I’m wondering how do you stop your dowtube/seattube mounted bottles getting covered covered in crap? Specifically the bit you plan on sticking in ones cakehole. As the odd time I have used bottle mounts on my old SS bike I always found this an issue. Mud is not an issue, but dog pops etc, is.

…or should I just use a hydration pack?

Just to clarify, I’m not talking racing, more all day on/off road rides.

Get a Giant with a phat downtube, that keeps most of the muck off.

or should I just use a hydration pack?

on a cross bike? Burn him!

Have you got cage bolts on the seat tube? might be cleaner (ish).

You can get bottles with lids over the mouth piece – Halfords do them.

I just avoid riding through dogger. When I have ridden through it, it’s hit my shoe not my water bottle.

Drink from streams or puddles?

Put your bottle in your jersey pocket?

I have always used a crud catcher for that exact reason.
This is my home made carbon one ~

It’s not just CXers who use bottles. 😕

Camelbak Podium with the optional flip top cap.

They were on 3 for 2 at Halfords when I bought mine.

that’s quite a clean bottle

i’ve never seen it as a problem, if it’s a little gikky just squirt some water out the spout to wash the worst away

Get one with a lid.

Squirt don’t suck…. 😉

Quick wipe in my Jersey and down the gullet. Never noticed dog poo on a bottle (never tasted it anyway).

i’ve never seen it as a problem, if it’s a little gikky just squirt some water out the spout to wash the worst away

+1, always use bottles, never had a problem.

that’s quite a clean bottle

Only pic I could find that illustrated what I was babbling on about.

or should I just use a hydration pack?

on a cross bike? Burn him!

😀

It’s not just CXers who use bottles.

Sorry, Graham, I thought all non-drop bar cyclerists were Camelbaked up to the eyeballs.

Camelbak Podium with the optional flip top cap.

Noice!

*heads off to halfords.com*

Ah, r followed by n always looks like m in the stw font, I’d forgotten that.

I leave mine at home – on the road bike!
Seriously – for MTB and CX riding I use a hydration pack. Keeps it clean and stops me losing the damn things. I allowed myself to be convinced to go bottles only during a nine day fully supported stage race earlier this year and regretted it.
For those that say contamination not an issue – tell that to the approx 150 riders who got Campylobacter a year or two ago…..

Racing – no drink on board, it’s only an hour.

Tootling about the bridleways – camelbak, and a few bits of flapjack.

my cross bike doesn’t even have bottle cage mounts so no problem

It’s probably part of the attraction. No brakes, have to run up the hills, muddy bottles is the least of your worries 😉

Camelbak Podium with the optional flip top cap.

Blimey. £4.99 for a cover for the end of your spout? Jeebus.

Cut down bender fender/mucky nuts down tube guard? Personally I’ve never bothered as the down tube itself keeps most mud off the important bit. Only time I use a backpack is the 3 peaks.

There are lots of cheap bottles with flip-caps to keep the drinking spout clean

There are lots of cheap bottles with flip-caps to keep the drinking spout clean

Now I now you’ve used the internet before, Druidh. So links please 8)

Decathlon do them cheap. Having bottles on your forks like my Fargo also helps.

Grrr!

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_385203_langId_-1_categoryId_165633

Cheers, fella 😀

I am surprised, that more companies don’t offer a solution to the muddy spout problem. I wonder if they assume that anyone riding off road, is using a hydration pack or too gnar to need fluids?

Decathlon do them cheap. Having bottles on your forks like my Fargo also helps.

Along with never having learned a foreign language, not having a local Decathlon is one of my biggest regrets.