Speedfil Hydration System

As Triathletes and especially as coaches we are constantly on the lookout for products that can help us or our athletes. Unfortunately, with the rapid development and high costs associated with a lot of equipment it becomes quite challenging to get the opportunity to test or review a large number of products available to triathletes. However, one of the great benefits of working with the partners of Grasky Endurance Coaching is the fact that we are often asked to help with the testing of products. Recently I was asked by one of the buyers from our partners at TriSports.com to assist with a test and review of the Speedfil Hydration system.

The Speedfil system is a frame mounted hydration system that mounts directly to the water bottle cage mounts on your bicycle's downtube. However, once mounted this system provides a hands free drinking system that does not require you to pull the bottle from the cage to drink. Basically a flexible straw runs from the bottle and you route it to your liking so that a drinking tube eventually runs between your aero bars. This tube then provides you with hands free access to 40 ounces of your favorite rehydration/energy fluids. If you need to refill the system you simply grab a bottle at the next aid station and squeeze the fluids through the refill port located on the top of the Speedfil bottle.

I found this system to be very easy to mount to the frame. All told it took me about 5 minutes to mount the bracket and then run the tubing along my frame and out between my aero bars. I had to do a little trimming of the flexible drinking tube but other than that no modifications were needed. On the first test ride I did have to make a few minor adjustments to get the tube secured properly and placed in the correct position but once I got the system dialed in it seemed to stay in place and worked very well. Refilling while riding was a snap (actually probably easier than trying to place a bottle back into your water bottle cage on a standard set up) and with 40 ounces of fluid it is not necessary to refill the system very often (even in an Ironman distance event). The system seemed to be well designed and although the bottle is rather large it tucked away nicely within the lines of my frame. I have had issues in the past with aero bottles because I can typically only fit one bottle on my frame which limits the amount of fluids that I can carry in aero bottles on my frame.

My one real concern with this system is the fact that you must commit 40 ounces of the same type of fluid to this bottle. Some of us like to carry only a couple of bottles and use one for water and the other for nutrition. With this system you must still carry a separate bottle mounted somewhere else on your bike if you run with two different fluid types. In addition, I can see where a strong crosswind might cause some handling issues but still this would be significantly less than having a system mounted between your aerobars in a strong wind.

Overall I would certainly recommend this product to those looking at longer distance races who like to have a hands free aerodynamic system on their bikes. This system would work especially well for those of you who like to use a large amount of one specific type of fluid. On the other hand, if you are doing shorter races or like to have a number of different types of products to use that are under 40 ounces then this is probably not the system for you. The system retails for just under $100.00 and is available on-line or in-store at TriSports.com.