Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
You might recall that back a couple of Tech Talks, we reviewed a biodegradable bicycle bottle from Elite. It being one of the first pollution-fighting bidons we’d seen, we awarded it our highest rating of 5 stars. The review is here if you missed it: Elite Jet Water Bottle and Vico Carbon Cage Review.
After the rave appeared, a roadie going by “energizer” left what I thought was an interesting comment. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it off and on since she or he weighed in. So, this week, I’m going to reply to the comment with some feedback. And, if you have ideas for “energizer,” please share them with a comment and hopefully we’ll all learn something.
Reacting to our Review, “Energizer” said
“First thing this roadie noticed when looking at the picture … oh crud, another water bottle that you really don’t want to take out in the rain. No protective dome over the nozzle. Do you really like drinking from a bottle nozzle that’s been sprayed with crud from the road? Pity, the old Nalgene “ATB” bottle with the domed cap that got cheapened by its manufacturer some years ago making the hinges on the dome too fragile. Hardly any stores I know carry it anymore because users found out it didn’t last.”
That Nalgene Bottle
I remember the Nalgene ATB bottle with the domed, hinged protective cap that “energizer” misses. I’m pretty sure I reviewed it when it came out because I recall thinking it was an ingenious idea for keeping mud off the nozzle and out of your mouth when you’re mountain biking.
Actually, a big part of the reason the Camelbak backpack hydration system became almost mandatory for mountain biking was because its nozzle/mouthpiece was much easier to keep clean. It could just be me, but I think of that capped Nalgene bottle and the Camelbak systems as off-road products, where dirt and mud can be constant companions.
Do Roadies Need Nozzle Protection?
When I think of road riding both my own and historically, bottles haven’t changed much. As far as I know most haven’t had caps over the nozzles for maybe about 40 years. There’s four likely reasons for that that come to my mind:
- Pavement isn’t as dirty as trails.
- When you’re road riding and speeds are relatively fast, it’s hard enough to remove the bottle, open the nozzle, drink and replace the bottle without losing control and/or crashing. Adding a cap you have to deal with makes it even harder.
- When you need a drink, you might really need it, so quick and easy access can be essential. This is especially true for racing.
- As long as it’s working correctly, when a nozzle is closed the bottle is sealed. So any crud landing on the nozzle should not be able to make its way inside the bottle.
What I Do
My technique for when I’m riding anytime or anywhere the bottle might have gotten dirty, is to open the nozzle and then point it down and give the bottle a squeeze to blast out some water.
I hope that the blast clears the nozzle so that I’m drinking only liquid. And, if it’s dirty I just don’t make contact with the nozzle. I squirt the water into my mouth.
Bottles Have Some Protection Already
What’s more, while they don’t provide the protection a nozzle cap would, the frame tubes on road bikes shelter the bottle to some extent. Here’s a photo I took to try to simulate what happens when water on a rainy day is thrown up at a down-tube mounted bottle from the front wheel.
I think you can see that the frame blocks a lot of the spray, splitting it and keeping it away from the nozzle, which is small and centered on the bottle. It also blocks water falling from above. The frame can’t completely keep the bottle clean, but I think it protects it pretty well. And, if you’re riding a bicycle equipped with fenders, the bottle is even safer.
Surprise! Old Bottles DID Have Caps!
Just as I was about to wrap this up, I remembered that I have a circa 1969 French bottle on my René Herse. I thought it had a simple open/close tip that you pull and push with your hand or mouth. But, I was wrong. You can see in the photo it has a cap that presses onto the nozzle.
As soon as I saw it, I remembered the other bottles that we all used in the 70’s and early 80’s, like Mariplasts, from Italy, I believe. Those had the same basic design as my old French bottle with a little cap that covers and seals the nozzle from contamination.
Now I’m wondering why we went away from this design? I realize it’s easier to open and close modern nozzles and most won’t leak even when left open (the old ones could). But, still, it does seem that “energizer” has a valid point.
How About You?
Even having seen the cap on my old TA bottle, overall, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you mostly ride the road, you probably don’t need caps over your bottle nozzles. But, I’m interested in what others think.
Do you use a backpack hydration system because you’re worried about bottles getting contaminated? Do you cover your bottle nozzles to keep them clean? How? Do you have another technique for clearing and cleaning your nozzle before drinking on rainy, dirty rides? Please let me, “energizer,” and all of the roadies reading this know by leaving a comment. Thank you!
Ride total: 9,639
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. He has been a pro mechanic and cycling writer for more than 40 years. He’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Check out his “cycling aficionado” website at http://www.jimlangley.net, his Q&A blog and updates at Twitter. Jim’s streak of consecutive cycling days has reached more than 8,000. Click to read Jim’s full bio.
I’ve been road riding for over 55 years, using all types of bottles including the old style with the pull-off cap. Of course we all pulled that cap off with our mouths, so any value of keeping the nozzle clean was negated. I occasionally use the “squeeze some water out” technique then things are particularly dirty, but most times I take zero precautions. From “energizer’s” perspective, I must be lucky to be alive. In practice, the human body evolved in an environment where we took in all kinds of contamination and we’re pretty resistant to it. There is even an argument that we need these kinds of environmental insults to keep our immune systems operating properly. As a short answer, I take no precautions to keep my bottle tops clean.
Jim: Camelback is now making a covered water bottle for gravel riding that I’ve been using – for both gravel and road riding.
https://www.westernbikeworks.com/product/camelbak-podium-dirt-series-chill-21oz-bottle_1?fltr=
There are documented cases such as this one http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/irish-cyclist-farm-waste-infection/ where cyclists got ill from manure on the road. I seem to remember it happening in a Grand Tour some years ago. We tourists and randonneuring types use fenders.
I miss the old Canadian PowerAde bottles. They had a flip-off cap plus an internal valve in the nozzle. They were always clean, they wouldn’t spill if tipped, and if they broke, a new one was only $2. I still have a small stash of them at home after they changed the design to something much less functional.
I have one of the Nalgene bottles with the flip up lid, but never considered it for cycling, it’s just too cumbersome. It’s more for hiking. I’ve never had a trouble with the regular bottles. My biggest complaint is that bottles haven’t entered the 21st century in that the lids leak and drip all over you. My insulated bottles do have a gasket,which solves this.
Several years ago I was doing a ride in Amish country and the rains came. By the time I was finished my bike was black from the horse enhanced road spray (as was I), fortunately I was using a Camelback and was able to tuck the valve in my shirt. No black horse spray bottle for me!
I wipe the nozzle on my jersey in the chest area near my left arm before drinking.
After 16 years of road and MTB riding i have used the CameBak exclusively for the past 10 years. Safer, cleaner and so easy to access that I don’t have to wait for an appropriate spot in the ride to grab it. I can sip it and not take so much at a time which evens out the hydrating process. It, filled with ice cubes keeps my back cooler while blocking the suns rays on my back. It never makes my back hot from it’s presence there. I am 78 and it just makes the best sense. Also, washing my bike is easier with no bottle cages.
My goodness, who truly worries about this when riding. And I’d much rather get dirty from the trails than chemicals from the road. That’s it, all those chemicals after 40 years had caused my hair to fall out. Drat those dirty road bottles !
Thanks everyone for the interesting, helpful and entertaining comments! Appreciate it,
Jim Langley
Paris-Brest-Paris 2007: three days of rain. Roads in Brittany have a good amount of cow manure on them. I used a hydration pack and did not have problems. My colleagues used water bottles and they all got diarrhea. I searched for the old dome capped bottles and could not find any. Thanks to Camelbak for making the bottles with covered nozzles!
hello,
you can but bottle with additional lid and thermal insulation at dectahlon shops
https://www.decathlon.com/collections/bike-water-bottles-cages/products/cycling-isothermal-water-bottle-500-ml?variant=1990793199629
a few years back I took my Ritchey Breakaway to Asia, including Hong Kong, for a cycling trip. While riding with a local Tri group in the HK New Territories one Saturday morning in the heat and during occasional rain showers I noticed, from time to time, brown mud had collected on the roadway and the group was doing its best to avoid it. After a few hours I was separated from the group and riding with only a couple other riders. We came around a blind corner and plowed through a heap of this “mud”. Shortly after we were passed by a large flatbed truck carrying pigs to market with this “mud” occasionally falling off. Fortunately I hadn’t taken a sip between the time of the incident and the realization of what that mud was. My bike was covered with this shit, including my water bottles. Finally got to a public bath with a shower and soap and cleaned everything up… roads aren’t always the cleanest places.