Alden BTA bottle-computer mount & Speedfil Z4. Anyone try either/both of these (aside from the couple of posts from Jan 13)? Using a Garmin 500 or 510 with between the bars bottle mount. Pros? Cons? Durability issues at all?
Setup: 3T Brezza II Limited w/compact pads, narrowest width/s-bends with R2C shifters.
I use the Alden BTA mount and love it. I have it rear facing so it “hangs” over my stem. Only slight issue, since it’s cantilevered over the stem, is that it can bounce some. Makes the scene hard to read I a bumpy road (like 388 in IMFL) and I’m always a little fearful it could snap. To remedy that, I built up a little stack of double sided tape that the rearmost part of the Alden rests upon. Problem basically solved. Very nice guy to do business with too.
Thanks for the input. I’d think that if you were afraid it would snap, that should be looked at by Glen to remedy from a design standpoint. If he tested it on a super bumpy road or mountain bike with aero bars (I know sounds funny), then it would for sure pass the test of stable and strong.
I’m sure he did. His products seem pretty well thought out (and hopefully well-tested). I mainly did not like the “bouncing” b/c of difficulty reading my 800/810’s screen. It’s only mounted w/ one bolt to one of the bottle cage mounts. I have mine moved all the way back to make sure a bottle in the cage can be inserted all the way and not quite hit my 810 when mounted. Even though there is only one bolt, the remainder of the 1st horizontal portion presses flatly against, in my case, the Alden BTA bottle mount. Between the bolt and horizontal part, it mitigates the cantilevered bouncing pretty well. I just wanted more security/stability.
I use the Z4 and it is perfection. Puts my Garmin 510 exactly where I need it, is stable no problem with vibration, screen is always clear. Its half the cost of the other option. no hardware to vibrate loose. i have it Ziptied backwards and works perfectly.
Thanks for the return info…the Z4 definitely is about half the price which is a lure. Both look like good options. Currently using a Torpedo mount up front but there isn’t anywhere else to cram a 500 or 510 Garmin. As it is, my Cateye is sitting attached to the stem. Not even sure if the BTA would work as it would have to sit below the bottom of the bottle which is on its side–the 500’s are pretty large compared to the Cateye & knee clearance may be an issue. Like anything else, I’ll research the p*ss out of each of them & make a decision when I’ve talked myself into one of them.
Hi, Thanks for asking about a comparison of my BTA system to that of the new Z4 bottle cage/computer mount system. I think both products serve the market pretty well and both have their own unique characteristics to put the computer in a position that works good for almost everyone.
I will let others comment more on how they like my BTA system, but hopefully without sounding like too much like a sales pitch, I have had a lot of guys lately mount the Z4 cage on my BTA base plates for a super solid, and very aerodynamic overall solution.
Either way you go, I think you will have a great setup, and thanks again, Glen