About Bottles on a Bicycle

Cycling is a sport, and it's essential for every cyclist to refuel during a ride. For convenience, some opt for bottles of water, carbonated drinks, or sports beverages (500-600 cc) since they are readily accessible. While some riders carry these in backpacks or on racks, most cyclists use bottle cages attached to their bike frames. They purchase specially designed cycling bottles or bidons (French for bottle) to fill with their preferred drinks. These can include homemade sports drinks, juice, plain water, and more.

Dissolving Effervescent Tablets

I have two bottles: one is filled with pure water, and in the other, I dissolve one effervescent tablet in water. These tablets are affordable, convenient, and available in various flavors and compositions. In Taiwan, they tend to be quite pricey. My daughter brought back three different kinds from her recent trip to Germany:

- Vitamin C (yellow cover) with Lemon taste

- Calcium (blue cover) with Peach-Passion Fruit taste

- Magnesium (green cover) with Orange-Grapefruit taste

Be aware that buying too many of these German-made tablets could alarm President Trump, leading him to view them as a 'security threat' and enforce punitive tariffs, similar to those imposed on German cars!

These supermarket tablets are very convenient, but their sugar content is higher than I prefer. Many sports nutrition brands provide similar dissolving tablets without sugar in individual packaging for a slightly higher cost.

About Bottles

Bicycle bottles are made of various materials such as plastic, alloy, stainless steel, and titanium which I will describe below.

Plastic:

It is the common material for drinking bottles - no professional rider in the ProTour or World Tour enters a race without them. They are so cheap and convenient that riders simply discard them as souvenirs by the roadside; lucky fans pick them up for their personal shrine at home. Other riders, like Mario Cipollini, use plastic bottles as projectiles towards race officials.

Professionals have designated feeding areas where they receive bottles (sometimes with gel) or musettes (small bags for carrying food and drinks) from teammates waiting beside the road. Through additional domestiques (cyclists who support the top team members by carrying bottles, they have a continuous supply of fresh drinks. However, even for professionals, handling a musette during a race can be overwhelming. And I could not ask my wife to stand by the roadside at a specific point to prepare bottles for me...

During my own cycling life, I had so many plastic bottles with different brand names on them that I do not even try to count them. Some have been made out of a solid color, some had a clear window, while some were completely clear to visualize how much fluid is still left.

A popular trend involves 'insulated' plastic water bottles, where insulation materials such as alloy foil, 'nanogel', or even cork are placed between the inner and outer layers of the bottle. This design aims to maintain the contents' temperature, keeping them cooler or warmer for extended periods.

As an everyday cyclist, I find plastic unsuitable for cycling bottles. This is not only due to the potential presence of harmful BPA (as mentioned below) but also because of its effect on the contents. Living in Taiwan, a hot southern country with intense sunlight and a high UV index, I notice that no matter which plastic bottles I use, the contents eventually become bland or lackluster. Drinking from them neither tastes good nor feels refreshing.

A warning about BPA (Bisphenol A) in Plastic

BPA is a common building block in resins and some types of plastic. It's what's known as an endocrine-disrupting compound. In the body, these chemicals can act like hormones or disrupt normal hormone functions. Public pressure pushed companies to move to “BPA-free” products. But the FDA only officially bans the compound from use in baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging.

- How to Identify BPA Products?

Consumers can also take steps to avoid BPA and BPA alternatives entirely, steering clear of plastics with the recycling numbers 3, 6, and 7, which all contain compounds of concern.

- How to treat Plastic in general?

Don’t put plastics in dishwashers or the microwave, which can damage them and cause them to leach more BPA or its alternatives. Recycle plastic bottles when they look aged or scratched.

(https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/09/news-BPA-free-plastic-safety-chemicals-health/)

All plastic cycling bottles should be BPA free!

Alloy or Aluminum

It's a fact that alloy bottles without an intact inner coating is a health hazard. Generally, aluminum has a very low level of toxicity to humans, meaning, in general, it can be considered safe. The concern comes from overexposure, a problem that could occur more easily in the modern era. Studies have pointed out that increased amounts of dietary aluminum may contribute to skeletal issues in preterm or at-risk infants. Additionally, in higher doses, the metal can cause neurotoxicity (a form of toxicity in which a biological, chemical, or physical agent produces an adverse effect on the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system) of the blood-brain barrier.

That's why alloy bottle manufacturers use a coating within the aluminum bottles. I don't have any information about the material in these coatings, but in my humble experience, every coating will sooner or later dissolve.

I personally do not use alloy bottles on my bike; our family has 'banned' everything made of alloy from our kitchen and even replaced our beloved old rice cooker, including the aluminum pot, with a newer model with a stainless steel pot a long time ago.

Stainless Steel 

is, for me, the material of choice. All professional food and kitchenware is made from this material; hospitals without sanitized stainless steel cannot be found in this world! It does not leach chemicals, is corrosion-resistant, is neither affected by hot nor cold temperatures, and can be cleaned easily and is food-safe.

On my training rides, I use one stainless steel bottle with a plastic spout (BPA free). Surely I cannot squeeze stainless like plastic, and therefore, a sip might take seconds longer, but a fresher and 'safer' drink makes this additional time worthwhile.

During cycling tours longer than one day, I carry a pair of two stainless steel bottles:

- one single-wall bottle for refreshing drinks

- one double-wall (thermos) stainless bottle for hot and cold drinks (mainly coffee) or for storing liquids for the single-walled bottle. This thermos bottle has a screw cap made of stainless steel with a rubber ring; I don't mind stopping for my fresh coffee beside the road to enjoy the scenery or the camaraderie of fellow cyclists...

Titanium

I did not mention titanium because of its price. This material has superior properties to stainless steel. However, it is just too expensive for us ordinary people.

Conclusion:

If some riders do not believe my experience regarding 'taste differences', I suggest using two different bottles on your next ride: one made of plastic and one made of stainless steel. Fill both with the same liquid at the same temperature, leave some rest in each bottle during your ride, and compare the taste of both bottles near the end of the ride. You will surely notice a 'taste difference' after riding for three hours in the sun.

The above details are valid for all different kinds of bottles and are not only limited to cycling bottles, but my choice is obviously made of stainless steel.

I hope you can take something away from my bottle tips for your next bike ride. We don't think about health or environmental impact of plastic bottles.

Be cautious while riding, your loved ones will feel reassured!

Gerhard