I am on the hunt for a single rear cage that will not bounce the skinny water/gatorade bottles in IM races
Thanks in advance
.
I’ve had the best luck with old school aluminum cages, that I can bend to any size I want.
In the past (I don’t ride a TT bike anymore) I used a cheap plastic cage (Bontrager bat cage), drilled holes in the ends that wrap around the bottle and used a piece of elastic to connect the 2 ends so it pinches the bottle tighter.
Here you go:
https://rappstar.com/2007/11/18/anti-ejection-cages/amp/
.
I’ve had good luck with the Zipp Alumina cages and bending the tab on top that holds the bottle.
Specialized Rib Cage.
I’m a huge fan of the Topeak Tri-Cage. The inverted high edge makes it that much easier to hit when placing a bottle behind you.
Thanks for the responses
I have the specialized rib cages. I have never bounced a regular bottle. However, the skinny gatorade bottles actually slide out of the bottom
Xlab Gorilla XT for my BTS cage and Gorilla for my BTA. They’re a little spendy for a cage but dropped bottles in a race really suck.
Xlab Gorilla XT for my BTS cage and Gorilla for my BTA. They’re a little spendy for a cage but dropped bottles in a race really suck.
Yeah I’ve been using these for more than 10 years after reading a similar thread way back when. There may be other options in this space now but I’ve never found a reason to move on from Xlab. The only other one I tried was TriRig but I actually found that one too tight that removal was overly challenging while riding. Xlab is the gold standard for a reason. I can all but guarantee you won’t drop a bottle, they look good and they are durable.
I had the profile design double bottle aqua rack and I didn’t care for it, lost many bottles.
Another vote for the Xlab Gorilla XT. Didn’t lose a single Gatorade or flimsy water bottle in the 140 miles of IM Arizona washboard roads a few weeks back and I think that was the ultimate test. 
XLab Gorialla XT zip-tied up under the seat. Has worked for a few yers without losing a single bottle.
To confirm: no one has the skinnier Arrowhead and Gatorade bottles launch from their rear saddle mounted bottle cage when they use a XLab Gorilla XT cage? The OP was about the skinnier bottles and the XLab Gorilla XT posts don’t specify bottle type. Thanks, I’m curious
To confirm: no one has the skinnier Arrowhead and Gatorade bottles launch from their rear saddle mounted bottle cage when they use a XLab Gorilla XT cage? The OP was about the skinnier bottles and the XLab Gorilla XT posts don’t specify bottle type. Thanks, I’m curious
We don’t do Gatorade in my neck of the woods, but I’ve had generic race bottles launch from the Gorilla XT. Few, admittedly, but the pavé of the IM Frankfurt course is a stress-test for retention like no other. Considering the road there is littered with Garmins, entire drink systems and nutrition packs… I’m still pleased with the XT. The key is to set it up at an angle - 30-45deg to the ground works best for me.
My best-ever combo was Lezyne Flow cage (plastic) and Specialized-type bottles. Had one on the seatpost of my MTB for years and never, and I mean never, launched one of these bottles through thousands of marathon racing kilometres.
I happen to have a case of of Gatorade sportcaps… they’re not my favorite but I get them for free sometimes when I staff races… leftovers.
I digress I’ve not lost one and the roads around me aren’t the best and nothing in the cage really catches on the bottle. By that I mean bottles tend to catch on a lip of sorts somewhere… but yes the cage seems to grip them tight enough so they don’t jump out. In a race I’d probaby be drinking them after I picked them up reducing their weight… light bottles definitely don’t jump out of cages like a heavier one does.
I tossed a Gatorade in my rear cage and snapped a few pics. With cool weather here (50’s) and my long ride only being around 40 miles I don’t drink a whole bottle and it survives the trip… so fully weighted bottle for around 20 miles until I take a drink and then a half full bottle or there abouts for the remainder 20.
