…of a good water bottle with a pull-up top that doesn’t leak

[Sparta Fan]

Hi, I’ve had 3 or 4 Thorn water bottles for many years which have gradually deteriorated and now unreliable due to leaking. Can anyone recommend similar replacement that doesn’t leak. Thanks in advance

[DevonDamo]

Hi, I’ve had 3 or 4 Thorn water bottles for many years which have gradually deteriorated and now unreliable due to leaking. Can anyone recommend similar replacement that doesn’t leak. Thanks in advance

I just re-use plastic drinks bottles with pull-up lids, i.e. mineral water or lucozade type bottles. Most of them are 100% watertight, but if they aren't there are plenty more available for free, providing you don't mind washing them out. There's a load of nonsense written about how reusing retail plastic bottles will give you cancer, but Cancer Research have debunked this myth which was probably perpetuated by the companies that want to sell you pointless plastic 'hydration' bottles:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about- ... use-cancer

[robert17]

Elite, never had a problem with these. Also now biodegradable version available at end of its life. I've one of these too and great also.

[Mick F]

Specialized Big Mouth.
I have three of them, and Mrs Mick F has one too.
Had them for years and years, and never a leak.

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co. ... hero-fade/
https://www.specializedconceptstore.co. ... er-bottle/

[gbnz]

Hi, I’ve had 3 or 4 Thorn water bottles for many years which have gradually deteriorated and now unreliable due to leaking. Can anyone recommend similar replacement that doesn’t leak. Thanks in advance

I just re-use plastic drinks bottles with pull-up lids, i.e. mineral water or lucozade type bottles. Most of them are 100% watertight, but if they aren't there are plenty more available for free, providing you don't mind washing them out. There's a load of nonsense written about how reusing retail plastic bottles will give you cancer, but Cancer Research have debunked this myth which was probably perpetuated by the companies that want to sell you pointless plastic 'hydration' bottles:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about- ... use-cancer

+ 1. Though every few months, I have to replace my basic bottle (£0.17), with an incredibly expensive, luxury version as they are a bit more robust They now costs £0.39

[Benz3ne]

Hi, I’ve had 3 or 4 Thorn water bottles for many years which have gradually deteriorated and now unreliable due to leaking. Can anyone recommend similar replacement that doesn’t leak. Thanks in advance

I just re-use plastic drinks bottles with pull-up lids, i.e. mineral water or lucozade type bottles. Most of them are 100% watertight, but if they aren't there are plenty more available for free, providing you don't mind washing them out. There's a load of nonsense written about how reusing retail plastic bottles will give you cancer, but Cancer Research have debunked this myth which was probably perpetuated by the companies that want to sell you pointless plastic 'hydration' bottles:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about- ... use-cancer

Though the myth has been debunked there’s definitely some weight in studies linking BPA (and it’s alternatives) to endocrine disruption.
Unfortunately, it’s exceptionally difficult to get away from plastics with plasticisers in them, and the same would go for any of the plastic bottles that we have access to, or will be suggested in this thread.

[simonineaston]

These are really good and come ready filled! Light, fairly robust and cheap. All my French tours were done using these.

Evian water bottle...

[VinceLedge]

I use SIS ones, often available on offer and not expensive anyway. The 1l ones are particularly handy.

[iandusud]

Elite, never had a problem with these. Also now biodegradable version available at end of its life. I've one of these too and great also.

As above. I've only used Elite for several years now as they do not leak, have good nozzle and are well made.

[atoz]

Hi, I’ve had 3 or 4 Thorn water bottles for many years which have gradually deteriorated and now unreliable due to leaking. Can anyone recommend similar replacement that doesn’t leak. Thanks in advance

I just re-use plastic drinks bottles with pull-up lids, i.e. mineral water or lucozade type bottles. Most of them are 100% watertight, but if they aren't there are plenty more available for free, providing you don't mind washing them out. There's a load of nonsense written about how reusing retail plastic bottles will give you cancer, but Cancer Research have debunked this myth which was probably perpetuated by the companies that want to sell you pointless plastic 'hydration' bottles:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about- ... use-cancer

IMHO the real issue with reusing plastic bottles is what was in them before. Even if what was in them before was safe to ingest, if it had a strong smell or taste you will never completely get rid of it when washing the bottle out. You also need to be careful to sterilise the bottle periodically, just like proper cycle bottles. Plastic is easy to colonise by bugs esp if you have sugary drinks.

[axel_knutt]

I used a set of Zefal Magnums* for 16 years, which used to leak from the day they were new whether the valve was open or closed. I just used them with my lips over the whole nozzle, not just the rubber tip.

I now have a set of these SIS ones which don't leak, and they also have the advantage that they were the only ones I found that don't pull your teeth out in the attempt to open them.

(*I notice that the current Magnums are a completely different design to mine.)

[DevonDamo]

IMHO the real issue with reusing plastic bottles is what was in them before. Even if what was in them before was safe to ingest, if it had a strong smell or taste you will never completely get rid of it when washing the bottle out. You also need to be careful to sterilise the bottle periodically, just like proper cycle bottles. Plastic is easy to colonise by bugs esp if you have sugary drinks.

It's definitely true that any plastic bottle that's been filled with orange squash etc. will have a persistent taste. (Although I find this is only a problem with bottles that are marketed as reusable rather than ordinary 'single use' bottles - i.e. when I rinse out a Tango bottle after drinking the original contents, it can be used for water with no residual taste.) However, even with a tainted reusable bottle, the taste will go eventually - it's just a matter of time. So long as you can cope with whatever chemicals are giving your water a faint orange-squash taint for a few weeks of use, it will eventually all leech out and go back to normal.

If you go to one of the big mountain bike parks. like Bike Park Wales, you'll find the sides of the trail are littered with tool-kits, spare inner-tubes and tens of thousands of posh drinks bottles, which obviously hadn't been secured well enough for a bumpy environment. I always try and collect as much of this stuff as I can comfortably carry in my rucksack, so I can hand out inner tubes etc. to my mates later. I hate the idea of buying plastic unnecessarily, so any posh reusable bottles that have been tainted with orange squash get disinfected and then used for the gym etc. for a few weeks, after which they're good to bung to anyone who's in need of one. (I'm drinking from one of the once-tainted ones now - good as new.)

[iandriver]

Specialized Big Mouth.
I have three of them, and Mrs Mick F has one too.
Had them for years and years, and never a leak.

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co. ... hero-fade/
https://www.specializedconceptstore.co. ... er-bottle/

+1 for this.

[Sparta Fan]

Thanks for all your useful suggestions

[freiston]

I gave up on such water bottles. I never did find one that truly didn't leak. As well as sticky drinks dribbling out on bumpy roads and going all over the frame, the bit you put in your mouth can get mucky with muck off the roads.

I realise it's not what you asked for but I use the Ion8 leak-free bottles (I have a 750ml and a 1 ltr bottle). They have a lid that locks shut and can be opened single-handed (and can be closed without too much difficulty too), they are very strong rigid bottles so you can't squeeze or suck on them but they do have an air hole above the nozzle - so you can swig as easily as pouring it into your mouth (but without getting it all over - it all goes in the mouth). They don't have the indent around them that a lot of cages use for extra purchase and I had to change my cages (to Zefal Pulse Full Aluminium Bottle Cages) to get them to fit.

If you are interested, here's what they look like (this is the 1 litre bottle):