Water Bottle Conundrum

Ratan

You've bought yourself a beautiful piece of carbon/aluminium/titanium with lovely wheels and a saddle fit for your royal derrier. Then you hit a conundrum. Which water bottle do you place in that expensive carbon bottle holder.

I have realised that design and art seems to have missed the humble water bottle.

Which do you use and where did you get it?

Poulsy

I find the SIS bottles leak a bit but Elite bottles dont.

alfablue

I use Camelbak Podium Bottles, they are superior functionally to regular bottles, and they look fairly good

Anonymous

I use the SiS bottles due to them coming free and having the measuring guage.

But they leak.

STEFANOS4784

I use a crappy iold aluminium cage and stuff any old bottle in it since i broke 2 carbon cages :oops:

gandhi

I think to look cool you need to use a bottle that matches the kit you're wearing. So for example, wear club/team kit (which obviously must match your bike) and use a club/team bidon.

Frank the tank

I use high5 bottles and find them ok.

I get them from Raleigh.

cougie

I make a point of never buying bottles, but get them at races or triathlons that I do.

Rapha make water bottles too - if you want ultimate poncery.

Anonymous

The rapha ones are very nice actually! I have only bought a water bottle once.

sportbilly1976

Got a Trek bike, so Trek bottles...complete with cage too!!

no leaks either...

Anonymous

In fact, this talk of water bottles has just showed me how dissatisfied I am with my SiS ones!

richa

NapoleonD wrote:

In fact, this talk of water bottles has just showed me how dissatisfied I am with my SiS ones!

Really. I think they are the best out there. The soft rubber sucky bit is particularly nice.

dennisn

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

I use a crappy iold aluminium cage and stuff any old bottle in it since i broke 2 carbon cages :oops:

I'm with you on this one. I mean, c'mon, we're talking water bottles here. How big of a problem can they be. They hold water. You drink out of them. You can get them
free in many cases. If not free they cost, maybe, 5 dollars. It could just be me, but I have never given much thought to the subject. As for looks, well, I have never heard anyone
go by someone and say "wow, nice water bottles".

Dennis Noward

Anonymous

RichA wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

In fact, this talk of water bottles has just showed me how dissatisfied I am with my SiS ones!

Really. I think they are the best out there. The soft rubber sucky bit is particularly nice.

I like everything about them except the fact they leak...

Anonymous

Got some tacx team ones in green, white and black. Lovely stuff.

DLH1985

I bought a couple of Powerbar starter packs; you're essentially paying £2 extra for all the goodies inside (perfect for a long club ride). Thoroughly recommended, I've convinced riders from my club to make the purchase as well!

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Power ... 360036798/

andy_wrx

My wife recently gave me an ultimatum to tidy-up the cupboard with the bottles in it and get rid of some
- I've not bought any for years : seem to come back with at least one as a freebie from every race, sportive, triathlon or holiday I go to...

Harry182

alfablue wrote:

I use Camelbak Podium Bottles, they are superior functionally to regular bottles, and they look fairly good

+1 for the Podiums - pricey but I reckon the best (standard shaped) bottles you can buy.

SCR Pedro

andy_wrx wrote:

My wife recently gave me an ultimatum to tidy-up the cupboard with the bottles in it and get rid of some
- I've not bought any for years : seem to come back with at least one as a freebie from every race, sportive, triathlon or holiday I go to...

That would be a good topic in its own right: 'How many bottles do you have?'. I must have about a dozen. I think the best are the Tacx team bottles. They look the business, are easy to clean and easy to handle whilst riding.

I have a few Elite bottles too; they're also quite good.

Cheers
Pedro

Vino2007

On Saturday, in a race, i left my waterbottle at home Dohhhh! Ended up using a big lucazade sport bottle which as the laps past and the speed picked up, the more sticky drink that plastered my legs and the less the deforming bottle fitted!
Tacx ones are pretty dead on, or zipvit cervelo one but im scared of scratching that so never will use it!

guilliano

I've got 2 maxim ones and 2 sis ones. I only ever use the sis ones for the measuring guage on the outside and naver had a problem with them. Am tempted to get a gelbot one for my first sportive, just to save me reaching for gels when I start to die at the end, but they only really work when the bottle is full of drink........ I've just convinced myself to stick with the sis ones

richa

SCR Pedro wrote:

That would be a good topic in its own right: 'How many bottles do you have?'

17 :oops:

I guess I'm not someone who throws things that work out.

redddraggon

2*Focus
2*Wiggle
3*CSC
2*Campag
2*Unibet
1*Cervelo Test Team
1*Zipvit
1*Tour of Britain
1*SiS

15 then ATM, but I've got a couple of others on the way.....

I tend to find my bottles don't last much more than a year, but I still don't chuck them out :?

pabloweaver

just to complicate matters further .....lets talk ...ahem ....size ...

500,600,700 ..... i have all sorts in my cupboard from SIS , zipvit , bikefood , random e bay stuff and some that have some mad cartoon cyclist on them........ dont remember buying any of them !?!?

but what size is best ....i still cant decide after years of cycling

summer rides = bike weighed down with 2 stonking great bottles of water ....gets lighter though as i go further ......

Ratan

As for looks, well, I have never heard anyone
go by someone and say "wow, nice water bottles".

Dennis Noward[/quote]

Thats the point Im making Dennis. Everything else on a bike is beautifully designed these days down to spokes and the tape on your handlebars. Everything except the humble water bottle which if you are riding a £1000+ bike might just let the looks department down (and dont tell me the look of your bike doesnt do anything for you).

I think there is a real project for a student graphic/technical designer to come up with a radical bottle that would do the carbon holder it sits in proud.

dennisn

Ratan wrote:

As for looks, well, I have never heard anyone
go by someone and say "wow, nice water bottles".

Dennis Noward

Thats the point Im making Dennis. Everything else on a bike is beautifully designed these days down to spokes and the tape on your handlebars. Everything except the humble water bottle which if you are riding a £1000+ bike might just let the looks department down (and dont tell me the look of your bike doesnt do anything for you).

I think there is a real project for a student graphic/technical designer to come up with a radical bottle that would do the carbon holder it sits in proud.[/quote]

Point taken. I have even gone so far as to get a yellow bottle cage to go with my blue bike.
I have not, however, given much, if any, thought to water bottles themselves other than how much they hold.

Dennis Noward