how concerned are you with road grime on your bottles?

[AngryScientist]

i was riding this weekend in very much farm country. it was pretty wet out, and the roads are generally pretty covered in agricultural run-off from the farm lands.

looked down and my bottles were pretty covered in that sticky muddy silty crust.

made me think twice about drinking directly from them, who knows what type of stuff is in the run-off on the roads.

this is similar when it's very dry and the bottles get coated in a powdery mist of ....whatever.

something to worry about? thoughts?

[charliedid]

I think about it sometimes while riding but not much you can do. I will hose it them off on tour when refilling but...

On a day to day note at a minnumum I rinse them in scalding hot water after every ride and occasionally wash with dish soap. It's tough because you are not supposed to wash Purist bottles with a brush and I believe all my bottles are Purist at this point. I should probably soak em more often for a few minutes.

[merckx]

I'm with you on this. I've been riding my fender equipped sportif bicycle more lately, and one of the benefits has been clean bidons. It has been satisfying to drink from a clean bottle. If I'm on my road machine that is sans fenders, I'll unscrew the bidon top before I drink if I've been plowing through farm country during a rain storm.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Not very. I realize you are probably mostly concerned with herbicide/pesticide and fertilizer residue, but in the macro this is not something I feel I should be concerned about outside of common sense measures.

I remember reading an article in NYT last year about eating more food you drop on the floor. The sterility of our daily lives compared to what it was 30, 50, 100 years ago is something I think about from time to time. I'm under 40, but I grew up in BFE and spent a lot of time outside "doing stuff" and getting dirty. For better or worse, my kids will not have the same experience.

I'm not suggesting they should have the same exposure to diesel fuel and Round-Up that I did as a teen, but outside of known poisons and carcinogens, it's probably true that a little dirt don't hurt.

Here's that article. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/health/immune-system-allergies.html

[Spoker]

I,m worried about it. I know racers in Belgium are worried about it. Easy to get sick, especially when in peak form.

[johnmdesigner]

Stretch a latex surgical glove over the top.
You'll have to stop to drink though and you might get some snarky comments.:)

[donevwil]

Great question! It became an issue for me the first time I did a long hot ride on a bike with a bottle under the downtube, even though it was a relatively dry day I chose not to the raise the filthy bottle to my lips without washing it off. I do carry a couple packaged wet wipes, but never intended them for bottle cleaning.

I removed the under DT cage and haven't used it since, maybe a bottle with a nipple cover?

When I ride off road (primarily MTB) I use a Camelbak.

[charliedid]

I'm with you on this. I've been riding my fender equipped sportif bicycle more lately, and one of the benefits has been clean bidons. It has been satisfying to drink from a clean bottle. If I'm on my road machine that is sans fenders, I'll unscrew the bidon top before I drink if I've been plowing through farm country during a rain storm.

Yep touring bike (of course) and my "rain bike" sportif style have fenders as well.

And ditto on the unscrew it when gunked up.

[professerr]

Thanks for something new for me to worry about. At least you didn't mention the Covid risk ;-)

Now I'm going to have to squirt instead of suck.

[AngryScientist]

Thanks for something new for me to worry about. At least you didn't mention the Covid risk ;-)

Now I'm going to have to squirt instead of suck.

haha, to be fair, i've never even really thought about this, but this ride had so much farmland, it gave me a pause.

it's probably no big deal :eek:

[Peter P.]

Grime? Grime?! I worry about the black stuff INSIDE my bottles!

My suggestion would be to unscrew the lid and drink. The lid will take the hit.

You could put a cut-off sock over the top of the bottles. It will look less obtrusive than the surgical glove. Hey; if you only need to do this for those farmland rides, then it's no big deal.

I appreciate the concern. Perhaps there's a market for a solution.

[ntb1001]

As long as you don’t put your mouth on the bottle and just squeeze out the water, you should be ok. Dirt and grime shouldn’t be able to go through the valve.


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[Vertical]

For the under the down tube bottle cage, considering how much dirty that one gets, I typically just refill one of my inside the front triangle bottles and drink only out of those. Not exactly an answer...but that's the approach I take.

[pasadena]

A friend got the camelbak bottles with the covered nozzle. He was concerned with covid, and just thought it was a good idea to keep them covered.

i think it's the camelbak podium dirt or something like that.

[flying]

I never really worry about grime outside & if it is rainy I just wipe them while riding before drink but....
Over the years I have gotten to where I only use transparent bottles because it is the grime inside that can be much worse & hidden :)

I like to be able to see when I brush clean that the inside is all good;)

[SpeedyChix]

Gunk on the bottles while mtb riding definitely gets wiped off and attempt made to shoot water in vs draw on the cap.

[GregL]

Did my local cycling club’s July 4th century back in 1998. Rained for all but 20 minutes of the ride. Three like-minded knuckleheads and I hammered to a 4:45 ride time so that we could get it over with as soon as possible. Nearly the entire route was through dairy farm roads of central New York. Three days later, I came down with the worst case of “food poisoning” I’ve ever experienced. My doctor was quite sure I picked up my illness from the road. I now use bottles with dirt/dust caps for rainy road rides and a hydration pack for MTB and gravel rides.

Greg

[Louis]

MTB-types often use bottles with covers over the mouthpiece

https://static.biketiresdirect.com/productimages/images650/elfly1-2.jpg

[SlowPokePete]

Take a drink and build yourself a healthy immune system lol!

SPP

[Hilltopperny]

You will be fine. Maybe if you rode them exclusively and often it could be a problem, but overall a little dirt won’t hurt. If it was a ride where there was cow excrement on the roads then wipe and remove the cap. I have an organic farm down the road that tends to spill during fertilizer season and would avoid riding it based on the mess they leave. Pesticides and run off shouldn’t be too bad when exposure isn’t prolonged.


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[Blue Jays]

My technique is to wipe the valve on my bibs to remove obvious dirt and grit.
If in really messy conditions I squeeze the bottle so I get water without touching.

[muz]

I have heard of many riders getting sick during a particularly rainy Paris-Brest-Paris brevet, especially those without fenders. Lots of cow manure on the country roads. Bottles like this can help:

https://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-LDPE-BPA-Free-Water-Bottle/dp/B000XYQVBU?th=1

[fmradio516]

Yeah I too have been concerned with bottles and COVID. Could cover your face all you want but...

[pjbaz]

Has never concerned me, but I won't put my face on a poo covered anything so ... :banana:

When my bottles get a little dirty I just wipe them on my jersey before drinking or maybe spit the first swig after a swish.

[Likes2ridefar]

I ate two bugs yesterday on my ride. Not sure what type. I just swallowed quickly and hoped they didn’t sting.

You are not alone in thinking about it. I’ve been in some nasty environments for racing and been covered head to toe during rain storms with who knows what in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Brazil.

I can’t prove it but am fairly certain I got a stomach bug a week or so ago from little guys growing inside my aging camelbak bottles.

I’m glad I binged Alone to learn new techniques for cleaning up deep in the woods with no support :eek:

New bottles and no more problems...

[Toeclips]

Somewhere I saw a hack where you cut a ziploc bag at the corner and put the corner on top of the nozzle and tie it off with a twist tie or rubber band

Looked good to me

[vqdriver]

that stuff is nasty, I worry about it for sure
"Normal" rides I shoot some to clear the nipple and maybe wipe it on my jersey
I'm more worried about oils and car crap on the streets. On trail, there's always dog and horse poop on the sides so who knows what ends up on the bottle. I try to use this nalgene

https://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-All-Terrain-Bottle-Black-Blue/dp/B001C240BA/ref=asc_df_B001C240BA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198110426086&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3980758553502020298&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031116&hvtargid=pla-320377565753&psc=1

[C40_guy]

haha, to be fair, i've never even really thought about this, but this ride had so much farmland, it gave me a pause.


Don't worry about it...it's all organic... :)

[shoota]

https://www.camelbak.com/en/accessories/caps/R04053--Podium_Mud_Cap?color=c57c6bc382c8456493455dbc19fa4 79a

[OtayBW]

Lovely weather outside today....:rolleyes:

[froze]

None whatsoever, I just wipe off the end before I stick it in my mouth. Dirt is just dirt from the earth, it won't kill you.

[Seramount]

with the virus concerns, guess I'm getting fatigued with trying to protect myself from invisible agents of harm.

was riding this wkend during the Saharan dust invasion and could feel grit on my teeth...reached down for the water bottle to rinse my mouth out and noticed a fair amount of road dirt on it...

just said fug it.

took a big swig and spat it out, and then drank some.

virus, bacteria, idiot drivers...whatcha gonna do?

[sparky33]

Dirt is OK. Farm poo is not.

Are you thirsty enough to drink poo goo? Probably not.

A camelbak is a good work around. We can learn from mtb’ers.

[Hindmost]

The problem can be exposure to enteric bacteria from the farm animal manure. These bugs get into your gut and have a fight with your own intestinal flora resulting in what we sometimes call "food poisoning". So yeah, the proximity of farms and wet sloppy road conditions can present a hazard. On the other hand we are constantly challenged by all kinds of bacteria and can remain healthy.

[kppolich]

Not concerned at all.

[gibbo]

Not much of an issue for me, my Down Tube seems to keep my spout reasonably clean. :-)

[froze]

Dirt is OK. Farm poo is not.

Are you thirsty enough to drink poo goo? Probably not.

A camelbak is a good work around. We can learn from mtb’ers.

If only you knew how much food you're eating that comes out of China, and all the poo goo and human waste they grow their crops in, well, you may not think sucking off the bottle is so bad after all.

[jtbadge]

What is it with you guys and xenophobia lately?

[froze]

What is it with you guys and xenophobia lately?

I was talking about food, not people. Thanks for playing.

[zennmotion]

who knows what type of stuff is in the run-off on the roads.



Gratuitous swipe at Jersey... you either have one foot in the grave already from the mafia syndicate toxic waste trucks emptying out on back roads in the middle of the night, or you are now totally empowered like a comic book superhero.

kidding aside (sorta, Jersey scares me but Dad is from New Brunswick and worked in an asbestos plant as a youngster and still healthy at 85 but he's one of the superheros)

I like these Nalgene bottles with covers for dirty rides, and I use a short one on my under-the-downtube 3rd bottle mount that gets hit with everything off the front wheel.
https://www.vermontbicycleshop.com/copy-of-vermont-bicycle-shop-water-bottle-state-bo.html

[9tubes]

This reminds me of a story from years ago.

I stopped by a friend's house to go for a ride. He was in the process of grabbing a water bottle to fill it. I saw him look inside the bottle and say "what the...". Then he says "there's a mouse in my water bottle." Of course I'm trying to figure out how a mouse got in his water bottle. So I take a look and then we both realized that it wasn't a mouse but a leftover piece of lemon from a previous ride, now furry gray.

Look in them bottles folks.

[dustyrider]

I don't think I have ever thought of it before I read this thread title...I suppose road grime is a good reason to squeeze the water out of the bottle rather than placing your lips on it now that I think of it. :cool:

[pdmtong]

I don't think I have ever thought of it before I read this thread title...I suppose road grime is a good reason to squeeze the water out of the bottle rather than placing your lips on it now that I think of it. :cool:


Squeeze yes suck no

[weaponsgrade]

If the thing is looking particularly dirty, I'll squirt a bit of water out before drinking and I don't touch the nozzle.

[Louis]

Things must be going well health-wise in the Paceline, if during these days of what will likely go down in history as one of the worst modern-day global pandemics, the big health concern of the forum is water bottle hygiene.

[NHAero]

FWIW - I use a Camelback on rides longer than 20 miles. After each use, I rinse it out, nothing special, empty it, and throw it in the freezer until the next use. Nothing growing inside after years of frequent use.