Bontrager Storage Bottle

The Bontrager Storage Bottle is a two-tier segregated bidon designed for lugging spare tubes, tyre levers, keys and similar essentials. In keeping with most things bearing the Bontrager name it's well made, but if you can forgo a few frills, something like the B'twin Storage Bottle does the same job for half the price.

• Pros: Well made, seemingly water-tight and compatible with most standard cages
• Cons: Pricey compared with the alternatives

Flipping the 74mm bidon over, the base bears the Elite logo and is, in effect, a badge-engineered version of the Italian marque's Byasi model, which is also available in black or white.

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Not that it's overly important, given you're not going to be swigging from it, but the bottle is made from BPA free (food grade) plastic. Threaded sections are also very neatly machined, resulting in a snug, 'weatherproof' seal. So much so, some suggest carrying your phone inside. Not sure I'd go that far myself, but you get the idea.

Unless lined with bubblewrap or similar insulator, the main downside to traditional designs and DIY lash-ups is potential rattle. Bontrager's response is a separate pot, segregating keys and other nick-nacks. This also saves frantic scrabbling for door keys at the end of a long ride, especially in the dark. It's not big enough for my big bunch of keys, but on some rides I've slipped a couple of electrolyte sachets and a 13ml bottle of chain lube in there.

In the main section below, I have fed ours two neatly bound 700x28-32 tubes, an 18-function multi-tool, two composite tyre levers, and self-adhesive patches.

Provided all are tightly packed, there's been no hint of annoying rattle, whether I've been cruising along well-surfaced roads or taking spirited deviations along green lanes and the like.

Contents have also remained bone dry, with no hint of ingress, so no danger of multi-tools cultivating that orange taint when you've forgotten to retrieve them following a long, wet ride. (I'm still inclined to use a bag as a liner, the sort with press fit/zip top closures or this Nicnacpac.)

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Being the standard 74mm diameter, it's a snug fit with a Tacx Deva, Elite Ciussi, Syncros Matchbox Coupe and several 'bat-wing' pattern carbon patterns. It's perfectly secure, even when tackling unmade backroads, although removal is an effortless, single-handed grab.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Storage Bottle does everything it should, but I'm inclined to suggest you're paying for the Bontrager name. Elite's Byasi is a couple of quid cheaper and, gift aside, I'd buy the B'twin tool bottle and a tube or two with the cash I'd saved.

Verdict

Well made but expensive compared with the alternatives