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mount water bottles onto carbon fork

Old 09-29-21, 10:26 PM
  #1  
Symox
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mount water bottles onto carbon fork

I have a carbon road bike I plan on using for a weekend tour. Due to space constraints I need to mount the water bottles somewhere other than the main triangle (I'm using a frame bag as well as a saddle bag). I was thinking of using these from Topeak to mount water bottle cages on each side of my carbon fork:

As the forks weren't meant for this, is there any danger or things I should watch out for? These are plastic mounts so I'm not too concerned about damaging the forks but may use protective tape just in case.

Thanks for the help!


P.S. I'm using a 2007 Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple.
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Old 09-29-21, 11:29 PM
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Rick
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I like Twofish water bottle mounts for this application.
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Old 09-30-21, 03:04 PM
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Why not use a handlebar mount that puts the bottle within easy reach?
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Old 09-30-21, 03:16 PM
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No to fork mounts. Easiest solution is 2 Revelate Feedbags. Bonus is they insulate and give you extra storage pockets. Wolf tooth makes some cage mount options to check out too.
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Old 09-30-21, 03:18 PM
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If I was using my road bike for a one-time weekend tour, I would probably just zip tie a couple of cheap water bottle cages to each side of the fork. Zip ties are cheap, disposable and hold well. Of course I would wrap something (maybe electrical tape or friction tape) around my precious carbon fiber fork before zip tying around it.
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Old 09-30-21, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Calsun
Why not use a handlebar mount that puts the bottle within easy reach?
I’m using that area for my sleeping bag
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Old 09-30-21, 05:32 PM
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I have used a Two Fish bottle holder on my folding bike, but in that case the base of the cage sat on the bike frame. The velcro and rubber method of attachment might slide if you tried that on a carbon fork. I would not advise that for your bike, although it worked great for me where I could strap it to a seatpost extension and support the base of the cage on the frame.



I put some sticky backed foam (weatherstripping) on my frame to protect the paint from the cage.

My folding bike only had one cage, I had two more liters in the saddle bag. This was in West Texas where you can get quite thirsty. The Two Fish cage gave me a second liter on the frame.

I suspect you will end up using a backpack with a hydration bladder. A lot of bikepackers I have seen carried a backpack.
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Old 10-01-21, 02:28 PM
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the feed bags are on the inside

Originally Posted by Symox
I’m using that area for my sleeping bag
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Old 10-03-21, 08:25 PM
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Originally Posted by PedalingWalrus
the feed bags are on the inside
how are these bags for one handed access to the bottle?
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Old 10-04-21, 09:58 AM
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I think they are excellent. You can cinch the bottle real tight with the bungee or loosen it up completely. The bottle stays in by gravity and IMHO does not require cinching at all so you can just grab it and pull it out and just plop it back in when you are done.



Originally Posted by Symox
how are these bags for one handed access to the bottle?
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Old 10-05-21, 02:45 PM
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Given that it is a tour, you could even stop, and fish the bottle out of a pannier, or the like. Racers need quick, convenient access to their water, tourists are not so pressed for time.
If I had to fasten something to a carbon frame, I would clean and lightly sand the place I wanted it and them epoxy on a mounting plate/hard point that could take the screw. I would be careful to place it where it did not alter the flexing of that part of the bike.
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Old 10-05-21, 03:14 PM
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I ended up getting a bladder as it holds more and keeps the weight low. I also got a mount for the stem in case the bladder takes up too much room.

I like immediate one handed access to water

i found mounting on the forks to be to unstable as I jettisoned a water bottle
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Old 10-06-21, 09:13 AM
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My concern about a jury rigged fork mount is that forks are generally tapered, and the weight of the bottle pulling down will tend to loosen whatever clamp you are using.
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