About Bottles on a Bicycle

Refueling

After I fractured the femoral neck in my right leg, my doctor suggested two sports: cycling and swimming to ease my leg during sports activities. Since I prefer warm showers and don't feel comfortable in wet environments, I chose cycling as my main sport.

Cycling is a smooth sport, and for me, quite a sweaty one. Naturally, it's important to refuel during a ride, and the more, the better. For convenience, some people opt for bottles of water, carbonated drinks, or the readily available sports beverages in Taiwan (500-600 cc), which are everywhere. While some riders carry these in backpacks or on racks, most cyclists use bottle cages attached in pairs to their bike frames. These cages hold cycling bottles or bidons (French for bottle), filled with their preferred drinks, such as homemade sports drinks, juice, plain water, and more.

Dissolving Effervescent Tablets

I always carry two bottles: one filled with pure water, and the other with water in which I dissolve an effervescent tablet. These tablets are cost-effective, convenient, and available in a variety of flavors and compositions. In Taiwan, they are usually quite pricey. My daughter brought back three different types from her recent trip to Germany:

- Vitamin C (yellow cover) with Lemon flavor

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

- Magnesium (green cover) with Orange-Grapefruit flavor

Keep in mind that purchasing an excessive number of these German-made tablets might raise concerns for President Trump, prompting him to see them as a 'security threat' and impose punitive tariffs, much like those on German automobiles!

These in supermarket available tablets are quite handy, but they contain more sugar than I'd like. Numerous sports nutrition brands offer similar sugar-free dissolving tablets in individual packaging at a slightly higher price.

About Bottles

Bicycle bottles are crafted from different materials including plastic, alloy, stainless steel, and titanium In general, you can use everything that holds liquid, but there are some long-term health argument against some materials.

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.

The organizers of races designate feeding areas. There, riders can receive bottles (sometimes with gel) or musettes (small bags for carrying food and drinks) from their own teammates 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...

Throughout my cycling experience, I've accumulated numerous plastic bottles featuring various brand names, to the extent that I don't even attempt to count them. Some were crafted from solid-colored plastic, some included a transparent window, and others were entirely clear, allowing me to see how much fluid is in the bottle.

A popular trend involves 'insulated' plastic water bottles, featuring insulation materials like alloy foil, 'nanogel', or even cork placed between the bottle's inner and outer layers. This design is intended to preserve the temperature of the contents, keeping them cooler or warmer for longer time.

As a regular cyclist, I consider plastic unsuitable for cycling bottles. This is not just because of the possible presence of harmful BPA (as mentioned below) but also due to its impact on the contents. Residing in Taiwan, a hot tropical island with strong sunlight and a high UV index, I've observed that regardless of the plastic bottles I choose, the contents eventually become dull or unappealing. Drinking from them neither tastes pleasant 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

Alloy bottles without a proper inner coating pose a health risk! Although aluminum generally has a low level of toxicity to humans and is considered safe, concerns arise from overexposure, which is more likely in today's world. Research indicates that

• increased dietary aluminum can lead to skeletal problems in preterm or at-risk infants

• in higher doses, aluminum can cause neurotoxicity (a type of toxicity where a biological, chemical, or physical agent adversely affects the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system) of the blood-brain barrier.

Because of the dangers, manufacturers of alloy bottles apply a coating inside the aluminum bottles to prevent direct contact with the contents. I am not aware of the materials used in these coatings, but based on my experience, every coating eventually gets damaged and dissolves in the contents.

Personally, I avoid using alloy bottles on my bike; our family has 'banned' all alloy products from our kitchen and even replaced our cherished old rice cooker, including the aluminum pot, with a newer model featuring a stainless steel pot a long time ago.

Stainless Steel 

For me, this material is the preferred choice. All professional kitchenware and food-related items are crafted from it; you won't find a hospital in the world without sanitized stainless steel! It doesn't leach chemicals, resists corrosion, isn't affected by extreme temperatures, and is easily cleaned and food-safe.

On my training rides, I use a stainless steel bottle with a BPA-free plastic spout. Although I can't squeeze stainless steel like plastic, and taking a sip might take a few seconds longer, the fresher and 'safer' drink makes this extra time worthwhile.

For cycling tours lasting more than a day, I carry 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 features a stainless steel screw cap with a rubber ring; I don't mind stopping for fresh coffee by the roadside to enjoy the scenery or the company of fellow cyclists...

Titanium

I did not bring up titanium due to its cost. This material boasts superior properties compared to stainless steel. However, it is simply too expensive for most of us.

Conclusion

If some riders doubt my experience regarding 'taste differences', I recommend using two different bottles on your next ride: one plastic and one stainless steel. Fill both with the same liquid at the same temperature, leave some in each bottle during your ride, and compare the taste beside the road. After riding for three hours in the sun, you will certainly notice a 'taste difference'. The above observations apply to all types of liquid containers, not just to cycling bottles. My preference is clearly stainless steel.

The weight of the slightly heavier stainless steel isn't essential for me, but my taste buds and health are.

I hope my bottle tips prove helpful for your upcoming bike ride or outdoor adventure. We frequently neglect the health and environmental effects of plastic bottles, and change should begin with us...

Ride safely, and your loved ones will feel more at ease!

Gerhard