Of water bottles...

Daniel — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 21:15:36 +0000

You’d think that the problem of drinking water from a container would have been solved a long time ago, but alas and alack we have created as many new problems along the way as we have solved.

My personal issue relates to riding and drinking. For many years, the squishy, water splashing bottles that always seem to reek of plastic/chemicals were the only choice… as they fit into the holders on the bike. Sure, you get to support your favorite cause or otherwise advertise for company who provided the bottle, find every color under the rainbow, and various minor variations on the valve, but there wasn’t any improvement in the material the bottle was made from, and therefore no relief from the chemical smell or odor.

I only put water in these things, as putting anything else is just begging for them to smell of the combination of whatever you put in them and the plastic/chemical smell forever. Forgetaboutit.

So it was with some joy that I saw that Nalgene makers of various containers out of durable polycarbonate (which at least takes some steps toward eliminating carry over odors etc.) released the OTG which stands for, clevery enough, On The Go, which fits in a bike’s water bottle cage. Their advertisement even featured a Serotta bike, a high end, custom bike maker (I sigh and tell myself one day right about here). To the issue at hand however, it was with much glee that I picked up two of them. They have been serving handily ever since. Yes, they get scratched. The poly wears where the bottle holder grips it. I don’t care. Yes, I had to change the water bottle cage on my bike to keep them from rattling on a full time basis. Not so terrible. On the upside, they pour without requiring copious suction or squeezing. They clean up nicely (on the inside) and the the spout has a cover that can be operated with one hand. Excellent.

They’re not particularly good for drinking in the car because you have to tip them up to drink. Bad. I drink on my way to the park that I ride in and around a lot, to help with my hydration. Getting killed in a car accident on the way there because I was trying to drink the bottom half of the bottle contents is not helpful, since I’m supposed be improving my health.

So I was interested when Camelbak put out a new bottle with a bite valve. (I’d point you to it, but it’s a Flash deal) I always thought they had a great valve, the straw they include means that I can drink from the bottle without tipping it up (although you can remove it if tipping works better for you) and generally seemed like it was worth checking out.

I did so today and have the following comments. Yeah, it’s good for the drive over. Nice bite valve, modest amounts of vacuum, no tipping. On the bike, same things apply except for two caveats. The bottle doesn’t really fit into a bottle cage, although it’s close, it can I guess depending on your cage. Boo.

Fortunately, the opening to all these bottles have become somewhat standard as filter manufacturers want their stuff to work etc. etc. So the CamelBak top will fit on the Nalgene OTG. (BTW, it wouldn’t surprise me if Nalgene makes the CamelBak bottle, but anyway.)

So I put the top on the OTG and rode off. Two problems. One, the bite valve mechanism can be laid somewhat flat into the handle to protect it. It’s not particulary one hand friendly in that mode and is a bit of pain to operate. OK I’ll leave it unfolded says I, whereupon every bit of road grit and dust that can possibly attach itself to the moist and somewhat naturally sticky bite valve does. Sigh. So. The combo yields some benefits but is not 100%. (My wife informs me that the dust thing occurs in the car as well, so it just seems to be part and parcel of using whatever material CamelBak uses for their bite valves. Since I haven’t noticed any other downside, I’m chalking up it up to it is what it is.)

A simpler top without the fancy hanger but with a cover might be ideal.

You also have to purchase two bottles for every one you create. Not optimal.

I guess the design guys have some work to do still…

Spoken: Of water bottles...

Of water bottles...