SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING

Performance 3.5/5

 

Filled with blackcurrant squash made with recently boiled water – allowed to cool -  I got hot drink after forty-five minutes, warm after an hour and a quarter, and cold at 2.5 hours. Matches the blurb, but don’t expect things to stay piping hot. Worth noting that the ambient temperature was around 4C, but the bottle was exposed to wind-chill, too. Keeping the bottle in the pannier on a similarly chilly day kept things warmer for around an hour longer. When things turned much milder – around 12C – the two and a half hours seemed to be pretty accurate.

 

Even in the mild UK winter temperatures don’t get up into the twenties, but put it in the freezer for a couple of hours about three-quarters full, it’s stood for five hours at room temperature before gaining ambient temperature.

 

Soft to the touch, bottles like these are easily to grip. By the same chalk, they squeeze snugly into bottle cages and have not been ejected over gravel or roughly surfaced country lanes.

 

I’ve bunged in blackcurrant, lemon, orange flavoured potions, and there’s no taint to the flavour. Mind you, I have tried to observe a sensible hygiene regime (washing out the bottle and cleaning the cap and valve.

 

On the subject of valves, the Pro may be softer and more complex, but it may not be everyone’s first choice. I like it, but Mrs. Tester found it less amenable that the simple Arctica; especially at speed. I’ve had no such concerns. Personally, I’d say that the Pro has better flow control and is easier to manipulate – but, frankly, such things are marginal for many riders

 

Needless to say, the smaller size is a better fit for smaller frame or certain frame geometries, for example Mrs. Testers Whyte hybrid. I’ve used a variety of cages; Zefal’s Z2 Pulse Bottle Cage, for example, and the full side entry VEL Bottle Cage.

 

Value 3.75/5

 

OK, both of these are pricier than Zefal’s Sense Bottle (650ml), but only by a pound sterling or two in the case of the Arctica, and four or five in the case of the Pro. How valuable is having a warm or cold drink? 

 

Closest comparator in my experience is the Passport Frostbright Bottle. I’ve been using these off and on for over two years, and two of the three are still going strong; one split its inner. Holding 550ml they come in at pretty much the same mark as the Arctica Pro, but pricier than the Arctica, of the same size. Performance is similar, in my experience. On the other hand, I remarked in my report on the Passport Frostbright that I’d have liked a larger option; in that sense, the Arctica 750ml would be a good choice.

 

The Elite Deboyo is a cage-specific 550ml thermal design reckoned to retain temperatures for up to 12hours. However, it's £24.99.