So we had a ton of threads this summer on how to keep your bottles cold over the blistering summer. I myself gave up the good fight against the heat and just realized GA wan't going to let me have cold water on a 50mi ride. Now that the weather has cooled down (for you guys...soon for me) I wonder if there is anything you do to keep your water from freezing or just keep it drinkable. The last ride I had in the cold(ish) weather wasn't too bad and I didn't even drink from my bottle at all (I know its bad, but it wasn't that long of a ride). Some of you northerners claim to ride in sub freezing weather and I'm sure on longer rides freezing becomes a concern or issue.
My First inclination would be to keep the water as close to my body as possible and off the frame.


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Rear jersey pockets under my jacket. Awkward to get to, but stays liquid.

You shouldn't need to do anything. As long as the water is sloshing around in the bottle, it can't freeze.

Or...

..add a bit of vodka to it

Using embrocation on your bottles will prevent them from freezing.

Dump some salt in your water!

On long winter rides I wear a Camelbak. I wouldn't be caught dead with one any other time of the year, but you can hide it under your jacket and your water stays liquid. Another approach would be to put hot water into your bottle before a ride. I did that once and it froze anyway, but it can work. And, you can use an insulated water bottle.

I guess you don't actually ride when it's below freezing.


The tube doesn't freeze ?

Experience says otherwise. Hell, the ocean itself freezes.

I just deal with it. A lot of the time, it'll be a balmy 35 F when I leave, and only slip below freezing for half my ride. It takes a while for the water bottle to freeze. If it's freezing or below when I leave, I bring less water, and will stop at a convenience store along the way. I hate doing it, because walking out of a heated environment is no fun, especially when you've already been sweating, but they have liquid water. Or molten ice, if you prefer.

A bit of lemon or lime juice is mild antifreeze.

I worried last winter about having ice bottles banging into a carbon frame, but the bottle cages don't let that happen.

Or just some electrolyte replacement powder.

How cold does it get in Maryland?

My water bottles are already freezing on 25+ mile rides.

Not if you keep it zipped under your jacket. Whip it out when you're thirsty.

C-baks are also good for skiing, I've found. I hate carrying water bottles in my pockets when I ski, and they always seem to freeze anyway. BTW, Hb, where's the snow up here in the Northeast? I just bought new skis.

winnah winnah chick'n dinnah!!

In SoCal I just pour romo temperature water into my bottles. It's fine keeping warm in this cold 50F weather. BURRRRR.

Get one of these:

Here's a simple trick we use when mountaineering - at polar temperatures:

Turn the bottle upside down.

The freeze always starts at the top (where it meets the air) - so an upside down bottle will leave it liquid (for longer) at the spout.

'Course, the trick is to find a bottle that won't fall out of your cage when it's upside down...

It's a bit early for real snow around here. Jan & feb it can hit hard.

Put a ball bearing in the bottle.

In the summer ... put your bottle in a sock, and run the bottle under the tap till the sock is wet to keep your water cool.

In the winter ... put your bottle in a sock, but keep it dry. That will delay the freezing process a little bit.

If I was only going to be out for an hour or two in temps where the bottles will freeze within about 10 or 15 minutes (as I have in my Winnipeg days), I didn't bother bringing water on my rides. I drank 500 ml or so of water before I left on the ride ... and then drank again as soon as I returned.

Not true. The water around the mouth can freeze quite readily even if the bulk of the water is unfrozen. This is partly because the water freezes from the outside towards the middle and partly because the mouth piece of a water bottle is a rather narrow opening.

The amount of salt (or alcohol) needed to lower the freezing point significantly would be prohibitive. An 8% solution of salt water will depress the freezing point to around 22F (-6 C). A 15% solution will get you down to 15F (-9C) But you probably wouldn't want to drink much of it. Sea water has a salt content of around 4%.

If you use alcohol, the alcohol content would have to be twice as high to get the same freezing point depression. You probably wouldn't want to be drinking much of that either.

Hot water suffers from the same issue as cold water in a water bottle. It freezes from the outside inward. Splashing water up on the opening would only freeze faster.

A Camelbak works quite well as long as you either blow water out of the tube, use a winter insulating kit on the hose or both. If you use an insulating kit, drink from it regularly or it will freeze on you.

LOL, this is so wrong. My water bottles freeze up all the time here in the winter, sloshing or not.

The best solution I found was to use a seat post mounted rear rack with a trunk bag. I keep water bottles in the bag with some chemical heat packs and all is well. This worked last winter even on my coldest ride of 27 miles with temps at -7 F.

Um ... yeah ... thanks
Maybe there's a homeopathic remedy too..

How about a heat pack, in a zip lock bag, then stuff that IN the water bottle ?!

one more time. for kicks.

Hahahaha I was kidding about the salt comment, who would wanna drink salty water while riding?! I know, electrolytes and blah blah blah but straight salt water...no way! Interesting numbers there though, 8-15% salt water...ewwww...

I really didn't believe this thread but I guess water bottles do freeze over in modestly cold environments.

would a chemical foot warner stay stuck to a water bottle. Maybe a little tape around it?