kevrider

so i bought a full suspension mtn bike for my wife. while i was doing that initial prep work, peeling stickers and tossing reflectors, etc, i noticed that there are not bottle cage mounts inside the triangle. would it be imprudent of me to have the inner side of the downtube tapped for bottle mounts? the bike in question is a Ghost from REI and the bike in the photo has cage mounts, as you would expect. i bought her a small frame, i believe the size is the issue, but there is enough space inside the triangle for a smaller bottle. the shock mount movement is mainly vertical, so if positioned properly, the bottle should not interfere with the shock. i would have to install one of those side-loading cages, i happen to have one handy. the question is, should i worry about my wife if i get the frame tapped?

fietsbob

maybe you should wear a camel back?

rather than try to reach for a bottle in technical sections, you bought that bike to ride ?

Twofish .biz lets you fit bottle cages without poking holes in your frame,,



I see bottle cage mounts you dont?

CliffordK

Can you get your tools in there to work?

I'd probably drill a small hole in one location. Then assess the tubing wall thickness. If it seems OK, drill and tap both locations.

If the tubing is too thin, then enlarge and try a pair of rivnuts.

DaveSSS 

Rivnuts would be a must. Tapping the frame tube would not be reliable.

CliffordK

Also complain to REI for the bike not having usable cage mounts. What a pain.

Andrew R Stewart 

Agreed that Rivnuts is really the only way to insure long term reliability. Take much care as to exactly where you place them. Plan to somehow remove the tubing chips from inside the tube after, like pulling the BB or fork and shaking them out a vent hole. For someone with the right tools and having the bits on hand this is a fairly quick and easy job. Andy

kevrider

rivnuts! thanks for the tip, gents, i've never heard of such. i'll have to see if my mechanic is familiar....

water in the pack, gatorade in the bottle. it's easier to wash a bottle.

i do not. the bike in the pic is not a small.

Andrew R Stewart 

"water in the pack, gatorade in the bottle. it's easier to wash a bottle."

Do know that solutions that have an electrolyte in them and are spilled, dribbled, from a water bottle and come into contact with in frame bosses can rapidly cause corrosion between the bolt and the boss. Rivenut material is chosen for it's moldability, not it's resistance to corrosion. If you ride with this stuff in your bottles I strongly suggest periodic removal of cage bolts and relubing them. Andy

3alarmer 

...there are some relatively cheap and workable cage mounts for the bar that would probably work, if your wife is not a real aggressive rider. If you take much air, the bottle kinda flies out the top of the cage when it's up on the bar. There are also cages that mount behind the saddle.

_ForceD_

ddeand 

Bill in VA

You beat me to it. I would absolutely never tap a frame (especially an alloy frame) myself for fear of causing stress risers. It may take years to have a problem or it may take a few days. If offroad, maybe faster. I was going to recommend a behind the seat post mount, but it appears to be a dropper post, so no room. The seat mount is workable and handlebars mounts are very handy, I used one for years. I recently saw a bike with one that attached to 2 of the four handlebar clamp screws, but the rider was not present to ask where he/she bought it, and I was not going to go real close to look for a manufacturer name.

speedevil 

Before I did any irreversible frame work, I'd try the twofish bottle cage mount. Just because the bottle will fit doesn't necessarily mean that it can be removed and replaced easily while riding. Some folks can take a bottle out drink, and replace it without a bobble or any noticeable change to their line. Others wobble and can't hold a line doing the same thing. With the twofish mount, you can experiment with downtube and toptube locations to see what works best, and you may ultimately decide to use a camelbak because it's just easier to manage on the trail. Has more capacity too, and some of the models have zippered pouches you can carry snacks and/or a jacket.

sweeks

Aside from the other very good reasons not to do this, do you have a drill with a right-angle chuck? That's a pretty tight area.
I second the TwoFish recommendation.

kevrider

no frame tapping, then! i've had those undersaddle tri-bike type mounts on a mtn bike before, the bottles were launched quite nicely. i'll get a pair of SKS straps with bottle mounts, they came up when searching twofish. replies appreciated, glad i asked.

wesmamyke

You can get those bikepacking style snack/bottle bags from almost every company now. Not exactly cheap but they seem to strap down pretty tight on mountain bikes.

Bikepacking Stem Bags - BIKEPACKING.com

fietsbob

maybe you should wear a camel back?

rather than try to reach for a bottle in technical sections, you bought that bike to ride ?

Twofish .biz lets you fit bottle cages without poking holes in your frame,,



I see bottle cage mounts you dont?

fietsbob

Using a Blackburn MTB bottle cage they would not auto launch, But as a result you would have to stop to pry the bottle out of the cage..
May as well carry water bottles in your back pack then,





...

kevrider

was this post (#17) a technical error or are you asking twice?

fietsbob

In that web picture , but not on your own bike , so yours is smaller Did you buy the Quick Cage Adapter: - Twofish Unlimited yet?

kevrider

there's a topeak versa mount, on the way. i went with this one because its not velcro. i stumbled across this before placing the order, several options available:
Attach Water Bottles, Add Cage Mounts to Your Bike - BIKEPACKING.com

Aubergine 

Slightspeed

I got these, made by Elite from Amazon. I think they were $10 or 12. They seem pretty secure. You wrap the plastic tie around the frame, put it thru under the red screws. Tighten the screws and cut off excess strap. They work great. I put tape underneath to protect the paint.

easyupbug 

Absolutely