rpenmanparker 

With some bottles that do have a problem the taste isn't too bad if you fill them right before you ride, but gets very bad if you let the water stand in the bottle for any length of time. Like filling and refrigerating or freezing overnight is a no-no taste-wise. For sure you don't want to leave a bottle with water in it on the bike in the hot garage waiting for the next ride. Even if it is clean and hasn't been drunk from, don't do that. The water in that bottle will taste awful. Also a lot of the problem is smell, not taste, so be sure to store the empty bottles upright and open without the caps on top.

exime

The bigger is cheaper on Amazon. Right now the 21oz on Amazon is $19.99 and the 25oz on Amazon are between $12.99 - $14.99 depending on color.

Actually I just checked again and there is a 21oz for 10.99 in the color Crimson. So it depends what color you get but prices are all over the place.

WalksOn2Wheels

It's not hard to use a sink and some woolite to handwash bike clothes, but in a pinch, it's fine to throw them into the washer. But you should know that a washing machine with a big, center agitator will eat up stuff if you're not careful. My in-laws have one of those nice newer washers that just spin the clothes and agitate with jet streams. And a dryer is absolutely not good for high end cycling apparel. It's not hard to pull them from the dryer and hang them from a chair or lay them out.

But yeah, if you buy cheap crap from performance for 30 bucks a jersey, knock yourself out. It's not worth the extra attention to detail if you're buying disposable stuff to begin with.

seymour1910

You can get them for $14-$15 shipped on ebay but I have never seen the big chill (25 oz) for $10

woodcraft

sam_cyclist

Camelbak water bottles.

rpenmanparker 

You got me all figured out. I don't buy Assos or Rapha. But you have the washing machine thing backwards. The cheap stuff lasts for many years, even decades with machine washing and drying. Just imagine how impervious to the machine washing and drying the expensive stuff would be. Cycling kits needing hand washing is one of the most pervasive and false myths in the sport. That eats it up stuff just can't be demonstrated in actual experience...at least not mine.

rpenmanparker 

You're going to have to show me that. Link please. That is not what I turned up this morning. But Amazon is funny. Maybe your search terms are more effective than mine.

Edit: When I search for the 21 oz bottles, both sizes come up but with the 21 oz bottles under $10 and the 25s around $18 minimum. When I search for the 25s, I get both again, but completely different prices, lower for the 25s. Very strange. Still no $10 ones in 25 oz, but closer, especially if you are not picky about color.

seymour1910

This is the lowest I found one

Camelbak Podium Big Chill 25 oz Bottle Carbon | eBay

rpenmanparker 

Thanks. That's a good one and free shipping. I was focusing on Amazon, but I love that ebay.

sam_cyclist

Is the camelbak BIG chill significantly better than the chill in keeping water cool?

I already have the standard chill, but willing to invest in a couple of BIG chills if it's that much better.

rpenmanparker 

I would assume just more water.

WalksOn2Wheels

Oh, well case solved then. Move along. Nothing to see here. One guy has a singular point of view, so it must be correct.

In all honesty though, I actually would expect cheaper stuff to hold up to more repeated washings. When you use the same crap material that you can find on "performance" fabrics at walfart, then yeah, it's going to stand up to some abuse. But if you were to buy something nice, like a Castelli climber's jersey, it's actually purpose made for riding a bicycle in extreme heat, so it has thinner material in quite a few places. Something like a plastic center agitator with pointy ends, common in most washers, can really tear **** up.

But yeah, I'm just wasting my time trying to engage you. Sorry I bothered. Enjoy your nashbar specials.

SpeshulEd 

$12.99 for the pink or blue one, maybe some of the other colors as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o02_s01

Unfortunately, the deal I got last week where you buy two for $10.55 each seems to have disappeared.

cicatrize

Another vote for Camelbak Podium Big Chill. 24 oz, well insulated, shoots enough water out to choke you if you squeeze hard enough. I only need one, but I have two for longer rides or really hot days. They're awesome.

PeregrineA1 

Purist. No funky taste, nice nozzle.

Not a fan of the Camelback nozzle.

sam_cyclist

Yeah, you're right.

Actually I don't have the camelbak chill, just the camelbak podium; was wondering if the chill does a superior job of keeping drinks cold vs. the standard podium. If anyone has a comparison, that'd be great.

SpeshulEd 

Kind of depends on where you live and if you prefer your water cold or not?

Using a normal bottle in the summer in Phoenix, you basically end up with water at about the same temp as the asphalt after a couple of hours. The ice lasts about 30 minutes.

With the insulated bottles, I usually freeze one 1/3rd of the way and then fill with normal water and drink this first on my ride. I freeze the second 2/3rds of the way with skratch labs mix, fill with water before leaving and drink this bottle second. This usually gives me cold water for 2-3 hours on out on the road, depending on the ride and how much effort I put forth. The ice usually lasts for 2 hours, maybe a bit longer.

himespau 

I'm a big fan of the camelbak podium big chill that so many other people like for the nozzle and flexible bottle. I like the loop of the polar bottles better sometimes when I'm really tired as it's so easy to find (63cm frame = long way to reach and loop means I don't really have to look, can just grab), but don't like the old style nozzle. I've thought about putting a camelbak lid on a polar bottle (I've heard you can get the lids separately), but I'm not sure which keeps things colder and the polar bottles aren't as flexible to squeeze the water out. I only use water, so I don't have much in the way of cleaning issues.

As far as clothing, I find the cheap stuff tends to be a bit more robust, but I like the fit (and especially the chamois) of the nicer stuff (by nicer I generally mean Pearl Izumi Elite or Pro that I got on clearance, I don't have the scratch to drop on assos or rapha). It also feels a bit more breathable.

KenshiBiker

Another fan of the Camelback Podium Chill (the Big Chill doesn't fit that well in my "small" frame). I have recently gotten a couple of Podium Ice bottles, but haven't put them through enough tests to see if they make that much difference (they do seem to have more insulation).

CliffordK

I've got Zefal Magnums which are rated at 33 oz (.97L???)

I also have gotten lazy and started carrying a camelback bag, but unfortunately it started leaking

Bah Humbug

Hi, I'm Bah Humbug. I use the Specialized Purist Hydroflo exclusively. And I used to use the Big Chill.

musicman1

I like the Camelback podium bottles. The nozzle is great and they do stay cold for a bit when packed with ice and water. No funky bottle plastic taste like the freebie cheap bottles.

Bluechip

Camelbak Podium Ice is my go to bottle. A little better insulated than the Chill or BigChill. Volume is down a couple of ounces so I generally carry three on longer rides.

rpenmanparker 

[QUOTE=WalksOn2Wheels;18040175]Oh, well case solved then. Move along. Nothing to see here. One guy has a singular point of view, so it must be correct.

In all honesty though, I actually would expect cheaper stuff to hold up to more repeated washings. When you use the same crap material that you can find on "performance" fabrics at walfart, then yeah, it's going to stand up to some abuse. But if you were to buy something nice, like a Castelli climber's jersey, it's actually purpose made for riding a bicycle in extreme heat, so it has thinner material in quite a few places. Something like a plastic center agitator with pointy ends, common in most washers, can really tear **** up.

But yeah, I'm just wasting my time trying to engage you. Sorry I bothered. Enjoy your nashbar specials.[/QUOTE