the same day I use them, to my surprise, halfway into my ride I notice a funny taste in the water

No weird tastes, no leaks, dirt gets in the spout while riding, fortunately / unfortunately Camelback sells a cap for an additional $6 bucks; therein the 3 star rating; otherwise would have been 4.

No funny taste to the water either!

but I get plastic and bad tasting water, which you dont feel healthy

They're lightweight and don't impart any weird taste to your water

so every time I went to the bottle, my first sip was gritty and dirty tasting

It has no smell and doesn't leave a bad taste to the water.

Easy squeeze, had a weird taste at first but got better after a few uses

No plastic taste while drinking, easy to grip while riding and easy to drink from during a race.

Before riding I recommend unlocking for quick and easy access for drinking as it won't spill out no matter how rough surfaces are and after all it's way better than traditional water bottles with the twisting cap open because I have to admit I've almost fallen off like in those ads

It was on sale, so I’m not going to complain a

I’ve used 3 generations of Podium bottles and this one works just as well as it’s predecessors