Attractive yet inexpensive (under $50/pr) water bottle cages

[Netdewt]

So I'm looking for cages. I think my build could go either silver or black. Simple is good. Anyone want to chime in on their favorite cages? I'd love them to look good and fit the bike, but also work... :)

I would also like to hear if anyone has tried the cheap eBay carbon cages with any luck.

Elite Race Stealth
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0037/3982/products/elite_raceResinStealth_grande.jpg?v=1364945093

Tacx Tao
http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/ubtb6.6kesb/v/vspfiles/photos/TACX-TAO-LITE-BLK-2.jpg?1328822363

Arundel Sport
http://img.artscyclery.com/product/ADSPC-BK-1.jpg

Arundel Stainless
http://fairwheelbikes.com/images/arundel_stainless_bottlecages_04.jpg

eBay Arundel Mandible copy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Pair-Of-ARUNDEL-Black-3K-GLOSS-Carbon-Bike-Cycle-Bottle-Cage-Holder-x2PCS-/111221070281
http://fairwheelbikes.com/images/arundel_mandible_uni.jpg

eBay "Fairwheel Bikes" / Zipp copy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pcs-New-Carbon-Fiber-MTB-Road-Bike-Water-Bottle-cages-Bicycle-Bottle-Holder-/131048004894
http://fairwheelbikes.com/images/fairwheel_cages.jpg

[donevwil]

For the long term, just say no to carbon. Arundel SS or King Iris, I prefer the Arundel and it's stiffer construction, but the Iris is quality. Wish King make a larger tubed Ti Iris.

[quehill]

I've always really liked Trek Batcages, which are/were cheap plastic doohickeys that worked and looked good. Not sure they're still available though.

[quehill]

Boom:

http://store.trekbikes.com/product/trek+bat+cage.do

[Netdewt]

Hey, that's not bad.

I would go King, but they are very typical looking, which I don't know if I want. The Iris is different, but I have never loved the shape for some reason.

[spacemen3]

Cannondale GT-40's are cheap, clean, simple, and they work.

[Marcy]

I love Kings -- simple, elegant, well made (in America!) :-)

[Scooper]

King Cage stainless steel (http://www.kingcage.com/products-waterbottle-cages.html). $18.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/Waterford%20B07014/KingCageStainlessH2OBottleCage_zpsb925a4f5.jpg

[rustychisel]

Tacx Tao are great: light, you'll never have a bottle bounce out.

Unfortunately you'll never be able to use a bidon which is even slightly outsized, and you will break off a mounting about every four years, depending on mileage. Throw away and replace.

[soulspinner]

Tacx Tao are great: light, you'll never have a bottle bounce out.

Unfortunately you'll never be able to use a bidon which is even slightly outsized, and you will break off a mounting about every four years, depending on mileage. Throw away and replace.

My experience exactly. Because they were priced on the inexpensive side after I broke the first two I bought two more and history repeated:bike:

[soulspinner]

I like my elite race cages. Simple, under 40g, lotsa colors...........

[oldpotatoe]

US made, 2 styles, great guy, stainless steel.

Done-About $36 or so per pair.

[rnhood]

I like the Specialized "Z" cages (available in plastic, carbon or metal). Very secure and the bottle goes in and out easily.

[rccardr]

Ciussi. Lifetime purchase, very classy.

[Lewis Moon]

Ciussi. Lifetime purchase, very classy.

...except that large bottles fly on bumpy roads, and I'm always checking mine to see if they're broken because the bottles rattle so much. ...and yes, I've "tightened" them. I'm thinking of moving to the Dave-O cages.

[Nooch]

I'm sure the kings are great -- but you can't go wrong with the arundel sport. hold tight, never broken one, just plain work.

[tv_vt]

King, or Blackburn stainless - I like the heavier weight of the two models they have.

[thirdgenbird]

Ciussi. Lifetime purchase, very classy.

...except that large bottles fly on bumpy roads, and I'm always checking mine to see if they're broken because the bottles rattle so much. ...and yes, I've "tightened" them. I'm thinking of moving to the Dave-O cages.

Bottles rattle in my ciussi cages as well.

I've also had a bottle get sideways in a king iris on a bumpy road but it is still a very good cage.

I'm leaning to arundel sport if I go to a black bottle cage.

[FlashUNC]

Elite Ciussis. Maybe I'm just lucky. Never had any rattle issues.

Either the stainless or the alloy I've had really good luck with.

http://www.bikepartsplace.com/images/med/31709787.jpg

[Exonerv]

OK, I'll admit to running the Zipp copies from China. At about $12 each, I figured I didn't have much to lose.

Gotta say, I love 'em...they weigh 19gms and hold my Camelback Podiums great. I was initially concerned that the carbon was too thin at the attachment points and they would crack. Once I accidentally left the cage loose after doing a little detailing and realized it when my full bottle was vigorously moving back & forth on a climb. I figured they were toast, but no damage was done. Still, some tiny nylon washers would be ideal. If they die, I'd buy another pair.

[dawgie]

I'm not a fan of carbon but I've tried a bunch of different stainless and otherwise light cages.

Tacx Tao are very light and hold bottles well but are relatively fragile (bottom tabs can break) and -- as others mentioned -- do not handle bottles that are larger diameter. I've quit using them, mainly because they look out of place on my bikes, which are all steel.

King stainless cages look great, very well made and durable, and you'll never lose a bottle. However, mine actually grip the bottles too tight, making it kind of hard to remove them while riding -- but perhaps they can be adjusted.

Ciussi Elite stainless look great, but are a little more fragile than Kings and occasionally shed bottles when riding over bumpy surfaces like RR tracks. One of my Cuissi SS cages broke at a weld but was replaced by the store where I got it. The Ciussi aluminum cages come in a range of colors, which is nice if you are trying to match your bike or components, but seem to shed bottles more than other cages I've used.

REI Novarro stainless cages are the best bargain of the bunch. They used to cost only $8 each but cost about $12 now, which is still cheap. They hold bottles well and the metal is durable, but the plastic buttons occasionally break. REI has replaced the cages every time this has happened to me.

[bcroslin]

Do NOT buy the Tacx. I've easily spent over $200 on Tacx cages and broken every one. You get what you pay for.

Arundel makes great carbon cages and even though I've never owned a set when I asked a similar question about carbon bottle cages last month (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=139047) about every fifth reply was to buy Kings. I've also heard good things about the Blackburns.

The way I look at it is if you spend the money on a set of Arundels or Blackburns you're buying bottle cages that you can transfer to your next 3 or 4 bikes.

[bobswire]

Depends on the frame they are going to adorn. Since I ride mainly steel lugged frames (except for Serotta Fierte),it's a no-brainer Arundel SS

http://i42.tinypic.com/63srw8.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/24awiu8.jpg

[nm87710]

nylon plasttic - ebay for ~$5/cage.

Good Luck

[Netdewt]

when I asked a similar question about carbon bottle cages last month (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=139047) about every fifth reply was to buy Kings.

You mean "to buy Arundels", right? That's what it looks like to me on the first page.

Sorry for asking a frequently asked question... :)

Anyways, I am really leaning Arundel. I like how they look, and they have cheaper options. I'd get the Mandibles but that would be pretty spendy for a budget build - so either stainless or black plastic - probably stainless because it is less conspicuous! They are going on scandium frame with a carbon and alloy mixture of components.

I would probably put Kings on a steel tourer type bike. It's the style I have on my lugged steel Motobecane, except $5 Avenirs before I had ever heard of such things as Arundels and Kings.

[chengher87]

Carbon cages break. Especially the weight weenie ones - sooner rather than later. Arundel Dave-O cages are prolly the best carbon ones but they crack at the bottom ledge where the bottle rests. It just takes longer plus they are pretty damn expensive. Carbon cages offer no functional advantages over nylon/plastic.

Metal cages look classy but eject bottles. They do not flex enough to hold bottles snug 'n tight and you are constantly "bending" them to make them hold bottles tighter. Always been that way. Always will. Do not use them if you ride fast in a group over rough surfaces or railroad tracks.

Best price/performance cages are nylon/plastic. Strong, light and hold bottles tight for not much $. Trek or Spec. make(actually "market" - since everything is made in a few Chinese factories) good ones at a reasonable price if you go the LBS route. Otherwise you can get 'em on ebay for ~$5/cage.

Good Luck

+1. Why spend that much money on a water bottle cage? Bought two plastic cages for a buck a piece. Save the money and use it on a more important (or actual) bike component.

[oldpotatoe]

[QUOTE=chengher87;1470517]+1. Why spend that much money on a water bottle cage? Bought two plastic cages for a buck a piece. Save the money and use it on a more important (or actual) bike

Cuz it's a pita to have to shove your full water bottle into a jersey pocket or throw the bottle away cuz your bottle cage broke?

$15 for a bottle cage on a $zillion wunderbike is not expensive.

[bloody sunday]

I use Elite Cages and I love them. Lost of colors and cheap. The only downside is that they're known for stretching, but I just make sure I keep my bottles off when I'm not riding...

http://i.imgur.com/40IBtsg.jpg

[nm87710]

+1. Why spend that much money on a water bottle cage? Bought two plastic cages for a buck a piece. Save the money and use it on a more important (or actual) bike component.

+1

[rwsaunders]

King Iris on one bike and Trek Bat Cages on another...both do their job well.

[Bob Ross]

Tacx Tao are great: light, you'll never have a bottle bounce out.

Unfortunately you'll never be able to use a bidon which is even slightly outsized, and you will break off a mounting about every four years, depending on mileage. Throw away and replace.


^^^This...minus the "great" and "you'll never have a bottle bounce out" parts.

I've gone through a ton of Tacx Tao cages. Apparently they're not too concerned with unit-to-unit consistency, because the first one I installed was a bit loose and the bottle would bounce out maybe every fourth or fifth ride. And one of the ones I have on my Cannondale now is so tight that it's nearly impossible to insert or extract a bottle while riding.

But more egregiously, yeah, that L-shaped lower lip that supports the bottom of the bottle will snap off eventually. "Four years", that's pretty good; I was snapping them off at least once a year. And since I had two Taos on all three of my bikes for a while, that's a lot of snappage.

After breaking & replacing the first half dozen Taos I was able to convince Tacx to send me replacement L-shaped brackets. Then I broke those. Tacx sent me more L-shaped brackets, and I broke those too.

At this point Tacx said to me (I'm literally quoting their customer service rep here) "We think the Tao is not the bottle cage for you" and they refused to send me any more Tao replacement brackets. Instead, they sent me three brand new bottle cages of some sort that was nothing like a Tao, had none of the (few) qualities that had originally made the Tao appealing, and were a hideous hi-viz yellow color guranteed not to match any of my bikes.

When the few remaining intact Taos that I still own poop the bed I'm replacing them with King stainless cages.

[nm87710]

$15 for a bottle cage on a $zillion wunderbike is not expensive.

The $15 cage is made in the same factories as the $1 cage. Only difference is amount of marketing, middle men and margin you are paying for.

[Elefantino]

Carbon cages break.

Plastic cages break.

Stainless cages don't break. (YMMV). And they don't mess up your water bottles. And they don't look like they were design by an engineer who was trying to be the coolest guy in the room without regard to function.

[oldpotatoe]

Carbon cages break.

Plastic cages break.

Stainless cages don't break. (YMMV). And they don't mess up your water bottles. And they don't look like they were design by an engineer who was trying to be the coolest guy in the room without regard to function.

Tee hee. Love my King ti, both bikes and yes, not 'retail', gotta be some reason to own a bike shop.

[chengher87]

Cuz it's a pita to have to shove your full water bottle into a jersey pocket or throw the bottle away cuz your bottle cage broke?

$15 for a bottle cage on a $zillion wunderbike is not expensive.

Fair point. But I've seen $1 to $100 dollar cages break. Much like bike frames, It's not a matter of "if" they will fail, but when.

I've used the same nameless brand $1 cages in the bargain bin at the LBS near my parents bin I purchased when I had an allowance (dating back through middle school) and they've been going strong for 10+ years (well....6 years of actual riding, another 4 years in storage and then another 2 years again of riding). A bit beefy, but the important thing is that nobody ever says, "Man that bottle cage is ugly" when they look at my bike, just "That paint-job by Specialized on the early Allez's are ugly!".

[oldpotatoe]

Carbon cages break.

Plastic cages break.

Stainless cages don't break. (YMMV). And they don't mess up your water bottles. And they don't look like they were design by an engineer who was trying to be the coolest guy in the room without regard to function.

Tee hee. Love my King ti, both bikes and yes, not 'retail', gotta be some reason to own a bike shop.

[AngryScientist]

i've got a bunch of king ti and stainless cages, all excellent, i've also got a set of the arundel stainless cages on my Serotta, very well made cages, and look good too IMO.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M3i1Fb5amo4/UZAAoE_-6rI/AAAAAAAABM0/za8H65UAPk0/s640/100_0115.JPG

[FlashUNC]

Carbon cages break.

Plastic cages break.

Stainless cages don't break. (YMMV). And they don't mess up your water bottles. And they don't look like they were design by an engineer who was trying to be the coolest guy in the room without regard to function.

I broke an Elite Cuissi Inox stainless cage. Took 14 years and I beat it up over god knows how many miles and bikes and jamming how many stupid bottles into the thing. But I finally broke one. I figure I got my money's worth out of it.

[bobswire]

You mean "to buy Arundels", right? That's what it looks like to me on the first page.

Sorry for asking a frequently asked question... :)

Anyways, I am really leaning Arundel. I like how they look, and they have cheaper options. I'd get the Mandibles but that would be pretty spendy for a budget build - so either stainless or black plastic - probably stainless because it is less conspicuous! They are going on scandium frame with a carbon and alloy mixture of components.

I would probably put Kings on a steel tourer type bike. It's the style I have on my lugged steel Motobecane, except $5 Avenirs before I had ever heard of such things as Arundels and Kings.

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Stainless+Steel+Bottle+Cage&vendorCode=ARUNDEL&major=3&minor=19

Excel has them for 19.95 each, would be under $50 a set delivered. All my bikes have them. Here's one on my Serotta.


http://i44.tinypic.com/4sywbp.jpg

P.S. In case you're wondering about that photo, my bikes get hung off of hooks in an enclosed,secured back porch.

[bcroslin]

You mean "to buy Arundels", right? That's what it looks like to me on the first page.

Sorry for asking a frequently asked question... :)

I bought Arundel mandibles. Great cages but spendy. The Dave-O's are less expensive but just as good from what I've been told and I believe they make a plastic version. I think the SS Arundels look better than the Kings. I'm pretty sure I just broke a cardinal rule in this forum by dissing the Kings. :p

[bloody sunday]

^^^This...minus the "great" and "you'll never have a bottle bounce out" parts.

I've gone through a ton of Tacx Tao cages. Apparently they're not too concerned with unit-to-unit consistency, because the first one I installed was a bit loose and the bottle would bounce out maybe every fourth or fifth ride. And one of the ones I have on my Cannondale now is so tight that it's nearly impossible to insert or extract a bottle while riding.

But more egregiously, yeah, that L-shaped lower lip that supports the bottom of the bottle will snap off eventually. "Four years", that's pretty good; I was snapping them off at least once a year. And since I had two Taos on all three of my bikes for a while, that's a lot of snappage.

After breaking & replacing the first half dozen Taos I was able to convince Tacx to send me replacement L-shaped brackets. Then I broke those. Tacx sent me more L-shaped brackets, and I broke those too.

At this point Tacx said to me (I'm literally quoting their customer service rep here) "We think the Tao is not the bottle cage for you" and they refused to send me any more Tao replacement brackets. Instead, they sent me three brand new bottle cages of some sort that was nothing like a Tao, had none of the (few) qualities that had originally made the Tao appealing, and were a hideous hi-viz yellow color guranteed not to match any of my bikes.

When the few remaining intact Taos that I still own poop the bed I'm replacing them with King stainless cages.

I'd like to see those hi-viz cages if you still have them.

[Netdewt]

i've got a bunch of king ti and stainless cages, all excellent, i've also got a set of the arundel stainless cages on my Serotta, very well made cages, and look good too IMO.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M3i1Fb5amo4/UZAAoE_-6rI/AAAAAAAABM0/za8H65UAPk0/s640/100_0115.JPG

Perfect!

[abelson]

Another vote for king cages. Great cages at a great price, hard to beat.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[roydyates]

Tacx Tao are great: light, you'll never have a bottle bounce out.

Unfortunately you'll never be able to use a bidon which is even slightly outsized, and you will break off a mounting about every four years, depending on mileage. Throw away and replace.

My three tacx tao cages never lasted a whole year. The bottom tab broke on each. I have wondered if it was more fragile in cold weather.

I really like the delta inox cages:
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Inox-Bicycle-Bottle-Cage/dp/B000ACAML0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387509116&sr=8-1&keywords=delta+inox

cheap, look nice (at least to me), work well, don't break

[beeatnik]

Cannondale GT-40's are cheap, clean, simple, and they work.

Yep, they're awesome. Don't look generic and don't cost much. Only cages, I've ever received a compliment on.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8694680040_f3477c1e60.jpg

And on the smart and practical tip, been digging these a lot:

http://www.cyclestar.co.uk/images/large/D1672.jpg

Don't think any other cage on the market offers a more secure fit.

[jtakeda]

...except that large bottles fly on bumpy roads, and I'm always checking mine to see if they're broken because the bottles rattle so much. ...and yes, I've "tightened" them. I'm thinking of moving to the Dave-O cages.

so many broken ciussi cages. So many lost bottles...

[jhat]

Nobody has responded yet about the cheap Chinese carbon so I will weigh in with one opinion. I ordered two cages with a rim order from light-bicycle. They were only seven or eight dollars so I had them include a couple since I was already paying for shipping on the rims. Well two years later they have been great. One has been living on my mountain bike which has been raced heavily for the full two seasons and always is carrying a large bottle. Never lost a bottle and no cage breakage yet. Personally I think they are as good as any out there.

[djg21]

I really like the Reynolds carbon cages. I've tried the Elites, and they broke when I used Camelback bottles. The Reynolds seem pretty robust. I'm tough on equipment, and have had these on a number of road bikes for many years now.

[m_sasso]

< $15.00 Plastic composite, SS hardware, will not launch your water bottles, light weight < 28g, very durable and nice looking.

https://media.performancebike.com/images/performance/products/1500/40-1113-BR-ANGLE.jpg

[thirdgenbird]

That's actually not bad looking. They also kept the graphics pretty tame (for FSA)

[oldpotatoe]

< $15.00 Plastic composite, SS hardware, will not launch your water bottles, light weight < 28g, very durable and nice looking.

https://media.performancebike.com/images/performance/products/1500/40-1113-BR-ANGLE.jpg

but it's so big.........

[thirdgenbird]

but it's so big.........

It fits more liquid but you need wide q-factor cranks.

[Bob Ross]

I'd like to see those hi-viz cages if you still have them.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5600/scq7.jpg

The tag says these are the "Allure" model, though the Allures on the Tacx website don't quite look the same.
http://www.tacx.com/en/products/bottles-bottlecages/allure#tab_1

[downtube]

King Cage stainless steel (http://www.kingcage.com/products-waterbottle-cages.html). $18.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/Waterford%20B07014/KingCageStainlessH2OBottleCage_zpsb925a4f5.jpg

Yes, +2

[cuwinbs]

i love my king ss cages....very clean look on the bike

[Llewellyn]

i love my king ss cages....very clean look on the bike

Same here, put a couple on my bike about six months ago and they look great. Work well too :banana:

[onomic]

Go for the King SS cages. Simple, Beautiful, and Made in the USA!! You can't go wrong with these IMO. Enjoy!

[sw3759]

i think king ti are the best ever made and the stainless king a close second.but didnt care for how they looked on my carbon bikes so i tried an arundel but it was a little too grippy for my tastes.
tried the elite sior and am real happy after 15k miles of riding with them.
cheap,light and look good.only had black and white although they make lots colors.

[carlineng]

Do NOT buy the Tacx. I've easily spent over $200 on Tacx cages and broken every one. You get what you pay for.


:eek::eek::eek: I would think that spending $200 on cages would get you something that'd last... Doesn't sound like you got what you paid for. Sounds like you got ripped off!

Another vote for King cages. Have 'em on all my bikes, have yet to break one. I talked to Ron briefly when NAHBS was in Sacramento. He brought along the machine he uses to make the cages and was making them on site. Super nifty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc5wo0a3yxs

[mcteague]

King cages on both my bikes. Most other cage designs just seem to be trying to hard. I do agree that the simple, classic design can look a bit out of place on a swoopy carbon frame though.

Tim