When they were Polar, the internals were relatively easy to remove with a particularly sized tool. The new ones are close to impossible without damaging, which sucks. The red nub still pulls off easily, but the parts inside are still really firmly in there.
My biggest quibble with both of them is that the bottle itself is a bit too stiff.
Fun fact, the CamelBak tops use the same valve parts. Unfortunately, they also use a bunch of extra parts for the top.
Thanks, I didn’t realize the HydraPak version is even harder to take apart now. I still have the Polar ones and I have damaged about half of them. I typically use the flat part of a spoon or fork to pry the hard plastic piece loose, although this method would eventually cause it to lose its tight fitting in the nozzle.
I’ve typically used a wooden chopstick, really aiming for the edge. Probably the best implement though was the needle bearing punch that comes with Crank Brothers pedal rebuild kits!
Wash them properly and they’ll be bidons for years. I always handwash them, not in a dishwasher and every now and then I’ll run a sterilising tablet solution through them just to be extra sure they are clean. Only a manufacturer will say they need to be changed every 6-12 months.
Replace the bottles?? Sometimes I don’t even replace the water from the last spin 