A lot of the front hydration systems come with a bite valve on the straw. Can you remove these (especially the Hydroblade)? It’s a long straw to clean if you can only get in one end of it. How do you keep these types of straws clean?
I have the XLab torpedo system with the bite valvle from Speedfil. I used to use the Speedfil but I felt the Torpedo was a better system. The bit valve of the torpedo did not let as much fluid through as the bit valve for the Speedfil. So I switched it. The nice thing about the Speedfil bite valve is that I can pull the top portion off and clean it. We have a long pipe cleaner like brush that I am able to insert into the straw to really get it clean. I have made it a habit to clean the straw, bite valve, and torpedo immediately after my long rides. Usually soak them in hot soapy water while I go change and make some food. So you should not have a need to remove the bite valve from the straw itself so long as you clean it after every ride.
Sorry - just seeing this post - been so busy at the office I haven’t had much Slowtwitch reading time!
You can remove the Hydroblade’s bite valve by cutting it off. However if you want to keep it and just clean it better, the best brush kit I have seen is the Camelbak Reservoir Kit - has a really nice long tube brush.