On really hot days, keeping the water on your bike cool is an impossible task, and it puts me off drinking it. That’s a dangerous combo. You can use light-coloured bottles, avoiding black, which will help, but there’s another way that might have so far passed you by completely.
Camelbak Podium Chill bottles are a quality item and, as such, have been in every high street bike shop since time began. Still, you probably overlooked them till now, because whilst they look just like any other big bottle on the shelf, they’re almost always way more expensive than every other bottle in the shop.
Thanks to Amazon Prime Day deals, I’ve just spotted them for less than $15/£10 each.
They can’t stop your water from getting hot, but they will protect it for up to twice as long. If you plan your ride ahead of time, you can put them in the fridge or even the freezer for short blasts, and leave them to the very last minute before you load up your bike and head out. The special lining doesn’t add much weight or bulk, and you’ll avoid that warm tea temp water for way, way longer, and you’ll thank me when you reach for a drink, I promise.
They come in a ton of nice colours – remember, avoid the dark ones – and the spout and water supply is really good, convenient and not fiddly. In all the other ways you want it to be, it’s a great bottle anyway; it will just keep those drinks chilled for longer.
The same applies for the gym, of course, or in the car on long journeys, where the kids might kick off if you feed them tepid squash. They’re also 100% free of any nasty chemicals, like BPA, BPS and BPF. The finish looks premium, they don’t leak, and the only slight downside is the volume is a little lower than a full-on 750ml bottle, but the chill on the water more than makes up for it.
