Some bikes make a big fuss over this, others refuse to compromise their suspension to accomodate one.
For you, is it a:
a) necessity - it's far nicer to drink from a bottle and have free shoulders for shorter rides or when resupply is posisble
b) Will use it if it is there, but not a dealbreaker. I'll adjust my water and tool carrying to suit the bike, not the other way around
c) irrelevent - backpack all the time for every ride.
(a)
B mostly, but A if its my only bike that gets used for rides with the kids as well as big days out/gnar stuff.
edit: although kids are getting bigger so they can carry the water....
a)
B
I'd probably muddle through without one if the bike was good so not a deal breaker but I'd much rather have one, or in fact, two. Somewhat disappointed that my 456 only has one mount despite there being plenty of room for two.
At the moment b) as my shoulders & neck are a bit achey, but normally c).
a
A.
One 750ml bottle on the bike, another 500ml in the bumbag. Can't remember the last time I used my backpack on a proper ride (other than transporting beers down to the river). My back gets hot and sweaty real quick so prefer not to have it covered.
On a big climb, rather than taking a backpack, I'll strap my knee pads to the bar and loop the helmet over them, rolling and stuffing my back protector into the helmet.
Depends a bit on the bike, but mostly C, occasionally B.
A. it's one of the biggest factors in purchasing a bike.
A
Still use a pack on long rides or with kids though. Just prefer a bottle.
On a full suspension bike - C. Full sus generally equals a big day out, so would use my backpack.
On a hard tail - B.
On a road/gravel bike - A.
B doesn’t preclude drinking from a water bottle so A and B.
I find threaded inserts useful for other things too such as carrying a trail pump alongside a bottle
B.
I only bother in weather like we've had recently, both my previous bikes, SB66 and Capra couldn't take one, wasn't an issue.
What changed?
Thirty years ago if designers managed to squeeze three sets of bottle mounts on a frame they were lauded in magazine reviews, then camelbacks, in all shapes and sizes ruled until about 5 years ago- for years cage mount bolts went unused, to the point where a lot of frames didn't bother designing them in. did it really take people that long to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and decide that carrying your water on your back wasn't such a great idea?
Is this just a fashion thing?
A
I wouldn't even think about buying a bike that doesn't have a (proper) way of storing a bottle. All my rides pretty much are sub 2 hour blasts so 1 bottle is all I need. Riding without a bag is so liberating, I'm never going back!
A for me, rode with a camelback for years, but really got fed up of the sweaty back, especially as I've moved all tool and spares storage to the bike, just don't like the idea of landing on anything hard and lumpy, so I was carting round a great big CB with a litre of water in it.
I have bought one of the CB bumbags, but only used it once so far (have owned for 2 years)
A as well.
Deal breaker for me for a bike not to have one. Yes, long day epics might need a pack as well but most rides are under two hours for me and using bottles is my preferred option.
Is this just a fashion thing?
Rise of enduro? Its something vaguely akin to a trail ride and a big day in the hills - so there is an aesthetic to aim for. Coloured jersey, shorts and light knee pads and so on.
Prior to that your look options were either xc racer in training (lycra jersey with pockets), or outdoor enthusiast who just happened to be on a bike rather than on foot (big bag with tools, clothes, water).
A* - two of please
A)
I sold my Flare partly because it couldn't accommodate a bottle without it rubbing the shock mount.
Depends on the bike?
If nothing else it's a convenient place to stash a multitude of things. Everyone likes to bang on about the ever changing standards of the cycle industry, whilst forgetting that bottle mounts have been 2 bolts, 2.5" apart since basically forever. You can get pumps, tools, CO2 inflators, alsorts of stuff that mounts onto those 2 bolts.
Sort rides - 1 bottle
Races (or organised events) - 1 bottle + somewhere to fill it
Long day out - camel back
Because even with a bit of planning carrying/obtaining enough water over a longer ride is difficult sometimes. But not having any bottle mounts at all would be a PITA.
A bike without somewhere to stash at least 1x 1000ml bottle would be a pain to live with.
B but leaning towards A!
I've ridden with a pack for years and it's not really bothered me, until I build a HT up with bottle mounts. Took the opportunity of adding a bottle (fidlock for ref.) and really miss it on my FS now. to the point that all of my idle browsing of new FS bikes is including bottle bosses in the frame as a purchasing consideration.
A for me. Bottle is pretty much what i use 95% of the time, I've a Camelbak for the days I don't
c for MTB, a for road and gravel, d (it's all irrelevant) for the commuter.
On a full suspension bike – C. Full sus generally equals a big day out, so would use my backpack.
On a hard tail – B.
On a road/gravel bike – A.
This exactly.
Bottles also get covered in mud and cow/sheep shit.
Totally c. Have backpack for big rides and bum bag for quick blasts.
B or C. I use a bum bag or whatever they're called.
All my current bikes can hold a bottle (2 only just) - but I certainly wouldn't discount a bike or frame if it couldn't.
A. Both for short rides & when doing longer days out. Electrolyte in the bottle & water in the camelbak
I really want to support Orange as a uk manufacturer. Single pivot yadda yadda but on of the ‘erm’ points is lack of Sensible bottle mount on their bouncers. I’d just about got over it then they pulled the Stage 4 🙄
Road gravel and hardtail: A
Full-suspension: B
I used to always use a hydration pack when mountain biking but have moved back to using a bottle lately, possibly because in the last few years I've been riding the road bike more and that's what I'm now used to.
A. Absolute deal breaker - wouldn't even consider a bike I couldn't get a bottle plus a frame bag on.
A
At least two sets, sensibly placed. My road/cross/gravel bike has two, but they're 'innovatively' positioned, meaning that I have to lose a bottle if I want a frame bag. My previous MTB had just one, which also had to be lost if I wanted a frame bag. Now have a bike with five sets!
A. it’s one of the biggest factors in purchasing a bike.
Needs two as a minimum
A.
B. Plenty of other options.
A. The poxy 500ml job that is all my Jeffsy will take just isn't big enough so any new bike will have to take a full size bottle, not an easy task on many size small full suss frames it would seem 🙁
B. I use one for most of my riding but I also have other options for carrying water. Daft to discount a bike based on this.
Problem solved:
A - critical and must be up to a litre
A) for me, absolute deal breaker if there's no bottle mount, and I'd need very very good reasons to pick a frame without on within the front triangle.
I always carry a Camelbak hip pack but only use the bladder on longer rides to complement the bottle in the frame.
I absolutely hate to clean bladders, while bottles are cheap, can be thrown into the dishwasher and I always have half a dozen of them lying around
a) for me. My current full sus I can only just squeeze a 600ml bottle in, I'd like to be able to fit a 750!
B, on everything but a road bike. I literally use a mountain bike bottle for 7 hours a year.
B - I've got a choice of enduro bumbag with reservoir and/or 2 bottles, and a 15l bag with bigger reservoir.
A regardless of bike. Would really like 2 on my 29er hardtail
Was B.
But now I have a bike with space for a bottle cage, I'm firmly A.
I just didn't realise how much I'd missed it.
A... Not so easy to refill during lockdown even with https://refill.org.uk/get-the-refill-app/ installed on the mobile. Bat 'n' Ball pub in Clanfield/Hambledon border has an outdoor tap, but it looks all closed off while the pub isn't open.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/topeak-bottle-cage-mount/rp-prod74876 are handy to give extra cage mounts on either the bars or the seat post, grabbed one for £4 from Halfords for a third mount during the 2018 summer heatwave.
I've got two 750ml Camelbak Chill and one 600ml Ice bottles, but we'vew recently been buying 1l squash bottles and these fit a treat on the road bike, so I could in theory head out with up to 3l of water for a long day in the saddle.
Bit more limited on the 18" Wazoo, it has two mounts, but the seat tube one doesn't have height clearance for the Camelbaks.
Regarding the "is it a matter of fashion" question someone posted, I'll speak on my behalf and a good deal of people I know.
8 or 10 years ago, the riding me and most people I know we're doing generally involved more mileage and was a lot more static on the bike. In parallel, if you were bombing on the downs it was unlikely you were pedaling many miles on that ride, most likely pushing it up or shuttling.
At that time a typical Sunday would involve 40 miles of riding on trails that would make me yawn today and drinking some 2l of water, which involved a CB Mule.
Then came enduro bikes and dropper posts and people started to engage into more dynamic riding. Moving a lot on the bike favours less weight on your back (except if you're a German in an Alps holiday, a massive Deuter backpack seems to be mandatory for those guys). At the same time, now if you're bombing DH it's quite likely you're also putting some miles down and climbing back up.
B. Am a lifelong camelbak user and bottle mounts never even entered my head at all when choosing a bike. Current bike happened to have them on, so stuck a cage on and gave it a go in the warnm weather this year for short local lockdown rides and it is nice I have to admit. Not the revelation some people experience without a pack, but nice.
Anything longer than an hour and half or so and I'll still use the backpack, I'm not a fan of strapping too much stuff to my bike and always like to be prepared to get myself back home or to the van if possible without a walk / relying on someone else. So, it is a nice plus to have bottle mounts, but would never be a deal breaker. Went on ride with the pack last week just to try it again and after feeling wierd for the first 10 minutes, I then forgot it was on.
"A. it’s one of the biggest factors in purchasing a bike.
Needs two as a minimum"
Seriously? one of the biggest factors? More important than geometry and fit (no 1 for me), suspension charactistics (kinematics, travel, quality of fork/shock, frame design etc) , equipment (well, important kit anyway like brakes, tyres), handling, cost, warranty / reputation of brand etc etc etc. There are so many things that are far more important than a water bottle and massively affect how the bike actually rides, that seems completely daft. Especially with the well designed packs (bum bags, backpacks, whatever) that are out there now. You'd rather have a shit bike with 2 bottle cages than a good bike without? Of course they're not mutually exclusive and there are plenty of good bikes with bottle mounts but it seems a bit militant to rule bikes out over what isn't, to me, anywhere close to being the most important factor.
Also, why do bottles have to be a traditional shape? Can't some funky shaped bottles be designed to fit frames that can't fit a "normal" bottle? I guess cost of design / manufacture for such a small market makes it prohibitive.
So, a very long way of saying B. Sorry.
A
Those enduro bum bag things just don’t feel nice around my waist and hips. Edit - they feel horrible digging in.
a)
I will add, on the gravel bike I'm always packless so 2 bottle mounts is a minimum. There's pretty standard though so nothing to worry about.
A for road bike which I rarely ride and C for the MTB's , whatever one I ride. Even thinking on a custom frame at the moment ( dont let the wife know) and I will purposely delete any bottle mounts from the frame.
There are so many things that are far more important than a water bottle and massively affect how the bike actually rides,
Aye but is all the fluff around angles really important if you’re out for a couple of hours bimbling? Hooning your favourite downy bit lasts a few minutes and we’ve been doing it on all sorts of bikes since the 80s. However being comfortable for a couple hours - what you’re carrying & how you do it becomes bigger factor
When I bought Stanton Slackline without bosses 6 years ago I couldn't have cared less. But nowadays I try to avoid Camelbacks so use a fidlock universal base on it. Isn't the prettiest but have unified on fidlock system across all bikes and it's very slick.
Full suss will only take a 500 ml bottle which is a bit annoying but fine for short blasts, and if it's a longer ride I'd always need the camelback anyway. I have one of those with the low slung reservoir and it's actually not that bad.
Guess that makes me a (B)?
I used to be a (b) person when I lived back in the UK because I only ever did longer rides with my group i.e. 3 hours plus. Therefore, a 750ml bottle wouldn't carry enough water, especially in summer. Nowadays I tend to do a lot more shorter midweek after-work rides and having discovered the joys of minimalist frame / saddle packs, I can go packless by stashing all my tools on the frame.
The Camelbak comes out for those rare weekends when I'm not on dad duty and can take off for the day, but I'm mainly an (a) person now.
A for the hardtail as I ride it the most and CBA cleaning out the camelback on a regular basis.
C for the full suss.
“A. it’s one of the biggest factors in purchasing a bike.
Needs two as a minimum”Seriously? one of the biggest factors? More important than geometry and fit (no 1 for me), suspension charactistics (kinematics, travel, quality of fork/shock, [etc]
Well, yeah - one bottle mounts anyway. At any given travel there are at least 20 manufacturers offering bikes. If half of them have no bottle mounts they are discounted immediately for me, but that means there are still loads of choices remaining.
It’s the reason I bought a Canyon Strive over a Capra (which had a slight edge when it came to price IIRC), but they’re pretty similar bikes overall. 100% would make the same choice again.
C - I haven't used bottles for years, they don't hold enough fluid and can fall out. To me, they are just a general faff to use so zero importance for me. Pack and bladder all the way. I seem to be in a minority with this choice...
I wouldn't spend new bike money on one without one.
But i bought an ibis mojo hd on the used market without a usable set.
It's annoyed me enough to cement my first opinion
Wow, times change. Not so long ago it was all about spending £££ on X01/XTR to shave every gram off your bike, now it's OK to add over 500g to the frame because the Enduroists do it.
C for me, I do see the attraction, but for most of my rides I'd rather be carrying a spare tube, waterproof, camera, maybe a first aid kit , sarnies etc - but these arent 1 hour local blasts. For those I wouldnt need water.
And I like the back protection element too.
A.
Just find it easier to drink from a bottle for some weird reason. Easier on the fly for me.
Also like riding without packs and bags on my back.
On the few long rides I do (>3 hours) do take the Camelbak and the bottle. But find I drink from the bottle most, and only really use the CB when I'm stopped.
B. I'd like it for the times I'm only out for a couple of hours, sometimes I'll actually put a bottle in my Camelbak Mule as it's less faff than filling / cleaning a bladder, so I do miss a cage. Frustratingly a couple of our FS frames have space for bottles but no mounts... I've put temp mounts on but they don't tend to last.
A - why not accommodate one at the design stage? Move the shock or tweak. Jeffsy tiny bottle could have been designed for a proper bottle. I'd rather a slightly higher top tube and more room for bottles.
What British built full suss frames accommodate a bottle inside the front triangle
A
I won’t buy a bike without a bottle mount
It would just annoy me for my local trails
As a long time Orange full suss rider I've got used to not having them and have always been happy to Camelbak it.
Must admit though that since I got my road bike I have enjoyed the minimal approach and looking to build a short travel HT for fuss free local blasts.
C) because I'm a died in the wool trail hacker from the time when putting a bottle on you bike made you a dork.
Sub 2 hours local and I dont bother with a bottle, just a tiny waist pack with tools and phone.
A
Wouldn't buy a bike without one.
Apart from a quick ride to the shops, I will not use a backpack. I really hate riding with them. Stopped using a camelback about 20years ago.
B
I never even thought about it until recently to be honest.
I’m really surprised about how many folks consider bottle mounts crucial. I honestly feel that the feedback on this forum is very, very different than a wide cross section of the bike world would yield. Which is not a problem at all.
a.
left hand bottle only mounts also a decision breaker.
C all day long
I'd never buy a bike without a bottle cage mount
Wouldn't say it's particularly important for me, but they're convenient. Have been using one this lockdown since the weather first turned for the better along with a framebag which I can squeeze a pump, phone, multitool, keys into. It's also since I started riding a trials bike, where I ride to a spot, remove backpack, maybe get out camera + tripod to film how crap I am, and then attempt to do something multiple times until I decided to move on elsewhere. Also pretty useless at cleaning Camelbaks, they always seem to be a bit tasty after a few uses and even after the proper cleaning method using sanctioned tablets + brushes.
C, and ride with a pack that doesn't put its weight through your shoulders.
A.
Wouldn’t buy a bike without one. And it needs to be in a sensible place too.
I used to hate riding with a pack. I’d rather go without and risk a mechanical and dehydrate. Tools on the bike now and a bottle. Sorted.
Jaw-dropping how many As there are, even to the extent of being a deal-breaker! I've never given bottle mounts a second thought, as always used a pack. Dynamically too, seems less than optimal to have a significant weight fixed to the frame rather than on your body where it can be moved around.
On a mountain bike - C. Even a short ride (2hrs) will have me far enough away from home to want proper kit with me, so it’s a pack every time. There’s certainly no way I’d be interested in compromising suspension performance or geometry for the sake of a bottle mount I used maybe once in the span of time I owned a frame (normally that’s many years)
Road/gravel, I’m pretty happy with 1 750ml bottle. That’ll do me 70+ miles unless it’s absolutely baking, and I can always get a top up from a cafe or a church.
Never really been bothered, until I have a frame that can't take a bottle, then all of a sudden it's the most important thing in the world. To the point of buying a frame bag to squeeze a 500mm mineral water bottle in.
Then when the following frame has room for a proper bottle I'm using the Camalbak again
Or, some people hate having a pack on their back or around their waist, making them sweaty and uncomfortable. When I started mtb back in '92, Camelbaks weren't a thing; bottle cage and saddle bag was de rigeur. They only really came in after I stopped riding - when I got back into biking about 10 years ago, I got a hydration pack as everyone else used them and I thought that's just what you did, but I never liked riding with one. About 6 years ago I randomly decided to stick a cage and bottle on for a short local ride, and that was that. Only wear a pack now for 4hr+ rides, and even then reluctantly.
In the same way that some people hate wearing a watch whilst others barely notice it, some of us just hate wearing a pack. Hence all the A answers!
A+++++++
So important.
Wow, times change. Not so long ago it was all about spending £££ on X01/XTR to shave every gram off your bike, now it’s OK to add over 500g to the frame because the Enduroists do it.
This makes no sense. A bottle and a few tools secreted about the frame is much lighter than a bag stuffed with ... stuff. Mostly because riding with a bag encourages you to bring things you don’t need, but also the weight of the bag itself. Ie minimising the important weight of bike + rider + kit. (But also yes, people have realised that extremely light bikes are often too compromised and a few slightly chunkier bits (Eg tyres) might make a bike more fun).
I suppose you can argue that it’s better to have the weight in a particular place, although relatively low down on the frame seems like as good a place as any to me. But mostly I like not having a bag or the faff of cleaning Camelbak bladders.