Fifty Plus (50+) - My first mod to the LeMond

I put a cadence sensor on the Kaitai about a year ago, so I guess that counts there

But tonight, I took the black water bottle cage off of the Reno and added it to the Kaitai as a second.

Then I took the two, new stainless cages I just bought and put them on the Reno!
And, then don't match, one being matte, the other shiney. Ohmygosh, does that make me a Fred? I don't care.

I would care had I mixed Silver & Black. No, we won't have that in *this* house :lol:

What I do care about is that I can carry two full botttles on any given ride. Yeah!

I remember clearly a b&w photo I used to have of my uncle standing next to the P-38 he flew in the Pacific in ww2. The sheet metal had obvious dents, painted surfaces appeared to have big scratches, there was a shirt hung from one of the rudders (drying laundry?). There were also 3 flags painted under the canopy. That plane obviously performed well in the hands of a dedicated person...but it was far from slick looking. Actually, kind of rakish in a McHale's Navy way.

Modifying your bike with whatever makes you go better and not being overly scrupulous about artistic merit gives you a more "real cyclist" look if looks matter.

I also have two bottle cages on my red Trek. They are yellow and silver. Both hold water bottles just fine.

Well, I for one am disappointed. How you could put mismatched water cages on your brand new bike is beyond my comprehension. :(

There are STANDARDS, you know.

Well, I for one am disappointed. How you could put mismatched water cages on your brand new bike is beyond my comprehension. :(

There are STANDARDS, you know.

Have to agree. If you can't find two matching ones then only put one on. For the extra liquid required on rides there are alternatives. And cafe's sell pie aswell.

Stainless steel? Does it get any heavier than that? Carbon, dude, carbon.

Stainless steel? Does it get any heavier than that? Carbon, dude, carbon.

So after you buy carbon bottle cages to save 30 grams, do you fill your bottles with 20 whole ounces of ordinary water?

Good move. Stainless steel bottle cages are light, strong, durable, inexpensive and they won't leave black marks on your bottles like aluminum will. If the mismatch starts to bother you, replace one when you find a match later. Having two cages is far more important than having matching cages.

So after you buy carbon bottle cages to save 30 grams, do you fill your bottles with 20 whole ounces of ordinary water?
I use Perrier water. The carbonation in the water lightens it up quite a bit, and it tastes pretty good, too.

Full carbonation is the only way to go.

Stainless steel? Does it get any heavier than that? Carbon, dude, carbon.

Heavy? I was referring to the color not the composition.
I mean, had I said "silver" would you have thought... No, I didn't think so.

Actually, they're very light. I'm guessing they're aluminum (or, should you prefer, aluminium)

I looked at them this morning as I was getting into the car. They look fine.

BTW, no NFL fans here?

BTW, no NFL fans here?

Oh, I get it. Raiders. If they made a red/white/blue Patriots bike, I'd buy one.

Yeah, the Raiduz... I would never own a silver & black anything.

Pats are OK... I've been a fan going back to the Grogan days (and, of course, Brady is local product)

So after you buy carbon bottle cages to save 30 grams, do you fill your bottles with 20 whole ounces of ordinary water?

No way man. Like others have previously pointed out, it's way better to carry your water on your person so the bike weighs less. I also only fill each bottle only half full and save weight that way as well. I'm considering having the frame sealed and filled with helium too so the bike will seem to float. That's really important on my 28 pound in riding trim Coda. ;) I'll give full consideration to TWL's suggestion of carrying Perrier to save a few grams too in the future. :D

Then I took the two, new stainless cages I just bought and put them on the Reno!
And, then don't match, one being matte, the other shiney. Ohmygosh, does that make me a Fred? I don't care.



What about posting pics so we can decide the Frediosity of this bold move?

I use Perrier water. The carbonation in the water lightens it up quite a bit, and it tastes pretty good, too.

Full carbonation is the only way to go.

But when you belch, wouldn't the back pressure from the expelled gas counteract your forward motion?

Heavy? I was referring to the color not the composition.
I mean, had I said "silver" would you have thought... No, I didn't think so.
Actually, they're very light. I'm guessing they're aluminum (or, should you prefer, aluminium)

I take back the compliment. Stainless steel water bottle cages are great. Aluminum cages work, but no class. You should be able to easily see if your cages are aluminum by the black marks they leave on your water bottles.

I take back the compliment. Stainless steel water bottle cages are great. Aluminum cages work, but no class. You should be able to easily see if your cages are aluminum by the black marks they leave on your water bottles.

Or you could use black water bottles, as I do, which negativates the problem with aluminuymumunim

But when you belch, wouldn't the back pressure from the expelled gas counteract your forward motion?
A truly dedicated cyclist will drill with carbonated water until he is able to expel the gas in a manner that contributes to, rather than detracts from forward motion.

A truly dedicated cyclist will drill with carbonated water until he is able to expel the gas in a manner that contributes to, rather than detracts from forward motion.

Isn't it a little unsafe to ride while looking behind you?

Isn't it a little unsafe to ride while looking behind you?
Um, I don't think that is exactly what he was getting at.

Carters Little Liver Pills are the key. If you're willing to dope.

My Reno is mostly silver and has two matching silver water bottle cages. I'm making up for it though- I ordered some mtb platform pedals for it!!

I picked up some water bottles with insulated jackets at Academy for about $6 a piece, work great.

Um, I don't think that is exactly what he was getting at.

Carters Little Liver Pills are the key. If you're willing to dope.

I know what he was thinking:D

Here you go... from tonight's ride. You be the judge
http://home.comcast.net/~96omi/Fred.jpg

After riding the Kaitai for the last 3 days, the LeMond sure felt different.
Unbelievably responsive.

Tight. It's tight.

I like the shiny one better. No rush, but I would get another like that one and buy another bike to put the matte one on.

I like the shiny one better. No rush, but I would get another like that one and buy another bike to put the matte one on.

That's what I was thinking too.

I know what he was thinking:D

A way to get rid of the evidence?

Really? The shiney one? Now, I wouldn't have thought that.
I kind of leaned toward the matte but now that you mention it...

The shiny one is the best of thepair, but I'd look for a matching pair of blue ones if you can get the same shade as the bike, and if not, then two black cages would be outstanding. Outstanding!

Of course, a shiny stainless steel pair would show a lot more class.

I hate to say it but if you want it to last- Go for the matt one. With so many people preferring the shiny one --it will get knicked.

I have Topeak carriers on the Tandem and They have lasted for 4 years now. With all that Vibration with heavy water bottles in them- They must be good. And we use Camelbacks so the water bottles start full on each ride and stay full.

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Bottle+Cage+Stainless+Steel&vendorCode=ELITE&major=3&minor=12&site=qbike

$25 for a cage???? :eek:

Or you can get one for $1.99 from Nashbar (which is what I did, throwing it into a larger order):

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=72&subcategory=1025&brand=&sku=20217&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Cages

$25 for a cage???? :eek:

You should see what tianium cages go for!

I got my Elite Cuissi cages for about $12 each, about 12 years ago. They are still on the bike and show no signs of age. I think I got my money's worth. Quality matters.

Or you can get one for $1.99 from Nashbar (which is what I did, throwing it into a larger order):

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=72&subcategory=1025&brand=&sku=20217&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Cages

Not the same, not by a long shot.

I've never had a performance issue from any of my bottle cages. They've never dropped their water, never fallen off of the bike, never turned against me. But given my mild-mannered rides, there is little reason for a bottle cage to fail in any way.

And why stop at titanium. The Campagnolo Record carbon fiber cage goes for $120 & weighs just 19 grams.

That saves 42 grams off of one of the $2 Nashbar cages.

I've never had a performance issue from any of my bottle cages. They've never dropped their water, never fallen off of the bike, never turned against me. But given my mild-mannered rides, there is little reason for a bottle cage to fail in any way.

And why stop at titanium. The Campagnolo Record carbon fiber cage goes for $120 & weighs just 19 grams.

That saves 42 grams off of one of the $2 Nashbar cages.

Yes. I think I even said in an earlier post that the aluminum cages work. I'll add that the cheap ones work just fine. I even use a dirt cheap Nashbar cage on my beater bike. Good enough is good enough for that bike.
And it would be very hard to justify spending $50, $75, $100 or more for a bottle cage. But $15 to $20 for a stainless steel cage for your good bike is the kind of small extravagance you can easily swallow. Look at the two types of bottles up close, side by side and you'll know which one is cheap and which gives a sense of quality. If it doesn't matter to you, it doesn't matter. But if you have a bike that is special to you, those little touches matter.

Yes. I think I even said in an earlier post that the aluminum cages work. I'll add that the cheap ones work just fine. I even use a dirt cheap Nashbar cage on my beater bike. Good enough is good enough for that bike.
And it would be very hard to justify spending $50, $75, $100 or more for a bottle cage. But $15 to $20 for a stainless steel cage for your good bike is the kind of small extravagance you can easily swallow. Look at the two types of bottles up close, side by side and you'll know which one is cheap and which gives a sense of quality. If it doesn't matter to you, it doesn't matter. But if you have a bike that is special to you, those little touches matter.



+1

I only became aquainted with this line of thinking two weeks ago. :D

I finally realized... you guys is all nuts! ;)

Honestly, I was impressed with the quality of the Topeak.
I like matte finishes. The metal feels soft, silky and sexy (take that) and the TIFG welding is is perfect; a nice steady flow and a beautiful even bead.
Sure done by a machine but how many human hands do you thik touched the shiny, off-brand cage?

Honestly, I was impressed with the quality of the Topeak.
I like matte finishes.

We can be patient. You'll come around. :)

I finally realized... you guys is all nuts! ;)

Honestly, I was impressed with the quality of the Topeak.
I like matte finishes. The metal feels soft, silky and sexy (take that) and the TIFG welding is is perfect; a nice steady flow and a beautiful even bead.
Sure done by a machine but how many human hands do you thik touched the shiny, off-brand cage?

OK, I just took a brief, informal poll. My wife agrees with you guys; go with the shine.
She doesn't like the red lettering on the Topeak and think the shiny one better matches my FD. Touche.

OK, I just took a brief, informal poll. My wife agrees with you guys; go with the shine.
She doesn't like the red lettering on the Topeak and think the shiny one better matches my FD. Touche.
We can be patient. You'll come around.

We can be patient. You'll come around.

Here you go DG, just $115 and they even include the bottle!!! What a deal!

http://www.amazon.com/Campagnolo-RECORD-Carbon-Cage-Bottle/dp/B000J1RPNU

My $1500 list recumbent does have two matching silver bottle cages, mounted on the handlebars. The bike is silver with black accents.

But it is only that way because that's what it came with. Who knows what color those cages would be if it had been left up to me to buy them.