Cyclist
Best cycling water bottles 2024 reviewed: Bidons for your bike
Hydration is all too often an overlooked part of your on-the-bike performance – let alone everyday health. We’re not suggesting you adorn your bike with enormous Stanley sippy cups, but there are certainly measures you can take to help you hydrate properly. Not all cycling water bottles are made equal.
In this guide we’ll talk you through our pick of the best bike water bottles or bidons, as they are also known. There’s a huge range from everyday options to more durable steel designs, insulated plastic bottles for hot days and double-wall vacuum insulated bottles for taking something more warming along for the ride with you when it gets colder.
In this buyer’s guide, we delve into the nitty gritty of bottle design to help you choose the best size and material options for you, and help keep them running tip-top for years to come.
Cyclist’s pick of the best cycling water bottles
- Rapha Bidon Small: £16
- Camelbak Podium Ice Insulated Bottle 620ml: £28
- Silca Mondrian Bottle: £17
- Elite Fly Tex Water Bottle: £5.99
- Camelbak Podium Steel 650ml: £40
- Portland Design Works Rattlesnek Plant-Based Bottle: £14.95
- Van Rysel 800 ml Cycling Water Bottle FastFlow: £8.99
- Elite Stainless Steel Water Bottle Deboyo Race: £25
- Giant Evercool Thermo Water Bottle: £11.99
Keep reading for more on each pair and our detailed buying advice
How do we test and why trust our advice?
Regardless of your chosen cycling discipline, bottles are one of the key pieces of equipment that you’ll need on your bike. From branded freebies to high performance designs, between us here at Cyclist we’ve tried and tested a huge range of cycling water bottles over the years.
There’s a surprisingly large range of bottle types for all rides, conditions and rider preferences, so we’ve pulled out our pick of the best to help you choose yours, no matter the budget.
Rapha Bidon Small
RRP £16 | View offer
- 625ml BPA-free plastic bottle
- Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
- Larger 750ml bottle also available (£18)
A modern classic, Rapha’s bidons are a subtly stylish option for your bike that are equally simple and easy to use.
Adorned with the logo and available in opaque black, clear black or navy with hi-vis pink lettering, these bottles have a 625ml capacity. For hotter or longer rides, consider opting for the larger bottles, which hold 750ml and cost £2 extra.
The bottles themselves are BPA-free and fully recyclable at end of life. They can also be run through the dishwasher to keep them looking and tasting clean. The Purist bottles are actually produced by Specialized and custom printed for Rapha – you’ll see a number of other brands using them too.
In true Rapha style, there’s also some fun trivia printed down the side of the bottles.
- Buy now from Rapha (£16)
Camelbak Podium Ice Insulated Bottle 620ml
RRP £28 | View offer
- Insulated 620ml bottle to keep your water chilled for four times longer
- Easy squeeze bottle and high flow rate cap
- Lockable mouthpiece for storage and transport
The Camelbak Podium Ice insulated bottle looks like a standard large plastic bottle, but a layer of foil-like insulating material between the inner and outer plastic wall helps to keep your water or energy mix cold for up to four times as long as normal, according to Camelbak.
This design isn’t as effective as a proper thermal vacuum, but not as weighty either, with each bottle weighing 152g. In contrast, the Camelbak Podium Steel bottle is claimed to keep your drinks chilled for up to 14 hours, but the weight penalty is greater at 354g per bottle.
The Podium Ice features Camelbak’s cap design, which features a twisting lockable mouthpiece for storage and transport, meaning no surprise leaks. You can also completely dismantle the mouthpiece for cleaning, which is especially good news if you regularly use an energy mix in your bottles.
Camelbak’s bottles aren’t cheap, but it’s good to know that they’re covered by the brand’s lifetime guarantee if you get any problems.
- Buy now from Sigma Sports (£28)
Silca Mondrian Bottle
RRP £17 | View offer
- Specialized Purist 625ml bottle
- BPA-free plastic construction with clear side panel gauge
- Limited edition design
Love the kit designs of years past? Then you’ll love this modern spin on an old classic, with the Mondrian design either in classic colours or an alternative pink and blue option.
Silca’s limited edition Mondrian design is printed on Specialized’s Purist bottles, a popular option for custom bottles – and the Rapha Bidon – with a secure lid and easy-to-use mouthpiece.
Keeping track of how much you’ve drunk (or not drunk) is easier with these bottles, thanks to the strip of transparent plastic that allows you to see the water level.
- Buy now from Tredz (£17)
Elite Fly Tex Water Bottle
RRP £5.99 | View offer
- Lightweight bottle designed for the pro peloton weighing only 51g
- 550ml capacity
- Ridged texture for improved grip
There are a few good reasons why so many of the WorldTour teams have adopted the Elite Fly Tex bottles. Not only are they incredibly lightweight at only 51g and grippy in the hand thanks to their ridged texture, but they can also deliver hydration through the mouthpiece at a fast rate. All of that and incredibly good value too? Yes, these are almost too good to be true.
There’s also a huge range of colours to choose from, or you might be lucky enough to pick some up in your favourite WorldTour team livery. My favourites are the pinks and yellows of the 2024 EF Pro Cycling design, for anyone asking.
Love the Elite Fly Tex but too thirsty for small bottles? Thankfully there’s also 750ml and 950ml options too, though in more limited colourways.
- Buy now from Sigma Sports (£5.99)
Camelbak Podium Steel 650ml
RRP £40 | View offer
- Durable steel bottles that’ll keep your water cold for up to 14 hours
- Lockable and easily dismantled Camelbak mouthpiece
- Covered by lifetime warranty
If you’re looking for a bottle that’s tough enough for extreme riding that’ll also keep your drinks cold, then you might want to consider the Camelbak Podium Steel.
The double wall vacuum insulated steel bottle has a mid-range 650ml capacity and will keep your water chilled for up to 14 hours, according to Camelbak.
As you can’t squeeze to aid water flow, you have to tilt the bottle upwards to drink. Internally, a little blue tube allows air to enter the bottle, displacing the water that’s flowing out.
While the bottle is certainly tough, it’s neither cheap nor lightweight, weighing in at 354g per bottle.
- Buy now from Tredz (£40)
Portland Design Works Rattlesnek Plant-Based Bottle
RRP £14.95 | View offer
- 680ml capacity
- 70% corn/30% LDPE construction and BPA-free
- Dishwasher safe
For a whole host of fun designs for your water bottles, check out American brand Portland Design Works. From this Rattlesnek design to floating sea otters, dogs, tattoo designs and cartoons, there’s a fun design for all tastes.
The bottles themselves are made with a blend of corn and LDPE composite, but are still totally dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
These larger 680ml capacity bottles are great for longer rides or hotter days where hydration is even more of a priority.
- Buy now from Portland Design Works (£14.95)
Van Rysel 800 ml Cycling Water Bottle FastFlow
RRP £8.99 | View offer
- Mid-sized 800ml capacity
- SureSnap valve for fast water delivery
- Drip-free mouthpiece
There’s more than meets the eye to these clear plastic bottles from Decathlon’s in-house road cycling brand, Van Rysel. The mouthpiece has been cleverly designed to be leak-free while riding, but also deliver drinks at a fast rate when pressure is applied to the bottle.
The bottle has a capacity of 800ml, but you can also opt for a little more or less, with 650ml and 950ml options also on sale.
Graduation marks down the side of the clear bottles help you keep track of how much you’re drinking, but you’ll need to be careful when it comes to washing your bottles, as these are not dishwasher safe.
- Buy now from Decathlon (£8.99)
Elite Stainless Steel Water Bottle Deboyo Race
RRP £25 | View offer
- Thermally insulated steel bottle claiming to keep drinks hot for 12 hours or cold for 24
- Two lid options
- 550ml capacity
Looking for a robust bottle that’ll keep your hot drinks warm for cold winter rides or your cold drinks properly chilled on the hottest of summer rides? Consider the stainless steel Elite Deboyo Race bottles, built to last with a 550ml capacity.
Thanks to the vacuum design like you’d have on your trusty soup thermos, this means that you can keep hot drinks hot for 12 hours, and cold drinks cold for 24 hours, according to Elite.
The bottle is supplied with two different caps; a steel cap that can be removed to drink direct from the vessel, or the push-pull nozzle cap, which also features a protective cap. A very neat feature for mucky winter jaunts or off-road riding.
- Buy now from Decathlon (£25)
Giant Evercool Thermo
RRP £11.99 | View offer
- 600ml capacity
- Double-wall construction with insulating layer
- BPA-free plastic
For more thirst-quenching drinks on hot days, Giant’s Evercool Thermo bottles could be a wise and not too expensive investment.
While Giant doesn’t quantify how much longer exactly, the brand does claim that these bottles will keep your cool drinks colder for longer than a standard single layer bottle.
The bottles are BPA-free and feature a leak-proof valve, which you can remove for cleaning. There’s also a Liv branded alternative for the same price, if you prefer.
- Buy now from Tredz (£11.99)
Buying advice: How to choose the right cycling water bottle for you?
Why do I need cycling bottles?
Cycling bottles are designed to fit snugly and securely in bottle cages, so you can easily reach for your drinks while riding without fear of losing a bottle along the way or when riding over more bumpy terrain. Sure, you can use a sports bottle in a pinch if you’ve forgotten your bottles, but you’ll soon learn why cycling-specific bottles are best.
Hydration vests are becoming more popular among gravel and ultra racers, but you’ll often find they also run bottles, especially for everyday riding.
What size cycling bottles are best?
Most cycling bottles have a capacity between 550ml and 650ml, though you can also get larger bottles up to 1,000ml. It’s up to you how big you opt for – if you find yourself more regularly riding in hot weather, further from potential water refills, or you sweat more profusely, then larger bottles are likely to be a better idea.
You’ll also need to take your frame size into account when choosing bottle size, as riders with smaller frames may not be able to fit longer bottles. Similarly, if you run a half frame bag on your gravel or bikepacking setup, you may only be able to use shorter, smaller capacity bottles.
Do I need insulated cycling bottles?
Riding in super hot or super cold conditions? Insulated bottles can help keep your drinks at a more palatable temperature, whether that’s nice and chilled on super hot days, or not too cold in chillier weather. Some insulated bottles also allow you to carry hot drinks like tea, hot chocolate or coffee on your rides, which can be a lovely treat on chilly winter rides.
There are two main types of insulated cycling bottles; double-wall plastic bottles with an insulating layer, or double-wall steel bottles with a vacuum. The former tend to be lighter and suitable for keeping drinks cold for a few hours’ use, whereas more heavy duty steel vacuum bottles can keep your drinks at the right temperatures for a lot longer.
How should I clean my cycling bottles?
You’ll need to keep on top of your bottle cleaning routine to prevent bottles from becoming unhygienic, developing an odour, or even worse – mould.
Rinse your bottles after every ride. If you’re using an energy drink mix, remember that the sugars will make the bottle even more attractive for bacteria, so clean even more thoroughly.
It’s a good idea to regularly give your bottles a deep clean. Many options can be fully disassembled to get into all those nooks and crannies of the mouthpiece. Some options are dishwasher safe, which can save you some elbow grease, but do check before you pop them in as not all water bottles can be put through a dishwasher cycle.
After cleaning your bottles, make sure you store them with the lids off, as this prevents mould growth through trapped moisture.
How long do cycling bottles last?
If you treat your cycling bottles well, they should last for many years of regular use. If longevity is high up on your priority list, consider steel bottles.
The post Best cycling water bottles 2024 reviewed: Bidons for your bike appeared first on Cyclist.