bikemig 

This thread started out from a discussion on "What have you been wrenching on lately" thread. Some old bikes have 2 or even 3 braze ons for water bottle cages but most do not. Sometimes there are one set of braze ons; sometimes there are none. What are you using that works well?

Sometimes old problems are new problems and there is some info on the web about this with a bunch of ideas.

https://bikepacking.com/index/add-cage-mounts-bike/

https://nordicgroup.us/cageboss/

You can obviously add one to the handlebar which is very old school but that does take away some real estate you may want to use for other purposes.

I'm not sold on the various plastic solutions out (topeak and SKS both make a good looking one) there as I reckon they'll move on you.

A little pricey but I like this all metal solution from King Cage, https://kingcage.com/collections/all...l-support-bolt

I also like the bikepacking bags that fit under the downtube and hold a Nalgene bottle as, in theory, you could easily move this from one bike to another. Revelate makes one but these are expensive, https://www.modernbike.com/product-2...RoCMjsQAvD_BwE

Stem mounted feedbags can often hold a Nalgene bottle. I picked this up from REI and it works but I don't like how it takes away room for your hands on the handlebars.

https://www.rei.com/product/207447/r...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

What have you used that you think works well? And this thread will be worthless without a bunch of pics.

SJX426 

Its is a problem. Having water is important but so is a spare under the saddle, alight and computer on the bars or a bag. Only option is DT or ST mounts depending on frame pump choice.
I opted to try the SKS mounts because they are inexpensive and can be moved from one bike to another. Haven't' tried them out yet.
Amazon.com : SKS GERMANY Anywhere Adapter Bottle Cage Mount : Sports & Outdoors



I don't like the apparent instability of a single mount for the DT or ST. They work OK for the handlebar but that is not an option for me.

In the stash are two clamping mounts for clamping the cage to either tube but it can scratch the paint. I may opt to use innertube sections to protect the paint. But not all current cages have the mounting tabs of older ones.




The other issue with the SKS is the Velcro straps interfere with the shifting cables.

JohnDThompson 

Profile (and others) make seat post mounted bottle holders. I see them derided as "bottle launchers," but I've only had a bottle eject once in the ten years or so I've been using this. I had more of a bottle ejection issue when I used handlebar mount bottle holders.

tkamd73 

Only have one bike with no water bottle mounts, didn’t like the bar or seat mounts, and didn’t want to mar the new paint with a metal band, so found this. The cage is from Velo Orange, or Retrogression, and the mount is a bar mount, that I modified to put on the frame, no idea where I found it, sorry. I wasn’t sure it work, or be sturdy enough mounted on the frame, but no issues, works great.
Tim

bikemig 

I'm building an early 70s Raleigh Gran Sport with no water bottle braze ons. I plan on using clamps for the downtube with electrical tape underneath. But I don't want to do the same for the seattube since I want to use a frame mounted pump. So I've been thinking about different ways to mount water bottle cages or carry an extra water bottle.

I picked up this Revelate design mountain feedback a little while ago to try out. It uses velcro to attach to the stem and handlebars and can hold a Nalgene bottle plus it has pockets for your food goodies. I took it out on a test spin this morning. It feels very secure and I like that I can easily move this from one bike to another. I need to cut that bottom strap down though.

Deal4Fuji

As well as being cheap, hose clamps over a wrap of electrical tape makes a sturdy bottle holder without a lot of strap overlay. I sprayed these black to match the bottle holder & tape. You'll need a bottle holder with "wings", where there's room for the clamp without going over the bottle holding rails - but about ½ of bottle holders have that.

dedhed

I've used this one.

​​​​​​https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...hoCcp4QAvD_BwE

mpetry912 

I once saw a pretty bad wipeout caused by a water bottle that came loose and ended up jammed between down tube and front wheel.

those velcro strap-on things scare me. Hose clamps have sharp points on them, don't like those either.

I know, I'm a snob

/markp

Classtime 

I used my Motobecane G.R. with 2 clamp-on cages for a 200k Brevet but if I use that bike again for a long ride, I am strongly considering a CAMELBACK.

GeezyRider 

I realize it is probably really bad form to do this on a C&V bicycle but I've done it on some of my low end bikes:

panzerwagon 

Three options here: https://velo-orange.com/collections/...s-and-hardware

bikemig 

Yeah some folks hate camelbaks but I agree. They're tough to beat for a long ride.

Senrab62 

I've used the hinged mounts on a few bikes. Not pretty, but 100% functional and have not had any issues with damage to paint.

79pmooney

For me, hardly a dilemma. The King SS cages are simply the best and look reasonable on most bikes. If I need more cages than I have bosses, I use the Zephal plastic clamp mounts.

All of my bikes are serious riders. Always have been. I use the TA cages for 3 decades because they did the job of holding bottles really well. Yes, they ultimately failed - broken welds, the plastic lip coming off - but that took decades and happened slowly. As my last TAs were finally dying, I learned of the King cages. As good as or better in all respects. My 20 year old cages are doing fine with multiples of tens of thousands of miles. Despite no grippy material or surfaces, they do not drop bottles, even if you put them in crooked. Slam one in cockeyed and forgot about it? 20 miles later it will be the same cockeyed!

The King company is a small American outfit that just makes waterbottle cages. I've talked to them at bike shows. Down to earth and with a passion. And Zephal? One of the older French bicycle companies that has been making solid and good bicycle accessories forever. Their pumps - the HP and HPX - no frills but they simply work really, really well. Over a 50 year run. (I say "older" but I do not know when they started. I'll guess after either of the great wars. Both were devastating to French bicycle manufacturing and there was a lot of shuffling to keep things running, Many previous manufacturers joined others in collaborations simply to make things work in a devastated country. I don't know much about this period but what I have read is fascinating. And we all owe a lot to their efforts.)

And a fun story re: the TA cages: Those cages started getting scarce in the US bike shops I went to as the fancy and far lighter plastic, aluminum,. etc; eventually carbon fiber took over. But several shop owners told me in the late '80s that TA still made those cages. Why? Because European professional bike racers insisted. Not the "big boys" who all had their fancy, superlight and sharp looking cages but the lowly domestiques. The "grunts" who dragged the peloton along for miles, pulled off and settled down to the work of making the time cut long after the peloton had ridden off into the distance. Those grunts needed bottle cages that would never shed a bottle on that rough descent they had to do solo since their team car was long gone. A dropped bottle might mean dehydration leading to missing the time cut or being worthless for their leader tomorrow. Could be a huge hit on their career. My last pair of TA cages were obtained by a shop owner that knew this and contacted the TA distributor.

52telecaster

I use those often. They are pretty obvious on the bike but work really well.

bikemig 

I was a huge fan of the TA water bottle cages as well. They held up and didn't eject your water bottle in a race. I heard similar stories as to why they remained so popular for so long. I have one TA water bottle cage left and it is on my '82 PXN 10.

About the King cages, they do look good and I'm with you about the importance of supporting American manufacture. Have you used their clamps as well? They're high on my list of gizmos to try.

https://kingcage.com/collections/fro...l-support-bolt

Robvolz 

If you can find them, the Specialized clamps are damn fine. They have a lil dimple to go where the 5m bolt would. They have a nice shape, like Campy cable guides. I saw a set on ebay recently for $75. Eeeek!!

Hard to find even in google images.

Here are some on a flicker account. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/43847630882

steelbikeguy

disclaimer: my solutions are pretty old and may be getting scarce or pricey.

One of my preferred methods of adding a cage to a bike has been the T.A. handlebar cage....



It's chromed steel, so it is pretty reliable. I'm still using one that I bought in the 70's.
It also has the virtue of not scratching up your down tube!
Another technique that doesn't scratch up the paint is to carry a bottle or two in the jersey pockets. When I ride my copper colored Raleigh International, I often carry a second bottle in the center jersey pocket.
Back in the day (in 1982), I shot this pic of a friend in a race in the mountains of Colorado. He had one bottle cage, and carried two more bottles in his jersey pockets...



One of my favorite uncommon vintage bottle cages is the T.A. Criterium. It uses a single clamp band that engages a cage made specifically for the band. Perhaps the oddness of it might cause it to be a bit cheaper than the classic two-band cages? T.A.'s part number is Ref. 216.





Steve in Peoria

plumberroy

I have a 75 Raleigh Sports that has a similar bottle cage. It has cloth tape under the band. It was probably put on when the bike was bought new, because the bike looks like it was bought rode around the block once and put it the garage

Pompiere

I found one of these in a thrift store, still in the package, and use it on one of my older bikes. The clamp can be rotated 90 degrees to mount either on the downtube or the handlebar. It has a rubber shim to protect the paint. The cage itself is generic, so you can swap it out for whatever suits your fancy.

https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Universa.../dp/B0030L4LRE

Bell Water Bottle Cage with clamp

SurferRosa

My preference is the $5 VO clips with the stainless $25 VO Retro cage (with tab).



Looks very appropriate on nice bikes. Avoid scratches by (1) filing the clamp edges and (2) temporarily use masking tape to hold the clamps in place while you bolt them down.

Piff 

The King Cage clamps work very well, I can recommend them. At the end of the day they're simply hose clamps with a thingy welded on, but they're well made and will last.

Arundel stainless steel bottle cages are nice. Not the most vintage looking, but on an 80s/90s mountain bike they're right at home and are great at gripping bottles.

Choke 

I'm a big fan of the Minoura BH-60. It mounts the bottle somewhat low on the handlebar and allows you to use any bottle cage.

thinktubes 

When the pandemic hit, I came up with this setup since all the water fountains were off. Still use it for centuries and longer autumn rides.

The bottle tucks in nice and you don’t know it’s there.

ehcoplex 

I really like King Cage stuff, but.... on the couple bikes I tried to use their clamps on (on the down tube) the bolt part interfered with the shifter cables...