Anyone ever use XLAB Gorilla cage in a BTA set-up?

Triathlon Forum
1

I have a pretty tight aerobar set-up with my S-bend aerobars rotated inward. This does not leave room for the Xlab Torpedo system (which I would have loved to have) so I went with Profile Design HC aero bottle mount with computer mount (not their bottle, just the mount). I originally had the device set up standard with the bottle facing forward. Because my aerobars are turned inward, the bottle BARELY fit, had to be a smaller bottle and had to be shoved in with pressure halfway forcing it out of the cage. The other downfall was the computer mount stuck back right over my stem, which made it pretty tough to comfortably read my data.

Today I decided to switch everything around and at first glance it was glorious. I had perfect access to my 910 XT display, my water bottle fit better than ever since it was not receiving pressure from my aero bars, and my hands had plenty of room. My problem arose during my first ride. Since the bottle is facing slightly downward, when I hit a small pothole I instantly launched my bottle. When I rode over a cobblestone section, my bottle came about 50% out. I had to slightly move my bottle up about 10 times during a 40 mile ride.

I currently have the XLAB Torpedo cage mounted on this set-up and it was set up pretty loose in order to allow my previous bottle position with the bottle BARELY fitting facing forwards. I could tell this was a bit of a problem during the ride because there was quite a bit of chatter. I have since snugged up the bolts and it appears the fit is much better… though still possibly not strong enough to avoid a launch if I hit a large bump… Is it that big if I launch a bottle? Not during training, but during an Ironman it could be very costly.

I am Considering keeping the same set-up, though replacing the Torpedo cage with the Gorilla cage. Has anyone ever used a Gorilla cage up front? The packaging clearly labels the torpedo for use in BTA set-ups while the Gorilla is designed for rear hydration systems. Will I have a big problem putting the Gorilla cage up front? Will I receive a huge aero penalty? Will it even fit properly? Do you think it will solve my launching bottle dilemma? Since it is a spendy cage, I want to seek some advice before I try it out.

Here are a couple pictures of my current set-up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/BTA2_zpsf2afdd3d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/BTA1_zps844384f8.jpg

2

I have one on my aduro bars, works fine.

3

I’m going to be doing the same thing. One thing you may want to make sure is you’re using the correct bottle as well. I don’t know if that current bottle is a podium or not, but Xlab put this on their product page for the gorilla. Then again it may not pertain to the BTA position as they directly state for rear hydration position.

Bottles with shorter groves that do not fit properly into the hook like the Camelback Podium, and bottles with grooves that are not uniform around the entire circumference like the Polar Insulated bottles are not recommended for use with the XLAB GORILLA Cage. In our experience these two bottles do not stay in place on rear carriers due to the lack of a groove for the cages to grip.

4

Yes sir, works with all of the bottles I have tried, even the plastic Ozarka ones. I used one of their bottle optimizers to move the cage more towards me so I could still use my Joule mounted up front. My bottle faces forward.

5

just did exactly that: put a gorilla cage on my xlab torpedo 100 BTA setup and the bottle stays put! use to turn and/or launch out on bumps.

6

Completely ok putting a Gorilla on the front. One of our athletes uses nothing but Gorilla cages (Caroline Steffen). You are gaining 2 lbs of extra grip force when you move from a Torpedo to a Gorilla cage. Aerodynamics will be the same so no effect there. The main difference you will notice is when pulling up on the bottle. It won’t be as fast as with a Torpedo because the Gorilla has higher sides and thus a little bit longer to go before being able to pull up.

If you wanted to have a forward facing cage, you can try the Aero Cage Optimizer. This will go underneath your cage and can move it back up to 1.75". Allowing more space between the top of the bottle and the computer mount.

7

Also if you use the bike computer mount on the front it will save the Ozarka plastic bottles from flying out on downhills. Living in Texas I would highly recommend this setup with the rough roads here.