# Ebay Carbon Bottle Cages



## Jeepdude (Nov 12, 2011)

Looking for a low cost, carbon bottle cage. There seem to be quite a few good deals on Ebay...like $25.00 shipped for two.

Anyone used them? What are the results? I have done some research and found a few older threads. Seems there were a lot of concerns about them breaking, bottles flying out on bumps, scratching bottles and so on, but no real reports of those things happening.

Just curious if any of the above issues have happened. Also, based on personal experience, what have you purchased and what are the results.

I am currently using two of the 25 oz camelbak podium chill bottles.

Thanks in advance


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

They aint carbon, but I use and recommend either Elite Custom Race cage or Arundel Sport cages. Either are lightweight hold the bottles very well, with the Elite being somewhat lighter but less secure than the Arundel. 

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-custom-race-bottle-cage-2012/
http://www.arundelbike.com/sport.html?p=1.1.1.8


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Not sure which one's you're talking about, there are a bunch of different types. I got a set of these.
2X Carbon Fibre CYCLE Drink Bottle Cage Holder DB902 | eBay
I've had zero issues. They hold the bottles really tight. I was quite surprised how stiff they are. No scratches on the bottles, as they're totally smooth. 
They're claimed to be 22g. I think mine were like 25g-26g.


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## gordy748 (Feb 11, 2007)

I used Stradalli's carbon cages, bought on eBay. Very light, but the bottles will come out if you go over rough roads. There just isn't enough strength in the arms to retain the bottles, alas.


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## fun2none (Mar 16, 2010)

tlg said:


> Not sure which one's you're talking about, there are a bunch of different types. I got a set of these.
> 2X Carbon Fibre CYCLE Drink Bottle Cage Holder DB902 | eBay
> I've had zero issues. They hold the bottles really tight. I was quite surprised how stiff they are. No scratches on the bottles, as they're totally smooth.
> They're claimed to be 22g. I think mine were like 25g-26g.


I bought these Chinese carbon cages for my Cannondale. While they are light and I have never lost a bottle, they do rattle a bit from road vibration. The Elite Custom cages on my other bike are better in terms of retention and no rattling.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

looigi said:


> Elite Custom Race


+1 And they come in plenty of colors. Got two in Sky blue to match my Sky Dogma.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

fun2none said:


> I bought these Chinese carbon cages for my Cannondale. While they are light and I have never lost a bottle, they do rattle a bit from road vibration. .


I haven't had any rattling with mine.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

As the previous threads have stated, it's a crapshoot. I have bought cages that launched bottles, I've broken cages in half, and I've had bottles get scuffed up because of dirt abrading the clearcoat on the cages (IMHO all carbon cages do this). I've had this happen with brand name cages and ebay no-name cages. The best light cages I currently own are Campy-style ebay copies that are less than 25 grams each and hold the bottles very well.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Ebay doesn't sell anything except the service to sellers. If you don't refer to a particular item you saw there, no one will know what you're talking about.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Walmart sells, believe it or not, a CF bottle cage that weighs 26 grams and cost $12 if I remember correctly; made in China just like the E-bay ones. Walmart also has a 16 gram CF cage for $39. They also have a TI cage that weighs 21 grms for $10.


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## Jeepdude (Nov 12, 2011)

Thanks for all of the comments.

When I looked at all of the carbon cages being offered by Ebay sellers, I noticed there were many different types. Was looking for feedback on what others have purchased and what has worked / not worked for them.

I like the thought of the Campy style and some of the other suggestions as well. I would have never thought of Walmart...interesting.

Thanks again for the feedback


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## Cyclingfan1960 (Apr 5, 2012)

There's no need to be too skeptical about a bottle cage. As long as it holds the water bottle snugly in place you should be good to go. How much weight can you seriously save on a water bottle cage? In the other hand I have to admit Carbon fiber looks hot hehe..


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Walmart.com: Mighty Cage for Water Bottle: Bikes & Riding Toys

The 16 gram $40 CF cage. I would never buy a cage that expensive, I don't care who made it, but if I was a weight weenie then why not that one.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Cyclingfan1960 said:


> How much weight can you seriously save on a water bottle cage?


What's considered a lot of weight is subjective. But a generic wire bottle cage can weigh 65g. A decent wire cage will weight 45g or less. The Elite Custom Race cage is 40g. 
So a carbon cage that weighs 20-25g can save 20-45g (x2 =40-90g). People will spend a LOT of money to save 40-90g on stems, bars, derailleurs, etc.
Considering you can get a carbon cage for the same price or less than other bottle cages, price per gram is pretty cheap.


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## Cyclingfan1960 (Apr 5, 2012)

That's a good point. So you will save 40-90 grams? That's = 3.7 oz . 

A regular wire cage is around $6. A cheap carbon cage is around $20 So you are paying around $14 for 3.7 oz. i personally say no deal, better of losing some weight. And what is funny is the fact people spend so much money cutting weight and they end up putting weight on tire repair kits, water, etc.. I think of you live in a flat area weight is nos as crucial. Again thats just my personal point of view. 

Thanks


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Cyclingfan1960 said:


> So you are paying around $14 for 3.7 oz. i personally say no deal, better of losing some weight.


I agree with what you're saying. For the average person it's no big deal. But to those trying to cut weight, you'd be hard pressed to find a cheaper way to loose 40-90g. People pay hundreds of dollars to loose that much.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

$14 for 3.7 oz is pretty cheap of a price per lb... If I could drop 5 pounds off my bike by spending $300 I would have done so already. All the weight savings do add up, and it seems better to save on the cheaper stuff than the more expensive stuff. If I wanted to save 70 grams on a fork the the cost would be way higher.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

My Blackburn plastic cage looks like a carbon one and weight 3 grams more. $12!


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Cyclingfan1960 said:


> That's a good point. So you will save 40-90 grams? That's = 3.7 oz .
> 
> A regular wire cage is around $6. A cheap carbon cage is around $20 So you are paying around $14 for 3.7 oz. i personally say no deal, better of losing some weight. And what is funny is the fact people spend so much money cutting weight and they end up putting weight on tire repair kits, water, etc.. I think of you live in a flat area weight is nos as crucial. Again thats just my personal point of view.
> 
> Thanks



There will always be fanatical people doing fanatical stuff in any sport. I have a "fanatical" car that has 520 horses plus a 125 hp NOS system, but to get that engine up another 20 horses would cost me at least $1200, and it money gets steeper with less hp gain percentage wise, yet I know guys who go crazy spending that kind of money and a lot more and brag he spent $1000 and got 5 or 10 extra horses.

Well just like cars there are people who are fanatical with their bikes and are willing to spend $100 to lose 5 grams on a water bottle cage, or $1800 for a wheel set that's 125 grams (just 4.4 ounces!) per wheel lighter then their old $500 wheel set.

It's what a hobby is all about, being fanatical. I get to a certain point of being fanatical but I weigh the cost of the gain in hp or the cost of the loss of weight along with durability and then consider whether it's worth buying something. But I would never spend $1000 on a wheel set just to lose a few ounces just as I would never spend $1000 just to gain a few horses...but that's just me and it's my money; there are people that have a lot of money or have nothing to do with the money they make so they spend it on fanatical stuff for smaller and smaller gains.

By the way, I bought a saddle yesterday, a Fizik Aliante that weighs 199 grams for $30, this saddle retailed for $200 range, why did I get it for $30? Because a guy bought a new bike for $6,000 didn't want the saddle because it was heavy? So he traded it for a $280 saddle that weighed 183 grams. So he spent $80 retail value more, but spent $250 for the saddle to save 16 grams or a half an ounce. That's fine because I saved $150 on a nice saddle plus dropped about 115 grams from my old saddle thanks to him! Now who came out ahead?


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

Ok, so I was all set to just pick up a carbon Ebay cage and be done with it, as I refused to pay $50+ for a damn bottle holder.

Then, an Arundel Mandible dropped into my lap, new, for $39 from an acquaintance of mine....so I bought that , since I like the design more and they are supposed to work better than most.

Funny how we draw the line....pay multiple thousands for a new bike, won't pay $50 for an accessory, but will pay $39 :blush2:

Anyway, it had nothing to do with weight, just design and reputation. If I had gone Ebay first, I'd still be happy.


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

I use 4 different style cages on my various bikes, and the Elite Custom Race cages hold Camelbak Podium Chill bottles the most securely by far. If you are riding off-road or on rough roads, they are a nice compromise weight-wise at a claimed 40 grams each (mine came in a little under 41 g).

One thing to note for Camelbak Podium Chill bottles, they may fit pretty tight in a lot of cages. I have some expensive carbon fiber cages on one of my bikes that are not very secure except for when I use the Podium Chill bottles. They seem to have a slightly enlarged diameter versus lots of other bottles (versus Specialized, Elite, and Polar in my personal experience). That would be good for bottle security, but if you have weak carbon cages, you might find yourself breaking off a piece when trying to slide the bottles back in during a ride.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

milkbaby said:


> I use 4 different style cages on my various bikes, and the Elite Custom Race cages hold Camelbak Podium Chill bottles the most securely by far. If you are riding off-road or on rough roads, they are a nice compromise weight-wise at a claimed 40 grams each (mine came in a little under 41 g).
> 
> One thing to note for Camelbak Podium Chill bottles, they may fit pretty tight in a lot of cages. I have some expensive carbon fiber cages on one of my bikes that are not very secure except for when I use the Podium Chill bottles. They seem to have a slightly enlarged diameter versus lots of other bottles (versus Specialized, Elite, and Polar in my personal experience). That would be good for bottle security, but if you have weak carbon cages, you might find yourself breaking off a piece when trying to slide the bottles back in during a ride.



HEY! You post that RIGHT AFTER my post....and I have a Big Podium Chill bottle. It had better fit in my new #^%! Arundel cage, lol :cryin:

**


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## gordy748 (Feb 11, 2007)

I spent about $140 on a pair of Campagnolo Records, which is cheap at about a third of the price of the full fat ones.

Why? I had money to burn and needed to get my cycling purchase fix but not enough for a whole new bike. Besides, I'm a latter-day cycling Fred; gotta have the kit right, right?

They are absolutely not worth the money, but are without doubt the best bottle cages you could buy.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Special Eyes said:


> My Blackburn plastic cage looks like a carbon one and weight 3 grams more. $12!


3 grams more than what?


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

I have a pair of Bontrager Race Lite cages that cost me $8 each and weighed 29 grams, but they no longer make that cage. Personally I like Chris King stainless steel cages the best, but their TI cages just like a lot of CF cages are way too expensive for the weight one would save.


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## B05 (Jul 31, 2011)

$24 x 2

Haven't received them but I'll make sure to put a review here once they arrive. I honestly don't care about the weight. I just wanted something cheap. It looks like they copied the Specialized Rib Cages.

I broke 2 cages in 3 days :mad2:


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## B05 (Jul 31, 2011)

got them today...and the weenies will be happy...





drum roll...




























Which makes sense because it uses LESS carbon material than the other designs. I tried putting my 710ml bottle and I'm sure it's very secured.


Now before every starts questioning the scale - it's always 1-3g accurate from manufacturer's published weights. I recently weighed 2 saddles and a pair of pedals and they all came within 1-2g.


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## Jeepdude (Nov 12, 2011)

B05 said:


> got them today...and the weenies will be happy...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting.

What kind of whater bottles do you have? I would be very interseted in some feedback on how well they hold the bottle at speed on a rough road.

Thanks again


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## B05 (Jul 31, 2011)

CG025 Brand New Full carbon 3k Road MTB Bike Water Bottle Cage - 20g+/-5g | eBay

they copied the Specialized Rib Cage/S works

I'll give a ride report by the weekend. I fell on the bike today and my wrist is banged up. I was going to ride tomorrow but I'm in pain right now even going on the hoods would be painful.

edit:

sorry didn't read your message properly. I have 24oz Polar bottles


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## NYC_CAAD (May 4, 2011)

I ordered the Arundel Sport Bottle Cage 2x $25.98 free shipping.

Amazon.com: Arundel Sport Bottle Cage: Sports & Outdoors


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## bernithebiker (Sep 26, 2011)

I bought from carboncages.com. Cheap, very light, nicely made, and work very well. What more could you want?


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## romelman (Feb 10, 2012)

Jeepdude said:


> Looking for a low cost, carbon bottle cage. There seem to be quite a few good deals on Ebay...like $25.00 shipped for two.
> 
> Anyone used them? What are the results? I have done some research and found a few older threads. Seems there were a lot of concerns about them breaking, bottles flying out on bumps, scratching bottles and so on, but no real reports of those things happening.
> 
> ...


 i bought a pair for $30, 21g each


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## choa (Apr 13, 2009)

bernithebiker said:


> I bought from carboncages.com. Cheap, very light, nicely made, and work very well. What more could you want?


I also bought one from the same place (but through their ebay store). Cheap and looks nice. I don't have a precision scale, but the claimed weight is 20g.


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

All my bikes have Aliante saddles. My butt won't sit on anything else. I think I have 5 of them. Weight is secondary, I really don't care how much it weighs. I buy what my butt asks for and it asks for an Aliante saddle. If they ever stop making that model I think I will just have to kill myself


froze said:


> There will always be fanatical people doing fanatical stuff in any sport. I have a "fanatical" car that has 520 horses plus a 125 hp NOS system, but to get that engine up another 20 horses would cost me at least $1200, and it money gets steeper with less hp gain percentage wise, yet I know guys who go crazy spending that kind of money and a lot more and brag he spent $1000 and got 5 or 10 extra horses.
> 
> Well just like cars there are people who are fanatical with their bikes and are willing to spend $100 to lose 5 grams on a water bottle cage, or $1800 for a wheel set that's 125 grams (just 4.4 ounces!) per wheel lighter then their old $500 wheel set.
> 
> ...


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## Rob (Mar 3, 2004)

Here are my 2 for $25 CF Ebay cages. I didn't weigh them but they work fine. Secure hold and quiet even when empty.


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## B05 (Jul 31, 2011)

Jeepdude said:


> Thanks for posting.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Alright got to ride with the cage yesterday. Went through some potholes for you with the risk of puncturing my tubes. The cage didn't move even one bit and secured the bottle. 

If you're willing to wait close to a month for some CF cages then I'd recommend it.


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## Jeepdude (Nov 12, 2011)

B05 said:


> Alright got to ride with the cage yesterday. Went through some potholes for you with the risk of puncturing my tubes. The cage didn't move even one bit and secured the bottle.
> 
> If you're willing to wait close to a month for some CF cages then I'd recommend it.


Cool deal...glad you didn't pinch your tubes.

Thanks for the feedback. 

I went into performance and they have a carbon cage that looks similar to the one you purchased...which also seems to closely resemble the specialized one. I was able to check how well it held the water bottle and it seemed about the best style of carbon they had there. 

I think I will go with the same one you got.

Thanks again for the feedback!


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## kriskexplorer (Jun 6, 2012)

Now that these have been used for awhile by some are these generic cages worth buying? If so which version? I am looking for something for my new ride that is capable of holding 24oz polar bottles.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

You can get all kinds of low cost CF cages on Amazon and most of the cages will have reviews, plus you have a place to return it if there is a problem holding a water bottle especially holding the heavier 24 ounce water bottle; whereas trying to return it to some E-Bay source could become a nightmare. 

Some of the CF cages in the pursuit of being lightweight look obviously flimsy and no way would hold a full 24 oz Polar over RxR's or potholes. You can get thermoplastic fiberglass cages that will look like CF but be a lot more stout like the Elite Custom Race cage, or the Bontrager RL, and they come in assorted colors. But your not going to find a 20 gram CF cage that will hold a full Polar...as least for long; the lightest CF cage that might hold a Polar is the Blackburn Camber CF Bottle cage, but I'm not sure enough to tell you they will, but the reviews are many and their high. 

A cage made of plastic may weigh about 15 grams more per cage, but the security of a stronger cage material, the fact you spent less, and the realism that 30 grams is too stupid to worry about it, just doesn't make it worth while looking at CF. Besides, if you were truly worried about weight you wouldn't be using Polar bottles would you? Personally Polar bottles is the only bottle I would ever use, so I'm not against Polar.

Personally I find CF cages to be pointless.


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## kriskexplorer (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks. I will look at the two you recommended.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

kriskexplorer said:


> Thanks. I will look at the two you recommended.


I forgot to mention. When I said the only CF cage was the Blackburn, what I meant was the only one that I would consider that weighed less then 30 grams would be that cage. There are more robust CF cages but again you can get plastic cages that weigh the same and cost less at that point.

I have the Bontrager RL cages on two of my bikes, they cost me 2 years ago $12 each on sale, each one weighs 38 grams, I use nothing but 24 ounce Polar bottles and not once has the cages hiccuped my bottles, and unlike aluminum cages they don't mar your bottles up. 

I also don't see the point in aluminum cages either, they mar your bottles, they eventually loosen their grip so you need to bend them back but you can only bend them back a certain number of time before they fail. So all my cages are either plastic (the Bontragers) or stainless steel (Chris Kings). Stainless steel cages can be bent if necessary many more times then aluminum, my Chris Kings are over 18 years old and still going strong. Please note: I'm not saying that Bontrager and Chris King are only two cages worth a darn, there are others, those are just the two brands I have because I got good deals on them at the time I got them!

Also there are a lot of CF cages that weigh more then 38 grams, I've seen them weight 48 grams, sure they are robust, but still cost a lot, so why? why when you can get plastic that weighs less and cost less? For that matter my Stainless cages weigh the same as some CF cages I've seen!!!


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## mikeyc38 (Sep 8, 2011)

2X Carbon Bicycle Bottle Holder Cage MTB Bike New DB905 | eBay

I picked up a pair of these last yr, very happy with them as they look great, weigh only 28 grams and keep my bottles snug but not too tight, just right. I liked them so much that I just ordered a second pair for my new bike. I agree the weight difference between this and a plastic or aluminum holder won't be distinguishable while riding, but for the price it's a no brainier. Paying big bucks for a name brand bottle holder makes no sense to me. I'd be wary of a cheap no name frame or fork, but this is just a bottle holder. Let's keep it in perspective folks.


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