Water Bottle Cage Dilemma
 

One of my bikes is a Schwinn hybrid; It has braze-ons on both the seat tube and the down tube, but when I tried to install two water bottle cages they ended up interfering with one another - making it impossible to carry two water bottles. I doubt that there's an industry standard for cage sizing- I just grabbed two at my LBS that were hanging in multiple chains of them, assuming they would fit. Two of the same cages fit fine on my Norco, and the frame geometry is very similar to the Schwinn, but obviously the braze-ons are positioned differently. I've seen many different designs of cages and I am hoping that someone here has encountered a similar problem and can recommend to me some products to try. I'd like to use the factory braze-ons and avoid using zip ties or Velcro straps to secure the cages to the bike. Carbon fiber is not necessary... I'd like to keep the price modest (less than 10 bucks a piece would be nice). Here is the bike in question (with one cage installed):

http://imgur.com/SpgOQl.jpg

Not all cages are the same... some will sit lower on their mounts than others.

A seat tube and down tube mount should not interfere with each other while inline mounted cages can sometimes limit the size of bottles one can carry.

One cage like you have on the bike and one side loading cage. SixtyFiver is right too, not all cages are equal in the way they mount. A smaller frame size can make it about impossible also.

You could also get an adapter so you can position the cages behind the saddle. You can fit two and still put your bag underneath.

If you're referring to the Profile Design style holders I'd not recommend them. They're basically water bottle launchers, good bump and the bottles are gone and since they're behind you you never hear them leaving.

That's the voice of experience there, stings when you lose a couple $12ea Camelback Chill bottles

That must be a good bump. Couple guys at our group rides use them with no issues.

How about mounting a water bottle cage on the handle bars? I bought a couple of these from my LBS, mounted on on my wife's hybrid, another on her touring bike.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Handle.../dp/B000AP0ABO

Pacific / Doral has done so well improving those brands!

Actually it doesn't take much of one - just the right type. Think concrete joint or bridge joint type of jolt. Only takes one too. Don't get me wrong, I have them on three bikes, it's just I've lost enough bottles to not be able to recommend them.

i drilled new holes in mine that mounts on the seat tube i had the same problem the bottles still touch but at least i can fit two now

Nutcert http://www.imperialinc.com/grp270.shtml
A lot of older bike shops will have a nutcert tool and relocate the bottle mounts. Canondale bikes use these.

I had this problem, I switched one cage to the Cateye resin cage,

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302693233

It has the holes located closer to the bottom, lifting the cage higher, and just giving me enough room. 2 of these, or similar, might cure your problem.

OP: nice way to carry your U-lock. :)

You could just take the cage you have on there now, slide it up so that the bottom hole is where the top one is now, and affix the top to the frame with a hose clamp. That should give you plenty of room.

I've had no problems with mine.

Thanks for all the replies, folks! I really appreciate that. :D

I get a lot of my accessories from MEC... I might just try a pair of those, thanks!

Thanks! I wish I could take credit for it, but like most great ideas for my bike, I got it here. Obviously there was no room for it in the frame triangle, so I had to find another place to carry it. It clangs around a bit on bumpy surfaces, but if I secure it with the bungee cord it stays quiet (but most days I just drop it in the rack).

I thought about that, and similar fixes, but I really just want to use the braze-ons and avoid having to use clamps or zip ties. Still a great suggestion, though.

I hear you! :rolleyes: The bike even has a "Schwinn.ca" decal on the frame. After I bought the bike I tried to go to the site and got an "under construction" page. It was like that for months and when I tried again I got redirected to the Schwinn.com website, and of course the Hydra model that I have is not listed there. That's what I get for buying a Big Box Store bike, I guess. Lesson learned.

I finally found the perfect water bottle cages for my bike. I wanted the black ones, but the mounting points were lower on the silver ones, so I had to get them instead. I also added a new rack and found a home for my pump. Unfortunately I lost my nifty spot to carry my u-lock but the bungee keeps it in place on this rack. The cages are a tight fit but I managed to get both of them in there and I can still access the bottles easily. The triangle looks a little busy now but my long torso and short legs necessitate a smaller frame.

http://imgur.com/zNjrUl.jpg
http://imgur.com/0bB8kl.jpg
http://imgur.com/2yhLll.jpg

weird i had that same bike but with a rigid front fork . What type of seat post extension do ya have go-en there ?

I have them on two bikes and have never had an issue. Probably depends more on the type of bottle.

Camelback Podium Chill. Funny, Post the same thing in the road forum and everyone will refer to them as bottle launchers. Guess people don't go fast enough over here :)

It's just the no-name OE suspension seat post that came with the bike. I eventually want to replace it with a rigid one (I have the tension on this one dialed up to the max), but most of my bike budget is earmarked for my new Norco at the moment. I do have plans to change to a rigid fork as well... and some new wheels... and a better drivetrain... etc, etc. For now this makes a great back-up bike, and I'm not as afraid to lock it up outside as I am with my new ride.

Here is a simple fix that is easy and will hold. From your picture I recommend doing this for the down-tube water bottle cage. Get a 3/4 inch by 1/8 inch aluminum bar (most hardware stores will have them), a 5mm .8 thread tap and tapping tool and two more water bottle mounting screws. Cut the bar to size so that it will work when you do the following: Drill two 13/64" holes in the bar spaced so they will line up with the bottle cage mounts on the frame. Then drill two 5/32" holes far enough from the 13/64" holes so that when the cage is mounted in these holes there is enough room for the other cage. Then tap the 5/32" holes and you are ready to mount the cage. First mount the bar and then mount the cage to the bar and be sure to use thread lock. Sorry I don't have a picture but I did this on a friend's bike and it worked very well.