Three dollars per mile
 

I decided to replace the two mismatched bottle cages on my P2 with two new identical Profile Designs Kage bottle cages. I already have two mounted on my Shiv and I've been pleased with them. They arrived last week and I mounted them up during the week. I finally got a chance to take the P2 out for a spin yesterday. Wasn't going to be anything crazy, just a 32 mile ride at about 80% race pace.

Normally, when I ride, I have one bottle that is just water and one bottle that is an electrolyte drink. I'm doing my normal thing, started out drinking the water and all is well. I get to about mile 12 and decide it's time to switch over to my electrolyte drink. I reach back behind the saddle but there's no bottle. Not only is there no bottle, but half of the cage is gone! I stop and check it out. Sure enough, one of the "wings" of the bottle cage has broken off. Obviously, the bottle went with it.

I still had water and it was still fairly early so it wasn't too hot yet, I decided to finish my ride. And on the way back I would keep my eyes open for the missing bottle and chunk of missing bottle cage. Fortunately, most of the ride is out and back with a just a couple deviations between the out segment and the back segment. I'm keeping my eyes open and much to my surprise, I find my bottle, still full, laying in the middle of the road (fortunately, a lightly traveled road). I pull over and recover my bottle as well as the broken piece of the cage. At the point of failure, I was less than four miles into my ride.

Needless to say, this was disappointing. I didn't notice any damage when I mounted the cage. I don't know if this was a manufacturing defect or damage from shipping. It's only $12 but still, <4 miles, I don't feel I should have to replace it on my own dime. I have a warranty claim in with Profile Designs.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d478ebd8b.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...74a82510d5.jpg

Well, THAT sucks! But I can beat the dollars per mile. I cut a brand new $40 (1999 money) tire within the first 100 yards of leaving the house on it's first ride. The cut went right through the casing, 1/4" long.

Just got the bill for the credit card I used during last month’s tour. Nearly $4/mile not including the flight, the cash I spent for smaller purchases, and donations to two bike camps.

Profile Design uses poor material, not CF but Nylon/Glass Fiber.
Would have not happened with Steel, Al, Ti.
Get refund and buy better holders.
This info will help cyclists and hurt Profile Design future sales.

Since the Kage is a winged design it, makes me wonder whether it's actually suitable for mounting in a behind the saddle dual bottle system. When mounted on a frame, the wings just sorta keep the bottle in place while most of the weight of the bottle is carried by the bottom section of the cage.
When mounting the kage in a dual bottle system as illustrated, a lot of the weight of the bottle is carried by one wing only. Looking at profile designs website, they actually recommend the Vise Cage for a dual mounting system. The Vise doesn't have wings but instead uses an encircling design, probably because then the loads are distributed more evenly.

I'd probably get the Vise cages going forward. They're not that much more expensive.

Well, at least you didn't get a flat. (Not that you mentioned, anyway.)

Related to finding your bottle on the way back, a couple of stories:

1. Bought a new bike, my first with thru axles. Futzing with putting the bike on the roof rack (I'm sure you can see where this is going), I left the axle on the roof of the car and drove off. Get home (about 5 miles), can't find the axle. Drive back to the LBS, nope, didn't leave it there/it wasn't lying on the pavement near where I parked. Brand new bike, that I'd never even ridden. Well, darn, and all that stuff (stupid thru axle, this never would have happened with a QR axle, useless new technology mumble, grumble). Driving back home from the LBS (a little more slowly), and I actually manage to spot my axle lying in the gutter. It had made it about half way home, had stayed on around several corners, curves and hills before coming off on a left hand turn (really, it had done its very best to stay with me). Got to ride my brand new bike that day (yay!). Gratuitous opinion: And, no, it's been a couple of years, I'm still not really used to thru axles. For me, I think QR axles are just as good, and a lot more convenient/easy to use.

2. Hiking with the dogs, hot day, put my hat under the gear net on top of my knapsack (cheap-o schwag from work, net was on its last legs from just a couple of uses - it has since bitten the dust after one of the straps broke at the very beginning of another hike with the boys). Got back to the car, no hat. Oh well (it was a hat from a vacation when the kids were small). Several weeks later, taking the dogs on the same hike, and ... there's my hat, hanging from a branch near the trail (it was right at eye level, so easy to see). Not only had someone found it and thoughtfully hung it where I could see, but no one else using the trail had taken it. (It's not a heavily used trail, it's true, but in a couple of weeks there must have been at least 20 people who passed the hat (yes, intentional pun, sorry)).

3. On a ride, fast downhill about 2.5 miles from home, hit a bump and my saddle goes all wobbly between my legs and falls to the pavement. Rather startling, that - but at least a lot of my weight was on my legs, so I was in no danger of going down. Repeat of curses from story #1 (without the commentary on new technology). Go back, pick up my saddle, the pieces of the seatpost clamp, even find the sheared-off bolt (what, this stupid saddle rail clamp bolt only lasted ... 28 years? Must be a manufacturing defect...) so I had all of the pieces (I was unreasonably proud of that). Ride home standing all the way (obviously - I'm not THAT kind of guy) with my saddle stuffed down my jersey and the other bits in my pockets. This wasn't difficult, but it made me nervous about ripping my bibs - and shifting gears (bar end shifters) was a bit of an adventure. Made it home, off to the LBS to see what they can do (maybe will need a new seatpost?). In about 5 min. they had removed the sheered-off bolt from the seat clamp, found a new bolt, and put my saddle back on my bike, no charge. Good guys there.

My experience with Profile Design is that they do stand behind their products. I use a seatpost-mounted, two-bottle mount on my fixed gear bike. The aluminum extrusion onto which the cages mount broke. I attributed this to the bike having fallen over once, likely creating a crack which eventually led to the failure. I bought a new mount to replace it. The replacement mount also eventually failed at the same place, but with no precipitating trauma. Looking at the extrusion, I noticed a stress riser at the failure point. I emailed Profile Design, pointing this out, and they sent me two new seatpost bottle mounts to replace the two that broke, gratis. I notice that the replacement mounts use a redesigned extrusion that eliminates the stress riser. So far (several years later), the replacement mount has not failed.

Yeah, thats pretty annoying. Hope your next purchase nets you a cage that holds bottles for years to come...since that is a cage's only purpose.

Look for some carbon bottle cages from Amazon or Ebay. I have them on all of my bikes and none have broken.

You ride a aero time trial bike and you have the bottles stuck out like speed brakes!

Triathletes like to use black cages mounted to the rear. You never see metal ones back there.
I listed some lightly-used Tacx units on eBay. Tacx three (3) Water Bottle Cages Pair Matte Black FREE SHIPPING | eBay
You can buy direct from me for $40 shipped, skirting sales tax. These work very well and are durable.

On the Roadie for 50+ milers on hot days I attach a third bottle out-the-back.
I was using an Amazon'ed carbon cage but it dropped the bottle. No harm done this time, but it was quite the scare.

I changed the rear cage to an Xlabs Gorilla, that thing is awesome.
Although it does come with an equally Awesome price tag.

Barry

Didn't hear the bottle hit the ground? Might be time to lube the chain.... :)

It was spokes it hit...... and that's never good !


Barry

I had a mystery brand cheap used carbon bottle cage on one of my bikes last year. It was a similar wing design but the wings didn't wrap around as far and the lower protrusion that supports the bottle was a bit shorter. It was extremely light but rather flimsy. I had it mounted on the seat tube and one fine long ride, I had one of my tall bottles completely full of water mounted in it. I hit a good, hard bump and the bottle slipped DOWN, past the the little tongue that's supposed to keep the bottle up as the wings flexed too much and would have fallen out of the bottom had it not hit the other water bottle.
Needless to say, I emptied that bottle to get the weight out to finish the ride and promptly bought another, better quality bottle cage. Just as well, the two on the bike were mismatched anyways and it was already bugging me.

Odd one. I’ve used Profile cages on my road bikes for decades, never had one break. I got them when I was Tri racing and had the behind the seat bottle mount system. These were the only cages that held the bottles over bumpy roads. Been good to me.

Well, the one thing I can absolutely say for Profile Designs is they are on top of their customer service! Response I received today. This is pretty much what I expected. We are only talking about a $12 bottle cage. But I am still impressed with the turn around time. Talking less than 24 hours. Got to give them a big :thumb:
Interesting theory. I never really thought of that. However, I will say that my mount is not as aggressive as most you see. I don't have the bottles fully vertical but the wing is not supporting the majority of the weight. Just eyeballing it, I think the bottles are about 25* off vertical. Having said that, you very well could be right. If I have another failure of a Kage, I will consider that substantiating evidence and look for another option.

I had those cages on Felt way back in the early aughts. I rode them for years. Absolutely no issues.

You got a defective one.

Tried seat mounted bottle cages - a double version - which held the bottles directly in back the saddle. Never had enough coordination to get the bottles back in the cages - so tossed them and went back to down and seat tube versions. The end.

Well I have to give kudos to Profile Designs. The replacement got here Thursday. I mounted it yesterday and took the bike out today. 45 miles, both bottles snug as a bug in a rug.

If I bought a new bike part and it failed on the very first ride, I would not use the item again. I would've asked for a refund and used it to buy something better. But you do you.

Those cages are made in Taiwan, and Taiwan manufacturing is noted for eventually going lapse in their quality control of stuff that they make.

You say you're doing some racing and training for races, you should consider buying a bottle cage that is known to never fail, break, or toss bottles out of rear saddle holders, unfortunately the one that is world known as being the best is not cheap, and that one is the xLab Gorilla cage, but that cage will last forever. I seriously doubt that you're racing on Shimano Claris components because their cheap, so why use a cheap bottle cage? But like another person said, you do you.

The majority of bikes we buy are also made in Taiwan.

:foo:

I agree with your recommendation to buy better bottle cages, but the part in bold font is nonsense.

I didn't do the bold font, Koyote did that when he reposted it.