Coffee to go - part two

A while back, I did a write-up on a coffee mug I was using for commuting. A year later, I am on my second mug.

The first one broke because I never did get around to making it fit tighter in the bottle cage. I was coming down a hill and hit a rather bumpy area. The original bottle bounced around and popped out of the cage. The stainless steel part was intact, but the plastic lid was in pieces.

If fixed that problem. Version 2.0 is fixed up with an old bicycle tube and electrical tape. Surprisingly, all the mug needed was the little bit of thickness under the rubber grip. I added the tube down the sides so that the rattle would not drive me bonkers.

So far, this setup has held up very well. I have used it every day since the weather has turned cold without a problem.

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Coffee to go

One of the more important things about commuting is finding a way to drink coffee on the way. Coffee warms the soul and gives me a little extra boost. No, not really. At this point, it merely prevents the headaches and the shakes.

There are a couple of places that specialize in carrying coffee on a bike, such as Bicycle Coffee Systems, or Soma's bike specific mug and mount. But, I tried to find many of the mugs on the Bicycle Coffee Systems website, but they always seemed to be out of stock. My handlebars are already cluttered with a GPS, light, and a bell, so I have no room for Soma's mug.

After a while of searching, I found this mug from Thermos. It has worked pretty well, so I am ready to write up a review of it.

One of the best things about this mug is that it has a cover for the spout. Commuting can be dirty business. I do not want to be drinking road grime with my coffee. The spout is completely covered. Although it has a little latch to prevent it from unexpectedly popping open, I have found the lid to be quite secure while being easy to open. It can even be opened with full gloves on my hand.

The other amazing thing about this mug is its insulation. This keeps my coffee hot -- not warm -- throughout any commute so far. This mug has even kept my coffee hot when I left it on the bike during church. It was outside in 20-25 degree weather for about an hour and a half. I walked out to hot coffee.

That does not mean this is perfect. The bottle is just a little smaller than my bottle cage so it rattles around like crazy. I have not exactly gotten used to it, but it is better than the alternative -- no coffee. I have been able to reduce the noise by taking the rubber grip and sliding it up just a bit. I have debated with wrapping the bottle with cork wrap to make the fit tighter, but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

I also worry about it popping out of the cage because it is not a tight fit. I would have to hit a heck of a bump to make it jump out. It does not mean it is impossible.

This is also designed for cold beverages. That means it has a wide mouth. You will have to be very careful with hot beverages. Crazy hot coffee will burn you. Since I brew my own, I can fix it by dropping in two ice cubes.

You will also have to be careful when washing it. Inside the lid is a blue o-ring. This can fall out. If that happens and you do not notice, you will end up with coffee all over the front of you.

Overall, this mug has worked out great. The downfalls are there, but not enough to make me want to stop using it.

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