Jim tests the EZGains Hydro

I’m annoyed by EZs pricing practices, but I guess it’s about supply and demand.

They charge 23€ for the ZTTO double bottle mount yet I can buy the same thing online for between €5 - €7.

Are these bottle mounts injection molded or 3D printed? If it’s 3d printed then it’s wild folks are willing to pay €180 and upwards without knowing exactly how it was made. It’s not specified anywhere if it’s printed with FDM or what material. Unless of course they are using a Stratasys printer, or another printing method in general, but I digress. Anyway, I hope for the price they are injection molded.

It just somehow leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t want to pay Porsche prices for a VW.

You may want to sit down for this next bit of info…

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:rofl: I mean, if someone can confirm they just 3d print these, I’m going to lock myself in a room and start modelling/3d printing alternatives at affordable prices :eyes: 150g total weight means a material cost of €2,40, plus a few cents for nuts and bolts.

looks like they are adding more “testing” data to their pages.

The safest bottle holder system, "bump tested " this is due to the positioning of the cage, its a lot easier for a bottle to fly out of a vertical holder system rather then a horizontal system due to the force it takes to take a bottle out from the side, its almost impossible.
**

Weight testing to 33lb of weight and they still held firm, over 600,000 kilometres of road testing with 750ml bottles.**

Also EZ Gains individually make the saddle clamps “and exceeded some existing clamps” for each seat giving you an exact fit rather then a universal clamp which will never exactly fit your saddle.
Another main factor is, the athletes do not need to lean as far back to grab there hydration, thus giving them more control of there bike when hydrating and exchanging bottles.

“Ironman Triathlon and World Triathlon have confirmed that EZ Hydro-Gains is legal to use in draft–illegal races and conforms to safety standards set out (BSI -ISO9001-ISO14001 5.03 Ironman (World Triathlon) exceeding the standards of a reputable safety standards organization (such as CPSC, ISO, or other equally reputable safety standards organizations)”

FWIW, I have had this setup for an ISM saddle since May, with double bottles riding shitty Wisconsin roads (all potholes and expansion cracks) and haven’t had an issue. I don’t see any stress fatigue. I also created an extender to bring my bottle over the saddle more so more of the weight sits over the saddle mount so less lever action.

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These are most likely SLS prints in Nylon. Don’t forget that a cheap SLS printer will set you back 25k (you decide if you want to read $$ or €€). The post processing is also a lot more involved than with your standard FDM printer.

I was referring to VW owning Porsche, which you either knew or just a crazy coincidence in the two brands you chose. No idea about how EZGains makes their stuff.

Yep familiar with the ownership chain. There’s been debate here in Germany because some of the VW SUVs are approaching Porsche prices and are meanwhile being outfitted with Chinese tires. This has started a bit of a hell storm as people have a Preis Leistungsverhältnis or Price Performance ratio mentality. You pay more, you should get more.

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Exactly why I want to know - it would be a justifiable price and a properly higher quality product. I’ve seen too many FDM prints being passed off with premium pricing. I don’t like snake oil and I don’t like fellow athletes getting fleeced :smiley:

The way the unit seemed to bounce around even in Jim’s video did not inspire confidence to me for the versions attaching from under the saddle or rails, especially knowing it is 3D printed (even if a higher end SLS or MJF print).

My training buddy got one of the EZgains for his Cervelo a month ago - it broke on the first training ride. Not the attachment the saddle interface part, but the top part where the bottle cage interfaces.

I think it Georgia Taylor-Brown had issues with it at T100 London, no?

On the ST’s main page on the article for the bikes of the top 15 pros in Nice, I noticed that Kristian Høgenhaug’s EZgains is hanging by a thread there with only one mounting screw left holding it.
(Now the top part here does appear intact.. so unless the part the front screw threads into under the saddle failed, it’s might be just an installation error and the screw got lose during the ride).


The newer version (v2) EZgains have for the Wove saddle that KH was running in Nice should be less critical though (solid connection, small lever) than their usual configuration. So again, maybe the front screw was just not tight enough.

I am one of those that rigged my own setup on the Wove saddle when I saw Jim’s results for the side-by-side 2 bottle BTS setup….

… in which I was able to integrate a transition hook under the saddle as well: solves the issue of trying to pass the bike under the transition rack (with the extra height of the BTS setup).

Lighter than the EZgains setup, 107g to be exact. So Saddle + BTS hardware (before adding cages) is still lighter than most stand alone saddles.


It is lower profile as well, easier to swing my leg above it during mounting. Although maybe less aero than when the bottles sits higher?
(more details in the Wove Saddles post Wove saddles - #210 by spocket )

While there are 3d printed parts (spacer and transition hook), none of them are structural and the setup is super sturdy and rigid: I would trust my setup over any of the EZ gains configuration going from the brackets under the saddle.
I actually made 2 kits for the Wove guys a couple weeks ago.

I have yet to do aero testing on the side-by-side BTS setup compared to a single bottle or double bottle in vertical arrangements.
If only 1-2 watts differences, my aerosensor, opportunities (weather) and testing skills might not be good enough to really differentiate them with confidence.

That being said, if the 3 setups are really close, there would be value in knowing you can run 2 BTS bottles instead of 1 with very little aero penalties if any.

And if vertical vs side-by-side is also tight, I do find it easier to handle the setup with 2 side-by-side bottles on top of the saddle as opposed to dealing with the bottle under the saddle, and I can use the transition hook for efficient racking in transition.

Anyway, if I get to test in the coming weeks before it gets too cold here, I will post the results.

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Yes happened to a few pro’s at T100 London and a buddy of mine. EX Gains said they hit a bad batch of those mounting brackets and have sent out new ones to replace ones that fail.

Chelsea Sodaro

Is it just me or does that top tube look really short?

Maybe the frame is size small?

“Chelsea Sodaro will be riding an eye-catching Ventum Tempus in size small with fully-custom paint, special details, and two entirely custom carbon modifications.”

Unrelated, but the seat to seat post mounting is very unique.

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Wow…. You’d wanna get that for/after measurement bang on before you just smash some carbon all around those saddle rails !

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[Slaps top of saddle] “Well, that ain’t going nowhere!”

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lmao that bottom bottle BTA looks like a bottle for 5 year olds. There’s like 5 sips of water in there.

Concentrated carb mix maybe?

Lol i legit use a bottle for a kid as my bottom BTA - use just for gels - get in 240g of carbs in it

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I have this system and it really is pretty solid. I just check the bolts every few rides to ensure they’re right. I’ve had zero wobble in training or in racing.

Is this talking about Chelsea bike? Pretty sure the bottom one is still 550ml.