General Cycling Discussion - Water Bottles

Can somebody please tell me why, oh why are water bottles so damned expensive? :cry:

For the record, I consider anything over $5 to be expensive. It is just a plastic bottle after all... And don't get me started on how ugly they all are. Not all of us are fans of flashy, swooshy graphics on our gear. Somebody's gotta make a logo-less bottle?

Has anyone found a secret stash of cheap bottles?

First, I'd say that I got about half my bottles from cycling events. You pay the registration fee, and ride the event, and you get the T-shirt, water bottle, and whatever else.

Second, you're new to this aren't you? You've got to know where to shop:
http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=60001024&category=600072&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Bottles

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693215&newSortType=price&newSortOrder=ascending&bmUID=1196927519521

And there's always Canadian Tire, Walmart, Zellers, and pretty much any other department store.


Also, go check out the "Positive Experiences" sticky thread at the top of this forum to find other shops with good prices and service, etc.

Performance and Nashbar both have bottles for about three dollars a piece.

You can always get Bell branded bottles in the bicycle area of Wal-Mart for $1.88 each.

Wait, you live in CA. Doesn't everything there cost twice as much as it does everywhere else?:p

Soma (http://somafab.com/) sells bottles (http://store.somafab.com/crppwabo.html) that, while they don't fit your standards for cheap, they don't have logos, and are made of polypropylene so the water doesn't taste awful.

Sometimes you can find boxes of water bottles on ebay for not much more than $10.

And there's always Canadian Tire, Walmart, Zellers, and pretty much any other department store.


This pretty much sums it up. If you're prepared to shop around, you can often find something cheaper that will do the job just as well (although it's less likely when looking at actual bicycle components). On top of that, a lot of bike shops will give you a free water bottle when you buy something else. Admittedly, they're often rather plain in appearance, but in my case, they go really well with my A$30 cycling jersey.

I got some 32 oz rubbermaid water bottles from Target that fit my cages perfectly and only cost 1.99.

I have Nalgene bottles that I paid $5 for on sale...12 years ago:eek:;) I also have a couple of stainless steel ones too.

Aaron:)

If you buy some sport bottles of gatorade or powerade, you can reuse the bottles. About $1.50 each in convenience stores. Less in the grocery store. The PET plastic is pretty durable stuff despite being pretty thin. You might need to bend your cage a bit since the bottles are a little narrower than a cycling bottle.

Water bottles are free.... you just have to pay the start-up fee.

Cheapies from wal-mart (black to match my bike, silver to match my girls)... then collect from various rides and retire the old ones.

Unless you want some insulated ones or something.

I can't say I remember paying more than $5 for a water bottle, when I first bought my MTB back in '95. I still have that bottle too.

Everything since has pretty much been free.

Insulated bottles are the biggest waste of money I've seen in a long time. I bought a pair and the water was just as warm as with regular bottles within 15 min. in the summer! They are heavy, and don't fit most cages I've used them on well either.

If you buy some sport bottles of gatorade or powerade, you can reuse the bottles. About $1.50 each in convenience stores. Less in the grocery store. The PET plastic is pretty durable stuff despite being pretty thin. You might need to bend your cage a bit since the bottles are a little narrower than a cycling bottle.

My favorite is the Propel 23.7 ounce size. Cheap, fits the cage, doesn't make the water taste like plastic.

Buy bottled water and keep the empty bottles that fit your water cages. Refill the same bottles and you have yourself an iexpensive water bottles that would serve you well and last awhile. Like others suggested, Walmart and similar discount stores sell bicycle water bottle for under $2.00 and sometimes you catch them on clearance tables of LBS.

"If you buy some sport bottles of gatorade or powerade, you can reuse the bottles. About $1.50 each in convenience stores."

That's what I've used- Gatorade specifically. They make it in different bottles, this is a skinny bottle that will fit the bottle holders, with a twist-and-drink lid.

Instead of buying some bottles of Gatorade (or other brand), buy a big package of the powdered mix. You've just saved enough extra money to splurge up to $5 on a real water bottle that will last longer, be easier to drink out of due to a softer plastic used in the top, and -- most importantly -- be much easier to make clean and make sanitary due to a larger opening.

While I have lost several water bottles (or usually just the tops), I have never worn one out and have never paid over $5 for one and it's typically been less than $3.

the powdered mix is better for you anyway

the powdered mix is better for you anyway

??????
Really?
Please share.

??????
Really?
Please share.

You can regulate your nutrient intake better. You can put in as little, or as much, as you want.

??????
Really?
Please share.

It has to do with the fact that the sweetener isn't corn syrup and so the electrolytes are easier to absorb.

And yeah, it is nice to be able to put in as much as you like. The bottled stuff is too strong in my opinion, more like a soft drink than a sports drink.

I get about half my water bottles along the road-side. After careful sanitizing they are good to go. The rest I pick up free at cycling events. I got 4 Specialized water bottles at my LBS for turning in 4 old tires. I got a dozen at a triathalon rest stop when full water bottles were handed up to the racers. One swig of water then the bottles were ditched around the next corner where I waited.

It has to do with the fact that the sweetener isn't corn syrup and so the electrolytes are easier to absorb.

And yeah, it is nice to be able to put in as much as you like. The bottled stuff is too strong in my opinion, more like a soft drink than a sports drink.

Interesting. I have an ileostomy so my body loses twice the water and up to three times the salt as someone with a colon. Staying hydrated is a challenge and keeping my electrolyte saturation at a normal level is even harder.

I'm going to give it a try. Thanks.

I vote for Gatorade brand water bottles, too! :D

As an added bonus, when one starts to get funky, you can get another for about a dollar... prefilled! :D

Performance and Nashbar both have bottles for about three dollars a piece.

You can always get Bell branded bottles in the bicycle area of Wal-Mart for $1.88 each.

Wait, you live in CA. Doesn't everything there cost twice as much as it does everywhere else?:p
whered u get dat crap? its 5 times!

Found a couple bottles at the parking lot a couple weeks ago.

Used one of them on yesterday's ride.










































































Yes, I rinsed it out first.:D