I've had two of these with one dedicated to mixes and another for just water. After about 9 months, and cleaning after each ride, the water bottle is still rocking like the first time out. The mix bottle is nearly impossible to fully clean and try as I might, I cannot get the gunk out from the deepest parts of the internal nozzle from the underside. Not a huge deal, but if you use any mix, especially if you ride off road where those mixes will have dirt sticking to the nozzle, etc, they are trickier to keep clean. Outside of that, they're solid and I wouldn't hesitate buying these again, and may just need to re-buy every 6 months or so for my dedicated "mix" bottle. I've not had an issue (as others have stated) with fitting or having these "ejected" from bottle cages as that seems far more an issue with cages, not bottles. These fit standard bottle cages (all that I use on my various bikes) well and aren't difficult to seat, nor do they fly out over rough terrain, of which they've seen a lot.
Even with my bottomless stomach, especially with vigorous exercises, one waffle cookie will satisfy me through the routines, especially on the way back from a distant bike or jog loop. I have a huge appetite and feel hungry all the time especially upon strenuous exertion. I guess if I was to have a full meal w/ plenty of liquids (and pickle juice), that would be the ultimate. But we all know full meal would later weigh down and hinder the performance; therefore, Honey Stingers are the happiest medium to reduce the Bonk.
Wild Berry and Chocolate Stinger compliment the taste-buds just as well. As a matter of fact I go biking as an excuse to scarf down on those wafer-like cookies (j/j). Buying the Stingers in bulk (box of 12 and etc.) are ideal.
People give me the Podium chill for gifts. I try them, then went back to my old Polar. Now with the new mouthpiece the choice is even clearer. Podium Chill mouthpieces are much bulkier (even the new one) and simply take more effort than needed. The new Polar mouthpiece is small and, very easy to use; just put it in the mouth and squeeze. No need to turn a dial when flying down a hill when you can sneak a drink yet don't want to fumble with turning the mouthpiece. Moreover, the exterior of the bottles make noise in my carbon bottle cages. Granted, the cages i use grab the bottle tightly, but the Polar makes no noise (other than some ice slosh, not a bad thing). They also look better than the PChill.
