Interbike: Camelbak hits the road
- By Lennard Zinn
- Published Sep. 25, 2010
- Updated Jan. 28, 2011 at 4:56 PM UTC
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The Podium Big Chill bottle holds a lot of water and keeps it cold longer. -
The Racebak bladder-holding undershirt kept Garmin riders hydrated during hot Tour de France time trials -
The insulation in the Podium Ice and Podium Chill bottles blocks the display’s backlight, and the clear Podium bottle lets it right through.
Long a leader in the mountain bike world, Camelbak’s bottles are rapidly becoming accepted by road riders, and the company has increased its road-specific product line.
Bottles
The diaphragm valve remains the distinguishing feature of all Camelbak Podium bottles, allowing the rider to drink (when the top is in the “open” position) by just squeezing the bottle but not having to close the bottle afterward. The bottles are all polypropylene, rather than polyethylene, which is a less reactive material and is thus intended to reduce the plastic taste; the ability to make it just as soft as a polyethylene bike bottle is key to Camelbak’s success with the Podium.
The insulated Podium Big Chill is a bigger, 25oz. (750ml) size of the Podium Chill. The Podium Big Chill and Podium Chill insulate four times better than a standard bottle. The more expensive Podium Ice ($20 vs. $12 for Podium Chill) bottle is twice as well insulated yet, while still just as light, thanks to the Aerogel silica gel insulation. The liquid in the gel is flashed off, leaving a superlight, high-void “frozen air” insulating sock that goes between the inner and outer layers of the bottle.
Racebak
Meant for road riding and racing in time trials, triathlon and cyclocross, the Racebak is a microfiber moisture-wicking shirt with a sleeve in the back to hold a small bladder. The Garmin team used it successfully in the Tour de France final time trial. The day was hot, and the team’s Felt time trial bikes do not have bottle mounts.
New for 2011, Camelbak now has a lifetime warranty on all of its products.
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FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech / Interbike TAGS: Camelbak / Interbike / tech-news
Lennard Zinn
Lennard Zinn, our longtime technical writer, joined VeloNews in 1987. He is also a frame builder, former U.S. national team rider, and author of many bicycle books including Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance and Zinn’s Cycling Primer: Maintenance Tips and Skill Building for Cyclists. He holds a bachelor’s in physics from Colorado College. Readers can send brief technical questions to Ask LZ.