20davidf

I recently purchased a Trek FX 7.2 and I want to outfit my bike with two cheap but sturdy water bottle cages. I want something that is easy to install but also holds on to various water bottle sizes well and does not cause the bottle to fall. Hopefully, I can buy this on Amazon, and my price range is 5-10 bucks. Any suggestions?

GlennR

Basic aluminum cages are all you need.

https://www.amazon.com/UShake-Bicycl...er+bottle+cage

canklecat

Yup, basic aluminum or "alloy" cages work fine. Cost less than $10. I have three with different brand names -- Nashbar, REI's house brand, others -- but they're all pretty much the same. They can safely be bent slightly to keep the desired tension on the bottle, depending on the bottle design.

Save your money for an insulated bottle from Polar, Camelbak or other. In summer they'll keep water at least tepid longer than non-insulated bottles. I usually fill my bottles about 1/3 full, stick 'em in the freezer and fill 'em just before a ride. I'll use the non-insulated bottle first because even with ice the water gets unpleasantly hot quickly, while the insulated bottle stays tolerably cool for up to 2 hours.

wipekitty

My current favorite is the CatEye Bottle Cage. It's a bit lighter than the aluminum/alloy cages, and does the trick.

EDIT: I suppose it doesn't matter so much if they're lighter. Still, I like this as an alternative to alloy.

canklecat

I have one of those, sold under the Avenir brand name. They're available under several brands.

The plastic deforms easily so an oversized washer is needed to keep the bolt from punching through the plastic.

And there isn't much tension compared with my other cages, so I needed to reseat the bottle several times per ride on rough roads.

I have a similar Trek cage that I plan to replace soon. They don't hold securely enough on our rough chip seal and bombed out pavement and rougher gravel roads.

I may put one on my errand bike since it's mostly used for short rides and if I take a water bottle at all it's just a recycled soft drink or powerade bottle.

Retro Grouch 

My long time (decades) favorite is Blackburn Chicane cages. They are stainless, not aluminum, so they won't discolor your water bottles.

02Giant 

I have one of these; https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Modula...01W6SSSRARCYAM on one of my bikes. Works good for odd sized bottles.

CliffordK

Basic aluminum cages are good for standard water bottles, although they can drop things like paper coffee cups.

Aluminum will mark up your water bottles. Hollow tube stainless will not mark up the water bottles as much.

FBinNY 

A cheap Garden variety mtn bike bottle cage is all you need. Note that I said mtn bike, because cages made for mtn bikes use 6mm wire to handle the bouncing around, whereas classic road cages use 5mm. (when you search on the net search for 6mm water bottle cage)

Plenty out there to choose from, though I suggest a painted or powder coated cage because the bare metal ones leave gray stains on the bottles.

Arthur Peabody

Walmart's work.

blue192

I use this: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5033-056/Bird-Cage but that is probably more than 5$ in usa.

Doug64

Blackburn and Specialized both make good cages at a good price.



The fuel bottle is in the lowest cage. This cage takes the most abuse because the weight is pulling down on the front of the cage. Regular road cages work fine.



I would not trust this precious cargo to just any bottle cage Actually, we were eating lunch and did this as a joke. However, this is one of the few jars of peanut butter I found riding around Europe for 3 months; so it was really a precious commodity.

coominya

I say go Carbon Fiber, it's all the fashion. Mind you I wouldn't trust it to hold anything other than a water bottle, but that's just me


These side release ones are great for some tight frame designs too. I use one on my MTB, never lost a bott.




Bontrager-esq Satellite Elite-ist Side Entry Carbon Water Bottle Cage 25 grams | eBay

TimothyH

I kinda like it when my bottles get that well worn patina.


-Tim-

coominya

I was thinking about carrying a coffee for when I have my rest stop on the way back and was musing over whether I could fit one of my narrow thermos bottles in a cage (obviously not a CF cage lol) Now I'll have a look online for this polar one. Thanks for the heads up CC.

fietsbob

Profile nylon will stretch for quart,liter bottles..


Generally, nylon cages goes best, with metal bottles, metal with plastic bottles..

I have seen numerous users of a bottle cage with a knob
that tightens around larger, eg, quart sized bottles ..







.....

canklecat

My aluminum bottle cages are all anodized or have some sorta coating on 'em. No marks on the bottles, although I wouldn't care anyway. I've never been obsessed with how my bikes look and always enjoyed the little nicks and scuffs that accompany wear and the occasional crash. It's all part of the experience.

One of my bottles has a permanent grease stain gouged into the outside from dropping it between the chain and frame one ride when I hit a bump while trying to replace the bottle. I'm just glad it didn't cause me to crash.

MRT2

I use stainless steel cages on my bike, but aluminum ones are a couple of bucks cheaper and certainly a viable alternative. If you go with aluminum cages, this is one area where it doesn't matter what brand you use. They are very similar.

canklecat

I've never tried hot liquids in the insulated Polar and Camelbak bottles. I think there are cycling thermoses but I've never tried one. Usually when I take coffee it's iced, in my non-insulated bottle, and I drink it first while it's still chilled.

The plastic insulated Polar and Camelbaks (I use the 24 oz) work best if filled partway with water and frozen overnight. I usually fill 'em about 1/3 full and keep 'em in the freezer. Then, just before the ride, fill with water and go. Usually keeps the water at least tolerably tepid up to 2 hours in Texas summer heat.

I do have a couple of stainless steel active/sports type thermoses but they aren't really designed for cycling -- they have screw tops. I used 'em for awhile a couple of years ago, stopping when I needed a drink. But even when pre-iced they didn't keep water cool any longer than the Polar and Camelbak insulated bottles, unless I stored them in the padded lens pouches from my Lowepro camera waist pack.

coominya

Those are the ones I have CC, too narrow for the cages. It's winter here now and I leave just at daybreak, 7 deg Celsius often and the last thing you want to drink is a bottle of water that's been sitting in the breeze for an hour. I don't perspire much on these early rides so I don't need the water, I just like to stop near this little creek for 15 minutes, do some stretches and then watch the water running over the sandy bottom. There is so much beauty in nature and we usually just drive past it (or over it) so it's a real treat to actually stop and simply admire it. A coffee on a cold morning would make the experience perfect.

canklecat

Ah, in that case, keep the insulated bottles you have and try some extra insulation -- like those foam rubber doodads used to keep canned beverages cool in summer. Should keep the coffee warm a bit longer.

rumrunn6

this one is on my wish list cuz I have to span over a front derailer clamp & this one has a space between the two screws to accommodate it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073X27L2...d=AN82XFURGNTS

$6.95
Blackburn Mountain Bottle Bicycle Cage

SHBR

I prefer this style of cage, made from aluminum, easy to slide bottles in and out, no rattles, or ejected bottles.


I got tired of the plastic aftertaste, that eventually happens with every bottle I have tried, so I now use metal bottles with neoprene covers. The only downside is that it takes two hands to use them. (can't squeeze them like plastic bottles)

SquidPuppet

$1.96

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Aluminum-Alloy-Botter-Holder/dp/B008JUZ1YS/ref=sr_1_16?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1497884103&sr=1-16&keywords=water+bottle+cage

fietsbob

a spacer under the cage and a longer bolt will let any cage work .. in those situations (save those presta valve ring nuts)