Best Cycling Water Bottle

For someone who uses their bike now and then to cover short distances, finding the best cycling water bottle might not be a big concern. However, if cycling is a more serious matter to you than simple point A to point B transit, you probably know that the quality of your equipment is as important as the quality of your bike. This includes water bottles as well.

When covering longer routes, small things can grow in significance. Halfway through a cycling session on a hot day, gulping down a lukewarm drink isn’t a pleasant experience. The only thing worse is to reach for your bottle just to find out it’s empty! This means that, when looking for a cycling water bottle to buy, the insulation, the materials used, and the capacity are some of the things to keep an eye out for.

Let’s start with our most recommended cycling water bottles.

Best Cycling Water Bottle: Reviews

CamelBak Podium

Built from a BPA-, BPS-, and BPF-free polypropylene material, this bottle offers a clean drink that won’t have any taste of plastic, whatever you decide to put in it. With a capacity of 24 oz. or 710 ml, there’ll also be plenty of good-tasting liquid to last throughout the day. The bottle can also be broken down into parts for easier cleaning.

When it comes to insulation, CamelBak Podium doesn’t shine quite like some of its competitors and you might feel a temperature change when you take a sip after some four hours of cycling.

The bottle is designed to fit with ease into different bottle holders, and the shape – as well as the materials used – allows for a good grip and squeeze when drinking from it. The nozzle, made of soft rubber, has some downs and ups: on one hand, it offers a great flow of liquid, while on the other, it may attract dirt when going off-road.

Simply Pure – Purist

With a special internal coating, there’ll be no strange aftertaste when drinking from this bottle. The materials used are glass and BPA-free plastic, so it’ll be both easy to clean as well as flexible enough to take a good sip. There’s a translucent strip that will always show you how much water is left in the 22 oz. (650 ml) canister.

The insulation liner will keep the drink cool and fresh for a long time, and the materials make sure that it can still be soft enough to squeeze.

On the outside, the Purist looks like a regular water bottle and can appear worn down after a short while, but that won’t prevent it from fitting into bottle holders or doing its job of keeping your drink fresh and safe. The nozzle has a high fluid flow and a self-sealing valve that will keep the water in even when open.

Grsta Best Sports

This bottle has a Tritan co-polyester plastic body, which makes it clean and eco-friendly, although very hard to squeeze. The material is BPA-free and offers decent insulation. These Grsta bottles come in several sizes: 20 oz. (600 ml), 28 oz. (800 ml), and 32 oz. (1,000 ml), so you can choose which capacity best suits your needs. The design is ergonomic, and the wide mouth of the bottle ensures the interior is accessible for cleaning, although the lid can be a bit harder to remove.

The insulation of this bottle isn’t spectacular, but it’ll do the job. The plastic container can store fluids in the temperature range from -10° to 120°C, although how long it can keep those temperatures will depend on the conditions.

The bottle comes with a removable filter that can be used to make tea or as an infuser if you’d like to add fruits to your water. The nozzle is wide enough to take a generous sip. It has a cap that, although opened with one click, doesn’t offer the same convenience as standard designs that can be opened by pulling them with one’s teeth.

Fidlock TWIST 600

The bottle is made of BPA-free polypropylene and comes with a slightly lower capacity than some others: it holds 20 oz. or 600 ml. A wide opening makes for easy cleaning by hand, and if you’re not in the mood for handwashing, the bottle is dishwasher-safe. The main thing about the Twist 600, though, is not the bottle itself but the innovative system of mounting it on your bike.

The TWIST system consists of a holder, easily mounted on the frame with two screws, and the bottle equipped with strong magnets that keep it in place. When you need to retrieve it from the holder, this is done by a simple, clockwise twist action. The bottle is very safe on the holder, although making it snap in place takes some practice as it needs to be turned the right way for the magnets to click on.

While it has a mildly ergonomic shape, the bottle doesn’t have any other special feature about the nozzle, design, or shape. It’s very easy to squeeze and offers a good amount of flow, but that’s about it.

Thermos 24oz Tritan

The bottle is made of Tritan co-polyester, impact-resistant, and can be cleaned in a dishwasher. With a capacity of 24 oz. (710 ml) and a rotating intake meter on the lid, it’s perfect for monitoring your daily water intake. There is a lid that’s opened by pushing a button, and it also features a simple locking mechanism that makes the lid completely leakproof.

One problem with this Thermos bottle is that it’s not a cycling accessory. While it can hold and dispense liquids quite well, it doesn’t have a nozzle to prevent spills when riding over bumpy terrain. Likewise, although opening the lid is automatic and there’s even spring to keep it in place while drinking, closing the lid with one hand is harder. The lid action is an obvious tell this bottle isn’t for bike use.

The container is not meant to hold hot liquids, but the vacuum insulation technology will keep the beverage cold for a long time. If, however, you take it for a ride in colder weather, don’t expect it to keep you warm.

Buyer’s Guide

When looking for the best cycling water bottle, the main thing to bear in mind is how it interacts with water or any other liquid content. The choice of materials, how easy it is to clean, and how well does it keep your drink at the original temperature are paramount.

Another important attribute of a good water bottle is how much water it can hold: usually, more is better. Be aware, though, that too small of a bottle could run out before the end of your route, while one that’s too big will have excessive weight.

Finally, the shape can play an important role in how well the bottle sits in your hand and how easy it is to pull from the holder and put it back in.

Material

You would be hard-pressed to find a modern water bottle that isn’t made from safe and sturdy materials. Since plastic is by far the most common material for water bottles, the most important is that it shouldn’t contain bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical can seep into the liquid over time and can be a health concern. Today, BPA is mostly replaced by BPS or BPF that, although they behave pretty much the same as their predecessor, don’t seem to present any health risks.

A cycling water bottle’s material will also influence how easy it can be squeezed, which is a property worth inspecting when you look for the best choice. The best cycling water bottle should allow for quick and easy drinking on the go.

Capacity

Staying hydrated while cycling means staying safe! In a moderate climate, the perfect water intake should be from 12-16 oz. (350-470 ml) per hour of cycling, while on a hot day you should take at least 32 oz. or 950 ml of water per hour.

The capacity of your water bottle can make a huge difference both in keeping you well-hydrated and in maintaining a rhythm of cycling that fits you. Since there’s no way to bring all the water supply needed for a longer ride, you’ll have to stop and refill your bottle. As said above, bigger will usually mean better.

Ease of Cleaning

If you don’t use your bottle only for water, but sometimes drink tea, juice, or other beverages from it, taking it on a ride can produce an unpleasant surprise when you detect any leftover taste in what should be a clean, refreshing gulp of water.

Besides the taste, you should be mindful of dirt and bacteria that can latch onto the bottle, especially when taking your bike off-road. Being able to clean your water bottle thoroughly is a must if you wish to keep its content safe for consumption.

Insulation

There’s hardly a more disappointing feeling than taking a sip of warmed water on a hot day when you need some refreshing coolness. Only one other thing can top it – getting brain-freeze from your tea after turning to it for the much-needed warmth during a ride in cold weather!

A well-insulated water bottle is a key to keeping you refreshed while cycling. While it might not be as important as hydration, it is a feature that many customers have grown to expect from quality water bottles.

Shape

The shape of a water bottle has two aspects that could influence your choice: how well it fits into the holder on your bicycle rack and how good of a grip it allows. There is also the esthetic impression it leaves, but that is more of a subjective category and is best left to individual tastes.

Standard bottle holders or cages have a diameter of about 2.9 inches (73 mm) and are about 5 inches (127 mm) tall. For any water bottle to be counted among the best, it should fit these dimensions – buying a bottle and then finding out it requires a special holder is a frustrating experience. The bottle should fit the cage so that you can be confident it’ll stay inside when going through uneven terrains, but not too tightly such that you have trouble getting it out.

Once you have the bottle in your hand, the shape should be ergonomic to ensure a good grip and prevent it from slipping.

Read also: Best Water Bottle Cage For Road Bike

Conclusion

All things considered, of the five choices we’ve reviewed here, the Simply Pure Purist has the most appeal with the only noticeable downside being that it can look worn-down after some time of use. While individually other competitors may have better insulation, capacity, and plastics, the Purist cycling water bottle gives the best overall impression.

Despite our top overall choice, you might find some of our other recommended models to suit your specific needs even better. Understanding what makes the best cycling water bottle is of equal importance as knowing what would fit your cycling practice best. Go ahead and make the most of your cycling experience by choosing one of the best water bottles available!