The best bottle cages? How much difference can they make? Well, there's more to them than meets the eye, though I will admit they are all relatively similar in terms of functionality. Below I've rounded up 24 very good options, including plastic, carbon, and metal options, as well as some more specialist ones for smaller frames, odd-shaped bottles, and high capacity units. Even the weight weenies will be happy, as I've weighed them all too. More or less, yes. All cycling bottles (or 'bidons' if you're... French) are a more or less identical diameter, and have a little notch at the same height from the base, which helps them clip into the bottle cages. Manufacturing tolerances vary though, and so some combinations of bottles and cages may be tighter or looser than others, but on the whole if they look like they're going to fit, they will. How tight should a bottle cage be? The Silca Sicuro Cerakote Titanium Bottle Cage is absurdly expensive, but it is a thing of beauty. If you can afford it, or you're mad, or both, then you'll be pleased to hear that you probably won't need another; this gorgeous piece will look like new forever thanks to the highly abrasion-resistant Cerakote ceramic coating. Functionally though they're no different to plastic or metal cages, and are a little more fragile too, so weigh up what's really important to you before pressing 'buy now'. What are the lightest bottle cages?

The arms held the bottles snugly and adapted well around a variety of different bottles. The lower section of the cage feels quite thin and, though this did not occur whilst testing, feels like it could be easily over-stretched.Cycle Centre Congleton Limited 2021. Cyclestore is a trading name of Cycle Centre Congleton Limited. All Rights Reserved Company No. 05107467 | VAT No: 593 733 507 The open front allows for unencumbered installation, though the mounting eyelets are relatively short so have limited height adjustability on the frame. My bottles are not held firmly and they slide in and out very easily. Great for road riding, mayve not ideal for gravel or behind the saddle installation. Not a problem but a charactetistic to be aware of. The Barnacle by Drj0n Bagworks provides a low-profile mounting option for bottle and cargo cages on the fork, downtube, or other locations on a bike frame. The Barnacle clamp is 3D-printed from durable plastic and comes in nine diameters ranging from 25.4mm to 47mm, designed to fit commonly available downtubes in steel, aluminum, and titanium, and also rigid steel and suspension forks. You can also use rubber strips to help accommodate varied tubes. For example, 45mm with a 1mm rubber strip fits a Fox 34 or a Fox 36 without. My only gripe is that the holder is sold with screws with a short head to allow good clearance of the bottle. The fancy screws from my frame stamped with the brand do rub against the bottles when I try to use them so I have to use the Supacaz screws... and they are incredibly soft. You can round the head without using any leverage if you are not careful.

We rarely see the pros using superlight cages, as often their bikes are under the UCI weight limit as standard anyway, and so adding slightly heavier cages is no big deal and helps them make the legal limit. Once inserted, your bottle is gripped firmly and whether full or empty it isn't going anywhere. I've used it on both road and gravel rides and the bottle has stayed put up against the stop at the bottom of the cage. In my experience, having compiled a fair few pro bike galleries in my time, is that the Elite Custom Race Plus seems to be the most common, though pro riders' choices are often determined by sponsorship than by free will. The Monkii Clip has two round cleats that fit their Monkii cage, Monkii frame bag, or Monkii wedge tool bag. It secures via a hinged clamp to any 25mm-38mm tube, such as frame tube, down tube, handlebar stem or fork leg. It has a maximum Load: 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb. Kit includes one adapter, one M5 25mm screw, one M5 50mm screw, and a rubber shim. Overall, this is a very lovely cage, and the Cerakote protection does appear to work. Obviously it's an insane amount of money, and I'm not even going to try to justify the price, other than to say you'll probably never have to buy another bottle cage again (unless you want to get a second). The only possible negative I can draw, other than the price, is that the coating does diminish the visual appeal of raw titanium somewhat. VerdictIn the same way, all of us, as consumers, make trade-offs every single day in the products we buy and the services we use – and it seems clear that for many people, in the months and years to come, the actual financial cost will become an increasingly important part of the equation.

While it’s possible to have a carbon expert drill and glue bottle mounts in a carbon frame, and there’s likely a way to weld in bosses on an aluminum frame, both of those scenarios get pretty complicated. We won’t even get into it. However, if you have a steel frame, it’s pretty straightforward. We had bosses added to the underside of two v1 Surly Trolls’ downtubes (before they became a standard feature). It works like a charm and doesn’t cost too much. However, framebuilders are a busy lot, so you might have to wait. In addition, when deciding where the bosses are going to go, consider tire clearance when your suspension fork is compressed, if you run one. And, realize that brazing will damage the finish on your bike, which might require a repaint, or at least a partial respray. Rivnut Bottle Bosses If you want the lightest setup possible then sure, they're an easy way to shave off some precious grams for a relatively low price. More than that, they're also an easy way to add a bit of bling. Fitting the cage to the bike is easy using the pre-drilled holes, and should the tolerances not quite match up the bottom hole is elongated to allow a bit of adjustment. Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.Considering that many new bikes are missing a pair of bottle bosses under the downtube, and there’s no such thing as a suspension fork bottle mount, the USB is a good option. It comes in four sizes: 1 1/8-inch for handlebars and seat stays, 1 3/8-inch for steel frames and forks, 1 5/8-inch for 32mm suspension forks, and 2-inch for aluminum tube bikes and 36mm suspension forks. Note that because the cage attaches via a post mount, the nut goes onto the cage and some bottle cages might not work if they don’t have a recessed channel. As previous, I'm surprised at people who think they get to tell others how they can and can't spend their money. On our scales, the Fly Anodised cage weighed in at 21g, just 2g over the manufacturer’s stated weight, much lighter than similar cages on the market.