a plastic bottle of water, they are free to buy coke and countless other sugar laden gut rotting soft drinks in those same plastic bottles (often a heavier plastic). I feel that there is something horribly wrong with this picture not to mention the society which has let such an ironic-moronic predicament to persist.

So the questions I pose to you are as follows...

Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles?

[AngryScientist]

that's interesting - what town is this??

i would think that if that was the case, any store that previously sold bottled water would set up a water cooler to fill non-disposable bottles, perhaps charging some small amount of $$ to fill bottles with filtered water?

have not seen this anywhere myself, but do support the idea. this country is out of control with consumption of silly conveniences like bottled water when clean tap water is readily available (in most places).

i would have just bought a gatoraide or something in your position, instead of searching for water.

[RonW87]

I don't support a ban on plastic water bottles. But it's one of the few (only?) products where the only value the consumer receives is the package, not the contents.

Then, of course, there is the issue of externalized costs.

[zap]

No.
No.
Purchase the gallon jug and share with your cycling mates.....or the homeless person down the road.

[oldpotatoe]

A bit a of a rant here followed by some serious questions

Much like myself I assume that most of you like to drink water during your ride and that at some point you run out of that magic life giving substance and need to refill? If so chances are you stop at the closest gas station or convenience store, purchase a plastic bottle of water and refill your personal bottle, recycle the plastic bottle (if possible) and continue on your ride. What if you walk in and are told that water bottles have been banned in that town, you cannot buy your bottle of badly needed water, it is illegal. That's right selling water bottles is illegal, forbidden, VERBOTEN!:crap: So in desperate need of water you search the town for a source of drinkable water, shady trench coat water bottle dealer whatever, you zero in on a public water fountain and gladly fill your bottle with free water. Then you taste it, it's damn near pool water it's is so heavily fluoridated/chlorinated that you might as well go to the aluminum plant and have a snort or two of that wonderful sodium fluoride they dump in your water supply. I am exaggerating a bit of course but the water was not drinkable to me.

A town (a progressive beacon of healthy living) where I like to ride from time to time has banned the water bottle. To be fair not all water bottles are banned just the smaller ones that perfectly fill up your bottle (and often litter our streets). You can still buy the much bigger bottles and gallons. Now I actually fully support the battle with pollution, fossil fuel use and plastic usage. However I take issue with the fact that while I am trying to live a healthy lifestyle by cycling and driving less I cant purchase a gosh darn bottle of water! This is silly at best not to mention tragic, talk about a road to ruin being paved with half-@$$ed good intentions. What makes it even worse is that while a person can't purchase a plastic bottle of water, they are free to buy coke and countless other sugar laden gut rotting soft drinks in those same plastic bottles (often a heavier plastic). I feel that there is something horribly wrong with this picture not to mention the society which has let such an ironic-moronic predicament to persist.

So the questions I pose to you are as follows...

Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles?

Since you asked.

Throw away plastic bottles, that don't biodegrade, are a huge problem.

Take more water, I guess. But one place banning plastic bottles..ride somewhere else? Don't think it's the end of civilization you make it out to be.

BUT as has been mentioned, just about every place that serves that sugar laden gutt rotting soft drinks in a fountain, has 'water' also. Look around.

[miguel]

Where are you located where the water is so heavily chlorinated/fluoridated that you can taste it?

Bottled water is a waste

Fill up at the tap like a responsible, not crazy person.

[GScot]

Most convenience stores that would have been selling bottled water would also have a soda fountain. Maybe just maybe one of those sugar water spigots has a lever that dispenses clean filtered water.

[gdw]

"Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles? "

No
Yes
Look for a McDonalds or some other fast food joint and fill up for free at the soda kiosk. If you ride in the sticks and don't have that option buy a Sawyer Mini and find a stream.
https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-mini-filter/

[RFC]

In AZ, by statute, any purveyor of food and drink is required to provide free water to anyone who walks in and asks.

I've pulled my bike up to Star Bucks drive through windows, ask them to fill my bottle. No hesitation or questions asked.

BTW, the plastic water bottles are a huge resource and waste problem.
Americans use 50 billion every year and only 23% are recycled.

[CampyorBust]

that's interesting - what town is this??

i would think that if that was the case, any store that previously sold bottled water would set up a water cooler to fill non-disposable bottles, perhaps charging some small amount of $$ to fill bottles with filtered water?


Concord MA. I would totally be down with this solution

No.
No.
Purchase the gallon jug and share with your cycling mates.....or the homeless person down the road.

No homeless in this town, at least I have never seem em.

Most convenience stores that would have been selling bottled water would also have a soda fountain. Maybe just maybe one of those sugar water spigots has a lever that dispenses clean filtered water.

Good point. I was too emetionally flustered to look :o.

I like to ride with a single water bottle for the weight savings and aero advantage.:D This town happens to be a perfect refill location. If I am riding that way now I work in preplanned water refill stop.

I fill up tap at home, but well water no flouride.

Agreed water bottles are a problem. I just want acess to water.

[bicycletricycle]

banning disposable water bottles is a great idea, too much trash, recycling plastic is no magic bullet, recycled plastic has worse mechanical properties and is more expensive than virgin plastic, not a recipe for success.

obviously banning bottles without replacing them with a better solution is silly but we have to start somewhere.

filtered water fountains in convenience stores with a $0.50 fill cost or something would be great.

if you know about this in advance than just throw another bottle in your back pocket or something, no biggie

[miguel]

Fluoride in drinking water is not gonna kill you buddy

And carrying 1 bottle for "weight and aero advantage" is just hilarious.

I guess tinfoil hats are aerodynamic amirite

[CampyorBust]

Fluoride in drinking water is not gonna kill you buddy

And carrying 1 bottle for "weight and aero advantage" is just hilarious.

I guess tinfoil hats are aerodynamic amirite

Yes hence the :D after my statement. You should see my helmet, that thing is impenetrable. Oh and Tom's of Maine all the way baby!

[paulh]

I fill up tap at home, but well water no flouride.

Agreed water bottles are a problem. I just want acess to water.

Have you checked the natural fluoride level in your well water?

[benb]

Hah.. I knew you were talking about Concord.

While this might be slightly annoying I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill... it's a small town and doesn't take long to ride along to the next town, I don't see how this is a problem till the 20 surrounding towns all adopt the law.

Go into ATA cycle across from the train station and say Hi and they'll let you fill your bottles from their water cooler. And they have all your electrolyte products & cycling nutrition stuff there too.

I live next door in Bedford and have been riding through Concord for the last 5 years and I don't think this has ever been a problem.

I've filled bottles from the water fountain on the town memorial green many many times as well and I've never felt like the water tasted particularly bad.

There is also a water fountain outside the bathroom at the Concord end of the Minuteman National Park/Battle Road trail and IIRC there might be one at the visitor center at the Old North Bridge as well.

Now you want to find something to complain about it's lack of public toilets in that area.

[oldpotatoe]

Have you checked the natural fluoride level in your well water?

And probably arsenic:cool:

[oldpotatoe]

Hah.. I knew you were talking about Concord.

While this might be slightly annoying I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill... it's a small town and doesn't take long to ride along to the next town, I don't see how this is a problem till the 20 surrounding towns all adopt the law.

Go into ATA cycle across from the train station and say Hi and they'll let you fill your bottles from their water cooler. And they have all your electrolyte products & cycling nutrition stuff there too.

I live next door in Bedford and have been riding through Concord for the last 5 years and I don't think this has ever been a problem.

I've filled bottles from the water fountain on the town memorial green many many times as well and I've never felt like the water tasted particularly bad.

There is also a water fountain outside the bathroom at the Concord end of the Minuteman National Park/Battle Road trail and IIRC there might be one at the visitor center at the Old North Bridge as well.

Now you want to find something to complain about it's lack of public toilets in that area.

I made it small. they are everywhere..:D

[CampyorBust]

I made it small. they are everywhere..:D

Public urination sind Verboten!

[josephr]

banning disposable water bottles is a great idea, too much trash, recycling plastic is no magic bullet, recycled plastic has worse mechanical properties and is more expensive than virgin plastic, not a recipe for success.

obviously banning bottles without replacing them with a better solution is silly but we have to start somewhere.

filtered water fountains in convenience stores with a $0.50 fill cost or something would be great.

if you know about this in advance than just throw another bottle in your back pocket or something, no biggie

+1 --- Littering seems to have really gotten worse and plastic bottles are just the tip of the iceberg IMO. Out cycling, you notice it more as you're going slow enough to look off the side of the road. Can't tell you how many piles of plastic bottles have built dams in ditches.

Its not just water bottles, its soda bottles, liquor bottles, glass bottles, plastic grocery store bags.....at least the paper packaging would rot eventually -- these "biodegradable" plastics aren't going away anytime soon.

I support a ban on plastics --- unfortunately, there's a multi-billion dollar industry that thinks otherwise.

[oldpotatoe]

Public urination sind Verboten!

what in Germany? I pee so often at one spot locally that everytime I ride by it, I gotta pee...:D

[dustyrider]

So the questions I pose to you are as follows...

Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles?

I've never understood why a person would pay for water in the USA. People water their lawns with potable water...

[benb]

$0.50 would be way too expensive to fill your bottle anyway.. most tap water is already safer/cleaner than bottled water, and if you go to a spring water distributor and fill your own container last time I went it was $0.50 for 5 gallons.

[leftyfreak]

Hah.. I knew you were talking about Concord.

While this might be slightly annoying I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill... it's a small town and doesn't take long to ride along to the next town, I don't see how this is a problem till the 20 surrounding towns all adopt the law.

Go into ATA cycle across from the train station and say Hi and they'll let you fill your bottles from their water cooler. And they have all your electrolyte products & cycling nutrition stuff there too.

I live next door in Bedford and have been riding through Concord for the last 5 years and I don't think this has ever been a problem.

I've filled bottles from the water fountain on the town memorial green many many times as well and I've never felt like the water tasted particularly bad.

There is also a water fountain outside the bathroom at the Concord end of the Minuteman National Park/Battle Road trail and IIRC there might be one at the visitor center at the Old North Bridge as well.

Now you want to find something to complain about it's lack of public toilets in that area.

Yeah, the Concord angle was pretty obvious, wasn't it! For the record, I support the ban, and have been using my own refillable bottles for years. It's just not that hard to work around.

As for public bathrooms, you can find them on Monument St. at the North Bridge and at the Concord Visitors Center just off of Main St. There are others further afield as well. Great Brook Farm is a good option and there are various porta-potties at any number of sports fields in the area.

We should meet up for a "potty" ride one of these days! I'll rope in Ti Designs. We'll just need to make sure we bring our own beverages!

[oldpotatoe]

Yeah, the Concord angle was pretty obvious, wasn't it! For the record, I support the ban, and have been using my own refillable bottles for years. It's just not that hard to work around.

As for public bathrooms, you can find them on Monument St. at the North Bridge and at the Concord Visitors Center just off of Main St. There are others further afield as well. Great Brook Farm is a good option and there are various porta-potties at any number of sports fields in the area.

We should meet up for a "potty" ride one of these days! I'll rope in Ti Designs. We'll just need to make sure we bring our own beverages!

Tee hee..

[CampyorBust]

I support a ban on plastics --- unfortunately, there's a multi-billion dollar industry that thinks otherwise.

+1 Perhaps that is what bugs me most, is that it's not just water bottles. I can get my water elsewhere, some great suggestions on this thread.

The worst offenders are the big boys, who also happen to own most of the water bottle companies. I suppose that an argument can be made that water bottles are worse offenders than other plastic bottles. Though I am not sure that argument would really hold water in the grand scheme of things. From what I understand in the case of this ban the other plastic bottle drinks were too big to fail as it were. Logic being you can get your water elsewhere, but what shall you do if you have a hankering for refined sugar and HFCS?

If they could get all the plastic bottles off the shelves that would have been great! You have to start somewhere - absolutely, but can a rider get a water bubbler or sumthin? To be fair I failed to mention that I was offered some water in a tiny little paper container like a school lunch chocolate milk, not enough for my needs, and a pricey penny too if memory serves me right, so they have that going for them.

The absurdity of purchasing water does not elude me, same goes for the privatization of water resources across the globe by the same rat bastards that seek to poison us with soft drinks and such.

Don't know that water fountain always tasted funky to me, sometimes way more than others. Maybe it was some rusty pipes or some gremlins seeking to ruin my ride. The spring water distributor sounds interesting.

[RFC]

Tee hee..

Now that's using the old potatoe!

[CampyorBust]

Tee hee..

Oldpotatoe, I am curious any such ban in Boulder?

[gdw]

Does Dunkin Donuts have water at their franchises? If so you should be able to fill up every hundred yards in Eastern Mass.

[russ46]

Every town needs a RECYCLER. There is a 60/70 something cyclist I've been running into for years who seems to cover the roads in 4 towns (so we're talking about a 20-30 mile radius and a lot of hills). He rides pretty slow and usually has a couple of plastic bags hooked on his handle bars. He stops and picks up aluminum cans & plastic bottles. I'm not sure what his motivation is but he looks very lean & fit so exercise might be part of it.

[AngryScientist]

thread drift alert:

one of the biggest wastes has to be packaging. i've got a couple of kiddos at home and when they come home with a new toy, the plastic packaging can be staggering. some of the stuff is so tough and thick that i need a sheetrock utility knife to get the toys out of the package.

[pbarry]

Firiendly's or the library will surely help you out.

[krhea]

No homeless in this town, at least I have never seem em.



Don't kid yourself, homeless in Concord are a MUCH bigger problem then a ban on water bottles...

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/city.cgi?city=Concord&state=MA

[cinema]

it's weird i've never in my life had a problem with the taste of any tap water anywhere in the states. all water tastes slightly different wherever you go. I'm even fine with motel water, who cares. and I'm still alive.

I read this great article in the NYT recently about the 'reign of recycling' I'm not fact checking it but it's interesting to know that the most effective recycling comes from paper and metal. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html?ref=opinion

I think it would be really great if you could still take the bottles you pay CRV tax on can be brought back to a store somewhere and refilled.

[merlinmurph]

I live not far from Concord and am very familiar with the whole escapade. For those not familiar, this initiative was started by a woman in town, passed, had a legal challenge, and is now current law. It was big in the local news.

Personally, the whole battle infuriates me. The proponents claimed that plastic is bad, so water bottles should be banned. Of course, they don't ban any other plastic packaging - soft drinks, detergents, etc. - only water. What they really don't like is the companies that sell water, saying it's a waste to sell something in a plastic bottle that is readily available. They can't outright say they don't like the water companies, so they come out with the environmental argument. Why just pick on the water companies?

Concord has done this before. There's an old air base next door in Bedford that is now used for private and small commercial carriers. A few years ago, some small airlines were ramping up flights and the Concord crowd didn't like that. So their argument was that aircraft shouldn't be flying over a national park (Minuteman NP).

If you don't like something, just say so. But don't present false arguments, it just makes you look foolish.

Oh, FWIW, bottled water is actually allowed if the container is 1 liter or larger, which makes the law look more stupid than it already is.

[gasman]

$0.50 would be way too expensive to fill your bottle anyway.. most tap water is already safer/cleaner than bottled water, and if you go to a spring water distributor and fill your own container last time I went it was $0.50 for 5 gallons.

Pretty much all bottled water is just tap water from somewhere.
I agree the plastic is a huge problem and the market for plastic recycling is almost non-existent these days. China used to take a lot but the price for plastic has dropped so much it's not really recycled any more.

[Black Dog]

How did we all live and ride bikes before bottled water became so pervasive?

Bottled water is a genius marketing exercise. Sell a product that costs virtually nothing to purchase for a massive mark up to consumers who already get it a better version for fractions of a penny in their own homes and for free in many other places that they frequent. It makes the pet rock blush. :o

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Lifestyle/gty_pet_rock_150401_4x3_992.jpg

[Bruce K]

Just saw this a knew it had to be Concord

Just fill in Bedford or Harvard. ;)

BK

[unterhausen]

most bottled water is indistinguishable from tap water. A place we like to stop about 60 miles from here stopped selling bottled gallons, and what they have left is 4x as much. But then I discovered they have a tap outside.

There used to be a parade of water trucks driving by the house, it was one of the common brands that you see at convenience stores -- Deer Park maybe?. I'm pretty sure they weren't getting the water from the township system, so it actually isn't as good as what we get out of the tap.

[benb]

It's an interesting dilemma.. I'm not fan of bottled water at all but when I'm out bicycling it is often the only option.

I usually don't want to buy gatorade or whatever so it's either plain water or buy a bottle of water and use one of the dissolving electrolyte tabs. It's usually easier to find a place to buy bottled water than a place to fill up with tap water which is ironic.

[Llewellyn]

Bottled water is a waste of precious resources and a rip-off. I'm always amazed how many people will whinge about the price of petrol but will happily hand over the equivalent of 2 or 3 times the price of a litre of fuel for a bottle of water.

And I'm sure that there are millions of people in the world without access to clean drinking water who would happily put up with the taste of the tap water that the OP was complaining about. A first world problem indeed.

[rugbysecondrow]

When you shop at a convenience store, you are desiring (shocker) convenience. Bottle water is that. They have chosen one product out of all the ···· they sell, likely the healthiest product in the whole store, to ban. No, I am not in favor of banning products like this. I try to limit my bottled water usage, but sometimes you need to buy one and at those times I want the store to sell them.

I was recently in Orlando, FL and I tried drinking the tap water, it is terrible. Some of the worst tap water I have ever tasted. I bought bottled water the whole time, and I drank a bunch of it. I don't care if it was bottled elsewhere from tap, I am under no illusion it was from mountain springs.

Yes, this is a first world problem, and I don't even care.

[Avincent52]

thread drift alert:

one of the biggest wastes has to be packaging. i've got a couple of kiddos at home and when they come home with a new toy, the plastic packaging can be staggering. some of the stuff is so tough and thick that i need a sheetrock utility knife to get the toys out of the package.

Agreed. I always thought it was funny that an $8 Nerf dart gun or a Bratz doll was packaged in a way that would take you 10 minutes to free it, even with tools, while a $2,000 Macbook just sat in a box secured with one peel-back sticker.

[Seramount]

I've posted several times on the subject of bottled water.

as a compliance officer in the public drinking water section of a state regulatory agency, I'm pretty familiar with the sources of bottled water (almost all are municipal water supplies, not pristine springs or glaciers).

the 'purity' issue is bs marketing. the waste stream issue is staggering, and the petroleum resources required for packaging and transportation are a ridiculous waste.

the agency I work for recently came to the brilliant conclusion that it should not provide bottled water in public meetings held on our campus. kinda sends a bad message that the time, effort, and money spent to assure that the tap water available meets federal standards isn't good enough to serve.

I would heartily welcome a total ban on bottled water. if someone isn't clever enough to figure out a way to get a drink on the road, then they're not trying hard enough.

[leftyfreak]

Tee hee..



You know, single use cans and bottles should be banned. From now on, people wishing to imbibe will be required to bring their own reusable containers, and will be able to refill from the public kegs next to the public fountains in all of New England's town centers. :D

[Tickdoc]

this thread is the funniest thing I've heard in a while.

I'm sipping from a plastic bottle enjoying the thought of not being able to do so.

On one of our mid-summer ride turnarounds, we stop at a convenient store that is also a bait shop.

Some of the guys will go to the back of the store and fill their bottles with water from the utility room sink.

I can barely stomach the smell long enough to pay for my plastic bottled gatorade or water and payday before going back outside.

No way in hell I'm ditching plastic to fill from that nasty sink.

[Tickdoc]

I've posted several times on the subject of bottled water.

as a compliance officer in the public drinking water section of a state regulatory agency, I'm pretty familiar with the sources of bottled water (almost all are municipal water supplies, not pristine springs or glaciers).

the 'purity' issue is bs marketing. the waste stream issue is staggering, and the petroleum resources required for packaging and transportation are a ridiculous waste.

the agency I work for recently came to the brilliant conclusion that it should not provide bottled water in public meetings held on our campus. kinda sends a bad message that the time, effort, and money spent to assure that the tap water available meets federal standards isn't good enough to serve.

I would heartily welcome a total ban on bottled water. if someone isn't clever enough to figure out a way to get a drink on the road, then they're not trying hard enough.


a short video for you:

https://youtu.be/YFKT4jvN4OE

[notsew]

Small volume water bottles are absurd. Good for Concord.

[buddybikes]

Carry a portable water filter if you can't carry enough. Or use camelbak. Carry a lemon

[rugbysecondrow]

if someone isn't clever enough to figure out a way to get a drink on the road, then they're not trying hard enough.


Soda, beer, tea, coffee drinks, energy drinks etc...why should I have to be clever to drink water but not to drink the rest?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[leftyfreak]

Soda, beer, tea, coffee drinks, energy drinks etc...why should I have to be clever to drink water but not to drink the rest?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think the basic idea is that potable water is usually available very close by from a tap or fountain, while the other things aren't. Most of the time, we don't *need* to buy a bottle of water. The result is that bottled water is an easy target, whether you are trying to reduce waste or think the large corporations are evil for making massive profits off this product.

Personally, I've essentially made the choice not to drink the other beverages you've mentioned, though I'll have a couple of beers a year. As for the sport drinks, the vast majority of the time I'll bring extra powder with me if I know I'm going to be out a long time, and I'll fill up at a tap or fountain rather than buy a bottle--it saves me money and reduces waste. I'm cool with that.

Ultimately, I think this is about habits. Habits are hard to change, and we rarely pay attention to the consequences of our habits, whether they are good or bad.

[Peter P.]

Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles?

1. No.

2. I don't care either way because it wouldn't affect my usage, but if forced to choose, I wouldn't support a ban. FYI: I pick up trash in my local park weekly and pick up countless empty water bottles (http://hubbardpark.blogspot.com/2015/05/bottled-water-follies.html) so I understand the issue intimately.

3. Some cemeteries have spigots for watering plants at grave plots. Stop anywhere that has a public restroom and use the sink. If you need the water that bad you'll ignore the taste.

Most police departments now have public restrooms. Many buildings including office buildings, warehouses, and factories, will have outside spigots needing no tools to operate. I know it sounds like stealing, but I've done it. Scout your area as you ride even if you're not in need of water at the time and you'll be surprised at the availability. Libraries, hospitals, hotel lobbies; get creative on your next ride and rather than focus on the workout; try and find as many sources as you can. Sometimes the spigots outside of buildings are hidden behind bushes.

As a commentary, I don't understand the obsession with bottled water. Growing up, tap water was never a problem. Used to be you'd get free water with meals at restaurants. Now you pay?! Golly, Americans are stupid.

[rugbysecondrow]

I think the basic idea is that potable water is usually available very close by from a tap or fountain, while the other things aren't. Most of the time, we don't *need* to buy a bottle of water. The result is that bottled water is an easy target, whether you are trying to reduce waste or think the large corporations are evil for making massive profits off this product.

Personally, I've essentially made the choice not to drink the other beverages you've mentioned, though I'll have a couple of beers a year. As for the sport drinks, the vast majority of the time I'll bring extra powder with me if I know I'm going to be out a long time, and I'll fill up at a tap or fountain rather than buy a bottle--it saves me money and reduces waste. I'm cool with that.

Ultimately, I think this is about habits. Habits are hard to change, and we rarely pay attention to the consequences of our habits, whether they are good or bad.

Most of the time we don't need to buy anything, it is a choice.

I understand and support changing habits. In my buildings (I am a Director of Facilities) I am installing spigots to refill water bottles, for myself, I have a refillable bottle with me 90% of the time, but that 10% I should be able to purchase my legal beverage.

Around my buildings, I see cigarette butts, gum (gum wrappers), foil wrappers...I see all of that more than I see water bottles.

[Climb01742]

As a resident of the town in question, a few thoughts:

1. Plastics bottles are a problem.

2. Our ban on small plastic water bottles is a misguided and rather ineffective way to address the problem.

3. Some folks here in town have a bit of time on their hands.

4. There are actual many bathrooms in town where cyclists can pee. In addition to the ones mentioned: The town library. Starbucks. The two Dunkin Donuts. Verrill Farm. The Thoreau Rec Center. If I know you, my house.:D

[mg2ride]

The only good takeaway I get out of debates like this is that I'm incredibly fortunate to be living in the USA and suckling off the Fat of the Land!

Assuming the ban is only applicable to the "sale" of small bottles of water, if I lived somewhere that did this I would start a movement to set up stands all over town that gave away small bottles of water. Each stand would include trash cans for used bottle to ensure they don't get recycled.

[merlinmurph]

Assuming the ban is only applicable to the "sale" of small bottles of water, if I lived somewhere that did this I would start a movement to set up stands all over town that gave away small bottles of water. Each stand would include trash cans for used bottle to ensure they don't get recycled.

You're right, never thought of that. Here's the law:

Section 1. Sale of Drinking Water in Single-Serving PET Bottles
It shall be unlawful to sell non-sparkling, unflavored drinking water in single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less in the Town of Concord on or after January 1, 2013.

And the link:
http://www.concordma.gov/pages/ConcordMA_TownClerk/Water%20Bottle%20Bylaw.pdf

FWIW, I can't remember the last time I bought bottled water, but it was probably on a bike ride. I still don't like the law for reasons explained above.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

So the questions I pose to you are as follows...

Have you experienced a place where water bottles are forbidden?
Do you support such a ban?
How else can we get water along our rides if we can't buy water bottles?

Q1: Yes (I'm gonna guess it was Concord, MA, where I've logged plenty of miles)
Q2: yes
Q3: There are at least 2 Starbucks in Concord, and 2 DnDs, and they all are perfectly happy to fill up your bottle. So is ATA Cycles, but I refuse to walk through their door. And that water fountain you're complaining about is used by half the cycling universe and nobody has dropped dead yet. So quit your whining, princess! :p

[CampyorBust]

So quit your whining, princess! :p

:eek::mad::no:;):D:beer:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/PedalPusher33/Lisa_zpsf6cit5ql.jpg

[Janders]

Seriously, the water fountain at the round about in town tastes lovely :)

If you need to wash the taste out of your mouth, grab an espresso at Haute Coffee.

And I use the bathroom at the Old North Bridge relatively often. Its typically pristine and smelling of clorox... at least in mid-morning.

[Tony T]

you zero in on a public water fountain and gladly fill your bottle with free water. Then you taste it, it's damn near pool water it's is so heavily fluoridated/chlorinated that you might as well go to the aluminum plant and have a snort or two of that wonderful sodium fluoride they dump in your water supply. I am exaggerating a bit of course but the water was not drinkable to me.

Ride another 50 miles, then let me know how "drinkable" that water is :)

But seriously, just put 2 extra Poland Springs in your back pockets next ride.
…or just ride to the next town.