Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenville
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2006
Strengths: No leaks. No warpy bottles from getting too hot in the dishwasher. High quality non-porous plastic cleans completely, so you're not tasting some funky brew several fills later. Cap keeps mud off the mouthpiece; where I ride this is a serious advantage.
Weaknesses: Cap can fall off or break. This does not happen often, so it's not a dealbreaker. I've only had the cap fall off maybe three times out of half a dozen bottles and hundreds of riding hours. One cap permanently lost its opening tab, but that bottle is still in the rotation. The technique is to flip the lid while the bottle is still in your bike's holder, and develop a pull/drink/return motion that doesn't bang against your frame tubes.
A few people have mentioned getting sprayed in the face when they pop open the valve. That happened because there was a pressure differential, and this bottle is airtight until you pop that valve. It's a feature...not a bug. This is not a problem for me because I also pop the valve before lifting the bottle out of the cage.
Bottom Line:
This is THE bottle for mountain biking. The key advantage is the cap that keeps dirt off the valve. It's a mystery that other bottles don't have that feature. Once you get used to it, the cap doesn't get broken and is not a hassle to use.
Similar Products Used: All manner of free and bought bottles over the last 30 years.
Bike Setup: It has a bottle cage. OK, Marin Eldridge Grade converted to single speed. One bottle cage on the downtube. Other bottles in my fanny pack.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike T.
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2004
Strengths: Good plastic. No leaks.
Weaknesses: Flimsy dirt cover.
Bottom Line:
I've been using two Nalgene mtb bottles at my desk at work for the last eight months. They have been perfect! They don't leak all over my papers when knocked over.
But today I took one of them on its FIRST mountain bike ride. Opening that flip cap while riding is a bit of a pain in the arse. As I don't have two hands to spare while riding I was opening the flip cap while the bottle was in the cage and then removing the bottle. Great so far!
At my last drink of the ride, while on a 15' wide, flat trail, I flipped the top and removed the bottle. As the bottle was coming out of the cage I slightly caught it on the frame's top tube.
BINK!
Something hit the trail! I stopped and turned around. It was the plastic bubble top. No problem I'll just snap it back into place. Errr no I won't, the plastic ear has snapped off!
Well folks, that's one expensive bottle and it didn't last a whole ride. One chilli for a desk bottle, zero chillis for a mountain bike bottle.
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Sapporo
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2003
Strengths: Been using these suckers for was it 8,9,or 10 years? Still using the same bottles,. Love NOT DRINKING DIRT. In summer I prefer bottles to camelbacks(Less back sweat(No S##t)) No leal problems, no volume flow problems, just no problems NO PLASTIC TASTE
Weaknesses: Previous dudes said the caps can be broken off, yes they can, But barring crashes and ill use, they are way way better than buying new $2(price?) regular bottles every season or two.
Bottom Line:
Hey Nalgene is a great bottle, sure you can break it, sure you can't use it raging downhill or weaving thru taxis(and live), but as far as a bottle goes this one rules.I recommend Nalgene bike bottles to anyone looking for a good bottle.
Similar Products Used: Nothing similar used, unless you consider this a regular plastic bottle.then I have used a bunch of those,
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Allentown
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2003
Strengths: Hinged lid keeps dust and debris off of mouthpiece. Wide opening allows ice to be added easily.
Weaknesses: Once opened, if your lips touch the pop-up mouthpiece, the mouthpiece closes slightly and cuts flow or minimizes it.
Bottom Line:
I will continue using these bottles, as I ride dusty trails, but would love to see an alternative that keeps mouthpiece clean but also allows stonger flow.
Submitted by
Ritalinboy
a Cross Country Rider
from London, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2002
Strengths: - holds water for me
Weaknesses: - it broke, the stupid tab that holds the transparent hinged cap down broke about the 3'rd time I opened it
Bottom Line:
I really like the design of the bottle but since it broke under zero stress as soon as I got it, major low chiliness. There is now a hole where the tab was and if I squeeze water flies all over me. Also, the grip depression is pretty big, couldn't that be used to hold more water? I think most people except roadies stop when they drink anyways.
Strengths: This product stands up to everything! I dont think theres anything it cant handle! I love Nalgene products, and I will never use anything else!There durable, strong, economical, made well to carry in any condition!
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is I use Nalgene and nothing else, I recomend it to everyone I know. This product is wonderful! I can and have been able to use them in any situation! They hold up so well! This product is durable, in fact I can testify that if filled, tied to a rope and thrown off a cliff, after all it goes through its pulled back up and still fine! There amazing! So...Thank you!
Similar Products Used: Nashbar bottles, LBS bottles
Bike Setup: Not sure this is relevant
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Cameron
a Racer
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2001
Strengths: It doesn't drip, or leak, plus there is no added flavour to your beverage! And it doesn't leak! NO LEAKS. Try it! Turn it upside down and squeeze the bejesus out of it. It won't leak a drop.
Did I mention that it doesn't leak? And the top stays clean, but roadies don't care about that... Although the locking lid is nice if you put it in your briefcase.
Weaknesses: It doesn't magically fill itself.
Bottom Line:
This is the best bottle money can buy... Combine this with a chiller sleeve from Maxchill, and whoomp! There it is.
Strengths: Tough Plastic doesn't add any taste to the water The plastic cap keeps dirt from the nozzle (a nice feature)
Weaknesses: None!
Bottom Line:
These bottles are the best. The cap is made of Lexan, the same tough plastic in their backpacking bottles. They're just the right size and the cap flips open at the flick of a thumb. They're not flashy but they outperform every other bottle I've seen so far. Thumbs up!
Submitted by
TDAC
a Weekend Warrior
from Alameda, CA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2000
Strengths: The dome is why I bought this thing
Weaknesses: could be bigger - hold more water.
Bottom Line:
Rubicon has bottle mount on down tube and my bottle was getting REALLY muddy. It was nasty, so I'm searching for a different way to carry water and see the Nalgene bottle on some website. I think "SWEET, this is the answer to my problem."
At first, I thought the top would be cheesy and break, but it's very strong.
Submitted by
dpb
a Cross-Country Rider
from Kingston, Ontario
Date Reviewed: September 5, 1999
Strengths: aero, no bad taste, functional.
Weaknesses: learning curve?
Bottom Line:
My road bike has a small frame, and it took a little practice to handle the bottle right while riding. Opening the lid while it is on the bike can be difficult I found, so i just work around it and open it after. There's very little plastic taste, and drink powder washes out without a trace. And yes the lid IS strong...I've dropped the bottle and had the lid fly off but it just snapped right back on. That brings up the point that you could remove it if you want to, but I wouldn't. I wont'go back to packs or regular bottles!
great bottles, the dome (cap) looks like it can break easily but is very strong, it is made of lexan plastic (pound for pound stronger than steel, race cars use it for their windshields), I have dropped them countless time and they never broke, also have their camping bottles and those are practically indestuctable
Submitted by
Alacritas
a Weekend Warrior
from Alabama
Date Reviewed: August 8, 1999
Strengths: The Dome is where it's at!
Weaknesses: V8 left a permanent orange stain inside.
Bottom Line:
Chalk up another happy customer. I was tired of getting crap on the nozzle of my bottles, so I bought this kind. So far, so good. I can flip the lid off with my teeth or my thumb really quickly, and I haven't managed to break it. The thing doesn't leak at all, and it's really nice to not get drink stains on my shirt. I can also use it in the car without fear of seat stains. Most of my plain-jane bottles have leaked at least a little. This has got to be the only bottle worth actually buying. If Nalgene would make an insulated version, I'd buy one of those, too.V8 left a stain inside it, but it doesn't taste like V8, so I guess it's not hurting anything.
Submitted by
Ben
a Weekend Warrior
from Palo Alto, CA
Date Reviewed: August 6, 1999
Strengths: The dome keeps the nozzle mostly clean, except in the really heinous dust hereabouts, where it's still worlds better than a normal bottle!
Weaknesses: The dome hinge doesn't look strong. The nozzle is a little hard on the teeth (hard plastic, as opposed to some bottles' rubber). Still, it doesn't take too much pressure to open, so it's basically OK.
Bottom Line:
Buy it from MEC for like $5 US. The dome really works pretty well. Get one. You'll like it. I wish they had one made of the clear plastic that they use on their camping bottles, which don't absorb flavours. But it's quite a rigid plastic, so it would be impossible to squeeze.
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