Stainless Bottle Cages
#1
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Stainless Bottle Cages
Looking for a stainless steel bottle cage for my Mercian.
I tried mounting a few cages I have lying around and could not get either to fit because the spacing of the holes on my Mercian is too wide.
I measured them as 66mm and I read that standard spacing is 64mm, so whatever cage I get I will have to elongate the hole.
I use Arundel Dave-O on my other bikes and really like them but obviously it is carbon.
Arundel makes a stainless steel cage which I would really like except for the large ugly flat plate that I cannot get past.
Here are some other options I found:
King Stainless Steel - Seems to have good reviews and is basic looking. I cannot find it anywhere in stock but looks like you can order direct from King website.
Tanaka - Looks very similar to the King and about the same price.
Ebay Classic Vintage Retro - This looks like a knock off of Nitto R Cage for less than half the price:
I do like the look of this and the Nitto R Cage is bit more than I wanted to spend.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16334631935...Cclp%3A2047675
Thanks for any suggestions.
I tried mounting a few cages I have lying around and could not get either to fit because the spacing of the holes on my Mercian is too wide.
I measured them as 66mm and I read that standard spacing is 64mm, so whatever cage I get I will have to elongate the hole.
I use Arundel Dave-O on my other bikes and really like them but obviously it is carbon.
Arundel makes a stainless steel cage which I would really like except for the large ugly flat plate that I cannot get past.
Here are some other options I found:
King Stainless Steel - Seems to have good reviews and is basic looking. I cannot find it anywhere in stock but looks like you can order direct from King website.
Tanaka - Looks very similar to the King and about the same price.
Ebay Classic Vintage Retro - This looks like a knock off of Nitto R Cage for less than half the price:
I do like the look of this and the Nitto R Cage is bit more than I wanted to spend.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16334631935...Cclp%3A2047675
Thanks for any suggestions.
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#3
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The King Iris is a pretty stylish cage. There's also a Zephal 'Vintage' styled cage that's pretty retro-cool, though I think it's chromed, not SS....
Funny, here's another listing of the same Ebay Classic Vintage Retro cage, from the same town, but cheaper.....
Funny, here's another listing of the same Ebay Classic Vintage Retro cage, from the same town, but cheaper.....
#4
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For stainless, I get the VO cages from eBay. I used to buy the Moderniste model, but I found it's not stable enough with a full bottle in it. Now I buy their Retro model (with tab).
#6
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The King cages are about as good as you could hope for, at least in terms of functionality and quality. I've got them on my Raleigh Team...

On my Borthwick, I've got some Trek branded cages. I think these were modeled on some Nitto cages, perhaps. They work fine. Of course, I bought them probably 15 years ago, so you'd probably have to find them on eb*y or something.

Steve in Peoria

On my Borthwick, I've got some Trek branded cages. I think these were modeled on some Nitto cages, perhaps. They work fine. Of course, I bought them probably 15 years ago, so you'd probably have to find them on eb*y or something.

Steve in Peoria
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#8
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I never spent too much time worrying about bottle cage quality until I got a bike with King steel cages and they are very nice. Now it’s another thing I have to worry about.
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#9
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I haven't ordered from King but I've met their crew at shows. They strike me as being as rock solid as their cages. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them.
#10
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There are a couple of brands with little buttons on the side, and invariably I eventually lose the buttons.
King also makes TITANIUM cages.
King also makes TITANIUM cages.
#11
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I have gravitated to these:
Elite Ciussi inox
Elite Ciussi inox

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#13
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I have some King cages, Irish and standard. They hold the bottle as good as any cage that I've used. The look good, but they're a bit thicker than others.
I have a bike with an R cage. Nicest looking cage out there, in my opinion. However, $60 for one cage is a lot to bite off(I found mine for half that on CL).
I bought the Planet Bike stainless cages at REI, earlier this year during one of their sales. They were ten bucks each. I like them.

Planet bike cages here.
I have a bike with an R cage. Nicest looking cage out there, in my opinion. However, $60 for one cage is a lot to bite off(I found mine for half that on CL).
I bought the Planet Bike stainless cages at REI, earlier this year during one of their sales. They were ten bucks each. I like them.

Planet bike cages here.
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Per recommendation of the late Tony Tom of Odyssey Bicycles. I bought a pair of Tanaka SS bottle cages from his shop for my Pinarello Montello a few years ago. They are pretty much the best quality cages I ever bought.
A bit more expensive than most other brands, but they are definitely worth it!
Perfect surface finish, welds are fluid looking and flawless and very lightweight.
A bit more expensive than most other brands, but they are definitely worth it!

Perfect surface finish, welds are fluid looking and flawless and very lightweight.
Last edited by Chombi1; 12-18-21 at 07:37 PM.
#15
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I've got the regular King cages and the Iris- I GREATLY prefer the regular Kings.
It looks like they're not making the toe clips anymore.
It looks like they're not making the toe clips anymore.
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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#16
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I haven't even considered the Iris. A feature I love with the regular cages - so forgiving when you are riding hard. Take a quick drink and do a sloppy stuff back into the cage? Well, 10 miles later, that bottle is still hanging crooked in the cage! I've never had a King drop a bottle, But I've done a few looks down and WTH!
#17
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The Kings are the ticket IMO. I have both styles and I prefer the Iris - it seems that I may be the only person that has ejected bottles (on two occasions) out of the regular King cage.
#19
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I rather like the VO cages, with and without tabs. I also like the VO Mojave for big bottles.