# Ridley Cross bikes - no water bottle mounts???



## Chpfly (Aug 9, 2006)

The X-Fire The X-Night and The Supercross, NO bottle cage mounts? I understand that you are not going to race with it, but come on, how are you going to go on a long training ride with NO cages? At least put them on so you have the option.

I am I wrong on this? Do any of them have a cage mount?

Thanks.


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## rensho (Aug 5, 2003)

I had the same issue with my Lapierre. I'm going to drill it and put some fittings in for bottle mounts. Other option is bolt/strap on cage mounts.

Real CX bikes don't have mounts. That's what I'm told. I'm not a real CX'er.


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## jmkimmel (Jul 13, 2007)

I, too, have a lapierre without bottle cage mounts. I find that if I'm doing a long 'cross workout, I end up doing laps, so I leave a bottle somewhere on the lap for breaks. If I'm doing a <2 hour ride, I'll take one large bottle, putting it in the jersey pocket. Any longer than that, and it's camelbak time. I really haven't minded not having a water bottle cage - bottles fit nicely in jersey pockets.

I'd be wary of drilling into the down tube on one of these lapierres...can you say beer can?

edit: I don't know about 'new' Ridleys, but I have a friend with a year-old Supercross, and it has bottle cage mounts.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

*If you want to "defile" your Ridley...*

Go ahead. But real x'ers don't have bottle mounts. My Empella doesn't, either.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*My friends...*

new Ridley has them too.. I guess it depends on where you get it from..


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## Thor (May 25, 2004)

I can't get my kickstand on my Crosswind either.

Thor


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## FrancisB (Sep 10, 2006)

'06 Supercross - has 2 standard water bottle mounts...


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## elmar schrauth (Feb 19, 2007)

in europe you can decide ,if you want them or not.


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## evilbeaver (Mar 15, 2006)

My X-Fire has bottle mounts. I'm in the USA.


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## robert (Dec 8, 2004)

My X-Night doesn't have bottle mounts. I've successfully used plastic clips made by Zeffel


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

My Super Cross came with bottle mounts. I am pretty sure you can get either style. One Supercross my LBS has haning up lacks the mounts. When I got mine, he made sure to ask that they send one that had the mounts. They also have a cross wind that had mounts.


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## RHRoop (Nov 1, 2006)

You don't buy a Ferrari for the trunk space and I don't think you buy a Ridley cross bike for its water transportation capabilities...


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## evilbeaver (Mar 15, 2006)

*Here here!*



RHRoop said:


> You don't buy a Ferrari for the trunk space and I don't think you buy a Ridley cross bike for its water transportation capabilities...


Right on, RHRoop. There are plenty of frames out there that are perfect for rain bikes/commuters/monster-crossers...but Ridleys are first and foremost 'cross course killers.

That said, since I really would prefer to not ride my Excalibur in the sh!t weather of winter, the X-Fire might get fendered up...sigh. :blush2:


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## Chpfly (Aug 9, 2006)

Thanks for the replys - All I am saying is why take away the "option" to have a bottle cage during training.

I am Pro-Choice on this one.


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

They remove the "option" because it makes the frame a dedicated CX race machine.
Adding the "option" allows riders to spoil the true spirit of the frame by taking it on rides that are longer than 1 hour.


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## FrancisB (Sep 10, 2006)

JPHcross said:


> They remove the "option" because it makes the frame a dedicated CX race machine.
> Adding the "option" allows riders to spoil the true spirit of the frame by taking it on rides that are longer than 1 hour.


I'm sorry, but this just strikes me as dumb; You take away nothing by providing water bottle mounts. I have an '06 supercross (thx andy!) w/water bottle mounts.

Do you mean to tell me if I ride it for 2.5 hours on a CX training ride with bottle cages I've somehow demeaned the "spirit" of what the bikes' purpose is?

Would you argue a supercross w/o bottle mounts is a dedicated CX race machine, and a supercross w/bottle mounts is a CX mongrel unsuited for serious posers?

Really, the only bike I could think of that wouldn't really need mounts would be a track pursuit bike, and even then I'd prefer one in case I decided to turn it into a street fixie.


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## jmkimmel (Jul 13, 2007)

FrancisB said:


> .
> 
> Do you mean to tell me if I ride it for 2.5 hours on a CX training ride with bottle cages I've somehow demeaned the "spirit" of what the bikes' purpose is?
> 
> ...


Hmm...I feel like any "CX training ride", if it is indeed for CX, will involve at least one shouldering of the bike...which really means no bottle cages...so, yes. The spirit of the bike involves shouldering, not just pedaling  I guess that means I'd call a supercross w/bottle mounts a not-so-dedicated CX race machine. Certainly no mongrel, but, like a road racer with a triple, not as dedicated as could be 

Now, a proper track pursuit bike belongs on the track. It is absolutely demeaning to ride it on the street. A tragedy, if you ask me.

I tend to prefer a camelback on longer rides anyways...bottles get dirty


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## kerkovej (Mar 14, 2006)

RHRoop said:


> You don't buy a Ferrari for the trunk space and I don't think you buy a Ridley cross bike for its water transportation capabilities...


I think this is the best way to respond to this question. Ridley does it right, building their bikes with a specific goal: riding fast, light, and efficient in CX events.


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## TWD (Feb 9, 2004)

jmkimmel said:


> I tend to prefer a camelback on longer rides anyways...bottles get dirty


So....if you have a bottle mount, it's not a cx ride...but if you wear a camelback it is?


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## JPHcross (Aug 15, 2006)

Think about it like a singlespeed frame.
A manufacturer could build their singlespeed frame with a detachable der hanger and cable mounts so that people have the option to put gears on it, but the frame just has that extra prestige if it does not have those options in the first place.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

Chpfly said:


> The X-Fire The X-Night and The Supercross, NO bottle cage mounts? I understand that you are not going to race with it, but come on, how are you going to go on a long training ride with NO cages?


You don't. You take your road bike, which has cages.


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

This is the one of the most retarded threads ever...  As has been mentioned. You can get the Ridleys with bottle mounts... so it's up to personal preference if you want them or not. I like to have the choice to carry a bottle on long training rides, but I take the cages off for races. 

For the comment about just taking your road bike on training rides... how are you going to take your road bike on a CX training ride? Perhaps we have different notions of a long CX training ride. Around here we often go on multi roud gravel/dirt road, abandoned road, trail rides on our CX bikes. I don't think my road bike is going to hold up to that  Well, it might, bit it isn't gonna be fun for me riding on 21 or 23mm tires! hehe


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Well, the only race that would last for more than 1 hr would be Iron Cross so if it is indeed a cross training ride, why would it be more tyhan say, 1-2 hrs? Srsly, if you want cages on a race machine, don't get a race machine. Get a Trek


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Is this a good thread to confess that I've raced all season with a bottle and have no regrets?


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## Ronsonic (Nov 11, 2004)

This is the only bottle and cage I've ever seen on a cross bike that seemed appropriate: http://www.43things.com/entries/image/247493?t=e

Then again, during the off season, my bike carries two bottle cages and a computer. Then it's purity is restored for the season.

Ron


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## unclemimo (Aug 24, 2005)

My X-Fire has the mounts too, but I'd love to lose the hardware to save some weight!


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

You have three pockets on the back of your jersey. If you absolutely HAVE to take water on a ride, put a bottle on your back.
Personally, I do a couple 2hr+ rides a week with no bottle. Training rides that are short and hard are usually done on laps, so a bottle gets brought and left on the ground. 
Cross bikes can have mounts. A dedicated race frame like this should not.
I have never done a training ride that did not involve shouldering my bike. If you can do a 2hr cross ride without shouldering your bike you are not training for cross, so go ride your road bike.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Obviously..*

you don't live in the south.. Our rides a couple of weeks ago were done in the upper 80s, low 90s with high humidity. Two hour dirt road ride at high intensity with no water = not a fun day in those conditions. I'd love to have a "race only" bike, but with only a eight race season, it's hard to rationalize to my wife..


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## seahuston (Sep 2, 2005)

There is a picture out there, and i saw it firsthand, of Chris Horner with a water bottle in a cyclocross race. I dont know about you guys but if he has bottle bolts, a cage and a bottle and places top 10 in a grand prix race, armageden is upon us. How can someone actually do well with a water bottle bolts, god forbid a bottle.
Ohh and the hotness of his full carbon, sram force bike with dugust tubulars went down hugely becuase of that bottle, the nerve of bike designers these days


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## Lord Taipan (Aug 10, 2006)

seahuston said:


> There is a picture out there, and i saw it firsthand, of Chris Horner with a water bottle in a cyclocross race. I dont know about you guys but if he has bottle bolts, a cage and a bottle and places top 10 in a grand prix race, armageden is upon us. How can someone actually do well with a water bottle bolts, god forbid a bottle.
> Ohh and the hotness of his full carbon, sram force bike with dugust tubulars went down hugely becuase of that bottle, the nerve of bike designers these days


LOL. My Supercross has the mounts. I think I used them once so far. I keep the cages off the bike for the most part. I need to remember that it is my A bike and quit neglecting the B bike.


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

If you saw the pictures of the rest of the racers, you would have noted that everyone had bottles. It was over 100' that day, and feed zones ain't allowed. It was (IIRC) a flat race with two hurdles, no run ups, so no shouldering required.

So if you live in the south are you unable to put a bottle in your jersey pocket? You have those there right? 

And if you know that you are planning on putting a cage on your bike, perhaps one should think ahead and purchase a frame that would accomodate that. Like pretty much 95% of cross frames that are not directly marketed as a race day frame. There are training bikes and there are full on race bikes. If you only have 8 races a year, maybe you should not purchase one of the later.


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

seahuston said:


> There is a picture out there, and i saw it firsthand, of Chris Horner with a water bottle in a cyclocross race. I dont know about you guys but if he has bottle bolts, a cage and a bottle and places top 10 in a grand prix race, armageden is upon us. How can someone actually do well with a water bottle bolts, god forbid a bottle.
> Ohh and the hotness of his full carbon, sram force bike with dugust tubulars went down hugely becuase of that bottle, the nerve of bike designers these days



After I read this, and posted below, I thought about it some more. Horner has yet to break top ten in a USGP this year, rides a Supercross which is not carbon, and did not use a bottle in either of the first two USGP's. He is riding SRAM (Red) and Dugasts though. So I'll give you that.

The race I was refering to was a few years back in Califoria when he was still riding for SD. 

But I could be wrong, I often am. So feel free to post that picture and I'll STFU.


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## seahuston (Sep 2, 2005)

I was refering to last year, crazy how fast the season goes by. 
Thanks for checking my accuracy but he placed in the top ten at Gloucester last year, had a carbon supercross(still prototype then?), Sram force and dugusts by the looks of it. I do forget the picture, and my timeline may have been off about his placing but he did place at gloucester top ten. The caption of the picture said, Horner didnt get the memo about no bottles in cyclocross, or something to that extent. 
But, thanks for checking me, as i just realised a flaw, he only did well at gloucester becuase he may not have had a bottle that day.


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## jmkimmel (Jul 13, 2007)

TWD said:


> So....if you have a bottle mount, it's not a cx ride...but if you wear a camelback it is?


I can't, for the life of me, shoulder a bike with a bottle cage in it, so the following logic applies: 



IF (CX Training), THEN (Shouldering involved)

IF (Shouldering involved), THEN (No bottle cages)


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## soindyfab (Nov 30, 2006)

*actually...*



seahuston said:


> I was refering to last year, crazy how fast the season goes by.
> Thanks for checking my accuracy but he placed in the top ten at Gloucester last year, had a carbon supercross(still prototype then?), Sram force and dugusts by the looks of it. .



horner rode for specialized during the 2006 cross season so i doubt he was on any type of ridley.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2006/oct06/gloucester061/usgp1_06_glo_1566_R


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## seahuston (Sep 2, 2005)

My bad, i knew it was specialized but i guess i got the model wrong, 
should have read 
" had a carbon _tricross_(still prototype then?)


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