Let’s face it. It’s a necessary evil to lug some extra gear around these days. The way that we do so is changing just as rapidly as the technology on bicycles is changing. Between SWAT gear, improving hydration packs, and even bikes with burrito sized holes in the down tube we have more options than ever. Enter the back bottle. We came across this little unit a few months ago and have become quite fond of it ever since. Let’s take a close but quick look…after all – it’s a water bottle.
The concept behind The Backbottle is that it’s designed to fit in the back pocket of a cycling jersey. Most times we opt for baggier jerseys and we don’t really wear a traditional jersey, so we decided to test it out wearing our SWAT bibs (Thanks Specialized!) We found that it was no problem at all to find, remove and replace the bottle under our jersey.
The unique shape works in a few ways. The flat part sits up against your lower back nicely, while the angled part at toward the bottom prevents the bottle from digging into your butt or your sacrum whether you’re pedaling in a standing or seated position. A small cusp a little over halfway up the bottle sits just below the pocket’s seam, thus preventing it from flying out on rough sections of trail.
The big questions are – did it stay put? Was it hardly noticeable? Yes and yes…We were pleasantly surprised by this little guy and found its unconventional shape to do exactly what it claimed to do. Regardless of position, we never felt it bouncing around, it stayed put in all varieties of trail and it was easy to get in and out. The pointed bottom made it easy to find our pocket’s opening. We had some concerns that water would quickly become warm from being pressed up against our skin, but found that it was hardly different than your standard downtube mounted bottle cage. Perhaps in the future an insulated option will be available someday but we don’t see the need.
All in all, we love this thing. If you have an aversion to bottle cages but don’t really want to wear a pack either, this just might be the perfect solution. Additionally, if you want to go on long long rides and don’t have 2 bottle cages (most bikes don’t these days) this is a good way to sneak a second bottle in as well. It also ticked the expected boxes for a bottle – no leaks, solid construction and light weight. It’s made from recyclable material, holds 18 ounces and is easy to get cubes of ice into. In the mean time, give on a try…for only $12, what do you have to lose?
