Since day one on the bike, most of us have carried our bottle in the down-tube cage. And we always drink from that bottle when carrying two, relegating the seat-tube cage to storage.
Try reversing this custom and using your seat-tube bottle for drinking.
Here’s the technique:
Reach for the bottle with your palm facing the rear wheel. Grasp the bottle, bring up, then roll your wrist so your palm is up. Bingo! The bottle is ready to put to the corner of your mouth with a slight downward tilt.
Re-inserting the bottle is simple, too. Simply reverse the motion. Because the seat-tube cage is a bit closer on most bikes and vertical, not angled, finding the opening is easy without looking down.
It may take several rides for using the seat-tube cage to feel natural. You need to angle your knee outward slightly for one stroke to reach between it and the frame. But the movement will soon feel fluid and natural.
Extra Tip! When you carry a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink, put the latter in the seat tube cage. The upright position helps keep sticky stuff from dripping out. When you’re proficient at using the seat-tube cage, you can easily alternate sips between bottles.
Why? If you carry two bottles surely you can swap them at a stop when your preferred bottle runs low.
I used to live in the St Louis area. Having only 1 bottle was suicide! I found I had no trouble holding the empty bottle by the nozzle in my teeth while I moved the full bottle – no need to stop!
This only makes sense if you are carrying one bottle and there is an aero advantage to having your bottle in the seat tube cage versus the down tube cage, Even then, if you’re not racing, why bother?
I often carried one bottle of water and one of energy drink on long rides. Being able to drink from either is not hard. In fact, I never even would have thought this was a topic worth writing about.
Give the seat tube bottle cage a trial fit with the bottle you’re going to use. On my bike which has a smaller frame, the bottle nozzle hits the frame pump which lives under the top tube.
Interesting tip, but as someone who has ridden for a very long time, I’m not sure why I want to do this, and the tipster gives no clue.
The advantage to this is all in the hand position as described. Great idea!