Today’s question is about finding a good carbon water bottle holder that holds the bottle well and isn’t too flimsy…

Do you have any suggestions for carbon water bottle holders for road bikes? I have seen many between 35-40 grams and some around 20 grams. If you read the reviews that people give that are using the very light ones, they tend to be very flimsy and do not hold the water bottles well. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bottled Up

Hi Bottled Up,

I’ve read the carbon bottle cage reviews, too. That’s why I stick with stainless steel bottle cages.

Personally I like the King stainless steel cage which is 48g and only costs $15. If you want to go lighter, get the titanium version for $50-60 – it’s only 28g. Both cages are basically indestructible.

Compare that to a carbon cage that is usually flimsy and not much lighter. The carbon cage is usually as expensive or more expensive than a King titanium cage.

I’d only buy a carbon cage if your main concern is having carbon accessories that all match. Which is a valid concern, so I did some looking around and found that one cage did in fact get good reviews – the Blackburn Camber carbon bottle cage (pictured left.) It looks good and supposedly comes with a lifetime warranty!

I haven’t used it, but if I was going to buy a carbon cage, that’s what I’d go for.

It’s only about $40 at Amazon.com, so the price isn’t that bad.

Years ago, I lusted over the King titanium bottle cages. They were so cool, but I just couldn’t justify spending $55 on a bottle cage.

Then one day I won a stainless steel King cage at a race, used it, and realized it was awesome! It’s a lot cheaper than the titanium version but still very nice. (I think the retail is about $15.)

The King is a bit more expensive than Forte cages, but it’s worth it, in my opinion. The construction just seems better. It certainly is durable – I’ve used this same King cage for over four years now and it’s still perfect!

It’s made in the USA, so that might explain it.

Other than durability, the only thing to consider is the grip on the bottle. The King cage grips bottles perfectly!

It’s tight enough that it won’t slip, but just loose and flexible enough that it’s easy to get the bottle out and back in while riding off-road.

And if you do have a slightly small or large bottle, you can bend the cage to fit it better. Then bend it back later. (Try that with an alloy bottle cage! There’s a 99.9% chance it will snap.)

My final verdict is…

My #1 bottle cage recommendation, hands down. Eventually I’ll probably have one or two King stainless steel cages on every one of my bikes.

Official website: www.KingCage.com

Buy online: www.ColoradoCyclist.com

After years of poor performance, dropped bottles, and countless broken cages, I finally got sick of aluminum water bottle cages, and decided every bike of mine should sport stainless steel water bottle cages. The venerable King Cage can be pricey and hard to find, so I picked up a few sets of the Forte stainless steel cages from Performance Bike.

Forte, the Performance Bike house brand, is easy to find and usually on sale – a good combination!

This cage comes in two models: the Terra Lite, for mountain bike use, and the Strada Lite, for road use.

Let’s look at the differences…

The Terra Lite Cage

The Terra Lite weighs in at 55 grams and is noticeably larger (the tubing is thicker) than its on-road compatriot. That thickness also leads to a super tight grasp on the water bottle (a good thing.)

This cage is ideal for rough trails that could rocket bottles out of most cages – it’s the tightest-gripping cage I’ve used. However, it takes a little effort to pull the bottle out with your hand, and it requires extra attention to get the bottle back in the cage nicely.

I have ridden some rocky singletrack with this cage and there has been no movement from my water bottles. This is probably the most secure grip you can get from a bottle cage!

For an XC mountain bike racer, the grip might be too tight, since you want the bottle coming out and going back in very quickly. But for general mountain biking, it’s great.

The Strada Lite Cage

The Strada Lite weighs in at 45 grams (10 grams less than the Terra Lite.) The tubing is much smaller in diameter, giving it a very sleek look.

Unlike the mountain bike version, this cage provides a very loose grip on bottle, which makes for a very easy entry and exit. Great for those times you need to keep your eyes on the road ahead!

But luckily, the grip is still tight enough that the bottle won’t fall out, as long as you stick it in the cage the whole way.

See, the grip gets progressively stronger as the bottle slides in, making it seem like the cage is tapered. It’s extremely easy to get the bottle started in the cage, but as you slide it in, you notice it tighten down on the bottom of the bottle. This makes it easy to use but still secure.

I haven’t tried the Strada Lite on rocky singletrack, although I’ve been on a few rough roads and never dropped a bottle. This turned out to be a great bottle cage for road biking.

Why Stainless Steel?

At about $10 each, these cages cost two to three times more than most aluminum cages, but there are numerous benefits.

Stainless steel cages are much stronger than aluminum cages, and they’re more flexible. While aluminum cages can snap at any time, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll experience a failure with a stainless cage, whether it be from a wreck or from jamming a big water bottle in there.

The smooth stainless steel looks great on any bike, and it won’t mark your bottles. These cages are also lighter than aluminum cages!

And even though stainless steel is more expensive, from an overall perspective, you can afford to splurge on a $10 bottle cage! It’s “affordable luxury” at its finest!

So yeah, I highly prefer stainless steel cages to aluminum!

My final verdict is…

At $10 each, these are a good deal. They’re way better than aluminum and they’ll last practically forever. Get some if you’re on a budget.

For road bikers, the Forte Strada Lite is awesome. For most mountain bikers, the Terra Lite is great.

But for XC mountain bike racers, if you’re not on a strict budget, you should really consider the stainless steel King cage, which is a little lighter, looks a bit cleaner, and just works better overall.

Official website: www.PerformanceBike.com