Bike Cooler Suggestions

If you want something that’s cheap and basic, tj max, home goods and world market sell soft sided coolers with a metal ring around them that can be easily bungee-corded to a back rack. I think mine cost $20. I transported a few cheese cakes and some beer in it successfully. It doesn’t work as well if you have big panniers that also go up the sides of your rack since it’s wider than the average rack, but it does the job in a pinch, and for alot cheaper than the other options you posted.

@cyclismo 179165 wrote:

Who doesn’t like a day ride and a cold can of cool beer or soda during the break?

I started all-day ride this month. I usually go solo, pretend I’m lost, find somewhere nice and quiet, sit down and enjoy the solitude.

The problem was that I can’t keep my drinks cool when I ride far away from cities. So I thought about getting a cooler bag that can fit a few cans/bottles of cool drinks and keep them cold during the trip.

Through the search I came across a few options, one is BiKASE’s CoolKASE https://professionalcamping.com/bikase-coolkase-test-trek-review/
and another is Green Guru’s Carbon Cooler https://www.greengurugear.com/collections/bike-gear/products/carbon-cooler-22l-pannier which is a little larger.

I believe a number of your have used bike coolers before and would like to ask whether these two options worth trying. I’m also open for further suggestions.
Key is I prefer those that will work well on bicycle.

Thank you

The hip, pricey option would be a Salsa anything cage and a 40oz insulated growler.

@cyclismo 179206 wrote:

I actually have the insulated growler lol but not the anything cage so never take the growler on a ride !!
Good idea tho, I’ll look for the right cage thanks !

Oh yeah, great idea!

Note, both versions of the Anything cage use 3 bolts to attach to your bike. You could use the King support bolts to add an extra mount (while spacing outwards the other two) OR you can get the Blackburn Outpost cage, which only requires 2 bolts (with standard spacing). Bonus is that you can also use pipe clamps to attach the Outpost cage to your bike. I have the Blackburn cages, and sometimes use it with with Voile straps, which I prefer most of the time to hold things to my bike.

Right now the cages are on the fork of my wife’s bikecamping bike, held on with pipe clamps. I had to see what it looked like with a Hydroflask 64oz growler, and the curve of the cage matches it perfectly.

Blackburn Outpost Cage, Hydroflask 64 oz Growler, Voile Straps by ricky d, on Flickr

@EasyRider 179224 wrote:

I’ve seen pictures but haven’t tried it myself. Two caveats, weight and width.

Salsa gives a 7lb weight limit for their anything cages, and that might be only if you mount the cage using three bolts instead of the usual two on standard water bottle cage. There’s a heavy duty nylon model and I think you can supplement the usual mounting bolts with velcro or Voile straps to address weight concerns, though you might mar your paint. King Cage also makes a similar product and also sell a hose clamp doo-hicky that can serve as a third bolt.

Usually these oversized cages get mounted to the fork, bikepacking style. So, the growler might get in your way if used inside the main triangle. Depends on bottle width, I suppose.

FWIW, I’ve also found that the vacuum lined S’well bottles (and the unbranded ones made in what I assume is the same factory) will keep liquids cool for most of the day and fit standard water bottle cages. I think if you put chilled ice water in one for a few minutes first, then poured it out and replaced it with an extra cold one and capped it tight, it’d be pretty cool 6 hours later. Maybe not ice cold, but def not a warmbie. Problem is they only hold a pint.

I have a 40 oz. insulated water bottle that fits in my Looney bin that I use in lieu of a standard water bottle cage (I like the adjustability and ability to hold slightly larger containers). Ice stays ice for most of the day, if I let it.