King Cage Iris
#1
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
King Cage Iris
I have several of these because I like the look, but Klean Kanteen 27oz is a limiting factor -- not a great water bottle in the heat.
Anyone else use King Cage Iris? I found that traditional plastic squeeze bike bottles all seem to get stuck and not fit well in this cage, because they're too big and not rigid enough to spread the cage like the metal Klean Kanteen. I've used a 16oz Nalgene bottle in the cage, which works pretty well, but it also isn't great for biking.
King Cage also recommends a 16oz insulated bottle for the Iris, I assume also Klean Kanteen, but the model I'm not sure I can pin down, if you know which they are referring to, please advise. I've also emailed them.
Thanks for any other bottle recommendations for the Iris cages.
Anyone else use King Cage Iris? I found that traditional plastic squeeze bike bottles all seem to get stuck and not fit well in this cage, because they're too big and not rigid enough to spread the cage like the metal Klean Kanteen. I've used a 16oz Nalgene bottle in the cage, which works pretty well, but it also isn't great for biking.
King Cage also recommends a 16oz insulated bottle for the Iris, I assume also Klean Kanteen, but the model I'm not sure I can pin down, if you know which they are referring to, please advise. I've also emailed them.
Thanks for any other bottle recommendations for the Iris cages.
#2
Senior Member
I have a pair on my Rivendell Clem. They are very good and I find them excellent especially for riding fire trails etc. They do hold on well. No experience using Kleen Kanteen bottles with them. I've used a few typical plastic bottles with it and not really noticed a problem with any. I have lots a Nalgene bottles but none sized for a bike cage, so haven't tried that. Here it is I believe with a Polar solid color insulated bottle, and a SOMA crystal polypropylene bottle. The SOMA bottles are a bit slippery and tend to fly out of my Nitto cages off road. No problem with the King cages.
Yeah, it's not exactly a glamorous or detailed photo. You can zoom in. My bike was taking a nap at the top of the hill.
I made it to the top
Yeah, it's not exactly a glamorous or detailed photo. You can zoom in. My bike was taking a nap at the top of the hill.
I made it to the top
#4
Extraordinary Magnitude
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,646
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2608 Post(s)
Liked 1,699 Times
in
935 Posts
My Miyata 1000LT has them. I got them because they were different, I saw a lot of people having them on their bikes and got the feeling people were happy with them. So when I rebuilt the M1000 I got those.
Meh.
Maybe they'll loosen up over time, I'm using Polar bottles and the cages grip the bottles too tight.
When I rebuilt my Trek 720 I got "traditional" style King cages- those are swell.
M1000LT Drivetrain by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
M1000LT by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
Meh.
Maybe they'll loosen up over time, I'm using Polar bottles and the cages grip the bottles too tight.
When I rebuilt my Trek 720 I got "traditional" style King cages- those are swell.
M1000LT Drivetrain by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
M1000LT by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STP
Posts: 14,491
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 821 Post(s)
Liked 255 Times
in
142 Posts
I put King cages on all of my bikes.
The Iris holds a bottle like nobodies business.
Handy when riding on our decaying/ declining infrastructure and b roads.
The Iris holds a bottle like nobodies business.
Handy when riding on our decaying/ declining infrastructure and b roads.
#6
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,396
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,696 Times
in
2,517 Posts
I think you can loosen them up a bit. I switched out the Iris on my main road bike for a traditional king cage, but it's a little sloppy sometimes. It was tough getting the bottle in the Iris without looking, and sometimes on a long ride it held on a little too well. I'll probably go back to an Iris because that's what I have in my stash
#7
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,199
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,409 Times
in
909 Posts
On a recent triple digit ride in near triple digit heat I used a seat post-mounted dual bottle holder. These tilt outward to clear the saddle. My short Ibera cages combined with tall bottles to create one lost bottle and 3 time-consuming U-turns.
Better gripping would have helped. Balancing that vs. my difficulty in access is the trick.
Better gripping would have helped. Balancing that vs. my difficulty in access is the trick.
#8
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
I have a pair on my Rivendell Clem. They are very good and I find them excellent especially for riding fire trails etc. They do hold on well. No experience using Kleen Kanteen bottles with them. I've used a few typical plastic bottles with it and not really noticed a problem with any. I have lots a Nalgene bottles but none sized for a bike cage, so haven't tried that. Here it is I believe with a Polar solid color insulated bottle, and a SOMA crystal polypropylene bottle. The SOMA bottles are a bit slippery and tend to fly out of my Nitto cages off road. No problem with the King cages.
Yeah, it's not exactly a glamorous or detailed photo. You can zoom in. My bike was taking a nap at the top of the hill.
I made it to the top
Yeah, it's not exactly a glamorous or detailed photo. You can zoom in. My bike was taking a nap at the top of the hill.
I made it to the top
#9
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
My Miyata 1000LT has them. I got them because they were different, I saw a lot of people having them on their bikes and got the feeling people were happy with them. So when I rebuilt the M1000 I got those.
Meh.
Maybe they'll loosen up over time, I'm using Polar bottles and the cages grip the bottles too tight.
When I rebuilt my Trek 720 I got "traditional" style King cages- those are swell.
M1000LT Drivetrain by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
M1000LT by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
Meh.
Maybe they'll loosen up over time, I'm using Polar bottles and the cages grip the bottles too tight.
When I rebuilt my Trek 720 I got "traditional" style King cages- those are swell.
M1000LT Drivetrain by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
M1000LT by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
#10
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for the info, that's reassuring. What bottles are you using, which fit the best? Did you need to bend the cage?
#11
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
I think you can loosen them up a bit. I switched out the Iris on my main road bike for a traditional king cage, but it's a little sloppy sometimes. It was tough getting the bottle in the Iris without looking, and sometimes on a long ride it held on a little too well. I'll probably go back to an Iris because that's what I have in my stash
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STP
Posts: 14,491
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 821 Post(s)
Liked 255 Times
in
142 Posts
We only use them for water, but learned the hard way to keep coffee out of them.
Yes, sometimes I bend the cages a wee bit.
It's no biggee.
#13
Senior Member
Thanks for the pic and info. Do you find the Polar bottles fit well and don't deform as you fit them in? Did you need to bend the cage to accommodate the Polar bottles? I've also tried Specialized Big Mouth style, Specialized Purist as well as a vintage plastic bottle, all are too wide to fit well.
EDIT : Out of curiosity I measured the diameter of the bottle and it is 74mm, same as all my other bottles. The cage is 73mm wide at the opening, so there ya go. I suppose it could be bent open slightly if you prefer an easier fit.
Last edited by Salamandrine; 07-28-19 at 05:08 PM.
#14
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
The Polar bottles I have fit perfectly. When they are in there is no deformation at all of the bottle. The cage does spread slightly (1 or 2 mm??) when they are inserted or removed. So yeah, they are a bit more grippy than some cages, but that's what you want for rougher roads and fire trails. FWIW it's easy enough that I have no problems pulling the bottle to drink while riding. I didn't bend the King cages - bone stock.
EDIT : Out of curiosity I measured the diameter of the bottle and it is 74mm, same as all my other bottles. The cage is 73mm wide at the opening, so there ya go. I suppose it could be bent open slightly if you prefer an easier fit.
EDIT : Out of curiosity I measured the diameter of the bottle and it is 74mm, same as all my other bottles. The cage is 73mm wide at the opening, so there ya go. I suppose it could be bent open slightly if you prefer an easier fit.
Most of the bottles I tried that didn't work had circumferences of approximately 24 cm, the Klean Kanteen seems to match what your Polar bottle measures, at approximately 23 cm around.
I'm hoping this works for me too.
#15
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,396
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,696 Times
in
2,517 Posts
I just remembered my gravel bike has two Iris cages on it. I use that bike on the road a lot, including this year's 600 km brevet. I use Polar water bottles for the most part. They fit in the Iris just fine. I have one Iris that was a little tight, but still usable.
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 3,448
Bikes: are fun!
Mentioned: 66 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 466 Post(s)
Liked 863 Times
in
272 Posts
I have two Iris cages on my go-to bike. They’ve been great, I’ve never had to think about them. I use 33 oz Zefal Magnum bottles most of the time, other times 26 oz Specialized Purist bottles. Lots of rough crap. I’ve never had a bottle pop out, and plenty easy to pull a bottle when needed. Easy and secure.
#17
Overdoing projects
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Rotterdam, former republic of the Netherlands
Posts: 2,397
Bikes: Batavus Randonneur GL, Gazelle Orange Excellent, Gazelle Super Licht, Gazelle Grand Tourist, Gazelle Lausanne, Gazelle Tandem, Koga-Miyata SilverAce, Koga-Miyata WorldTraveller
Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 784 Post(s)
Liked 1,238 Times
in
686 Posts
Just put one on a bike but haven't tried a bottle in them yet.
I have the Velo Orange models as well.
I have the Velo Orange models as well.
#18
Senior Member
Thanks for the info ... looks like it might be this one: https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bottle-.../dp/B01M8L4WAH
Most of the bottles I tried that didn't work had circumferences of approximately 24 cm, the Klean Kanteen seems to match what your Polar bottle measures, at approximately 23 cm around.
I'm hoping this works for me too.
Most of the bottles I tried that didn't work had circumferences of approximately 24 cm, the Klean Kanteen seems to match what your Polar bottle measures, at approximately 23 cm around.
I'm hoping this works for me too.
Note that the main reason the Polar bottle works well with the King cage is that the 'waist' is perfectly positioned for the cage. When the bottle is put in, it sort of snaps in place. Since a Kleen Kanteen doesn't have this waist/narrow section, I think it's going to be problematic, or at least kind of tight.
#19
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
I have two Iris cages on my go-to bike. They’ve been great, I’ve never had to think about them. I use 33 oz Zefal Magnum bottles most of the time, other times 26 oz Specialized Purist bottles. Lots of rough crap. I’ve never had a bottle pop out, and plenty easy to pull a bottle when needed. Easy and secure.
I'm going to try the Zefal Magnum too. When I tried a Specialized Purist, it didn't fit well (too big) and was ~ 24 cm outside circumference.
Yeah, that's the one.
Note that the main reason the Polar bottle works well with the King cage is that the 'waist' is perfectly positioned for the cage. When the bottle is put in, it sort of snaps in place. Since a Kleen Kanteen doesn't have this waist/narrow section, I think it's going to be problematic, or at least kind of tight.
Note that the main reason the Polar bottle works well with the King cage is that the 'waist' is perfectly positioned for the cage. When the bottle is put in, it sort of snaps in place. Since a Kleen Kanteen doesn't have this waist/narrow section, I think it's going to be problematic, or at least kind of tight.
I noted a review on Amazon of the Polar Bottle griping about its narrow waist, I think because it prevented putting more ice in, though I took this to be a possible benefit as you say. I'm guessing the waist is helpful for fit of the Polar into the Iris, but bet the smaller outside circumference of ~ 23 cm (or 74 mm diameter as you measured) is as important.
Last edited by specialmonkey; 07-29-19 at 07:46 AM.
#20
Senior Member
Cool, King Cage recommends the 27 oz Klean Kanteen as well as a 16 oz (Klean Kanteen I am guessing). I have a 27 oz Klean Kanteen which fits perfectly due to it being ~ 23 cm outside circumference and rigid enough to spread the Iris cage just a bit -- but it's a poor water bottle choice in the heat. Bigger 24 cm + circumference plastic bottles kind of just get munged and deformed.
I noted a review on Amazon of the Polar Bottle griping about its narrow waist, I think because it prevented putting more ice in, though I took this to be a possible benefit as you say. I'm guessing the waist is helpful for fit of the Polar into the Iris, but bet the smaller outside circumference of ~ 23 cm (or 74 mm diameter as you measured) is as important.
I noted a review on Amazon of the Polar Bottle griping about its narrow waist, I think because it prevented putting more ice in, though I took this to be a possible benefit as you say. I'm guessing the waist is helpful for fit of the Polar into the Iris, but bet the smaller outside circumference of ~ 23 cm (or 74 mm diameter as you measured) is as important.
I was thinking that someone should come up with a new version of the old REG spring clip cages, for people that like rigid metal water bottles. That's really what they were designed and optimized for. If it worked with aluminum bottles, it should work with modern stainless bottles too. The bent wire cages came out after plastic water bottles took over, as far as I can tell.
AFA the Polar bottle waist being a problem, I didn't realize that anyone put that much ice in. Easily solved by using smaller ice cubes... I might plop a few cubes in on a really hot day, but it's going to be warm at the end of the ride anyway. Since I have dual cages, I will sometimes freeze the second bottle. For me, warm water is fine and doesn't bug me, as long as I have water. I guess I'm used to it because that used to be the only choice BITD.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Somerville, MA
Posts: 106
Bikes: Norther Klickitat Pass, Masi Giramondo 27.5, Soma Grand Randonneur
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 39 Post(s)
Liked 59 Times
in
26 Posts
Oh yeah I use these exclusively- I actually just got another pair in the mail to go with the Masi Giramondo 27.5 I ordered over the weekend. I love them because I have a strong tendency to ride all of my bikes off road regularly and they hold on well. I also sort of dig that they quickly deliver some character to your bottles (I'm a Kleen Kanteen user- the sport top is fine for me because I'm not doing performance riding- I don't mind slowing down or stopping for a drink)
#23
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
I received some Polar bottles last night in the model @Salamandrine mentioned, outside the 27 oz Klean Kanteen (which seem precisely 23 cm circumference), these Polar bottles so far appear to fit the best.
I also tried a Zefal Magnum (~ 23.9 cm) which like most others, was too big to fit without scrunching or being slightly munged or deformed.
I also tried a Brook metal CamelBak which also was slightly too wide at ~ 24 cm circumference, though due to its rigidness, could work -- it's insulated, though I'm not sure I like it, or its look, or think it will keep its nice finish long.
I think the key for fit in the Iris is it needs to be ~ 23 cm circumference, the Polar for me measured at ~ 23.5 cm circumference.
I also tried a Zefal Magnum (~ 23.9 cm) which like most others, was too big to fit without scrunching or being slightly munged or deformed.
I also tried a Brook metal CamelBak which also was slightly too wide at ~ 24 cm circumference, though due to its rigidness, could work -- it's insulated, though I'm not sure I like it, or its look, or think it will keep its nice finish long.
I think the key for fit in the Iris is it needs to be ~ 23 cm circumference, the Polar for me measured at ~ 23.5 cm circumference.
#24
Fillet-Brazed Member
Thread Starter
I found the 24 oz Polar bottle fit pretty well, even if it did deform just perceptibly. The Iris cage did mar the Polar with its imprint, though it mostly washed off, not a huge deal.
The Polar kept cold water cool over my 10 mile commute, while the 20 oz CamelBak Brook kept cold water cold. I carried the Brook in the net on the side of my backpack.
I'm guessing the Polar might be the best option for Iris cages unless there's a bottle closer to 23 cm, like the 27 oz Klean Kanteen.
One thing to be careful of, the handle around the top of the Polar bottle can hook your downtube shifter if not careful.
The Polar kept cold water cool over my 10 mile commute, while the 20 oz CamelBak Brook kept cold water cold. I carried the Brook in the net on the side of my backpack.
I'm guessing the Polar might be the best option for Iris cages unless there's a bottle closer to 23 cm, like the 27 oz Klean Kanteen.
One thing to be careful of, the handle around the top of the Polar bottle can hook your downtube shifter if not careful.
#25
aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,502
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7348 Post(s)
Liked 2,465 Times
in
1,433 Posts
There is a lot of useful information on that topic in this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...r-bottles.html
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.