Adding a bottle cage, carbon frame. Rivnuts?

[kramnnim]

I need to add a bottle cage to a carbon seat tube. Someone suggested rivnuts. Good/bad idea? Seems a little risky...but could be easier than it seems? Are there better alternatives?

[Louis]

I'd worry about putting a hole through there.

Does anyone make something like the Parlee F-der clamp, but to support a water bottle cage? I know the're available in metal for metal frames, but those are pretty narrow and don't spread the load very well. Something like the Parlee clamp would be way cooler (and more expensive):

https://fairwheelbikes.com/assets/images/parlee_frontderailleurclamps_jpg/parlee_frontderailleurclamps_300x300_1.jpg

[kramnnim]

There are holes elsewhere in the frame...including ones for Di2/EPS.

[Louis]

True, but the layup was presumably designed for that. Plus there will be some small load at the cage holes. The holes for the wires don't see that.

[thirdgenbird]

There are holes elsewhere in the frame...including ones for Di2/EPS.

The frame is plumbed for electronic shifting but doesn't have a set of seat tube bosses?

[kramnnim]

Yeah, it has a cage mount on the down tube, but nothing on the seat tube. (cross frame)

[thirdgenbird]

Yeah, it has a cage mount on the down tube, but nothing on the seat tube. (cross frame)

Oh, that makes perfect sense. I guess I just assumed road and was lost at what could be offered with only one cage and internal wiring.

[Louis]

How about this? ;)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YN7IAINc5UQ/TgqPj3jMplI/AAAAAAAAAYk/98k1IQ5VGlg/s320/IMG_1182.jpg

[kramnnim]

True, but the layup was presumably designed for that. Plus there will be some small load at the cage holes. The holes for the wires don't see that.

Yeah...22+ ounces of water+bottle bouncing around would stress it quite a bit. But these frames made of round Enve tubes- aren't the cage mount holes just randomly placed? (as far as the tube is concerned)

The down tube is big and squarish, I can flex it with finger pinch pressure. The seat tube is much smaller, with thicker walls...no flexing.

[kramnnim]

How about this? ;)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YN7IAINc5UQ/TgqPj3jMplI/AAAAAAAAAYk/98k1IQ5VGlg/s320/IMG_1182.jpg


:banana:

[Steve in SLO]

Maybe something like this?
http://www.jensonusa.com/!hfXMrrYwmC8HxJuJDw2Nxg!/Elite-Vip-Universal-Cage-Mount?utm_source=FRGL&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CPiBxJf32sACFYqEfgodeRQA-Q
Not super sexy, but cheap and effective and look relatively tube – friendly.

[hockeybike]

I need to add a bottle cage to a carbon seat tube. Someone suggested rivnuts. Good/bad idea? Seems a little risky...but could be easier than it seems? Are there better alternatives?

Call the manufacturer. They should be able to advise, no?

[oldpotatoe]

I need to add a bottle cage to a carbon seat tube. Someone suggested rivnuts. Good/bad idea? Seems a little risky...but could be easier than it seems? Are there better alternatives?

I wouldn't do it..riv-nuts and then the weight of a bottle sounds like auto cracks there..Call Calfee to see if they will sell you some of their glue on ones..

[pcxmbfj]

There are tri products that fasten to the seat or Camelbak worn under jersey?

[happycampyer]

Putting holes in carbon tubes is typically something that manufacturers try to avoid. There's a Calfee white paper somewhere that discusses that. When mfrs do put holes in frames, they generally reinforce them, and I know that at least Serotta tested their frames (internally and I believe with outside labs) to make sure that holes for Di2 were safe before bringing the frames to market. Perhaps Mike Lopez or Nick C will chime in. Parlee glues their water bottle bosses on their MA-made frames.

You could check with the manufacturer, but I'd be surprised if they said it was ok. You could try contacting someone like Calfee or Ruckus to see if they could add them.

[kramnnim]

It's a Ridley, kind of doubt they would say yes even if it was perfectly safe.

[HenryA]

I wouldn't do it..riv-nuts and then the weight of a bottle sounds like auto cracks there..Call Calfee to see if they will sell you some of their glue on ones..

^This.^

[tiretrax]

Middle jersey pocket!

[Louis]

http://nordicgroup.us/cageboss/

The link above has some useful information.

(and an interesting image about 15% of the way down the page)

[thirdgenbird]

http://nordicgroup.us/cageboss/

The link above has some useful information.

(and an interesting image about 15% of the way down the page)

I think my wife has those same shorts.

[Louis]

I think my wife has those same shorts.

In which case, I'm sure she gets all the attention on group rides... ;)

[nicrump]

while i don't have accurate data, id wager 98% of bosses on carbon are drilled/rivnutted with little or no extra material behind them. that would be 100's of thousands of frames by now.

i drill a clean hole with carbide grit and high speed. i blind bond and i shoot to keep wall thickness above .045" so on lighter UL tubes there are a few doublers in the boss area. done this 1800 times or so in the last 13 years and know of no failures.

ymmv

[thirdgenbird]

In which case, I'm sure she gets all the attention on group rides... ;)

Always the front of the draft line though...

[kramnnim]

http://nordicgroup.us/cageboss/

The link above has some useful information.

(and an interesting image about 15% of the way down the page)

Wow...this guy is the Sheldon Brown/DC Rainmaker of alternative bottle cage mounts!

[Exonerv]

lol...thinking something similar.

And while not the answer to your problem, I'm thinking that Tallac Tool dealeo would be pretty sweet.

http://www.tallacdesign.com

Wow...this guy is the Sheldon Brown/DC Rainmaker of alternative bottle cage mounts!

[cfox]

Beside drilling holes in carbon, riv-nut tools are tricky. If you don't have the depth adjusted just right, you could easily crack the tubing when compressing the nut. I like OP's idea, the glue-on type.