Those new-fangled Camelbak bottles?

tardington

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Camel ... 360033553/

Anyone got one? Are they any good? I'm not sure about this 'special squeezy action' to get the water out...

TiBoy

My mate has got one and says it's great but then he is a mountain biker and is used to the bit valve on his hydration pack.

tardington

Sounds good!

Now! What does bias-cut mean?

dodgy

I've got 2 Camelbak Podium bottles. Here are some Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Cool design
• Innovative

Cons

• The flow rate isn't as good as a conventional water bottle, that's with and without using the bite valve and with and without squeezing the bottle.
• In cold weather (like now), I've noticed the bottle seems to get even harder to squeeze to coax the juice out.
• Expensive

I had high hopes, but I won't be buying any more.

Dave.

barrybaines

I've got two of the and had them since first release (early 08) Absolutley love them and will be replacing them with new ones soon as mine have had a hammering from grit and mud.
The locks work real well if and when needed, quick easy and fast to use on the go.
I admit they become a little harder to squeeze in the cold at the moment but I have had no probs with them even when my drinks have turned to slush!

dodgy

To be honest, i'm not sure why a bite valve is even necessary on a water bottle. It's obviously needed on a conventional camelbak when the juice might drip from the pipe, but a water bottle is stored with the outlet upper most.

I wish I hadn't bother buying them.

barrybaines

It means you don't need to bother with a pull up/push down top?
I like 'em others evidently don't

fossyant

I like them - been using them for 6 months now...the anti-spill is great - no sticky energy drink to get off the bike at the end of a long ride.

luap

I know this is digging up an old topic, but been looking at buying a couple of these bottles. However some places I've seen them advertise warn that they don't fit bottle cages.

Is this right? If so that's a major design flaw by Camelbak!!

alfablue

No, they fit standard cages fine (if you mean the Podiums). There is another Camelback bottle, the Better Bottle which explicitly state that they are not designed to fit bottle cages, but the Podiums are fine - and in my opinion, they are very good, best bottles I have ever used.

Jay dubbleU

Here is a tip - take this as a warning - never ever ever put fizzy drinks in them and then ride the bike - the pressure builds up and you get a stream out of the bite valve as soon as you flip it open :shock:

jimmcdonnell

The Podium is very poor IMO - it's much harder to suck/squeeze from than a normal bidon, and you have to be able to twist your head through 180 degrees like an owl. The Performance bottle on the other hand has a bite valve and a tube down inside the bottle so you can suck without having to tip your head towards the sky. Wiggle say the Performance won't fit a standard bottle cage - there's a difference in diameter of a millimetre or so - but it does. Can be a tight squeeze though.

Luckily I was bought both at xmas, so I simply put the Performance lid on a Podium body and voila! the perfect cycling bottle, unless you're an extreme weight minimalist. But then 750ml of water will weigh 3/4kg anyway, so a few grams here and there for the bottle won't really matter...

alfablue

Not wishing to be argumentative, but I don't have to twist my head at all, nor look skyward. I don't suck either, just squeeze and I get a big gulp, easily.

Mattinthezie

+1 for the podium bottle.

I find it easy to use and prefer it to the last bottle I had which had the normal plastic valve. Like alfablue says just squeeze and you get a big gulp, no head twisting required!

I have a better bottle as well. They do fit bontrager cages, at a stretch, but not really ideal for using on the bike!

tardington

I got mine in the end - it's pretty good.

Fizzy juice on the bike though? Doesn't it make you burp?

DomPro

I've got a cheapy High5 bottle that forever stinks of plastic. Urgh!

b0y1nterupted

i have one & really love it

think the bite valve is the best part of it, i seem to get the correct volume of fluid compared to regular bottles

though my boss said it looked like a babies bottle as i was drinking milk out of it as work today

barrybaines

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Here is a tip - take this as a warning - never ever ever put fizzy drinks in them and then ride the bike - the pressure builds up and you get a stream out of the bite valve as soon as you flip it open :shock:

Hmm not a fizzy drink but if I use Zymm tablets that fizz untill disloved, you just have to leave the valve unlocked (which mine always are anyway TBH) they just squeel away for a while then you are fine.

dodgy

I've stopped using my Podium bottles, you have to squeeze so hard to get the juice out of them. They'll be better in the warmer weather though.

biondino

I have a podium and have only used it in the winter, with drink freezing on three occasions. It's coped very well - there aren't any downsides as far as I can tell, and it's true, it doesn't make the liquid taste of plastic.

dodgy

Ah well, you're getting on fine with them, that's cool.