I'd like to hear and see some water bottle cage suggestions. I usually like a bit more creative solutions. I sort of like the idea of a cage that also carried mini tool or a cage that can accommodate a nalgene bottle etc ...

If you're interested in style, check out the "bird cage" from Portland Design. Otherwise my long time favorite is Blackburn chicane stainless cages.

Look at a topeak modula.

what volume Nalgene bottle Pint or Quart?

FWIW,
Profile water bottle cages Of fiber reinforced Nylon are quite diameter flexible for non Bicycle standard Bottles


Without a retention Hook https://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/...Mor/s-l225.jpg..


Or with https://www.treefortbikes.com/images/...22338830-4.jpg

IMO, stainless steel cages are superior as you can bend them to adjust tension and they're hard to break. Also, stainless wont make dark marks on your bottle like Al alloy. Plastic or carbon cages can be fine and look better on modern bikes but some designs tend to be bottle launchers. Alloy cages can be great (Elite Ciussi Gel is awesome for gravel) but mark up your bottles and can sometimes snap if you bend them repeatedly. Ti cages are unnecessary from a practical perspective. All weigh about the same.

Another vote for stainless steel cages. Much better than aluminum or plastic. I never tried carbon fiber cages so have no opinion on those.

So I would rank them
1. Stainless steel.
2. Aluminum
3. Plastic.

I'm no help here. In my view, bottle cages have one job; a job that on hot days can be crucial. That job? To hold a standard waterbottle reliably. Making the removal easy but the retention absolutely secure so the bottle never comes out on the frost heave of a 45 mph 2000' descent on a 10 hour day of riding.

In my 50 years of riding, there are two cages that pass that test that I have used. The old chrome steel TAs and the current Chris King SS cages. (The Kings hold so securely that I have put bottles back crooked and looked down miles later and seen the bottle still sitting crooked, exactly as I put it in!) I'm not saying there aren't other good cages. I just have no need to look further when all my cages are of those two types and work so well. The TAs are slowly dying; plastic failing and welds breaking. The last one I bought is probably 20 years old.

But sadly for the OP, those cages (King and TA) have no frills. They just hold standard WBs.

Ben

The Forte carbon fiber cage is very lite and grips tightly.
On sale at Preformence bike for under $30.00 with tax a no brainer.
They can expand to hold an extra large bottle and the grip is awsome.

FYI "King Cages" != Chris King.

For $6.98 at PricePoint, the Neo Eon stainless steel cages seem like an unbeatable bargain. I don't actually have any experience using them, but they're in a box of stuff I'm saving for a bike buildup.

When on sale, the Elite Custom Race cages also have a good price to performance ratio. They hold onto all my bottles over the rough stuff.

Cheap aluminum cages seem to break or fail eventually, but they're also usually so cheap that's not a big deal.

I've seen bottles ejected from those lightweight Chinese carbon generic and counterfeit cages. I won't use these.

King Cages is not Chris King, it's a different company entirely.

King Cage - Bicycle waterbottle cages handmade in Durango, CO

I do recommend their products.

They are two different Kings. Chris King of hub and headset fame is in OR. The King of cage fame is in CO. Then again, I have never seen them in the same place at the same time, so maybe they are the same person.

+1 for PDW Bird cages and their new Owl cages. I have used the bird cages through touring and commuting and have had ZERO issues with them and they hold my bottles perfectly and look really nice. I see no reason to go with any other cage unless maybe a King Cage (MUSA and I believe they have a Ti version). The only other cage I use is a Jim Blackburn cage on my old Cilo but it makes sense for the time period of bike rather than another Bird cage which I briefly considered.

+ 1.

Thanks. I first saw the King cages after I moved to Portland, so I just assumed all along that the maker was Chris King. My apologies to Andrew and I guess Chris owes me a brew for some free (false) advertising.

And to milkbaby - but aluminum cages always break when riding when they go with the bottle coming off. Steel cages usually fail at one weld and go floppy but are still there until you finish the ride. In my book, a very big difference.

Ben

I guess they don't make them anymore; I like(d) the cages by America Classic. No welds to fail, light, seemingly indestructible.

Anything Cage | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles

Is this high quality, the multitool? Can't find any independent sales listings, much less reviews. First page of Google hits all the companies site. Too early maybe.

Topeak makes a good multi tool. That all in one, with the tire levers on the side, that looks pretty slick not gonna lie.

The multitool is fine, but frankly, it is easier to store a multitool on a little seat bag, along with a spare tube and some tire levers.

These are great, i have them on the fork of my Fatbike. but they do require a three bolt setup which most bikes don't have.

Oh, I agree with you on that. Personally I hate seat bags and really try not to use one if possible. This setup with a water bottle with two tubes and what not in it, the cage with the multi tool, and the levers on the side....on a bike with two cages....on a century or whatever. This is ideal.

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't like metal cages. I have Shimano Pro FRP cages, and really like them. Cheap, durable, never rattle, never get loose, and weigh about the same as comparable CF cages, if that matters to you.

For me, tools and spares go in the saddle bag, water bottles go in the cages. The Topeak Ninja does look pretty cool, but seems ultimately superfluous. My multi-tool is one of the smallest things in the bag.

The shizzle.
Easily expands and spreads to hold larger a bottle and fits standard bottles pretty snugly.
Nothing is going to jump out of this holder easily unless you are pulling an Evil Kelivel or a casual ride through the bombed out streets of Afghanistan.