Curious if I can get thoughts/opinions from the group on where you install your rear hydration systems. Do you install on the flat part of the rail or the angled part?
I’m asking because I have had issues with the hydration system shaking loose. During dsm 70.3 last year I had to stop and re-tighten everything or would have lost the whole thing. Then this weekend on a training ride it loosened again.
After this weekends ride I put thread locker on every bolt to see if that helps but the whole system still moves a tiny bit and the bolts are as tight as I can feasibly make them.
Attached is a pic.
Also if anybody has a better system than xlab turbo wing I’m all ears. Need to get this sorted before 70.3 chat in 2 weeks!!!
I love the Minoura for training although it probably isn’t the best if you are trying for a podium finish.
Threadlock should work, but if it still moves when you have tightened it as much as you can then it just doesn’t fit or something else is wrong.
In general, you need grease for almost every bolt on your bike. The grease fills up the tiny spaces between the threads and is an important part of keeping the bolt tight. It performs a function similar to the threadlock but more convenient to remove.
The most typical saddle rail that is used to mount rear hydration carriers is the vertical rails and the Turbo Wing (being our most popular) is I would say 70-80% always mounted on the vertical rails. For your setup I would probably recommend the vertical rails and then modify the Cage angle so you can keep your same reach.
If I was to put my finger on the looseness - I would say your rail clips might have morphed over time. We can definitely help get you set up with new mounting hardware and bottle cage hardware too so you can have fresh threadlocker on the bolts.
Feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call (760-735-3215) so we can get your Turbo Wing working again! I have told my team that your race is in 2 weeks so will make sure it is expedited! We are open 8am - 4:30pm PST.
Alternatively, if you wanted to go away from the Turbo Wing - as DavidNeu said above - you can mount a carrier to the holes on your seatpost. We actually discontinued those models, but you would want to look for the Sonic Wing.
I see you just purchased a Sonic Wing, but I wanted to post here for those who might be looking for other solutions. I recently purchased the Topeak Tri-Backup Elite 90 for my ISM saddle (vertical rails) and it works perfectly. Easy to mount and can adjust the angle of the cages. I also picked up two of their carbon cages and the bottles are very secure. It comes with mounts for two CO2 cartridges and a micro air booster. They have versions that can be mounted to angled rails as well. Highly recommend.
