cudak888 

The classic VO steel band solution would be ideal if it came with semi-rigid plastic inner rings to prevent marring on the paint.


This with the aforementioned plastic inset would provide protection to the frame while still appearing C&V. The plastic would also overcome the inevitable issue of baked-on bar wrap or rubber.

-Kurt

52telecaster

On my grand record there are some ancient ones with cloth bar tape under them. Seems to work but I love the hinged aluminum ones that I put on for the second cage. Anything that doesn't slip works for me. They all are just ways to hydrate down the road.

oneclick 

Get a bit of sticky clear tape, stick it to the inside of the band and trim it before mounting.

Invisible, won't scratch, won't stick to the paint when the clamp comes off.

tacreamer

You need a bottle cage with long tabs to utilize these. I’ve not found any suitable cages that work.

smd4

What do you mean by "suitable?" Cages with tabs like that are available literally everywhere.

tacreamer

Modern stainless steel cages that I prefer do not have long tabs to work with the VO bands, that’s what I mean sir!

smd4

People willingly use stainless steel for water bottle cages? OK...Blackburn still makes one. And there are others.

If you want one with some funky-weird design, then yes, you may be out of luck.

Robvolz 

Tacreamer is right. Now days every bottle cage has a lil' loop that your 5mm bolt goes through. Vintage gages have 1/2" tabs (drilled for 4mm) so they can be clamped down. Seen prices for vintage cages one bay??? What a racket.

xiaoman1 

I have used this rather than tape....It comes in different thicknesses, just trim and no glue residue.

Buy it at art stores.
Best, Ben

smd4

Seriously? You can get Blackburn Competition cages for $9 bucks; other vintage styles can be had for $6 bucks or less. If you want to pay for an actual, antique vintage cage from the 1970s/80s, that's up to you.

tacreamer

I’ve actually have tried the VO metal bands, not only are they cheaply made they’re prone to rust. I wouldn’t offer advice if I’ve not tried it for emperical evidence. I’d be happy to work with you on “finding” those elusive long tabbed bottle cages. Have you actually tried them yourself?

smd4

I gave you a link to a Blackburn SS cage. How many more links do you need?

I've got two "long tabbed" cages on my bike right now. But mine are alloy. And I haven't used external clamps since my Free Spirit days.

SurferRosa

The two stainless VO Retro cages and VO clamps work for me. See post 40.

​​​​​You are correct that the VO bands can rust. But it's only happened to me once, on my Paramount. Had to remove the clamps after a few years, removed the rust, and replaced. The Campy cable guide (down tube at bb) was rusted too. Strange; that had never happened before. And I hardly ever ride in the rain. There's probably a good solution for this, but it hasn't happened since, so I haven't worried about it.

Sold the Paramount. Only have the VO clamps on my Torpado now. My '75 Moto has some sweet old school Weyless clamps, again with a VO stainless cage.



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cb400bill

Due to unneeded back and forth sniping, we have had to delete some posts in this thread.

smd4 and tacreamer, do not post anymore in this thread. Please take your arguments to Private Messages.

cudak888 

For those who've mentioned the VO clamps rust: Won't deny that; VO should have made them in stainless; at least they'd be better than the old stuff that did the same thing.

What is it, Ben? I get the idea of what it is from the picture, but I can't get an idea of the material. Is it similar to clear tubing? If so, I have seen a few cases where that has pulled some lesser paint off after 20-30 years of being clamped to a frame.
-Kurt

xiaoman1 

Hi Kurt,
No it is a type of acetate film.., I buy it at the art store and it comes in various thicknesses as mentioned. I have not had any issues with it sticking or removing paint. You might think of it as a material that was used in making cell for animation etc. It can be purchased under many brand names...here is one.
Grafix Acetate is a cast cellulose Di-Acetate film used in many commercial art applications. Manufactured primarily from wood pulp, this film is 100% biodegradable and can be recycled, composted or incinerated.

• Certified biodegradable
• Easy to cut and tear
• Exceptional clarity
• FDA approved safe for food contact

This general-purpose plastic is an industry-standard in graphic arts, packaging, printing, and overlays.
Best, Ben

SurferRosa

Might look better with the clamp hinge on the ds.

52telecaster

Like em or not they work extremely well.

bulgie 

You can use generic automotive worm-screw hose clamps, on any cage where a VO would fit. Low profile, stainless, fits virtually any diameter of frame tubes, even oval or some moderately "aero" shapes. Definitely put tape under them though, rough on paint.

Someone sold those with with an M5 screw welded on. I thought that was clever. All the above advantage plus works with the cages that don't have TA-style tabs where the VO type clamp will work. Maybe even still available, but that would require someone knowing what the heck I'm talking about. Sorry no pics.

Also maybe hard to find but Zefal made some H2O clamps called "Gizmo":


Never tried 'em, can't say how strong or rigid they are, but they should be easy on paint.

Mark B

rjhammett

My DIY bottle holder I made for my Holdsworth. I didn't want to destroy the decals by putting it on the down tube. I tried a bottle holder that went on the bars but it didn't look right for this vintage of bike.

gaucho777 

@rjhammett That's a neat idea. Looks like a modified front reflector mount. It puts the cage a little lower than other handlebar mounts; i wonder if you could flip the mount around to put the bottle higher for easiear access...I had a standard TA bottle cage mounted one of those handlebar adapters. I found the weight on the forward end of the cage started to bend downward. After losing a bottle under my front wheel on a bumpy section of trail, I took to tying one of my wife's thin hairbands around the top back of the cage and looped it over the nozzle of the bottle for extra safety. After several months of slack, bend back, slack, bend back, the alloy TA cage eventually snapped. Note also that the vintage handlebar-mounted TA cages were designed differently than most traditional cages designed for down and seat tubes, having no openings on the sides and a tall loop extension at the front of the cage. How's your's holding up? For a setup like yours, I recommend sturdy cages like the King cage shown above or other chromed/stainless steel cages. (Love the Holdsworth, too.)

If you look closely at the photo below, you can see the stretchy hair band and the cracked cage (bottom right):

SurferRosa

Brilliant.

I can't place those Campy pedals. They don't look quite look like Triomphe.

cudak888 

This one is for the upright-bar folks.

The Minoura BH-60 adapter could be a lot more elegant, but it works an absolute treat and doesn't damage anything. It also hangs the midpoint of the bottle at the centerline of the bar - not above it - which is one of the reasons I chose it over the more lithe BH-95X (and, for that matter, over all the other aluminum adapters today that place the cage too high).

The VO Retro Cage makes the whole thing work.




-Kurt

gaucho777 

I had a pair of those cool Weyless clips that came with my Speedwell Titalite. For some reason, I brought them upstairs and "temporarily" dropped them in the family key bowl when I had to run out for an errand. Several days later, (after trash day...you see where this is going) I learned my wife had thrown "those things" out along with some early Phil BB cups. I also learned never to store small bike parts in a shared drawer/container again.

SurferRosa

Yeah ...


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