I have a Tacx rear bottle holder with the Trek bat cages. This is my first rear bottle setup. On my ride today, I launched bottles so many times it was really frustrating. Where I ride the roads are pretty rough. Is there a solution to this problem? The Tacx rear bottle holder is adjustable in terms of the angle it holds the bottles. Should it hold the bottles at a 90 degree angle or something else? Is there a better cage/holder? Thanks.
Ive used an X-lab flat wing with some velocity bottle holders. The cages are a little heavier, but if 10 grams is an issue, you have issues. Ive never launched a bottle. railroad tracks, speed bumps… you just need an old school aluminum cage
I’ve got the X-Lab Flatwing, with normal blackburn stainless cages. I’ve never lost a bottle, and the roads around here can be less-than-perfect.
-Colin
In my experience, bottles are launched by the cage and not the cage holder mount. I have used both Xlab mounts and they work well, having varied angles. I realized the cage used must be with a neck design that comes in to press the bottle “shoulders”, not just a clamp around the bottle “body”. The best I have used are a bit heavy from Minoura and look like batwings (right photo) but hold well. The Specialized (left Photo) was okay in the beginning until the red band lost elasticity thru the years. The bottles get ejected specialy when they are empty.
Why are you teasing us, show the whole ride (red one). 
Nice matching cage BTW.
Oh, and I have used the flatwing with elite cages and never launched. (knock on wood)
minoura dual holder w/blackburn stainless steel cages…never had a launched bottle. minoura setup has the cages mounted at 90 degrees, which looks like most of the reason why it works well in keeping bottles from launching. i also find it easier to reach for bottles than the x-lab setup, which i’ve used in the past as well, due to the angle and positioning of the cages.
Get some old toe straps and thread them through the cage and around the top of the bottle. Problem solved. Did this with a Trimble carrier (the first seat-mounted holder) and never launched a bottle again.
Try a bottle cage that makes a lot of contact with the bottle, and then pour a bit of gatorade / gel / whatever on the bottle and the cage before the ride. As it dries, the stickyness of the liquid gives just enough hold for bumpier roads, and seems to obviate the problem.
An inelegant solution, but it works.
A reader of the Dutch magazine Fiets worked out a new application for the yellow Livestrong bracelets to prevent bottles falling out of their holders:
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I’m terrified of rear bottle mounts. I’ve been on so many group rides that have someone ride over a bump and shoot missles into the rest of the peloton that I’m just really sketched out by them now.
Get a couple of mountain bike-specific cages. I use the Trek Flatbelly. They hold tighter and are also stiffer. I’ve never lost a bottle mountian biking with these cages, so I put them on my profile seatpost-mountes wattter bottle thingy.
Campled,
I am looking into getting the Flatwing. Do you use the X-nut, X-strap, etc and if so how do they work? Can you rear mount your bike in transition with the Flatwing? Any other answers you have have to questions that I should be smart enough to ask?
Thanks,
Hi bigred,
No problem with rear mounting with the flatwing,the tail of the bottlecage keeps it in place on the transition bar.I used the xnut but loosed in one of my rides. I used loctite (the blue one) but it was stolen after. I didn’t really like the funky “Y” contraption sticking out of my tail. I have not used the strap, old spare tubes or standard velcro straps work as well.