# Carbon cages - Which work?



## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

I'm sad to report that vanity won't allow me to go back to metal cages on my top road bike, but my $24/pair direct-from-China units launch my bottles all over the road, much to the entertainment of my riding buddies.

I see some reviews from 2005, but what are people's experiences these days? Looking for the bang-for-buck sweet spot.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

I suggest Arundel Sport cages (plastic) or Elite Custom Race (says fiberglass on them). Either of these work great with good retention but easy in and out of the bottle. They weigh a few grams more than carbon but >500 gm less than the water in the bottle. Roughly $15 each but under $10 on sale. 

The Elites look trick.


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## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

Wow...the Chinese knockoffs stink. Shocker, that. 

Arundel cages rule.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

The most secure ones I've used are the Profile Design, which are also the heaviest (37g). The lightest that's worked well for me is the Campagnolo design at about 18 grams.

Whatever you get make sure it has the little tab on top to lock in the bottle.


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

*I know*



RkFast said:


> Wow...the Chinese knockoffs stink.


Extra bummer is that a friend bought the same Chinese knock-off cages from the same vendor a coupla months after me. His have a couple extra plies of carbon, are noticeably thicker and stronger, and don't launch bottles.

So yeah, $120 for two cages that work well, or $24. Just a risk not knowing which cages would show up on my doorstep.


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## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

Im just being a wiseass....even decent plastic ones should work well. But I did get the Arundel Mandibles and they are TIGHT! I got them in "Matte Oil Slick" which is their unidirectional carbon. They look sweet.


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## nfosterma (Jan 24, 2007)

RkFast said:


> Im just being a wiseass....even decent plastic ones should work well. But I did get the Arundel Mandibles and they are TIGHT! I got them in "Matte Oil Slick" which is their unidirectional carbon. They look sweet.


+1 on the Mandible's. I have had them for a couple of seasons now, and my bottles still fit very tightly in the cage. Pricey, though.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

I like the Profile Karbon cage. Pretty snug fit, has a retainer swell unlike some that just slide-in-out or have a rubber sleeve to attempt to hold the bottle down. ~$37 each. Crazy $ for a bottle cage IMO.


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## oily666 (Apr 7, 2007)

I've used thes for five years. Never launched a bottle. About $50.00 for a pair back then.

http://www.karbona.com/pro-b-3-1.htm


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## Kai Winters (Aug 23, 2009)

My Profile Design carbon bottle cages are 10 years old and work great. 
They hold the bottles very well.
While not the lightest sometimes lightest is not the best.


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## NUTT (Apr 15, 2008)

I had some Performance Bike "Forte" carbon cages that worked pretty well and were pretty cheap. You might look into those.


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## TimV (Mar 20, 2007)

I actually asked this same question last week:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=255531

I was actually considering one of those ebay units, myself, but was unsure of the quality. I'm glad I refrained. I looked into some of the others mentioned here, too, but decided $50+ was more than I wanted to spend on a single water bottle cage. Then I went to my LBS and found this:

http://bontrager.com/model/04072

It fit all my criteria: Lightweight (38gm), Functional (it holds the bottle nice and tight), Inexpensive ($14.99) and attractive (to me). Perfect! I got one for my S-Works and one for the CAAD9.


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## JChasse (Sep 16, 2005)

this vvvvv


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## Vibe (Jan 11, 2011)

i have carbon fiber ebays and bottles are very secure


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

*wow*

"I actually asked this same question last week:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=255531"

...that's what I get for doing an advanced search for "Carbon bottle cage" in the title.

I might got for that since it doesn't have "_BONTRAGER_" all over it. I was a big fan of Keith's frames, wheels and components in the 80's and 90's, but now the moniker only says to me "PUT CORPORATE BRAND HERE". 

I concur with the above - I like carbon (or reinforced, er, composite) cages on carbon frames, aluminum cages on aluminum frames, and stainless steel cages on steel bikes.

PS - Think I'm settling on Blackburn Camber cages.


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

I have the Blackburn Camber cages on my mtb......Ive never had a bottle pop out. Lifetime warranty also.

Gonna get them for my roadie too.


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## Ppopp (Jun 20, 2011)

looigi said:


> I suggest Arundel Sport cages (plastic) or Elite Custom Race (says fiberglass on them). Either of these work great with good retention but easy in and out of the bottle. They weigh a few grams more than carbon but >500 gm less than the water in the bottle. Roughly $15 each but under $10 on sale.
> 
> The Elites look trick.


I've been thinking of these myself. Seem like a great cage for the price.


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

I have an Elite Custom cage and it is awesome as well........Almost holds the bottles too tightly!


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## Blackss06 (Feb 26, 2011)

My $10 Chinese carbon's haven't failed me yet, but my $17/ea "composite" specialized cages used to launch bottles all the time.


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## SilverStar07 (May 18, 2011)

I have the Blackburn CF cages on my 29er Hardtail and on my road bike. Never had a problem. The nice thing is this years batch of cages are coming in about 10grams lighter than last years.

SS-


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

Stradalli carbon cages are super light and secure if you like their looks. If you can afford them, though, the mandibles are the best IMO.


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## minutemaidman (Jun 14, 2010)

Serfas has a bunch of good ones that are light weight and work very well. You just need to find a style you like.


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## erict (Apr 4, 2011)

Not carbon, but the Tacx Tao cages are worth checking out. Light, strong, secure and look good.


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## Doolab (Feb 13, 2008)

I use matte CF Blackburn Camber bottle cages and they work well. The matte finish also matches my frame so that was a bonus.
eBay linky


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

Blackss06 said:


> My $10 Chinese carbon's haven't failed me yet, but my $17/ea "composite" specialized cages used to launch bottles all the time.


Hmm- my Spesh Rib Cage Pros work like a charm- and perfectly match the colors on my bike. 
I completely understand being too "vain" to allow yourself a std metal bottle cage, especially on a bike w/ lots of carbon...


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## RoadChaser (Jul 29, 2011)

i like arundels my self


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## paule11 (Jun 11, 2011)

MIne came from here ahve had no problems whatsover
http://cgi.ebay.com/Full-Carbon-Fib...K_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item519a0b2579


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

erict said:


> Not carbon, but the Tacx Tao cages are worth checking out. Light, strong, secure and look good.


this.

best cages hands down :thumbsup:


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

JohnHenry said:


> this.
> 
> best cages hands down :thumbsup:


I bought the TACX Tao cages when they first came out years ago and the plastic stop on the bottom of both broke in 3 months, weak.


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## IcemanYVR (Jul 27, 2006)

I have two Zipp Carbon cages, super light and they've never launched a bottle. They have a tab for "locking" the bottle into place, and as far as any bottle I've used, fit them perfectly.


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

OnTheRivet said:


> I bought the TACX Tao cages when they first came out years ago and the plastic stop on the bottom of both broke in 3 months, weak.


I run'em on 3 of my bikes...

The plastic tab broke on one cage, since they first came out. i bought replacement piece for 3 bucks, win.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

The Performance Forte Theta cages break in the same way, maybe every 12 months on average. I just take them back to the store and make use of their 100% customer satisfaction policy.


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

I have used the cheap ones from China on my bike for almost 4 years with no problems. I really do like them. RavX is the name on them. They had a bunch of different styles. Some looked they they would hold bottles tighter than others. Here is a link to a pretty large high res (4mb) picture of my bike with the bottle cages. With this large picture you can zoom in on the bottle cages if you like. 

RavX bottle cages


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## veloduffer (Aug 26, 2004)

Arundel Mandibles - super secure, not flimsy, nice looking.


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## kmunny19 (Aug 13, 2008)

I can tell you which ones not to get, unless you want to fix them, then they are great. Fuji. 24g and they were on sale for $30, so no brainer to get the nice white ones for my fuji SL1. wrong. they were on sale to close them out because the bottom tab on them that contacts the bottom bottle is too short. after decent bumps sometimes the bottle on the seat tube (not on the down tube though, the angle seemed to be enough to keep it from being a problem) would slip off the tab and down, but the top would still be held by the side tabs, never quite dropping the bottle out. by my estimates, next year's bottom tab will be about 2-3 ml longer and back up to normally expensive carbon cage price.

sooooo, i dipped (and re-dipped) the last few ml of the tab in tool dip rubber coating to the point where it built up just a small rubber bulb of sorts at the end of the tab. this weekend, I had my main race of the year, which had a nice bombing descent, which happened to have some quite rough bumps nicely hidden in it. it was my first, best test of the fix, and was far more shuddering than had loosened the bottle in the past. It worked just fine, no shift at all. the guy just ahead of me dropped his bottle a few dozen yards after the bumps, but both of mine stayed in, both about 3/4 full. so my fix worked, but it no doubt negates any weight savings. but seriously, its a cage, I'm pretty sure I can make up the weight with a skipped beer.


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## Cramps_Tardstrong (May 25, 2011)

ukbloke said:


> The Performance Forte Theta cages break in the same way, maybe every 12 months on average. I just take them back to the store and make use of their 100% customer satisfaction policy.


I've read a lot of reviews about these cages breaking. I decided to buy one to test it out and after two months I bought another one. I've now had both for over two years with no breaks/cracks. Maybe I'm just lucky or perhaps it's a difference in setup? For the $18 I paid each and at claimed 25g per I'm a happy camper. Just my .02


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

Cramps_Tardstrong said:


> I've now had both for over two years with no breaks/cracks. Maybe I'm just lucky or perhaps it's a difference in setup?


I think it may depend on how careful you are. Clearly if you push the bottle in hard enough that tab is gonna break. I have a suspicion that I get heavy handed with the bottle when being pushed to the limit on a group ride or PR attempt.


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## Becky (Jun 15, 2004)

Blackburn Camber cages, with the big crosspiece on the bottom, rather than a little tab that's prone to breaking.


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

*these work pretty well*



oily666 said:


> I've used thes for five years. Never launched a bottle. About $50.00 for a pair back then.
> 
> Karbona Parts Inc.-bicycle parts, motorcycle parts, carbon parts, seat post, bottle cage, walking pole, Road Bike, Handlebar, Seatpost, Stem, Frame, Wheelset, Fork, Crankset, Hub, MTB, Suspension Fork & BMX, Accessories, Bottle Cage, Cap, Skewer, Spa


First off I prefer stainless cages from a functional perspective. But... when I went carbon for my latest bike I thought carbon cages might be aesthetically more pleasing. The Karbonas have worked fine for me. I paid $40 for the pair at Wheel and Sprocket.


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## scuollo (Aug 2, 2010)

*Go Arundel*

The Arundel Tridents are the best "bling" I have on my bike, they look great, work great, did I say look great? A slight tulip lip catches the bottle and makes storing it easy without looking. Go for it. Spend the bucks.

2011 Arundel Trident Carbon Fiber Bottle Cage - Competitive Cyclist


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## DavidsonDuke (Sep 12, 2006)

I checked the specs on some cages on performancebike.com. The $80.00 
Elite Paron Carbon Cage weighs 30 grams, the $15.00 Plastic Team Cage weighs 28!


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## Weav (Jun 21, 2009)

Arundel mandible or Arundel Dave-O


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2011)

I got cheap china carbon cages. They work perfectly for me. Theres lots of different styles on ebay try a diffent kind.


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## Kenacycle (May 28, 2006)

I use Arundel Mandibles.. Light, minimalistic yet super secure. Even the pro teams are starting to use them now


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## bing181 (Oct 17, 2005)

I'm in Europe, and one of the leading French bike mags recently did a shoot-out of about 60 cages. Rated for "grip" with both 500 ml and 750 ml bottles, ease of insert/extraction, weight etc.

Best two were Elite Moro D'Elite (though 34 gm), and the Zipp cage (22 gm). BBB Lightcage also did well. But for half the cost of those, though with a slight weight increase, the Titan Evo 1 (31 gm) and Evo 3 (26 gm) do very well.

If weight is no object, but cost is, look no further than the Cannondale GT40. 39 gm, but dirt cheap.


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## namillis (Jun 30, 2010)

My Specialized Rib Cage Pro Road (composite, not c.f.) are awesome. They look sleek, its easy to get the bottle in and out and I've never had a bottle come out. These are the "newer style". At $16 ea. they are hard to beat. I actually bought mine as a pair, new, on eBay for less. 

A buddy had some of the older style, with the little rubber piece on the opening and he complained about a few of them breaking.


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## mrcreosote (Sep 9, 2010)

These.

Controltech Comp Carbon Bottle Cage | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com


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## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

erict said:


> Not carbon, but the Tacx Tao cages are worth checking out. Light, strong, secure and look good.


x2 or x3 by now...LOL I got these because my LBS didn't have CF cages...So far so good...My friend busted the tab, but he's really rough on his stuff...


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## Carbon_NiHM (Sep 4, 2011)

Becky said:


> Blackburn Camber cages, with the big crosspiece on the bottom, rather than a little tab that's prone to breaking.


+1
I can second this!
plus you got a variety of colours to choose from, even come in matte finishes!!


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## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

I run the Arundel Mandibles, and they're awesome. 

Not cheap though...


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

Kenacycle said:


> I use Arundel Mandibles.. Light, minimalistic yet super secure. Even the pro teams are starting to use them now


That's what I have. Don't see how they could be improved on, frankly.


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## rgordin (Oct 22, 2010)

Had these Performance Theta cages. Forté Theta Carbon Cage - Bottle Cages Good price and no problems holding bottles. I got the Blackburn Camber cages because I liked the ease of entry (and look) better. Jensen has one of the better prices on these: Blackburn Camber CF Cage '11 at JensonUSA.com


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## CliveDS (Oct 7, 2009)

Fireform said:


> That's what I have. Don't see how they could be improved on, frankly.


Agreed.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

erict said:


> Not carbon, but the Tacx Tao cages are worth checking out. Light, strong, secure and look good.



I had problems with most water bottles rattling in the Tacx cages. Hated them.


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## Flatlandrider (Sep 1, 2011)

I refused to let myself cut a corner after spending that much on the bike. Arundel has been flawless. Plus they have the cool factor. LOL


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## todayilearned (Sep 28, 2011)

I bought a pair of carbon cages from China and so far they have worked pretty well. (Item # Item number:	330572557212).

Took about 1 week from when I ordered to get to me.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

I had a pair of chinese bottle launchers. I went for the lightest cages available. What a mistake that was. Ultimately I sold them to a triathlete. He loves them. 

Then I picked up a pair of chinese cages with a little extra carbon and haven't launched a bottle since. There are plenty of options on ebay for <$13


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## hamsey (Aug 16, 2010)

MarvinK said:


> I had problems with most water bottles rattling in the Tacx cages. Hated them.


+1

Replaced by Arundel's.


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