Originally Posted by Michel Gagnon
About the "bad taste" of plastic bottles:
When I buy one, I wash it with soap and water, then I open it and vent it for a few days. Then I put water and leave it there for a few days. Then I empty it and leave it to air dry. Smell and taste are gone.
I do that too. It simply hasn't worked for me. The taste might be gone, but it comes back after I ride around in the heat. And I find that even freshly cleaned and vented plastic still has a "plastic" taste and I prefer the more neutral taste of steel (actually, I prefer glass, but I can't imagine that working too well on a bike
). To me, it's similar to drinking a beer directly from the glass bottle vs. from the aluminum can. The glass bottle just tastes better, but I'll "suffer" through an aluminum can if I have to...after all, it's still beer on the inside!
Anyway, everyone should use whatever works best for him/her. If you like plastic better, by all means use it. I prefer not to if I can help it. The OP was looking for some alternatives to plastic and stainless steel is what I use...just my 2 cents.