what type of water bottle holders (cages) do you use? and how well do they work? thanks!
cheap wire specialized ones - the more you bend them the better they work and they don’t get all scuffed up from gritty bottles like fancy carbon bottle launchers.
Specialized plastic ones.
A cage that will hold the bottles SNUG, my saddlewing liked to launch waterbottles when you hit bumps or the occassional railroad crossing.
A cage that will hold the bottles SNUG, my saddlewing liked to launch waterbottles when you hit bumps or the occassional railroad crossing.
ok which holders didn’t work for you? I don’t wanna buy those! did you find ones that worked for you?
Honestly I bought the cheap tubular aluminum cages, basic stock at any bike shop. They cost around 5-7 dollars. I like them because you can adjust the amount of “snugness” by bending them in or out a little.
I set up my X-lab saddlewing with some nice carbon bottle holders. I headed out for a long ride and when I was the furthest point from my house, the carbon bottle holders started to eject the bottles after I hit any small bump, rock, snail, etc. I ended up carrying my water bottles in my jersey pocket for 60 miles back home. Those nice carbon cages are now on my road bike and the cheap alloy cages from the road bike are on my X-lab.
I have used Profile Kages and Karbon Kages, King Steel cages and Elite Steel Cages… all have worked well and I never lost a bottle. However, both times I used non-wire cages they were brand new. I have used behind the saddle waterbottles carriers for years… since we thought they were MORE aero then anything else and Profile made their first one. Every single carrier I used launched bottles… Until I switched to a Xlab Flatwing and the launching issue has become a thing of the past.
I use these:
Only $3.99 at Performance and note the little rubber stopper on the top that really helps to keep the bottles from flying. As others have mentioned, you can always bend the cages in to make them tighter too.
Tacx Taos suck for me. I’ve broken 4 Taos now. The stupid plastic inserts get ripped out by my saddlewing.
My wife has installed the X-lab Boa Super grip cages on her Softride and has no problems to date.
Tri Geeks Multisport
www.trigeeks.ca
I use these:
Only $3.99 at Performance and note the little rubber stopper on the top that really helps to keep the bottles from flying. As others have mentioned, you can always bend the cages in to make them tighter too.
Ditto. No question.
I use metal cages with teflon tabs, model is called Elite.
The real trick is to only use shorty bottles, never the long ones, and you should not be launching bottles.
Like others have said, crank down on the cages so they grip well and you should be fine.
Karma
I use this as well, have never launched a bottle with it. Works well with long bottles as well.
The Profile Design Kages. They are kept snug by wire around the rim. I’ve never ejected a bottle and they are bit more appealing than those cheap metal cages that have been mentioned above.
I use the same, and when the band that keeps the bottles snug breaks or becomes stretched out, use the small hair-elastics that girls use to tie up their hair as a replacement. I replace mine a few times per season and very rarely ever launch a bottle.
I have been using the Trek Bat Cages. They are a resin cage and you can bend the hell out of them and they won’t break. Plus they hold the bottles extremely snug. They are about $10-$14 a piece.
These are the only ones that have really worked for me. They have a giant nut at the top that grabs the indentation in the bottle. I have to ride about a half a mile on historic brick roads to get anywhere from home and these work.
Plus, they are $4.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=600072&subcategory=60001025&brand=&sku=13214&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Cages