I've tried enough $5 bottle cages to understand they stink. I guess $10 is reasonable for a bottle cage. Which do you like? I don't care what it's made of. Steel seems to make the most sense, but some aluminum cages look very durable.

Thanks.

https://ecom1.planetbike.com/pbcag400.html

There are plenty of prettier ones, but I've been pretty satisfied with these PB ones. I think I overpaid, as they're showing msrp of $5 and I think I paid $7 at the LBS. Maybe that's what you've used; as always ymmv.

What is it you don't like about what you've used? I've never really had any trouble with bottle cages, be they TA, Specialized, Blackburn, etc.

I like these stainless steel ones from Performance:
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1024946_-1___400163
They hold up well and look good. They are even pretty light weight. And PBS runs them on sale for $10 regularly.

Andrew's King Cage - elegant, sturdy, and handrolled by some dude in his basement.

The cheap ones wobble or rattle and start bending or breaking quickly.

I'll try the PB one. Thanks. If the LBS charges $10, I'll be happy to pay that.

I like the old REG chrome plated ones with the spring-loaded finger snapper.

Stainless steel King Cages: made in the US, indestructible, they shine up nicely, and look fantastic on C&V or modern bikes. You can get them online or your LBS for about the same price.
https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/139...p=055%20KINSS5

King Cage!

What bike is it for? I like the velo orange ones, and the salsa ones.

+1 to king cages

his cages are simply the best.

if you want something that wont break, forget aluminum. go with stainless.

+Infinity

Elite Ciussi stainless are pretty nice, and go well with C&V

Stainless is much better than aluminum.

It won't lose it's springy grip. You don't have to bend it back into shape like aluminum cages. The bottles are really secure.

It won't mark up water bottles like aluminum does.

My old aluminum cages got worn down where the bottle slides in.

Stainless just looks better, too.

I have at least 15,000 miles on my Performance stainless cages (see post #3) and they look like new. I'm in the habit of replacing the water bottle into the cage without looking down, so I just jam it in. The cages are strong.

the chinese (abaxo) on ebay sell a stainless 'king iris' look-alike that i keep buying (along withtheir very plain, white bottles), not because i applaud our multi-trillion debt to asia, but because i'm personally very, very cheap when it comes to this sort of thing. future generations, forgive me.

+1. Also, TA "Sun" (modern) cages are bullet-proof. Perhaps literally, but I haven't verified that personally. About $10 for that one, large-diameter chrome-plated steel, baby!

Better yet, a cage that fits my stainless water bottles... tough to call, as they all seem to be a little different...

^ the elite ciussi aluminum cage, with its two buttons to hold the bottle, keeps a stainless cage secure. that is, it worked for me and my twined/shellaced stainless bottle i used before switching over to stainless cages/plastic bottles. note that aluminum seems to blacken plastic bottles.

Have a Hi-E bottle cage since the mid-1970s and been in use on our tandem(s); has about a quarter million miles on it!
Been repainted a few times but functions perfectly and weighs a scant 27 grams.

As mentioned, the Salsa cages are quite stout.

I bought a few things from Electra when they were having their sale some months back, including one water bottle cage. Stainess steel, and an attractive design. I wish I'd got two more, but am too cheap to pay shipping again.

Love that vid. Those bending jigs are very cool. Wonder if they made them custom.

I agree with everything that has been said about stainless cages. My all time favs were the TAs: https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedpl...ls/5432470126/. I just mounted up a pair of Blackburn stainless cages that run a little north of $10. They look pretty and work well.

PM Wordbiker for more info. He was involved in the making of that video and I think actually made a cage or two in his time.

I really like the cages that have the black poylmer or some sort of plastic buttons. They seem to hold the bottles more securely and a little farther away from the tube so that a longer bottle (ie: full size polar bottle) doesn't rattle against the tube.

Something like these:


The latest set I bought, for the Kirk, are the stainless steel type, but I've had good luck with aluminum on the other bikes.

King stainless. Strong, elegant, and affordable. Plus they're MUSA by someone who's been in the bike biz for quite a while.