MAK

I am picking up my new LHT tomorrow (YEA!!!). I've got racks and fenders but still need bottle cages. Just wondering...Which brand/model do you all prefer? I'm leaning toward the Lezyne Power Bottle Cage because it seems very sturdy, has good reviews and is just a bit different. Problem...I'm having trouble finding the polished hi-gloss model which will match better than the dull powder finish.

I'm not concerned with a few grams. What do you like and more importantly, which cages have you found to not be reliable.

Most riding will be on pavement but I also expect to do some dirt path and canal tow path riding so sturdy and dependable is needed.

Thank you.

rm -rf

Stainless steel cages are way better than aluminum. They are springy, so they grip the bottle very well. Very sturdy, too. They don't mark up the bottles like aluminum cages do.


Peformance Bike has a good stainless cage. It's lighter weight than the Lezyne aluminum cage. There's lots of different ones, too.

ploeg

+1 on stainless steel cages. I like the Planet Bike version myself.

jefnvk

Only thing I'd suggest about that is it doesn't look easily resizeable, if you find the need to stick a different size bottle in there.

Not made anymore, but I actually bought every one of these they had in stock when they went on the discontinued rack at REI, I like them so much. They hold bottles well, look sleek, and easily bends to accommodate any (reasonable) size bottle. Ran over miles of cobblestone without any issue, although I'm not sure I'd use them in an under downtube application. Dunno if anyone else makes something similar, but if they do I highly recommend. Bonus is they are fairly lightweight.

https://www.rei.com/product/881259/n...er-bottle-cage

mstateglfr 

As long as the cage isnt plastic, I dont really think much about it. I have a daisy chain of misc shape and color cages hanging next to my workbench and they all work just fine. Some are 20-30 years old.

With that said...I have bought Ibera cages for a couple recent builds. They were 2 for $9 on Amazon and I liked the design.


If a cage costs more than $15, I will look at it and really wonder why. At $15, you get quality finish, strong welds, and interesting design.

BobG

Should you need to mount a cage at a location without frame bosses the old Blackburn Competition cage is a good choice. The mounting bracket is built with an open slot in the middle so you can use four wire ties or more to attach it. I recently mounted one on my fork. It is aluminum so will scuff your bottle.

FrontRanger

If you prefer the look of metal cages it's hard to beat the stainless King Cages. They're sturdy, secure, and won't mark up your bottles. For composite (aka, plastic) cages, I like these two from Arundel and Elite.

alan s 

King cages are nice. I have two in Ti for my Ti bike and two in stainless for my steel bike.

u235

Interesting.. Is your fork tapered? If so, I'd think it would eventually slide down. I have some composite cages that I really like with provisions for ties. Maybe I'll give it a go and add piece of thin foam/rubber or left over bar tape to the cage back for some added grip.

Rob_E

I like adjustable cages, so I can fit larger bottles in them. Topeak makes some (Modula, I think), but I felt like the latest version didn't hold as large of a bottle. Recently picked up an Arundel Looney Bin, and it looks like it might even hold a Gatorade bottle, which would be nice, but I haven't tried it yet.

Neither of them were chosen for their looks. If that were a priority, there are some attractive, bird-themed cages from Portland Design Works that I like the looks of.

jefnvk

Completely ridiculous, that is.

But definitely ordering one of those for the fiancee's birthday!

indyfabz

Another vote for King stainless cages. Made in Durango, CO. BTW...Different guy than Chris King.

cyccommute 

Go "Merican...HECK YEA! All of my cages are Kings. I even have a couple of titanium ones...he was in town at an expo and offered them for the much more reasonable price of $30 each I've even seen a demonstration of making them. They are way better than the Performance ones and you are supporting a small American company.

BobG

It's a unicrown MTB style fork on my Bruce Gordon R'n'R mounted high where there's minimal taper if any. I mounted a second on the left with an electrical tape cushion and it wiggles a bit. The one pictured is in direct contact with the fork and is pretty tight. I may have just cinched up the wire ties better on the one side. Will experiment with your suggestions. I just barely have room to attach a front pannier when the low rider is installed...

pdlamb

My wife started complaining about how marked up my water bottles looked from aging aluminum cages. I told her to get me some King stainless steel cages for Christmas.

She did. Problem solved.

But almost anything at your bike shop will work with standard water bottles. And if you need to carry more water, get a collapsible bladder or two, fill them, and stick them inside your panniers. That'll keep water more tepid (less hot) than normal bike bottles.

noglider 

I don't really care about cages. I went as cheap as I could, and I found that the $3 cages don't hold up, so I went back up from there. I agree that steel is better than aluminum, and the weight difference is ridiculous. I think most of my cages are aluminum, though.

Vintage_Cyclist

I have a pair of the Lezyne Power Bottle Cages on 1 bike for less than a year. Easy to use, strong, super tight grip.

I've also got Blackburn Mountain Bottle Cages on a few bikes, including my LHT. They're the standard design, also easy to use and strong, with a tight grip (not as tight as the Lezyne though). The price is right on the Blackburns at 5 bucks a pop.

One bike has Ciussi aluminum cages. They also work fine.

I've had absolutely no issues with these aluminum cages marking up my bottles, probably owing to whatever it is they're coated with. The only aluminum cages I have, that do this, are a pair of 30 year old Specialized cages.

cyccommute 

Well if you want to go that route, just get a Camelbak, pack as much ice in it as you can every morning(about 3/4 of a 7 lb bag of ice fits in the Camelbak) and drink nice chilled water for the next 4 to 6 hours. I keep the bottles on the bike for warm sports drinks (2) and extra water for the Camelbak. Usually, I empty the water and am left with a bunch of ice that won't melt quickly enough.

As an added bonus, the cold pack on your back serves as a personal chiller.

shelbyfv

I like stainless. I got some King clones for about $8 each at Price Point (RIP.) If I needed more, I'd probably get the King.

Tourist in MSN

I do not think I have ever paid more than $10 for a cage. Mine are all metal, not plastic. Several are Blackburn.

Assuming you get a cage for under the downtube, that one should be extra strong. I usually use a small velcro strap on the top of a water bottle in that cage to make sure that the bottle stayed tight and did not interfere with my front fender.

DropBarFan

Congrats on the LHT. On my DT I have a Performance cage & some other on down tube & seat tube but on shorter rides I more use the Profile Design dual seat-post cage which is light & sturdy enough as long as one keeps the little bolts attaching cages to bracket tight. With my bony knees I've noticed that some water bottles (like Clean Bottle) have wide ridged caps that can rub on knees

chrisx

Who sells a cage with adjustable height. If the cage on my fork could move down, I could use a bigger bottle. Multiple holes to choose from, slots instead of holes, more mounting positions

note the holes for hose clamps on the salsa stainless cage, over priced at $20.


I havee a few of these, like this design , works with various sizes of bottles.

staehpj1

Basic nothing fancy aluminum bottle cages for me. I do prefer the heavier duty MTB ones though.

bradtx

MAK, Because they were in the parts bin, I use three Elite Cuissi cages. So far, so good for the last five years.

While I probably should, I have not yet used a retention strap with the cage mounted under the down tube.

Brad

Tourist in MSN

Velocity (the rim company) made a cage that was adjustable for height, but it went out of production over a decade ago. The clamp on it was made of two Aluminum extrusions that were pressed together to hold the cage.

Unfortunately I do not have a good photo that shows the cage well, but I can show you this photo that shows three of teh cages on my expedition bike.