Stainless Steel water bottles

[pwa]

Doesn't stainless steel become really hot on a hot sunny day?

[aljohn]

What are the thoughts, if any, on SIGG (switzerland) aluminium water bottles? I bought a beautiful blue one at the ctc jumble sale in Birmingham - mainly 'cos it matched my Dolan, as you do. It was an unused new bottle with a screw top. I haven't used it yet. But I will have to try it out soon.

[pwa]

Why metal at all? Is it concern over toxic particles from certain plastics? Or is it retro aesthetics? Good plastic bottles can be squeezed to emit a jet of water, they are gripped well in bottle cages, and they don't look too scratched too soon.

[mjr]

Why metal at all? Is it concern over toxic particles from certain plastics? Or is it retro aesthetics?

For me, it's partly aesthetics but mainly that many plastic bottles taint the water over a few hours (not sure it's toxic but I don't like the taste), while many of the BPA-free runners' ones that don't can't be squeezed much either. Also, clear or matt plastic bottles seem to heat the water up even quicker than silver metal ones - silver metal ones reflect some of the heat and I guess what's inside thin metals gets cooled by the breeze of cycling more quickly than relatively thick plastics.

Finally, squeezable bottles have a bad habit of getting squeezed when placed in a bag to walk around your destination, dripping on the rest of your bag's contents in a way that a screwtop metal bottle never does.

But in short: the OP wants a metal water bottle, so this isn't an appropriate place to post placky bidon advocacy.

[mjr]

What are the thoughts, if any, on SIGG (switzerland) aluminium water bottles? I bought a beautiful blue one at the ctc jumble sale in Birmingham - mainly 'cos it matched my Dolan, as you do. It was an unused new bottle with a screw top. I haven't used it yet. But I will have to try it out soon.

They are indeed beautiful! I like them. Adjustable cages (Topeak's Modula and so on) will hold most of them and I think the 600ml ones are the same diameter as most cages. I sometimes replace the screw top with a bung with a sippy straw through it, putting that in a small food bag and the screw top back on when I get to my destination.

[pwa]

Why metal at all? Is it concern over toxic particles from certain plastics? Or is it retro aesthetics?

For me, it's partly aesthetics but mainly that many plastic bottles taint the water over a few hours (not sure it's toxic but I don't like the taste), while many of the BPA-free runners' ones that don't can't be squeezed much either. Also, clear or matt plastic bottles seem to heat the water up even quicker than silver metal ones - silver metal ones reflect some of the heat and I guess what's inside thin metals gets cooled by the breeze of cycling more quickly than relatively thick plastics.

Finally, squeezable bottles have a bad habit of getting squeezed when placed in a bag to walk around your destination, dripping on the rest of your bag's contents in a way that a screwtop metal bottle never does.

But in short: the OP wants a metal water bottle, so this isn't an appropriate place to post placky bidon advocacy.

Just wondered.

On another tangent, I once heard that if you really want to keep water in a bottle cool on a hot day you should slide an old sock over it, then dunk in water. The water evaporating from the sock is supposed to cool the contents of the bottle. Never tried it though.

[mjr]

On another tangent, I once heard that if you really want to keep water in a bottle cool on a hot day you should slide an old sock over it, then dunk in water. The water evaporating from the sock is supposed to cool the contents of the bottle. Never tried it though.

I suspect it'll work (evaporative cooling is a thing) but it wouldn't fit well in a cage and you could look a bit daft drinking from a sock. I keep the second bottle in an insulated kettle bag until it's wanted.

[pete75]

As an aside when/why did was a bidon renamed a drink bottle or water bottle

[mjr]

As an aside when/why did was a bidon renamed a drink bottle or water bottle

Cracking topic-drifting attempt, Gromit!

[AlaninWales]

On another tangent, I once heard that if you really want to keep water in a bottle cool on a hot day you should slide an old sock over it, then dunk in water. The water evaporating from the sock is supposed to cool the contents of the bottle. Never tried it though.

Of course it works, it's an ancient principle still in common use: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler. As the link pints out, that ishow sweat cools your body. Similarly I have kept a metal canteen cool by dipping the cover in streams and in really hot weather kept heat-stroke at bay by soaking my hat with water.

[pete75]

As an aside when/why did was a bidon renamed a drink bottle or water bottle

Cracking topic-drifting attempt, Gromit!

Says the guy who first mentioned bidons.

[deliquium]

Why metal at all? Is it concern over toxic particles from certain plastics? Or is it retro aesthetics? Good plastic bottles can be squeezed to emit a jet of water, they are gripped well in bottle cages, and they don't look too scratched too soon.

In my case, certainly "retro aesthetics", in that all my bikes are old bar one and all componentry is silver Added to which, the recent hot weather reminded me of the need to keep hydrated (I ride every day, all year round, no car) and how unpalatable warm water is from a plastic bottle

Today was very much cooler here in Gogledd and a 36 mile shopping run was completed with the new 'sport' capped Klean Kanteen brushed stainless steel bidon sitting in an aluminium 'Blackburn' cage. Fortunately there were no rattles. The 'sport cap' worked remarkably well, very impressed - but the hanging loop part of the lid got in the way of my nose

There is minor evidence already of scratching, but as mentioned upthread, I don't give a fig nor a button for such things on a water bottle.

So far thumbs up apart from the annoying 45º angled rigid hanging loop on the lid.

Waiting now for some more hot weather to see if the stainless steel averts the unpalatable taste of a hot plastic bidon's contents

[Brucey]

these aluminium bottles are inexpensive enough to be worth a go with...?.



http://www.poundland.co.uk/summer/camping/aluminimum-camping-bottle

I think they are slightly smaller than a standard bidon.

I wouldn't necessarily fancy drinking anything strongly acid or alkaline out of them though (although having said that how much different is it to an aluminium-canned fizzy drink, I wonder?)

IIRC they used to do them in a brushed aluminium finish; they may still do so. I think that with the right external finish, the top half of the cap chopped off, and perhaps some strategic tape or sleeving to prevent rub marks, they would make nice retro-styled bottles to go on the bike...?

BTW this sort of setup seems appealing



but every one that looks like this that I have tried has driven me berserk with various rattles

cheers

[mjr]

I think they are slightly smaller than a standard bidon.

Easy enough to check by taking one along to the shop and holding them up bottom-to-bottom.

I wouldn't necessarily fancy drinking anything strongly acid or alkaline out of them though (although having said that how much different is it to an aluminium-canned fizzy drink, I wonder?)

Are they unlined, then?

BTW this sort of setup seems appealing



but every one that looks like this that I have tried has driven me berserk with various rattles

I've submitted to modernity in that I have cages with plastic buttons holding the bottle on one side to prevent the most common source of rattles, like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M-Wave-Alloy- ... 2583204988

[Brucey]

I do have one of these bottles and it weighs ~85g, is about 6-1/2" high (without stopper) and is a gnat's under 73mm dia. (By comparison, yer classic TA bottle tapers from~72.5mm to ~77mm with height.)

So it is pretty close; close enough to fit into and then rattle within a typical bottle cage.... I guess some strategic taping might fix that.

The bottle appears to be lacquered inside and out. I can't see the lacquer standing repeated use though....

cheers