The Podium water bottle from Camelbak has been a long-time favorite method of toting hydration on our rides. They recently launched an insulated stainless steel bottle, but perhaps the big news is the release of their go-for-broke titanium edition. As a fan of stainless steel cycling (and non-cycling) water bottles, I was psyched to see the brand launch its entry into the product category. Available in 16 and 22oz capacities, the stainless steel bottles are available in a variety of colors. The big news though, was the titanium model.
It made sense for the brand to introduce a cycling cage-specific stainless steel bottle, as they’ve been offering stainless steel insulated water bottles for everyday hydration in a wide range of styles, sizes, and colors.
That said, Camelbak took the metal cycling water bottle concept to an all-new level with a titanium option. I have to admit I was a bit shocked — both at the fact they actually created a ti version, but also knowing it would have a retail price to match.. all while secretly coveting one.
So when a media sample showed up at my door, you can believe I was pretty stoked.
Features of the 18oz Stainless & Titanium Podium Bottles
- Double-Wall Vacuum Insulation
- Claimed Hours Cold: 7 hours
- High-flow leak-resistant Cap
- Fits most bike cages
- BPA Free
- Compatibility: Universal Cap System
- Titanium edition: Lightweight, durable Titanium Body Material (hoping to not find out how durable for a while)
- Ti weight: listed at 8 oz/ 240 grams
- Steel weight, listed: 11 oz. / 300 grams
- Size: 8.82 x 2.95 x 2.95 in / 22.4 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm
- Customization option if purchased direct
Verifying weights, compared
Upon unboxing the new Podium bottles, we had to put the ti bottle on a scale with the steel bottle and compare it to other bottles. Obviously, the bottles weigh several times more than a standard Podium bottle (81 grams for a 21 oz) in the same volume capacity. They’re lighter than the other bottles we’ve collected, but as they all feature different volume capacities, it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison. However, a more accurate comparison would be to weigh an insulated bottle of similar volume.
Water that tastes like water
Besides keeping liquids cool, the reason we like metal water bottles so much is the taste of the water that comes from a stainless steel bottle. The Podium bottles aren’t all stainless though as the bottles utilize an internal straw they call the vent tube to allow air in and enhance the flow of liquid. (it works quite well.) I didn’t notice a big change in the taste, but it has made me hesitant to put flavoring in my water. I often add lemon juice, a splash of soda, Gatorade, or other things to give my water a bit of extra taste. However, the thought of having to clean the vent tube had me putting that on pause. I never add flavor additives to hydration bladders for the same reason. Since I have two bottles, I decided to assign the green stainless lid as the flavored drink bottle and will keep the ti bottle pure of added flavors and simply enjoy ice-cool hydration from it.
There was another option that popped into my head. The dirt catcher cap is appreciated on mountain bike rides, and it would be pretty amazing to have clear-tasting water on a mountain bike ride — what if I could use one of the caps from one of my other Podium bottles? Crossing my fingers that the lids would be interchangeable, I took a close look at the threads on the bottle.
While they are listed in the specs as cross-compatible, the threads looked a bit different. However, I was able to thread on a standard Podium lid, and it seemed to be watertight. However, the flow isn’t as good as it is with the vent tube.
Durability
The first scratch or ding in a new steel water bottle is always rough, like the first scratch on a new bike. So far I’ve avoided dropping one of the Podium bottles, so I can’t attest to how much force will create a dreaded ding but it will eventually happen. (my Stainless Tiibo has a sizeable ding that was a bit painful) I run resin cages on all my bikes to minimize scratching up stainless bottles, which should help the ano green bottle maintain its looks for a while longer. And even with scuffs and dings, these bottles should remain in service for a long time.
Dishwasher Safe?
I’d be comfortable putting the titanium bottle through the dishwasher occasionally, but the ano green is too pretty to ruin prematurely. The wide mouth openings are easy to clean, provided you remember to rinse them out post-ride, so the dishwater really is just the lazy option.
Custom engraving option
You can have your bottle engraved and customized with graphics of your choice if you purchase it directly from Camelbak for only $10 more. (they offer free ground shipping, too!) That’s pretty cool, and that automatically gets these bottles on the gift guide list.
Final thoughts
Do you need a $100 titanium water bottle? If you’re asking that, it’s probably not for you. That said, many of us already have several $40-50 stainless steel water bottles in our hydration rotation, and you can’t use those on your bike. As a rider who loves titanium bicycles, having a matching water bottle is pretty amazing. With the high sticker price this bottle automatically makes the gift guide list as receiving one of these would be amazing; the high sticker price is hard to justify if you don’t have disposable income, but what bike related upgrade is based on that? I’d love to have a second matching ti bottle but I’m more than ok with a silver and green bottle, and they look pretty amazing mounted in my cages.
For more info visit Camelbak.com, or support this site by getting your Camelbak bottles using our affiliate partner links – Amazon.com: Stainless link and REI Titanium link