Gorilla xt is great! but cost over $50 a piece.
Can you recommend a good quality alternative at lower cost?
Thanks.
I have a Profile Design Kage zip tied behind the saddle. Does not launch bottles.
Any cheap cage with an elastic speed lace making it tight. I drill 2 holes and knot in the elastic.
I like the cheap cage with elastic idea; but I have never lost a bottle using the Specialized Rib Cages… and I think they’re less than $20 or so.
Man, I really like the XLab Gorilla cage. Expensive? Yup.
But, there is lore behind it. The guy who founded XLab, Craig Turner, basically invented triathlon retail (thank you, and damn you, Craig) and pioneered a slew of products. He also influenced the way we all do business.
Craig’s daughter Candice runs XLab now, and she is a very fine young lady who grew up in the sport and knows it well.
The XLab cages are very durable, very dependable, do hold bottles exceptionally well and look great. They are functional bike bling. I love them not only because they work great and look great, but because of Craig and Candice, two great people.
XLab is a California company. Its heritage is from the roots of California Triathlon. It literally started in the back room of Nytro (another brand I adore). It’s grown with the sport, and for good reason.
If you swallow hard and swipe your card for an XLab cage you will never lose a bottle, own a piece of triathlon history and support a brand that supported and grew this sport- and still does. And, in the extremely unlikely event you ever have a problem with a product of theirs, chances are Candice, the big boss at XLab, may answer the phone when you call them.
It’s literally a Mom n’ Pop brand, or more correctly, a father/daughter brand. There is something to be said for that, in addition to the fact that the product stands on its own.
Finally, bottle cages are a little like parachutes. You can bargain shop, you can find workable less expensive alternatives. But when it is 80 degrees at Ironman Wherever and you are at mile 80 on the bike with the sun high in the sky and you reach behind your saddle for a bottle, with an XLab Gorilla Cage you will get a drink. With an inexpensive substitute made to work, you probably still will. Probably…
I like the cheap cage with elastic idea; but I have never lost a bottle using the Specialized Rib Cages… and I think they’re less than $20 or so.
Not my experience. For me, Rib Cages work great in the main triangle but don’t hold well enough for either BTA or behind the seat bottles.
Arundel Sport. $13 on Wiggle.
Look closely, you’ll see these on pro tour team bikes.
The Arundel Mandible are my favorite, but damn expensive.
The Arundel Loony Bin looks interesting also.
Arundel Sport. $13 on Wiggle.
Look closely, you’ll see these on pro tour team bikes.
The Arundel Mandible are my favorite, but damn expensive.
I have had good success with the Elite Custom Race. They are under $20 and come in a variety of colors. I have mine hanging off a fizik tritone saddle, and have not lost a bottle and they are easy to locate bottles in. These are the fourth cages that I have tried back there. My only concern is with the fiber-reinforced polyamide construction. I am not sure how long it is going to last; it seems a little fragile.
I like the bontrager tri cage. I ride through rough midwestern roads and haven’t had a problem.
specialized rib cage. $20
I have to agree w/ Tom Demerly. I have had a number of cages including the profile design that has been recommended and while almost any cage works well inside the triangle they have all become bottle launchers when mounted behind the saddle. I did the math and in a few years the Gorilla XT cages will pay for themselves with cost bottles. I also crashed hard this year and one of the first points of contact was the gorilla cage. The bracket holding it snapped, but the cage had hardly a scratch. The way they last they will be the last cage I ever buy. I don’t often buy top of the line, but in this case it was worth the extra money. ****