... you can call me Bob.

Please look at your Profile cage. The rubber band goes around the cage horizontally. There is a ridge running horizontally around the body of the cage. Your can wrap a rubber band around the cage, fitting the rubber band in the ridge. This makes the cage more constrictive.

I recall my cages actually had rubber bands around them in this fashion when I bouth them.

I like your idea of putting a rubber band around the bottle. Perhaps this idea merits development.



wmh

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iambigkahunatony.com

off the cuff...

1. i'd prefer a between the clip ons front bottle. easier to drink from, no reaching, refillable on the fly, they don't jump out of their mounts. i use a profile system in which i can remove the bottle inbetween races and the clamp stays in place. easy.

2. if you do use a behind the saddle bottle mount, there are a few things. first, i'd choose one into which i can also thread my inflator and cartridges.

3. also, never freeze your bottles. put ice cubes in them, but don't freeze them.

4. keep the bottles angled mostly upright, with only a very small backward tilt.

5. most importantly, buy good, heavy-gauge, sturdy, cages. most of the time when i see launched bottles, i also see flimsy, light gauge cages. a good cage will solve most of your problems.

i dont' remember writing about rubber bands. that was probably the xtri guy.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

as Bob mentioned the profile cages come with an O ring that will wear out and/or break off. I have not launched a bottle, yet, but did launch my spares which I keep in a bottle that is cut in half. I ride a P2 and use a modified Minouro (sic) and keep the bottle angled straight as possible. Actually dont really need the behind the seat holder during races only on long training rides, but having used it for the last few months I now find it easier to use than the frame mounted bottle holder!

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

I could not stand the profile cages on the xlab. Everytime I ride over train tracks bottles go flying. I bought a Minouro and unfortunatly the back plate will not fit under my saddle. Any suggestions for this?

NeverReach...solves the problem. I'll never launch another bottle. I use my one cage mount to store my tools and spares in a wide mouth water bottle. With 64 ounces in the NeverReach and a quick-fill option, I'm very happy.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

No sorry no solution to your problem other than maybe to use strong rubber bands around the bottle cage or try a BBB cage which looks like a Zip Carbon cage but made of aluminium. I have one on the seat tube and the bottle fits snug. I managed to get the minoura to fit just, currently it backs on to the seat bolt thingy and I cant move seat forward any more.

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

I too had problems with the Minouro/a? and gave up after 30 mins, went back and just must have gotten lucky. No launches in a year, even when grabbing air at the 1/2Max.

I freeze bottles for every Sat ride, no problems to date.

I've only seen pictures of the NeverReach system. How the heck do you refill the thing during a race? It looks great but I could see myself having to stop at an aid station and get off the big the refill. Is it easier than it looks?

THe top that comes with the system is sort of like a racing car gas-fill cap. All you do is pull the top off of the water bottle you get on the course, and dump it in the big-ole wide-mouth opening in the NeverReach. It's done in two seconds. You aren't having to mess around back there any longer than most people mess around trying to re-holster a seat-mounted bottle after taking a drink. There is also a solid top for when you don't want to use the quick-fill. When I do use the quick-fill, I put a plastic film over it, secured with rubber band so dirt/bugs/competitors don't contaminate the fluid. At T1, I just pull the plastic and rubber band off so I can use the quick-fill feature on the course.

Forget about the claims of increased air-smoothing and therefore better aerodynamics...it may all be true...but, NO launching, zero reaching back (unless you are in a race that requires more fluid than it can carry), 64 ounces of fluid, a drinking straw right in front of you, and the ability to refill so easily, makes it worth it to me.

Plus, there is the added benefit of looking a bit like a bumble-bee with that pointed thing hanging out the rear. I'm sure some creative person will paint a stinger on the end of it, maybe even bumble-bee stripes....HA!

PS, there are rumors of a 42 ounce system being developed. Personally, I'll keep the 64...if I don't need 64 ounces, I just put in less.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Call me a retro grouch yaquicarbo, but that neverreach thing disturbs my artist's aesthetic sensibilities! Give me frame mount any day. :>

Oh, I agree, it's not pretty. That's why I made comments about the rear-end of a bumble-bee. But, I only have one frame mount, I need the fluid worse than I need to look good, and I don't like the seat-mounted bottles. Also, if you put in yellowish looking fluid, it looks like it might be some sort of urinal device....OK, so maybe that's a positive point for it....

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Three words:

Specialized Ribcage Pro.

These rule, never launched a bottle, used them with the X-Lab Saddlewing through IMOz's potholes for 2 years, on plenty of training rides on dodgy country roads in Western Australia and they also kept the bottles secure on some nasty cobblestones around Paris.

They have saved me a ton of heart-ache.

Happy riding.

Camel

I thought camels stored their water in their hump! ;)

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)