I’ve never had a Zefal bottle even remotely close to popping out. That’s using cheap bontrager bottle cages. It’s such a snug fit it takes a second to get used to removing.
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Ha! Literally just said that.
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I have had bat cages throw a bottle.
same experience with my Lezyne side loaders
Why not just get a hydration pack? It’s what mountain bikers have been using for decades.
I’m sorry, I totally derailed this thread. There’s a bottle cage thread for all this, feel free to move @mcneese.chad
I think this is fine. Special use case and the two align from the bit I have followed.
Thoughts from you all?
Sometimes I use 1L bottles and a hydration pack.
Sometimes on my mountain bike I only use a 1L bottle and no pack.
A pack isn’t the answer to everything.
I do MTB 100s with bottles only. More comfortable and easier to manage intake.
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I think they align.
Wait until I get things totally derailed when I actually want to add a new standard with slightly larger diameter bottles and cages. 
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I picked up a Trek Voda to try this fall. Not really impressed with the cap/valve, by YMMV.
Carry 2l refill, after 2 hours, carry 2l again. Versus carrying 4l and having a sweaty back. Also not everyone is on an MTB
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I’m using two Voda Ice bottles, the big bottles with insulation. No issues with the valve, I prefer other valves but this one works fine. Like all valves it occasionally spurts out a little liquid. Sometimes I don’t fully screw the lid on, and get some leakage when pulling it out of the cage. Wish there was an o-ring to help avoid that.
Really, you can keep your hands on bars whilst sipping with a pack.No chance of bottles dropping out either. I guess by this mtn bikes now come with mounts for bottle cages?
Ok y’all. We can each have our ways that work for us. Both have their pros and cons. A smart rider is willing to employ both strategies depending on the situation (or both at the same time) IMO.
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For me it’s simple, I need to be able to carry 6+ hours of water, which generally means, 3 1L bottles, plus my 2L pack.
Just reposting this mega-list again ICYMI. I’ll probably keep updating it indefinitely. (no I still haven’t done the video I promised. I am the worst.)
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This is a bad recommendation for gravel and racing. While they are easy to use, have a good feel and great water flow, they are horrible for bottle cage retention. The bottles don’t maintain their form and are too soft. If the bottles are full it’s no problem, but as soon as they get about half empty it’s a liability.
I made the mistake of using them indoors for months and as soon as I road outdoors I had one eject from the downtube. I immediately went back to Zefal.
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Good point. I haven’t used those off road. I’ve got a Lyne double-bottle setup squeezed into my Scott Spark so I max it out with 20-24oz bottles.
I’m sure the Elite bottles are great in the 500ml size. Probably good in the 750ml size but the 1L I have are worriesome. I only use them on the road. The wall thickness is just too thin for a bottle that size.
If only I could put the Elite lid on the Zefal bottle I’d be happy.
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