Inertianinja

luddites, warm up your trollin' keyboards, because i bought the Vincero magnetic bottle mount system, and if you don't call it a marketing gimmick or post about how your steel cages have lasted since 1974, who will!?

seriously though, I was in the market for new bottle cages, since mine were scratched to hell, chewing up all my bottles, and stretched out from my CamelBak bottles. I thought these were worth trying.

Price:
I had 2 Zefal Springs (about $8 each) and 2 Camelbak Podium Chill 21oz (about $11 each, before tax etc). The Vincero system was $100 for 5 20-oz bottles and 2 mounts.
With my old stuff, it would come out to around $70-80.
ONE Arundel Mandible cage is $70 on competitive cyclist (and is >10g heavier)
So these aren't super cheap, nor are they super expensive.

Worth noting:
The Vincero bottles fit in regular bottle cages.
The Vincero bottles have a "jet" valve similar to that of Camelbak bottles. Water won't come out unless you squeeze.

The mounts are just under 20g.


The bottles are just under 75g.


The mounts are, of course, much lower profile than a regular cage.


I haven't taken them out for a ride yet, but i assume the most intriguing part of this is how the magnets engage.
I recorded a video of how the mount works. The magnet is stronger than you expect, and connects with an unmistakable CLACK. there's no wondering whether or not the bottle is secure. Side note, i apologize for the loud noise in the background in the middle of the video - my dishwasher was going.


I don't know if they're race worthy yet, but I'll be posting updates. Any questions?

DC_United_Fan

I kinda' like the system, but I also have about 600 regular water bottles without magnetic thingys that will only work in a cage/holder set up. Maybe for my race bike, probably not for the training rig.

thump55

Thanks for the vid.

Are those bottles insulated at all?

Inertianinja

nope, they're essentially translucent.
i was actually going to switch away from my Camelbaks since i never found the insulation to be all that effective.

Inertianinja

also this.

iheartbenben

Could you take a video of the movement over rough roads at 25mph when full of water? How do they hold then?

I mean, I can hold a pretty good amount of weight to my refrigerator with a few magnets. If I open the door, or toss it down a road, it's not too 'secure' then.

Inertianinja

of course. like i said, i didn't ride them yet, but i'm going to go out tonight, and i'll post results.
i tried to get some idea of their strength by pushing on them laterally in the video. probably more force than they'd see on the road.

but you're right to be skeptical and i will report back with results

iheartbenben

I'm really more curious than anything, they look very sleek. Don't mean to bust your chops or anything, hope they work well. Don't lose any bottles!

roadiejorge 

That will be the real test because flicking it with a finger doesn't quite replicate the effect of riding over poorly paved roads which is a part of riding in the city. If you're just going to use them to race then CP won't cause too much concern, but taking them streetside is another story. Let us know how it goes, I'm curious to hear how practical they are.

mmmdonuts

But are they PRO? Because if they're not then what's the point?

pallen

Cool idea, if there was a way to convert your favorite bottle, it would be better. Maybe my cold weather stainless bottles would stick without modification...

Guitarrick

First thing I thought of too, but stainless isn't magnetic. That would look sharp though.

Inertianinja

just don't expect any video...if i'm hitting bumps hard enough to possibly shake the bottles loose, i'm going to keep both hands on the bars

Inertianinja

the UCI's rules have made it pretty easy to be better-than-pro

robncircus

Interesting. Where'd you get them?

Inertianinja

https://www.vincero-design.com/

danvuquoc

I was given one of these to test -- I hated it -- its sitting in my bike supplies closet now collecting dust.

Didn't Like:
- Limited bottle selection.
- Vibrates in holder when riding.
- Reach is extended further than normal to clip it in and out, leading to riding instability when reaching for the bottle.
- Mounting hardware provides very little adjustability, you have 2mm to work when bolting on -- just enough to overcome mfg discrepancies for the distance between bottle mounts.
- You have to mount the notch in the bottle with the magnetic mount just right or it doesn't clip in all the way.
- Must position the water bottle above the magnet then slide downwards just like a regular cage of the bottle gets caught on one of the notch's edge and causes an improper seat -- results in a lost bottle at the first bump.
- Magnet is strong enough to take the full bottle from the hand but the magnetic strength provides very little feedback when it is about to do so.
- I see all of this as a safety risk.
- Expensive for a bottle system.

Did Like:
- "Cool"-factor of magnets.
- Good damage/exchange program.

I've heard from the rumor mill that they're addressing a lot of the mounting issues with a new version.

Inertianinja

I think i may have the new version.

I just got back from a ~35 mile ride with them; 2 full bottles.
Tried everything i could think of. Potholes, cobblestones, sprints, 30mph, etc. Nothing made them rattle, nothing made them fall out.
In fact, the magnet may be too strong. it took a surprising amount of force to get them out...definitely something to get used to.

getting them off the mounts is fine - pull in any direction and they come out.

getting them on the mounts is also fine, but they're not fully secured unless you seat them properly over the lip on top of the mount. even when i screwed this up, the bottles still held. i got used to this pretty quickly - you can tell if you didn't mount it all the way without looking - if it's not on the lip, you can still fit a finger between the bottle and the downtube. a little pull up and they seat.

the seat tube bottle was a little tricker, but i never use that one anyway, so maybe part of that is *me*. i found it to work best if i reached straight down and brought the bottle up upside down. then it came off and went on very easily.

the biggest problem, honestly, was that the nozzles don't have a ridge to allow you to hold the bottle with your teeth. That might not be a big deal, but i had gotten kind of used to that with my camelbak bottles. EDIT - they are actually compatible with other manufacturer's tops, so this isn't a problem.

i had no problems with adjustability. you do not have to place the bottle as carefully as danvuquoc said. maybe it was different with his version, but as you can see in the video, they just pop on.

honestly, it's a system with slight differences that are weird at first, but so was the act of riding a bike in the first place. by the end of my ride i was rocking them like i invented magnets....which of course i didn't because they are magic.

Shimagnolo

That is only partly true. Some grades of stainless are magnetic, and some aren't.

iheartbenben

Cool review, so they didn't rattle anymore? That's pretty awesome, I might pick up a pair.

danvuquoc

You don't it's still in development, we've got the same ones. I just seriously hate that lip on the top of the mount and how it catches.

danvuquoc

No they don't rattle, they just vibrate a lot - the plastic used for the bottles is softer than any other bottle I've ever used.

Inertianinja

yep, about 75 miles with them so far, no rattles.

interesting. i mentioned the lip issue above - i have had that problem a few times so far, but i pretty much have it down.
if you think about the motion you use to put a regular bottle in - align it over the cage, push down.
this is the same thing, except that you can also mount it properly from the side.

patentcad

I have these on my bike, they work well. Caution: it is possible to have the bottle semi-attach and not be fully mounted, you do figure this out soon enough, I learned by losing a bottle on the road. Overall very happy with the system.

VA_Esquire

Well if pcad has them I want them. Except Di2. Thats Tom foolery.