This Specialised aero bottle is excellent value for any time-triallist. It’s a very cheap way to improve aerodynamics. Only £14.99 for bottle and cage. I’m only surprised it took so long for me to get one.
It fits seamlessly into bike frame and minimises the surface area extending away from the frame.
The capacity is 600ml, which is fine for most time trials. Though on longer ones like 100mile time trial, you may prefer 800ml which will reduce need to pick up bottles.
Surprisingly I found it has one of the best systems for affixing to bike. It is easy and intuitive to pick out of bottle cage and just as easy to put back in. Also, once put back in, it feels rock solid. In the past, I’ve had problems with some lightweight carbon fibre bottle cages breaking. But, this feels pretty solid and after several races works consistently well. Also, the cap is leak free (which is unfortunately not always the case with other bottles.
One draw back of this bottle is that once I was racing in a strong side wind. Combined with a discwheel this gave bike a large surface area for crosswinds. However, I still decided to ride with bottle, but it’s something you need to be aware of.
Bottle on bike
Is Bike Faster with Bottle or Without?
People have tested bikes with aerobottles in a wind tunnel, and evidence is mixed. I saw M. Hutchinson had an aero bottle in 2011 10 mile TT championship. This must have been because he felt it was quicker with bottle in, rather than because you need to drink in a 19 minute race. However, others have come out of a wind tunnel and found it better without.
I tend to remove it for 10s, but keep it in for 25 mile TT’s where I might have a little drink, at least before start.
One thing for sure, is that it is definitely quicker than a standard bottle. A standard bottle catches aero drag in quite an inefficient way. Definitely a good upgrade to any time trial bike. You can’t go wrong for £15. I would say this is best value aero water bottle on market.
Profile Aero Bottle
This bottle is often chosen by triathletes. An advantage is that you can drink without moving your hands as it is fitted to handlebars.
However, despite its narrow profile, its position on the bike makes it significantly less aerodynamic than the Specialised bottle which keeps the bottle in line with the bike frame.
If you choose this, you are throwing away seconds because of the greater aerodynamic drag.
However, it may be a good choice for very long distance events where you need more than one bottle.
It is also better than bottles on the underside of the saddle.
Related
- Specialised S works aero bottle and cage at Evans Cycles £14.99
- Profile Aero bottle at Wiggle £17.59
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