Cycling UK Forum

So, this is the new (2024) Podium® Titanium Bike Bottle 500ml.

It's sometimes listed for less than 90 euro on Amazon, and sometimes it appears for less than 70 euro on random online shops.

It's a very nice water bottle, especially if you are "titanium-addicted", but ... there is a problem: I tried one in a bicycle shop, I had just bought a very common cheap aluminum bottle cage and ... to my great surprise ... that bottle does not fit.

It is wider!

So how do you do it? are there adjustable bottle cages?

Please can you confirm that its outside diameter is 75 mm.

(And adjustable holders are available.)

Jonathan

It could be that the problem is that the titanium bottle, though the correct size, isn't squishy.

Most bottle cages have a slight hook at the top end, which lifts the top of the bottle a bit and means it slides into the cage at an angle. A plastic bottle will flex enough to allow the bottle to be pushed down until the hook pops over the top of the bottle. A titanium bottle on the other hand won't flex at all, and if the cage doesn't flex will get stuck.
It's like that to stop the bottle bouncing out of the cage on rough roads.

The answer is to transfer the flex to the cage. More shopping, I'm afraid.

Topeak Modula EX is a good adjustable bottle cage.

The Podium website shows the steel version (claimed to be the same size and obviously also non-squeezable) nestled in a Zipp SL Speed carbon cage. So there you go. That cage will cost you somewhere north of £60, but if you're prepared to spend £100 on a bottle I guess that's not something that will worry you. https://www.camelbak.co.uk/products/pod ... 1394064686

There is an Elite Struka adjustable bottle cage featured in the latest Cycle magazine. It has an adjustable wire (?) loop that you tighten with a knob, I guess a bit like the Boa gadget that some fancy cycling shoes have as fasteners.

It's 22.4 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm

What do you think about the restrap bottle cage?

Will it fit 75mm? It says up to 80mm
Is it too bad?

.. 22 euro shipped within EU, not too bad

AndyK wrote: ↑17 Oct 2024, 10:43pm The Podium website shows the steel version (claimed to be the same size and obviously also non-squeezable) nestled in a Zipp SL Speed carbon cage. So there you go. That cage will cost you somewhere north of £60, but if you're prepared to spend £100 on a bottle I guess that's not something that will worry you.

Well, +60 euro for a bottle cage is not good.
Plus I hate carbon.

DiTBho wrote: ↑17 Oct 2024, 11:59pm

AndyK wrote: ↑17 Oct 2024, 10:43pm The Podium website shows the steel version (claimed to be the same size and obviously also non-squeezable) nestled in a Zipp SL Speed carbon cage. So there you go. That cage will cost you somewhere north of £60, but if you're prepared to spend £100 on a bottle I guess that's not something that will worry you.

Well, +60 euro for a bottle cage is not good.
Plus I hate carbon.

£100 for a bottle isn't good either! Personally I hate metal water bottles: they make the water taste weird. Each to their own, I guess.

AndyK wrote: ↑18 Oct 2024, 12:53am £100 for a bottle isn't good either! Personally I hate metal water bottles: they make the water taste weird. Each to their own, I guess.

Titanium makes sense here, it doesn't react in a way that makes the water tastes weird.

Plastic is even worse than steel, anyway.

DiTBho wrote: ↑18 Oct 2024, 2:16am

AndyK wrote: ↑18 Oct 2024, 12:53am £100 for a bottle isn't good either! Personally I hate metal water bottles: they make the water taste weird. Each to their own, I guess.

Titanium makes sense here, it doesn't react in a way that makes the water tastes weird.

Plastic is even worse than steel, anyway.

Nothing wrong with PET and taste. If you are old enough and ugly enough not to care about what others may think (as I have always been) just use a pop bottle with a drinkie thingie cap from a drinking thingie bottle. You can also call this recycling.

I could have a 4 day cycle tour on 90 Euro! .

In my experience, Metal drinks bottles don’t fit well in metal bottle cages. A cheap plastic one is better as it can deform slightly to accommodate the bottle. I have an Elite DeBoyo bottle and had to swap to a plastic cage, due to the bottle not fitting and also rattling (metal on metal). A £5 plastic cage will do the job.

What are the advantages of metal bottles?

mattheus wrote: ↑18 Oct 2024, 10:11am What are the advantages of metal bottles?

They look 'nice'?
The steel bottle cage on my old Giant bike was too big for my preferred water bottle so I just bent it to stop the bottle from falling out.
My new bike didn't come with a bottle cage so I bought a cheap aluminium one, that was also easily bendable to accommodate my bottle.