Commuting Gear: Water.

[Emett]

You've heard of the dangers with the colored see-through plastic water bottles right? And actually all plastic degrades somewhat: so if you can taste the plastic, I'd recycle that sucker ASAP. Since commuting is not a race or a style contest, I just re-use SmartWater bottles. Look for the ones that fit the bottle cages on your bike. Their life span isn't much shorter than a standard water bottle from a bike shop, and the taste has always seemed better to me. And when they do wear out your not as surprised or even saddened. Everything wears out... but that's another story. I get a month or two out of them, then recycle. What do you do about water?

[Daniel Korman]

You could always go and get one of those cool novelty hats that has water dispensers on them. :-)
Just using a normal water bottle that you would by from 7-11 or some mini-mart works great sometimes (Talking rain is a good reusable bottle as it is thick). You can always get a few uses out of them if you bike only now and then. Be sure to recycle it once completed with the use. I personally wouldn’t use it more than 5 or so days as bacteria will start growing quickly after 1 use unless you rinse after every use.
If you are a true biker like gung-ho E then buying a bottle every 2 months that fits your bike cage is a good idea as long as you keep it clean after every use and recycle it when you are done using it. Looking at clear bottles that you can see in I would personally suggest as you are able to see the inside.

[Emett]

Thanks for the response. Yes, you are sure right, I'm not one who worries much about bacteria, but I send my bottles through the dish washer at least once a week. And now I have a new favorite type of bottle: 1 Liter Pepsi bottles, they're a bit stronger, and fit well, I just hadn't bought a Pepsi in years... I think some of the drinking water companies have recently started making the water bottles thinner.

[Daniel Korman]

They do make them thiner now these days except as I mentioned there is the water "Talking Rain" that is a thicker bottle.