Let me first say that the fabric cageless water bottle on test here is the 750ml version, so my opinion is purely based on the performance of that particular bottle. I have some reservations that perhaps if I was reviewing the 600ml version my findings would be slightly different, however, as always I can only report on what I've found!
Picture the scene, you're 14 miles into your ride and you've just reached the end of a techy downhill/traversing section and you reach down for a much needed drink and..... no bottle. At some point in the last 3 or 4 miles my water bottle has yet again fallen off! Last time this happened I ended up riding back up the downhills to retrace my wheels and it was a 3 mile detour back up hill but on this occasion it's not possible. This was the situation I was faced with on Sunday during my 29 mile MTB ride. I ended up using a fireroad to trace my wheels back up the section I'd just ridden but no joy. I then ended up meeting up with a friend and together we had to use another fireroad to retrace even more. Luckily he spotted the water bottle and I was reunited!
Through trial and error I've discovered that the only way to reliably keep the bottle in place when riding proper trails is to have the bottle about 3/4 full which frankly defeats the purpose. I've tried adjusting the plastic washer bolts that keep the bottle in place but this seems to make no difference. The general weight of the bottle when its full just seems too much for the mounting system to cope with. On my XC style commute home on the bike this isn't a problem as I never carry a full bottle, its not that strenuous, and the conditions of the trails are fairly mellow so the bottle stays in place fairly firmly. Having said that it defeats the purpose again to have a water bottle that only works 3/4 of the time especially when frankly its not that challenging or intricate an item!
Pros: Easy to get on and off while on the move, looks smooth and fuss free, comes in a selection of colours to match your bike.
Cons: The flow of fluid isn't as good as the camelbak bottles. It probably fell off 10 minutes ago!
In a nutshell if you want a water bottle which has style over function. A water bottle which when you need a drink you discover is actually 3 miles away. Or a water bottle which can been beaten by a lot of other water bottles, get the fabric cageless bottle. Alternatively if you want to learn from my mistake and not have one sitting useless at the back of a cupboard, just stick with the perfectly fine and functioning system that you already have!
Picture the scene, you're 14 miles into your ride and you've just reached the end of a techy downhill/traversing section and you reach down for a much needed drink and..... no bottle. At some point in the last 3 or 4 miles my water bottle has yet again fallen off! Last time this happened I ended up riding back up the downhills to retrace my wheels and it was a 3 mile detour back up hill but on this occasion it's not possible. This was the situation I was faced with on Sunday during my 29 mile MTB ride. I ended up using a fireroad to trace my wheels back up the section I'd just ridden but no joy. I then ended up meeting up with a friend and together we had to use another fireroad to retrace even more. Luckily he spotted the water bottle and I was reunited!
Through trial and error I've discovered that the only way to reliably keep the bottle in place when riding proper trails is to have the bottle about 3/4 full which frankly defeats the purpose. I've tried adjusting the plastic washer bolts that keep the bottle in place but this seems to make no difference. The general weight of the bottle when its full just seems too much for the mounting system to cope with. On my XC style commute home on the bike this isn't a problem as I never carry a full bottle, its not that strenuous, and the conditions of the trails are fairly mellow so the bottle stays in place fairly firmly. Having said that it defeats the purpose again to have a water bottle that only works 3/4 of the time especially when frankly its not that challenging or intricate an item!
Pros: Easy to get on and off while on the move, looks smooth and fuss free, comes in a selection of colours to match your bike.
Cons: The flow of fluid isn't as good as the camelbak bottles. It probably fell off 10 minutes ago!
In a nutshell if you want a water bottle which has style over function. A water bottle which when you need a drink you discover is actually 3 miles away. Or a water bottle which can been beaten by a lot of other water bottles, get the fabric cageless bottle. Alternatively if you want to learn from my mistake and not have one sitting useless at the back of a cupboard, just stick with the perfectly fine and functioning system that you already have!
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