King Cage or Arundel stainless?

[jmoore]

I need new cages. They must be stainless.

[Len J]

Nitto - R cages. anything else is overdone.

Len

[Tony T]

King Cage Iris.

[donevwil]

I'd used King SS cages for ~8 years or so, before someone across the hall was selling four Arundel SS. The Kings are great, better than most, but the Arundel shape just holds bottles more securely. While riding off road washboards the Kings would allow the bottle to pivot side-to-side ultimately working its way out if not watched closely. No similar issue with the Arundel. With both one can bend them for a secure fit, but the Kings tend to “unbend” much more quickly, undoubtedly because the bottle holding force is accomplished by two tubes with the King and four tubes with the Arundel.

[Tony T]

The King Iris hold tight.

[DHallerman]

Before this thread, some people like me -- a devoted King stainless steel cage person -- had not known what the Arundel stainless cages look like.

Now I do...
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/images/products/arundel/2013/9784_i_1.jpg

Of course, some of us still prefer the shape of the classic King stainless cage...
http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/ctxtv.wmppt/v/vspfiles/photos/wb7-2.jpg

Or, why not choose the King Iris cage...
http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/kingCage-SteelIris11-09_tn.jpg

[cfox]

yes

[Elefantino]

Blackburn stainless cages work fine, hold tight, and they're cheap.

But King cages are King cages.

[jmoore]

I have the Arundel's on a Merckx MXL and I love them, but they are made in China, IIRC. I have used cages that are shaped like the King and they are non-descript but I like the idea of supporting a small, US business. The King Iris is an interesting suggestion.

[rice rocket]

Are King cages made by Chris King? Or some other king? King George? King Edward?


I have Arundels on everything. Never lost a bottle.

[Ahneida Ride]

Are King cages made by Chris King? .


No !!!!!

[Puget Pounder]

I vote Nicholas.

First.

[Ahneida Ride]

King Ti do not mar bottles and grip tenaciously ....

but they do cost frns ....:eek:

King Ti flexes just the right amount .

[christian]

King or Nitto. The Arundels look horrible, like a low-rent copy of the Nitto R.

[donevwil]

King Ti do not mar bottles and grip tenaciously ....

but they do cost frns ....:eek:

King Ti flexes just the right amount .

Ahneida Ride, Can you compare the performance of King Ti's to standard Kings ?

[GRAVELBIKE]

King for me. Got 'em on all my bikes. Never lost a bottle, and I'm supporting someone who's been in the bike industry for quite a while.

[rwsaunders]

King Iris is my fave...made by Ron Andrews in Durango.

http://www.kingcage.com

[one60]

VO retro cages are polished SS. work great & look great.

[slidey]

Nice one ;)

Are King cages made by Chris King? Or some other king? King George? King Edward?

[alexstar]

Most of my bikes have King cages, but one has Arundel cages as I wanted to see if they were any good. They are very well made and very nice looking, and hold the bottle well. Bottle removal and replacement takes a little more attention. It's a personal decision but I prefer the King.

For mountain bikes, go with the King Iris cages, they grip very well.

[Grant McLean]

I need new cages. They must be stainless.

what frame are they going on?

-g

[mkbk]

IMO, King cages. I have a dozen or so of both Ti and SS. I never have to think about my cages ever. Light+strong=expensive is the "correct" equation. They are worth it.

[jmoore]

what frame are they going on?

-g

a new K.Bedford tig'd steel roadie which is at the painters as we speak.


I'm trying to gather ancillary small parts this week so I have them in hand when the frame arrives.

[ClutchCargo]

King Iris is my fave...made by Ron Andrews in Durango.

http://www.kingcage.com

Yup, same here. For awhile I had some carbon cages on my Seven Axiom Ti, but the look was just wrong. The Iris shape is elegant well suited to the ti frame, and in my experience keeps a strong grip (including substantial dirt road riding).

I would also offer a strong plug for his ti tire levers. So simple and elegant; they take up no space in a bag or pocket and are crazy light. And effective. All for less than the cost of two Starbucks mocha-whatevers.

Oh, and Ron is a great guy.

[Tony T]

I would also offer a strong plug for his ti tire levers.

Gotta be careful not to damage the rim. Better off with plastic/nylor levers.

[ClutchCargo]

Gotta be careful not to damage the rim. Better off with plastic/nylor levers.

I am careful. Damage the rim how-so? You mean by denting it?

[cash05458]

I like the basic steel King ones...16 bucks or so...American made and by a good guy...never had a bottle slip or any problem whatsoever...I must have 7 or 8 of em around here...

[bicycletricycle]

kinf cages are tough and classy and fantastic.

[cash05458]

I am careful. Damage the rim how-so? You mean by denting it?

yeah, you need to go easy with those things...you can push the side of the rim in with those...

[AngryScientist]

i've got a few of both kicking around. they are both excellent. the arundels are very very nice IMO.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGly3HdHydc/T41T6VYuOkI/AAAAAAAAAbM/gHj7Ga-DOmY/s640/IMG_0605.jpg

[Ahneida Ride]

Ahneida Ride, Can you compare the performance of King Ti's to standard Kings ?

not really as I never used the Steel Kings.

However the Ti Kings are just perfect ....

The Ti flexes just the right amount...

I have not seen Stainless cages that both flex and secure like the Ti.
and they weight lees then a breath of fresh air.

Only downside is the cost.

[Ahneida Ride]

Are King cages made by Chris King? Or some other king? King George? King Edward?


Rodney King :eek:

[Tony]

...American made and by a good guy..

My wife has an anger problem. When she gets pissed off she goes for my bike.
She forcibly ripped two King ti cages off my bike. I called Ron and told him how they were broken and he fixed the two cages for free! He is a Good guy!

Tony
http://www.neptunesrangers.com/

[bicycletricycle]

that is a crazy story

...American made and by a good guy..

My wife has an anger problem. When she gets pissed off she goes for my bike.
She forcibly ripped two King ti cages off my bike. I called Ron and told him how they were broken and he fixed the two cages for free! He is a Good guy!

Tony
http://www.neptunesrangers.com/

[jchasse]

I have Arundel carbon and stainless cages, as well as King Ti, stainless and Iris cages. I've never had a bottle come out of any of them.

The King stainless cages are made from smaller dia tubing than the Ti cages and look better on a road bike IMHO. The Iris cages look great also.

I know Ron (King Cage guy) since he lives down the street, and he's just a super nice guy that stands behind his products. I buy nothing else now unless I really want carbon cages. If you ever happen to be in Durango you can just walk around to his garage where he makes everything and buy stuff directly from the man!

He'll also be at NAHBS in case you plan to be there...

[ClutchCargo]

I have Arundel carbon and stainless cages, as well as King Ti, stainless and Iris cages. I've never had a bottle come out of any of them.

The King stainless cages are made from smaller dia tubing than the Ti cages and look better on a road bike IMHO. The Iris cages look great also.

I know Ron (King Cage guy) since he lives down the street, and he's just a super nice guy that stands behind his products. I buy nothing else now unless I really want carbon cages. If you ever happen to be in Durango you can just walk around to his garage where he makes everything and buy stuff directly from the man!

He'll also be at NAHBS in case you plan to be there...

That is cool. Another reason to visit Durango!

And I'm stickin' with my ti tire levers. One of the reasons I like 'em is they are handy to use to help pry off a flatted tubular -- get it under the tire and shimmy it along to dislodge the tire. Does the same thing that folks have suggested using a filed/smoothened screwdriver head for. Can't do that with plastic or nylon.

[jlwdm]

Nothing but Arundel for me. Two bikes carbon and one stainless. Work great and better looking.

Jeff

[jmoore]

Wow! Who know a simple bottle cage thread would generate so much interest.


I just bought two King Iris cages. US made by a small, one man shop. Being a small one man shop myself, I'm always happy to support others in our little clique.

[rugbysecondrow]

...American made and by a good guy..

My wife has an anger problem. When she gets pissed off she goes for my bike.
She forcibly ripped two King ti cages off my bike. I called Ron and told him how they were broken and he fixed the two cages for free! He is a Good guy!

Tony
http://www.neptunesrangers.com/


I would talk up your newest custom "Huffy" and park the MF nearest to the door. Either that or you need to spring for one hell of a valentines day gift. :)

[Tony T]

I am careful. Damage the rim how-so? You mean by denting it?

More like tiny nicks and scratches (on alum rims)

[572cv]

I'm very fond of the King cages we have here, one SS set and one Ti set. Highly recommended for handsome functionality.

[zmudshark]

Jason,

You are a good friend, and I've never steered you wrong. LenJ was right on the very first page. Nitto R is the only cage to consider, unless you are trying to shave grams.

Since I know you, Nitto R is the only choice. Classiest cage there is.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GUhUYhf9V4E/SwM4lVBrmcI/AAAAAAAADJw/FUkvQbbTX1s/s912/PB170075.JPG

[bicycletricycle]

nitto cages are great but much more fragile than king cages in my experience

[Tony T]

They look nice, but I still like the look of the Iris.

http://www.kingcage.com/assets/img/Cage3.jpg

[noahgenda]

Mtb = king cage
Roadie = Ciussi Inox SS
Rando = King cage

[cash05458]

[QUOTE=jmoore;1294142]Wow! Who know a simple bottle cage thread would generate so much interest.


it's winter...hell, some of us snowlocked and deep in could prolly help fill out a ten page thread on cage bolts...

[GRAVELBIKE]

[QUOTE=jmoore;1294142]Wow! Who know a simple bottle cage thread would generate so much interest.


it's winter...hell, some of us snowlocked and deep in could prolly help fill out a ten page thread on cage bolts...

Snow? Check. King bottle cage? Check.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8474988738_92836f508d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/justridingalong/8474988738/)

[cash05458]

...American made and by a good guy..

My wife has an anger problem. When she gets pissed off she goes for my bike.
She forcibly ripped two King ti cages off my bike. I called Ron and told him how they were broken and he fixed the two cages for free! He is a Good guy!

Tony
http://www.neptunesrangers.com/

whew...ripping ti cages off bikes shows some, shall I say, suss...my ex went for one of my Rickenbackers once...notice I said EX....

[Tony]

whew...ripping ti cages off bikes shows some, shall I say, suss...my ex went for one of my Rickenbackers once...notice I said EX....

I should have said had an anger problem :) I'm glad I stuck it out, very lucky to have her as my wife and friend.

Tony
http://www.neptunesrangers.com/

[pinoymamba]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7892688434_03be5c4b3d_z.jpg

i've got king ss cages on my caad 10 :hello: i just dislike how the bolt chews up my bottle. i'll figure out a solution when i'm less lazy.

[Tony T]

i just dislike how the bolt chews up my bottle. i'll figure out a solution when i'm less lazy.

Use a bolt with a lower profile head.;)

[Grant McLean]

a new K.Bedford tig'd steel roadie which is at the painters as we speak.


I'm trying to gather ancillary small parts this week so I have them in hand when the frame arrives.

In that case, my vote would be for the American made stainless king cages.

That lovely DeRosa pictured above needs some Elite Inox cages!
Save the nitto stuff for Japanese projects.

-g

[Louis]

I've never liked the look of the Arundels. I hear they work well. The aesthetics don't do it for me.

I have two pairs of King cages, standard and Iris. Build quality on both is very good. My only concern with the Iris (haven't used them yet) is that when returning a bottle to the cage if I don't pay attention I might "slam" the bottle against the DT (instead of gently placing it into the cage). That's not a problem with regular cages because you hit the cage first. Nevertheless, the Iris cages do look cool.

I've never heard of the the other two brands.

[jmoore]

Jason,

You are a good friend, and I've never steered you wrong. LenJ was right on the very first page. Nitto R is the only cage to consider, unless you are trying to shave grams.

Since I know you, Nitto R is the only choice. Classiest cage there is.



And since you know me, you know that gram saving is very high on my priority list for a bike :p

[Louis]

nitto cages are great but much more fragile than king cages in my experience

Agreed. IMO the tubing OD looks out of proportion to the length, causing them to appear spindly.

[Grant McLean]

Agreed. IMO the tubing OD looks out of proportion to the length, causing them to appear spindly.

The nitto model 80 cage is actually the nicer looking version of the R cage
for some bikes, because it's a little larger diameter tubing.
It's made from hollow stainless tubes instead of solid rod that the type R is made from.



-g

[Louis]

The nitto model 80 cage is actually the nicer looking version of the R cage

Agreed - the larger OD tubing cage looks better. IMO

[joosttx]

Go with th King Cage Isis.

[bearingpress]

King Iris is the only way to fly.

I rode two of them across the country without losing a bottle. Plus they are made in the U.S.

Don't be a chump, buy something with some real street cred.

[Llewellyn]

OK, I've ponied up for a couple of King stainless cages - I hope they're as good as you guys say!!!

[thirdgenbird]

OK, I've ponied up for a couple of King stainless cages - I hope they're as good as you guys say!!!

I doubt you will be disapointed. I need to order more myself.

[pdmtong]

King Iris is the only way to fly.

+100
the aesthetic of these on a steel frame is excellent

[krismac23]

King is king!

[jbrainin]

I prefer King cages for metal frames (either steel or ti depending on frame) and Arundel carbon cages for carbon frames.

[HugoBear]

They both are really nice

[oldpotatoe]

Go with th King Cage Isis.

Yep, I sell a lot of them(maybe 250 or so a year) but everytime I order more King cages, I ask him to make a ti Iris cage..he says, thanks, but....

[Rueda Tropical]

The King Ti cage is one of those products that has reached the point where it can't be improved. You can spend a lot more for more exotic cages but they wont be lighter or hold your bottle better.

[zennmotion]

Yep, I sell a lot of them(maybe 250 or so a year) but everytime I order more King cages, I ask him to make a ti Iris cage..he says, thanks, but....

Skinny 28mm tires on a roadbike pumped hard for pinchflats, chipseal, golf ball gravel and exposed bedrock roads, big 27oz bottles, and 2 steel Iris cages-best way to roll. My drive side chainstay is beat to crap from years of bouncing chains. But the Iris cages? Nothing rattles, nothing moves. Ti version?-that would be serious weenieware, good for him to refuse! This from a guy who strings mardi gras beads on his cables...

[dekindy]

I would also offer a strong plug for his ti tire levers. So simple and elegant; they take up no space in a bag or pocket and are crazy light. And effective. All for less than the cost of two Starbucks mocha-whatevers.

Oh, and Ron is a great guy.

I purchased these based upon reviews but found they were too strong for my road rims, put nicks at the leverage points. Am I doing something wrong?

[Tony T]

I like the michelin tire levers, but they're hard to find.
These are good: Schwalbe Bicycle Tire Levers (http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-1388-Bicycle-Tire-Levers/dp/B000UAQL6C/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1360955702&sr=8-33&keywords=tire+levers)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H-V-ozM-L._AA160_.jpg

These are the michelin:

http://www.moruyabicycles.com.au/contents/media/michelin%20tyre%20levers.jpg

[zennmotion]

I have a old campy downtube shift lever as a key fob (yes I'm a geek and ironically ride mostly Shimano, go figure). Anyway I got a flat on the way to work one day, and discovered the utter uselessness of a fat plastic Park Tool lever on a tight wire conti bead, but it turns out my poseur campy shift lever key fob makes a good tire lever. So much so, that I took another one (a Schwinn one this time as making a tire lever from vintage campy jewelry is just cruel and unusual) and I shaped it a little with a file to better slip under the bead. Best tire lever on the planet. Oh and I like King levers too, just not on carbon or light rims with tight tires and use two rather than just one. Sorry for the thread jack, but I think all's been said that can or should be said about bottle cages, and sometimes I'm completely overwhelmed and in awe of my own cleverness. Thanks for your attention.

[zennmotion]

I purchased these based upon reviews but found they were too strong for my road rims, put nicks at the leverage points. Am I doing something wrong?

Yep, an effective tool can be a dangerous tool! I just wrap mine with multiple layers of duct tape a few mms from the end to cushion the rim- and then you also have an emergency tire boot with the tape for that day every year or so when you slash a tire. With tight tires I use 2 of the King levers to avoid the nicks.

[Tony T]

Anyway I got a flat on the way to work one day, and discovered the utter uselessness of a fat plastic Park Tool lever on a tight wire conti bead.

Agreed. Park and many others are no good.
The Michelin's are great. Strong, light and a good 'hook':

[AngryScientist]

rode my steel bike tonight with king ti cages. they are awesome.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxjkoWVgtJg/UR6_gtU0LEI/AAAAAAAABGM/q6D3pW3kBps/s640/IMG_0606.JPG

[zennmotion]

rode my steel bike tonight with king ti cages. they are awesome.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxjkoWVgtJg/UR6_gtU0LEI/AAAAAAAABGM/q6D3pW3kBps/s640/IMG_0606.JPG


Is that a Nashbar bottle in that chi-chi Ti cage? Awesome! If only PBR came in screwtop plastic bottles...

[AngryScientist]

Is that a Nashbar bottle in that chi-chi Ti cage? Awesome! If only PBR came in screwtop plastic bottles...

:banana:

it's novara, REI's house brand. they sell cheap specialized purist bottles, which rock.

i heart PBR.

[Shortsocks]

King for sure. Solid. Good name too if you decide you want to get rid off it.

[Llewellyn]

Just an update. My King stainless cages arrived yesterday and I got to try them out this morning.

You guys were right - they're great, they hold the bottle nice and tight but have just enough "give" to make getting a bottle in and out an easy task :)

And they look really classic and discreet on my bike........it's just a shame I don't :mad: :mad:

[Velosmith]

pffft! King of course!

[Louis]

You guys were right

A random comment: Most of the time folks on the forum know what they're talking about - not always, but most; especially when there's widespread consensus about something. ;)

[rwsaunders]

A random comment: Most of the time folks on the forum know what they're talking about - not always, but most; especially when there's widespread consensus about something. ;)

Ask two Forumites a question and you're sure to get three opinions...:cool:

[Tony T]

Just an update. My King stainless cages arrived yesterday and I got to try them out this morning.

Regular or Iris?

[Ahneida Ride]

Ahneida Ride, Can you compare the performance of King Ti's to standard Kings ?

Not really .... I have never tried the SS kings....

But I can say that the Ti flexes just the right amount to grip tenaciously.
Forget that they look great and weight nothing.

The SS cages are just not a flexible as the Ti.
at least the non King SS cages I've seen.

They will probably last 25 years.

[bluesea]

Do the ti cages leave black marks on bottles?

[Ahneida Ride]

Do the ti cages leave black marks on bottles?

NO !!!!!! :banana: to the best of my knowledge ...

But then I have Stainless water bottles.

[chomeo]

Do the ti cages leave black marks on bottles?

i've been using the king cages this past year. no mark as far as i can tell. great cage btw.

[Llewellyn]

Regular or Iris?

Regular ones

[oldpotatoe]

Do the ti cages leave black marks on bottles?

No, neither do. They both 'work' the same with the ti being lighter and more expensive.

[bluesea]

Cool, I plan to get a pair of ti's for my Duende. :)