Chinese carbon bottle cages

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theosaurus
Posts: 108
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2011 8:02 pm
Location: England

by theosaurus

I need a lightweight yet secure pair of bottle cages for my race bike so I thought I'd go the Chinese carbon route.
I'm just trying to decide what the best cage design is, in terms of security.
Was thinking http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-3K-Carbon-Water-Bottle-Cage-22g-2-Cages-/131175385038?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e8aa987ceThese but I can just imagine a bottle flying out of them on a British road surface.
Any input?
yes, but how much does it weigh?

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Marin
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Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

I'm using very similar ones ( viewtopic.php?f=10&t=122971 ) and while they don't grip the bottles very thightly I have yet to lose one - 3000km and 60000 vertical meters so far over all kinds of conditions, with 80kph descents thrown in.

ghostrider1tm
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:20 am

by ghostrider1tm

i've purchased carbon cages from this seller. in the past i've used chris king ti cages but our new team manager demanded all black carbon so i wanted something cheap and easy in a hurry. these things turned out to be excellent. i was amazed. i've raced them now for two seasons, over 100 races and not lost a single bottle. the ones i bought were a different model but same seller. i feel i got lucky because it was a total long shot. here's the link to the ones i bought:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-3K-Full- ... 1e63f948e3

dtddiver
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:06 pm

by dtddiver

ghostrider1tm wrote:i've purchased carbon cages from this seller. in the past i've used chris king ti cages but our new team manager demanded all black carbon so i wanted something cheap and easy in a hurry. these things turned out to be excellent. i was amazed. i've raced them now for two seasons, over 100 races and not lost a single bottle. the ones i bought were a different model but same seller. i feel i got lucky because it was a total long shot. here's the link to the ones i bought:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-3K-Full- ... 1e63f948e3


I got those as well. Have ridden with them on all sorts of roads, including the Tour of Flanders sportive. Never lost a bottle.

Oswald
Posts: 794
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:11 pm

by Oswald

Do you guys experience any rattling? I have a set of BBB metal cages and the rattling is driving me crazy. Not sure what model they are, they look like the King steel cages. Weight is 48grams each, if I remember correctly.
So I'm looking for something that won't rattle, is lighter and not too expensive.

cajer
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:26 am

by cajer

I bought a pair of what I now believe to be fake Bontrager RXL cages, as they came from China and were super cheap.

Despite this they worked perfectly without any rattling or grip issues. However some of the paint has come off from the inside where it touches the bottles and has left some streaks and such on my bottles.

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theosaurus
Posts: 108
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2011 8:02 pm
Location: England

by theosaurus

@Ghostrider
actually funnily enough I've bought very similar carbon cages to the ones you have before, I stopped using them after I lost two bottles in the first 20km of a race.
yes, but how much does it weigh?

drainyoo
Posts: 789
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:56 pm

by drainyoo

theosaurus wrote:I need a lightweight yet secure pair of bottle cages for my race bike so I thought I'd go the Chinese carbon route.
I'm just trying to decide what the best cage design is, in terms of security.
Was thinking http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-3K-Carbon-Water-Bottle-Cage-22g-2-Cages-/131175385038?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e8aa987ceThese but I can just imagine a bottle flying out of them on a British road surface.
Any input?


Why not try the Planet X carbon cages? 22g, super cheap and they're in your area. I had one, quality is great, but I never used it. Seems like it would work well, and at that price it's a minimal risk.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BOPXPC/pla ... ottle-cage

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Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

cajer wrote:I bought a pair of what I now believe to be fake Bontrager RXL cages, as they came from China and were super cheap..

I've got the same cages.
I think that QC is the problem. I had one that has lasted solidly for two years now, but on two of them the bottom tab broke...it got soft and I could see broken carbon fibers coming out.
I reinforced the bottom tab with a small metal L-bracket and coated the joint with 5 min epoxy and it seems to work well now.
They are incredibly light.
..and did we mention they are SUPER CHEAP ? :lol:

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ITTY
Posts: 221
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Location: Bremerton, WA

by ITTY

I've found that the ebay cages are a bit of a crapshoot.. I've had some that were junk but I've also had some that work great over 10,000+ miles. Since they're so cheap, you can afford to experiment with a couple of different types.
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synthesis
Posts: 144
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 9:17 pm
Location: Denmark

by synthesis

theosaurus wrote:I need a lightweight yet secure pair of bottle cages for my race bike so I thought I'd go the Chinese carbon route.
I'm just trying to decide what the best cage design is, in terms of security.
Was thinking http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-3K-Carbon-Water-Bottle-Cage-22g-2-Cages-/131175385038?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e8aa987ceThese but I can just imagine a bottle flying out of them on a British road surface.
Any input?


Got these on my old Pinarello Prince SL and they are good, i use Podium bottles.

mitchgixer6
Posts: 225
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 2:22 pm

by mitchgixer6

I was just looking for these today. I forked out for a genuine Arundel Mandible and wanted a cheap version to use occasionally for a 2nd bottle. Found them on Ali Express for £10 each. Obviously can't comment on the quality but they look like pretty good copies, and for that price I can buy 4 for the same price as 1 genuine one! The original is made in China anyway so I'd imagine the copies will be using the same mold.

simnorm
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:01 am

by simnorm

I've tried 2 different types on Chinese bottle cages.
Specialized Rib Cage Clone: Really too tight for my Camelbak Podium bottles, so much that I had to twist to take them out of the cage! I was glad when one broke on my 4th ride.
Bontrager Race XXX light Copy: Excellent, tight yet easy to take out, but I would have preferred all black.

both were around $12ea on aliexpress, ~17g

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mpulsiv
Posts: 1384
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:17 pm

by mpulsiv

For those of you in the States, I recommend 24g Forte brand. There are rubber stops on the bottom of the cage. Bottles fit in snug and don't move at all even after hitting potholes and getting into crashes.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr ... 63__400163
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spdntrxi
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Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:11 pm

by spdntrxi

I have the fake bontrager XXX on my bike 15g a piece. They hold my Elite bottles just fine and my podium chill too. I have some scratch labs bottle that is a little loser then the others. My wife bike has the legit Bontrager XXX cages also 15g but $80 per pop.. they are a little more snug on all bottles .
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