BOTTLE CAGES - AN OVERVIEW All water bottle cages worthy of ownership are made one of two ways. The most common is TIG welded aluminum, the same as all bicycle rear carriers. The aluminum used is the 6061 T6 aluminum alloy. It is one of the strongest industrial aluminum alloys. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding joins two pieces of the same metal alloy, with a third wire melted between them, by fusing all three pieces into a solid rigid piece with no weakness in the weld or between any of the members. Plastic cages are available. Most of them claim to be "composite" implying a carbon fib ercomposite construction. The truth is they are generally a composite of tough thermoplastic, PVC or polycarbonate of some sort, which is strong and lightweight, but has no element of carbon fiber. They only break under a great deal of stress, and have become very popular with the mountain biking set. Remember you can't bend plastic back, and you can't recycle it like aluminum, but it is lighter and in some cases more resilient. All the bottle cages we sell, come with the intent of fastening it using small 5mm bolts, to threaded fittings on your bike frame. These fittings are brazed onto the frame and are used as recessed nuts. They are known commonly as "braze-ons". If you don't have these braze-on fittings, then you must use clamps to hold the cage to the frame. The clamps wrap around the down-tube and are held in place with a small bolt and nut. The better clamp sets are made of stainless steel, so they won't rust. Plastic bottle cages will not accept the use of clamps. If you buy a plastic cage make certain you have water bottle braze-ons!! There is a bottle cage accessory that has taken off in popularity. It is a behind-the-seat holder that accommodates two bottle cages. The thinking is, resting behind your seat there will be no additional wind resistance. Whatever savings there is in wind resistance, must be offset by carrying the additional weight. As a practical matter, however, they are just a great way to carry two or more water bottles to areas where there isn't a faucet. Remember an ounce of tap water weighs - 28 grams. AMERICAN CLASSIC BOTTLE CAGE The Classic cage is made using a single, 4.8mm aluminum rod. The rod has multiple bends, and rather than the two ends joining at the top as rear rail ends, the ends of the wire occur in the front of the cage, where they are joined in a plastic "saddle," which holds the bottle from the front. The rear rails are spaced 1/2" apart because of how this cage is fastened to the frame, using the cage "mounting blocks" that are provided. The mounting blocks have a flat back with a front that is grooved for each of the rear rail wires to lie in. The mounting block is placed on the down tube over the braze-on. The cage lies on the block and a 2cm long mounting bolt, with a 3mm allen head, is screwed through the rails and mounting block into the braze-on. The bolts and a matching 3mm allen wrench are included with each cage. The area where the bolt head sits against the rear rails has been shaped, allowing a recessed, defined space for the bolt head to rest firmly in, and lock the cage on tothe frame. The cages come anodized in Blue, Gold, Lavender, Red or Silver and painted in Black or Grey. The cage in Silver, with the necessary bolts and blocks for braze-on installation, weighs 52 grams. Made in Ohio, USA. 37-86-100 (Color-B-BK-G-GY-L-R-S) $8.49 AMERICAN CLASSIC TITANIUM BOTTLE CAGE American Classic also makes the same cage using 4.8mm diameter Titanium 6Al 4V wire instead of the aluminum used in the one above. It has the same plastic front "saddle" molded around the front joining the two ends. The cage is mounted using the same blocks as the aluminum model. The Titanium version of this cage is slightly heavier than the aluminum model. Remember Titanium is stronger than steel in many applications, while weighing less than steel. Titanium is still more dense than aluminum. This added density is responsible for Titanium's added weight over aluminum. The cage is Ti Grey with the retaining saddle in Black. With the necessary bolts, and blocks for braze-on installation, a complete Titanium model weighs 74.5 grams. It is also made in Ohio, USA. 37-86-100-T $34.99 BLACKBURN BC-1 COMPETITION CAGE The BC-1 is made of a single piece of 5mm aluminum rod with multiple bends that create the rear rails, crown, and front of bottle supports. A piece of 6.4mm aluminum tubing joins the front supports making the upper rounded cradle at the front of the bottle. The tubing piece rests over the top of the front supports and is crimped to each side of the rod making a rigid wire assembly. At the back of the BC-1, there is a plate stamped from 3.2mm thick aluminum, with cut-outs to reduce weight and two folds to add rigidity and make the cage stand off from the down tube. The plate is TIG welded to rear of the rails with 1 1/8" long welds, that begin 1 1/2" from the bottom, unifying the cage into a solid, stable piece. The plate has the bolt tabs positioned high and low so that bottle cage clamps may be used if your frame has no bottle braze-ons. The clamps are available separately. The cage is painted in one of 7 glossy colors or clear anodized in a Silver color. The BC-1 weighs 54 grams and is available in Blue, Black, Lavender, Red, Silver, Canary Yellow, or White. Made in California, USA. 37-41-BC1 (Color-B-BK-L-R-S-Y-W) $7.99 BLACKBURN BX-1 EXPEDITION CAGE Blackburn's BX-1 cage is a beefed up model for heavy duty use on all frames. The BX-1 is made using a single piece of 1/4" thick aluminum rod. It has multiple bends t omake the entire bottle cradle and rear rails. An eight pointed star aluminum extrusion slides between both ends in the crown at the top where they come together, and is TIG welded to join the wire portion in to a rigid piece. This star extrusion not only joins the rod but acts as a "knuckle" to help retain the bottle in the cage. At the back of the rear rails, the same plate used in The BC-1 cage is TIG welded with a 1 1/8" weld on each side to unify the cage further. The welds start 2 3/4" from the bottom of the cage. The plate tabs, again permit the use of bottle cage clamps should they be necessary. The clamps are available separately. The cage is painted in one of 7 glossy colors or clear anodized in a Silver color. The BX-1 weighs 80 grams and is available in Blue, Black, Lavender, Red, Silver, Canary Yellow, or White. Made in California, USA. 37-41-BX1 (Color-B-BK-L-R-S-Y-W) $8.99 BLACKBURN MC-1 MOUNTAIN CAGE This cage is the industrial strength version. The MC-1 gains it's strength from the wire diameter, the shape and height of the welded support plates, and the distance of the rear rails from each other. It is constructed using the heavy gauge, 6.35mm 6061 aluminum rod, that is a single continuous piece, with the two ends joined at the top under an eight pointed star "knuckle" that functions as a bottle retainer. The coupling at the top, is not mechanically crimped, because this design doesn't require it. The metal plates for this cage are extruded aluminum, that have several small corrugations built in, to minimize flex. The ends of the metal plates are contoured to fit the shape of the wire that it's welded to. This "mitre" process produces an evenly rigid joining of the 3/4" aluminum plate to the wire rails, when the plates are TIG welded down each side. The design feature that the MC-1 gains most of it's strength from is the stance of the two rear rails. The rails are the wire pieces the plates are welded to. The rails are 1 1/2" on-center, produceing a cage that less subject to lateral bends, in the same way it's harder to tip you over, with a push from the side, when your feet are wide apart . The MC-1, which weighs 78 grams in Silver, (80 grams in a painted version), is intended for braze-on mounts only, it will not accept clamp fastening to a frame. Available in Blue, Black, Lavender, Red, Silver, Canary Yellow, or White. Made in Northern California, USA. 37-41-MC1 (Color-B-BK-L-R-S-Y-W) $8.99 BLACKBURN PC-1 PRO CAGE Blackburn's lightest cage is so light, (it weighs only 39 grams, or 38 grams, if you have the unpainted, Silver one), that you may not know it's there! This one uses a thin, 5mm, aluminum wire and two 1/2 inch tall aluminum plates for strength. One of the plates is TIG welded 1/2" for the bottom of the cage, adding outrageous rigidity; the other is TIG welded 3" from the bottom creating a cohesive unit. The two back rails are spaced at 3/4" on center. It uses a plastic knuckle, as a bottle retainer, to hold the bottle in and reduce weight. Unlike other plastic bottle retainers, this one doesn't slide off - in fact, we couldn't pull it off. This cage is designed for Road Racing riders and is intended for braze-on mounts only, It will not accept clamp fastening to a frame. Available in Blue, Black, Lavender, Red, Silver, Canary Yellow, or White. Made in Northern California, USA. 37-41-PC1 (Color-B-BK-L-R-S-Y-W) $8.49 BLACKBURN B-52 BOMBER CAGE This is Blackburn's heaviest cage because it is constructed to hold a 51 ounce or 1.5 liter "spring" water bottle securely. "Spring" water bottles are those clear plastic bottles that "spring water", like Calistoga, Evian, Crystal Geyser available in grocery stores, are sold in. There is some lore surrounding the creation of this cage. The people at Wilderness Trail Bikes conceived the original concept of using a grocery store spring water bottle in place of the cyclists' traditional water bottle. Someone probably noticed a Marin county mountain biker filling their water bottle with "spring" water, and then having to find a way to dispose of the original plastic "spring" water container. The idea of making a bottle cage that would accommodate the "spring" water bottle from the outset was offered for sale or royalty by WTB first to Specialized Bicycle Components (formerly Specialized Bicycle Imports), which imports bottle cages from Japan. Specialized, though it had a design relationship in place with WTB, declined and WTB then approached Blackburn with the concept where it was accepted. The reason that Specialized declined the cage concept, according to lore, was that they felt the sale of a cage that accepted grocery store "spring" water bottles would cause a fall in the rate of sale of their own Specialized water bottles. The B-52 has two aluminum wire pieces and a "backbone" made of extruded aluminum. The "backbone" is 9 inches long and 1 7/8" wide. It has a hollow tubular rib running along up both sides. These tubular ribs add a great deal of rigidity to the concave plate area of the extrusion between them. At the center of the plate there are 6 oblong holes speced at 2 1/2" intervals for bottle cage mounting bolts to pass through. Having 6 of these holes permits mounting adjustments, the cage can be physically positioned so it fits within the space of the down or seat tube. Into the top of the backbone, inside the inside of the holes of the tubular rails, a 6.5mm diameter aluminum wire frame is positioned which cradles and supports the neck of the "spring" bottle. At the bottom of the backbone a wire frame, also of 6.5mm diameter aluminum wire, is fit into the tubular hollows. The lower frame supports the bottle from the bottom and rises two inches in the front surrounding the circumference of the bottle. Riveted to the backbone at the top is a Black plastic support which holds and permits to swivel a Black rubber retainer. The retainer grabs and holds the bottle around the cap so it is drawn tightly to the back of the cage. The metal structure of the B-52 is painted Black. The B-52 cage weighs 169 grams. We have found it to be compatible with Crystal Geyser and Evian 1.5 liter bottles. Made in USA. 37-41-B52-BK $19.99 BLACKBURN B-10 BOMBER Jr CAGE This is a shorter version of the B-52 above, designed to hold "spring" water bottles in the 34 ounce or 1 liter size. It is made using the same principles. The same "backbone" extrusion with the tubular rails is used, this time just 4 1/5" long, and there is just one set of mounting holes spaced at 2 1/2" on center. A curved 6.5mm diameter aluminum wire at the top, that is inserted and crimped into the backbone's hollow rail provides a "knuckle" that holds the bottle into the cage. There is a 6.5mm wire assembly inserted into the bottom backbone's hollow rails. The lower wire assembly wraps the front of the 4" up from the bottom. The B-10 is painted Black and weighs 105.5 grams 37-41-B10-BK $14.99 CAMELBACK THERMOBAK DRINKING SYSTEM The ThermoBak provides a hands-free drinking system for people who take sports of all kinds seriously. Besides cycling, it is a practical drinking system for runners, joggers, power walkers, hang gliders, rock climbers, motorcycle motocross endurance riders, and even snow skiers. The ThermoBak has a removable, inner plastic bag, (made of waterbed material), that slides into an insulated nylon outer carry pack. The inner "bottle" has a 75 oz. (2.2 liter) carrying capacity and is easily filled through a 1 3/8" wide opening, so even ice cubes are easy to put in it. With the "bottle" filled you push the plug into the opening, and slide it into the carry pack. At the base of the bottle is a plastic straw, with a blue rubber nipple, that has a self-closing cut in the end. To open the "nipple" all you do is bite slightly at the top and bottom, the fluid flows freely because of the gravity feed nature of the Thermalbak. With the Thermalbak on your back, this straw permits you to draw the fluid, (water, beverages, or even liquid nourishment), down to the last few drops. The insulated nylon carry pack serves as both a way to carry and to insulate the fluid. The carry pack has two adjustable shoulder straps, to fit different torso lengths, with quick release buckles on each strap. The ThermoBak may even be used as a method to cool your body down by wearing it filled with ice on your back. An optional fastener sold separately, known as a "Lifeline Gripper," is made to fasten the "straw" or fluid delivery tube¨, with Velcro, to a part of the bike. The Gripper can also be opened and closed repeatedly - its grip isn't permanent. The ThermoBak is made in Black or White. Remember, Black absorbs light and heat which help to melt ice cubes; while White reflects and will slow the melt rate or preserve the cool temperature of the fluids. The ThermoBak, empty and dry, weighs 256 grams complete. 37-64-100- (Color-BK-W) $32.99 37-64-060 Replacement straw end piece or nipple $2.99 37-64-030 Velcro Lifeline Gripper $3.99 37-64-040 Replacement inner "bottle" & "straw" $14.99 CAMELBACK 1/2 BAK UNBOTTLE DRINKING SYSTEM The 1/2 Bak is naturally the same as the ThermoBak with its size reduced. While the ThermoBak has a 75 ounce capacity, the 1/2 Bak will carry just 1 quart or 32 ounces. It has the same styled "bottle" and "straw" inside a neoprene exterior holding pouch, with two adjustable shoulder straps and quick disconnect buckles. The 1/2 Bak has an empty and dry weight of 197.5 grams, and It's also made in Black or White. 37-64-300 (Color-BK-W) $32.99 37-64-045 Replacement inner 1/2 Bak "bottle" $12.99 INNOVATIONS IN CYCLING X-CAGE The X-Cage appears to be made of the same plastic used to make the Profile Cage and the Specialized non-aluminum cages. The X-cage is molded in a single piece and gets name from four arms that surround the bottle that cross in an "X" with the intersection at the spine or backbone of the cage. These four arms surrounding the bottle are open at the front with two a two inch gap between the flexible arm ends arm ends. This opening allows you to extract or insert the bottle nearly straight out of the cage, rather than having to lift it out of the cage vertically as you must with every other cage presently sold. The X-Cage arms grip a full bottle very securely with the ends of the arms flexing just enough to allow the bottle's removal or insertion. At the bottom of the cage's backbone is 1/2" long flat protrusion that provides a "floor" for the bottle to "sit on". The backbone is rigid with three long slots that total nearly 5" in length for the cage fastening bolts to pass through. Typically, on a cage, there is just one pair of mounting holes and there is no choice position on the frame. The 5" long slot provide a great variety in exact positioning on the frame braze-ons, which is welcome, particularly on small and very small frames sizes. For those frames with no braze-ons, there are two slots through the backbone that permit you to a pair of steel cage clamps to fasten the X-Cage. The X-Cage comes with a pair of extra long Black steel mounting bolts that are 5mm by .8mm with a 15mm length and a pair of steel washers. The X-Cage is available only in Black and weighs 52 grams, the included bolt & washers weigh 8 grams. 37-02-X-BK $6.99 INNOVATIONS IN CYCLING - WATERSNAKE CAGE The Watersnake is a minimalist aluminum cage made of a single piece of die-cut 1/8" (.125) thick aluminum plate. The piece is 3/4" wide with diamonds cut out of the center to reduce weight and two concave holes for the included steel mounting bolts. The single strip is coiled leaving the 3/4" width against the side of the bottle. At the top of the Watersnake, there is a snake head shape with a double bend at the neck that forms a raised bump. This bump acts as a "knuckle" to hold the bottle at the top of its width in the cage. At the bottom of the cage the aluminum plate is bent inward to make 3/4" long "floor" to support the bottom of the bottle. Un-like the X-Cage the bottle on this Innovation cage is inserted and removed only from the top of the cage, not the front. Two steel bolts with 4mm hex fittings are for included for mounting. The Watersnake has a thickly painted, glossy outer surface that appears to be "powder" or "electrostatically" painted. While Innovations believes that it weighs 50 grams, we found the painted models actually weighed 58 grams, with the mounting bolts weighing an added 4 grams. The 4mm allen wrench necessary for installation isn't included. The Watersnake is available in Black, Green, Grey, Lavender, Silver, Yellow, White. We suspect Blue is also available but haven't been able to confirm it. 37-02-WS- (Color-BK-GR-GY-L-S-Y-W) $9.99 JOE MURRAY COMBO CAGE The Joe Murray Combo Cage combines a number of useful items to have when mountain biking, into a single convenient carrying system. Together it's a water bottle cage, water bottle, tire lever holder with levers, and patch kit holder with patch kit. The Combo Cage use injection molded plastic to create the bottle cage, which has holders on both sides of the rear rails for a tire lever each. The bottle retaining "knuckle" is a separate piece that snap-fits into the cage and is also held in place by the upper mounting bolt which passes through it, on it's way to the frame. Under the bottle cage is piece that snaps in and is held in place by the lower mounting bolt, which holds a square rectangular box with a patch kit in it. The patch kit contains sandpaper for buffing, a tube of rubber cement, two 2 inch, oblong, feather edge patches and 5 one inch round feather edge patches in snap tight box. The patch kit and levers all snap, and lock firmly into the cage. The bottle has a poppet top, allowing you to open and close the valve with your teeth as you ride. Because the rear rail area is thicker than many cages, two 2cm long, stainless steel, 5mm x .8mm screws are included to mount the Combo Cage. The cage, upper knuckle piece, and mounting screws, weigh 70 grams. These parts can be used without the levers or patch kit if you prefer. The patch kit holder, with patch kit, weighs 50 grams. The tire levers weigh 24 grams and the bottle weighs 57 grams empty. Total weight out of the box is 201 grams. Made in Japan, by Osaka Grip Company, now known as OGK, this is available in Black only. 37-89-100 BK $15.99 KING TITANIUM CAGE The King Cage is the creation of Ron Andrews, who as a mountain bike racer, raced for Team Fat Chance. Ron also has an engineering degree, and has been involved with Fat City Cycles and Ibis Cycles on the simplification in the detail of frame production. Now, deliberately on his own, he designs and makes industry specific tools and machines. One of his projects is the King Cage. It is made of 1/4" outer diameter Titanium tubing. The cage bottom, cradle, rear rails, and crown are all made of a single piece of Titanium tubing with multiple bends that ultimately meet on the left rear rail in the middle of where the upper bolt plate is welded. Where the tubing joins, it is TIG welded together, and then ground smooth on the sides and back. To unify the cage two concave, 5/8" tall mounting bolt plates are welded behind the rear rails. The plates are milled in the middle with a small oval for the 5mm bottle bolts to pass through. The lower plate is welded on 1" from the bottom, while the upper plate is welded 4 3/8" from the bottom of the cage. The King Cage is left in natural Titanium color and weighs 35 grams. Ownership of one is true patronage of the Titanium arts. 37-K-100 $54.99 KING TITANIUM RIB CAGE In 1994 Ron Andrews, (who now works at Yeti Cycles making frame jigs and tools), introduced another cage design. Known as the King Rib Cage, it is made of a slightly concave piece of aluminum plate that has two oval holes spaced at 60mm apart for fastening. To this rear plate, which is the cage's spine two hoops of Titanium tubing are welded. The hoops are 1/4" in diameter and 9 1/4" long. Their open ends are welded closed using Titanium filler wire that is power sanded to give it rounded ends. The hoops are 3.2" in diameter, leaving a gap of 1 1/4" for the cage to temporarily expand, before the hoops constrict to hold the bottle. At the bottom of the plate is a 1/2" wide ledge that extends 9/10ths inch to make a floor for the bottle sit on. The King Rib Cage weighs just 38 1/2 grams, and sells for somewhat less than most Titanium cages while being aesthetically different. 37-K-200 $34.99 PROFILE "THE KAGE" The Kage takes the bottle cage Minimalist thinking a step further by combining the RinglŽ single piece design with the use of "composite" plastics. The one piece, injection molded design produces an extremely rigid cage because all the areas of flex have small reinforcement "ribs" molded in, to prevent movement to the breaking point. The Kage has an angled piece, molded outward from the frame, that is the "bottom" for the bottle to rest against, however bottles fit so snugly in this cage, it probably isn't even necessary. The Kage comes with a lifetime warranty from Profile. It weighs 43 grams and is available in Black, Blue, Green, Lavender, Red, or White. 37-94-100 (Color - B-BK-GR-L-R-W) $7.99 PROFILE PIGGYBACK This muti-purpose waterbottle cage holder mounts under, and behind your seat. The idea was to find a way to store added water aerodynamically, other than carrying the two bottles most people put on their frame for extended rides. This is a brilliantly executed device that has a storage area built-in, which you can put things in like a patch kit, keys, money, even wallet, or anything small. It will hold one or two water bottle cages of any make or type (not included), using two sets of braze-on eyelets. It's made of sheet aluminum that is cut, fit and bolted together. The Piggyback uses a clamp that grips the bike firmly by the rear of the saddle rails. The cover over the compartment is held in place using bolts and a Velcro fastening system. The Piggyback will add 262 grams, (with all mounting hardware, including cage mounting bolts, without cages or bottles), when empty to your bike. Made in USA. Black. 37-94-100 $22.99 RINGLƒ H2O ULTRA LIGHT XC CAGE This is a new twist to a fairly old device. The RinglŽ cages are made of aluminum, but done a little differently than the other aluminum cages. These are made of brushed, sheet aluminum, that is die-cut to provide the rough shape, and removal of excess aluminum and it's weight from the future cage. The plate then has four precise 90Ą bends made on it, two on each end. The cage piece is rolled into it's final round shape. The folds at the sides keep the cage mounting bolts from interfering with sliding the bottle in and out of the cage, by creating a 3/8" stand-off from the frame. There is a separate aluminum "L bracket" piece that makes a "bottom" for the bottle to rest against. The "L bracket" is a 1/2" wide die-cut strip that is roughly 2 inches long, with a smoothly radiused bend creating a 3/4" short leg. The long leg has holes in it, that the lower mounting bolt passes through, which hold the L bracket and the cage in place on the lower braze-on. An aluminum washer is provided for the upper mounting bolt to seat against. To enhance the support of the cage and frame contact, two flat aluminum washers are placed between the cage, and the braze-ons, which reinforce the mounting position on the cage. Their Ultra Light XC is made from aluminum sheet that is 40% thicker than the aluminum used in RinglŽ's original Ultra Light cage. The XC is made of material that is 50 thousandths thick. The RinglŽ Ultra Light XC cage with L bracket and washers, (no mounting bolts), weighs just 52 grams. The XC is for braze-on mounting use only, and is available in Blue, Black, Gold, Green, Lavender, Pewter (Gun Metal Grey), Red and Silver. Made in New Jersey, USA. 37-39-200 (Color-B-BK-G-GN-GY-L-R-S) $12.99 "SACH" "LOCKJAW" BOTTLE CAGE We enclosed the Sachs name in quotes because this cage is sold under several names and is said to be made in USA. Sachs' bicycle parts are sold in the US through Sachs Bicycle Components, while Fitchel & Sachs (domiciled in Germany), is a subsidiary of Mannesmann. So at likely best Sachs Bicycle Components is marketing a plastic cage manufactured by another company in the US. The Lockjaw is made up of three pieces, two of molded plastic, the third is a 2 3/4"" in diameter O-ring. The backbone that attaches the cage to the frame along with the knuckle at the top to retain the bottle, two arms that extend half-way around (but do not enclose) the bottle and a 90 degree protruding plastic piece that makes the "floor" for the cage to rest comprise one plastic piece, the largest of the two plastic pieces. The second plastic piece is a cradle that holds the bottle into the rear backbone piece. At the end of each cradle arm are two thin expanding plastic "tangs" that snap into the backbones extended arms. These "tangs" provide slight and delicate retention of the cradle into the cage. The cradle piece is designed to permit it slide in and out of the backbone arms with up to a quarter inch of travel. At its fully extended, without the O-ring in place, it is merely the plastic tangs at the cradle end that prevent the loss of the bottle. The sliding cradle is held in place by the rubber O-ring, which surrounds the backbone, its extended arms and the cradle to draw the cradle and thereby the bottle up to the backbone and hold the bottle firmly. Black only, the Lockjaw weighs 61.5 grams. 37-48-100-BK $6.99 SPECIALIZED 5mm ALUMINUM CAGE The Specialized 5mm wire cage is a well crafted cage weighing 48 grams (in the painted version). It is made from one piece of 5mm aluminum wire, bent multiple times. The wire ends are at the top, where they are covered by an aluminum slip-sleeve that is mechanically crimped to hold the ends together and add rigidity. The slip sleeve operates as a bottle retaining "knuckle" to keep the bottle in place. The rear rails are spaced at 13/16" on-center, and held in place with one long aluminum plate that is die-cut, then stamped to shape, before it is TIG welded to the rear rails. The plate has 1 3/8" of TIG welds along each side, that begins 1 3/8" from the bottom. This cage can be fastened with braze-on mounting screws, or it can fastened using cage clamps that wrap around the down tube of the frame and hold it firmly. It is available Black, Grey, Lavender, Red, Silver, Ti Grey, or White. Made in Japan. 37-65-100 (Color-BK-GY-L-R-S-Ti-W) $4.99 SPECIALIZED 6.2mm ALUMINUM CAGE This is the heavy duty version of the above cage, and is made exactly the same way, using a heavier gauge wire. The heavier gauge wire adds more lateral rigidity to the cage. The same aluminum plate is TIG welded to the rear rails in the same position, so there is a 1 3/8" full weld contact to the rear rails that are spaced at 13/16" apart. The slip sleeve on this cage functions the same as the 5mm version, though it is slightly larger in diameter. The 6.2mm cage in the Silver color weighs 67.5 grams, (70 grams in the painted models). This cage can be fastened with braze-on mounting screws, or it can fastened using cage clamps that wrap around the down tube of the frame and hold it firmly. It is available Black, Grey, Lavender, Red, Silver, Ti Grey, or White. Made in Japan. 37-65-150 (Color-BK-GY-L-R-S-Ti-W) $5.99 SPECIALIZED MOUNTAIN CAGE The Specialized Mountain cage was the first of the "composite" bottle cages to appear. Up to that time the use of "composites" as bottle cages hadn't been successfully attempted and Specialized was the first to perfect the concept. The cages are made for Specialized in San Jose, California by Westec Plastics Corporation. The cage is made of two injection molded pieces. The rear rails and the rear bottom angle are made as one piece; the bottle bottom and front support structure is the other. The two pieces are then bonded together to form single, strong, and rigid cage that has a slight flex in it to permit the bottle to be taken in and out easily. The crown piece is curved to both cradle the bottle from the back and grip the top of the bottle canister portion with a firm resilient grip. This cage is for braze-on mounting only and has no facility for clamps. The Mountain cage weighs only 49 grams (without mounting bolts). Mounting bolts are not included with the cage, which is available in Blue, Black, Red, or White. Made in USA. 37-65-200 (Color-B-BK-R-W) $4.49 SPECIALIZED COMP CAGE Also made by Westec Plastics, Corp., the Specialized Comp cage, intended for Road riders, is just slightly lighter than the Mountain cage. The Comp cage is made of two injection molded pieces in the same way the Mountain cage is. All of the elements of the cage are made slightly thinner to reduce the weight by two grams. This cage is for braze-on mounting only, weighs 47 grams (without mounting bolts). Mounting bolts are not included with the cage, which is available in Blue, Black, Red, or White. Made in USA. 37-65-200 (Color-B-BK-R-W) $4.49 SPECIALIZED WATER CLIP II The Water Clip II is carrier that permits you to carry two additional full water bottles and two sealed air inflation cartridges, (provided they have threaded necks like the Air Zefal C02 inflation system). The Water Clip is made of die cut and formed 3mm thick sheet aluminum. The folded "wings" and bottom give the piece great rigidity. The wings have threaded holes for the cage fastening bolts using the 5 mm by .8mm pitch standard for cages and are compatible for use with any cage. The extended lower shelf has two holes threaded to carry C02 inflation cartridges tightly. The Water Clip bolts to a separate threaded aluminum plate, inside the saddle rails. Bottles, cages, cage mounting bolts, and an air system are not included. The Water Clip II with plate and bolts weighs 93 grams. Black, made in Japan. 37-65-400 BK $7.99 MRC COMPOSITE BOTTLE CAGE MOUNTING BOLTS These bolts replace the steel bottle cage bolts that come with many frames and bikes. They are made of a "composite" plastic that has phenomenal 10,000 PSI shear strength, but their real virtue is their weight. Each of these bolts weighs 6/10 of a gram. They are White, have a 6 six sided head with 5mm by .8mm thread pitch. The MRC bolts are 15mm long and are sold in pairs. 37-46-B 5mm x .8mm x 15mm - pair $1.99 SRP TITANIUM BOTTLE CAGE MOUNTING BOLTS These bolts replace the standard steel, braze-on cage mounting bolts that come stock with about all framesets and bikes. The SRP Titanium bolts are 5mm x .80mm thread pitch, with a recessed 4mm allen head. They are beautifully machined for Ti 6Al-4V rod in two lengths. The standard water bottle bolt length is 10mm, an extra long version is 18mm long. Sold in pairs, the 10mm long bolt weighs 1.3 grams each, while the 18mm long one weighs 2 grams. 37-91-510 5mm x .8mm x 10mm - pair $5.49 37-91-518 5mm x .8mm x 18mm - pair $5.99 BLACKBURN STAINLESS STEEL BOTTLE CAGE CLAMPS In the event you don't have braze-on fittings on your frame, or not enough of them for the bottles you want to carry, there is an alternative. Blackburn makes a set of stainless steel clamps that permit you mount a bottle cage on your frame where braze-ons don't exist. The clips are dimpled in the middle to fit into the hole on the bottle cage that the mounting bolt goes through. With the dimple in the hole, you wrap the clamp around the tube and cinch it on using the included 3mm allen head bolts with their matching locknuts. The set does not come with a 3mm wrench. Weight of the clamp and bolt set is 15 grams. 37-41-300 $2.99 SPECIALIZED STAINLESS STEEL BOTTLE CAGE CLAMPS For frames that don't have any, or enough braze-on sets for the bottle, or bottles you want to carry, Specialized has a set of stainless steel clamps to fasten cages to framest. The clamps are dimpled in the middle. The dimple goes on the cage in the hole intended for the mounting bolt. The clamp is then wrapped around the frame tube. A bolt passes from one side of the clamp into a nut, which is stationary and fastened to the other clamp end. The bolt has a 2mm allen head and is easily cinched down with the included allen wrench. The weight of the clamp set is 11 grams. Made in Japan. 37-65-300 $2.99 SPECIALIZED WATERBOTTLES Specialized bottles are easily the most popular water bottle ever produced! This is because Specialized actually innovated in a part of the bike that had been deliberately overlooked. They were the first with the built-in top valve that opened and closed with your teeth, and widened the mouth to accommodate ice cubes. They were the first maker of the oversized 28 oz. bottle, when 21 oz. was all that available elsewhere. Their present bottles have all of these features and more. There is a raised knurling in the ridge around the top, for an easy grip, to remove the bottle from a tight cage. The "poppet" (the part of the upper valve pulled by the teeth to open and close it) has been made larger in diameter so it is easier to grip. There are also some important environmental concerns that have been addressed. In fact this may be the only "Green" bottle sold. The bottle plastic has been made using a degree of paraffin, and an amount of corn starch. Should you and your bottle accidentally become separated in the wilderness, Ultra-violet rays will break down the paraffin element of the bottle. The cornstarch suspended in the plastic will begin to absorb moisture to permit the bottle to crumble and decompose. Beyond all that, Specialized bottles don't absorb odors or flavors, from not cleaning it thoroughly or promptly. The bottles are available in two sizes, 21 fluid ounces and a 28 fluid ounce - PLAIN, with no printing on them. The bottle come in Blue, Clear, Purple, Red, Yellow, and White. Empty the 21 ounce size weighs 59 grams while the 28 ounce size weighs 81.5 grams. Specify size and color. 37-65-000 (Color-B-C-L-R-Y-W) 21oz PLAIN $2.49 37-65-050 (Color-B-C-L-R-Y-W) 28oz PLAIN $2.99 SPECIALIZED RACERS EDGE WATERBOTTLES Once Giro had reached a measure of success with their BottleRocket bottles, Specialized introduced their own screw-off top bottle as the Racers Edge. The Racers Edge appears to be made of the same plastic used for their standard bottles. The base is tapered allowing easy insertion into the cage. At near the mid-point of this 24 ounce capacity bottle, their is a synthetic rubber ring with very small raised bumps around the circumference. This rubber strip is intended to improve your grip on the bottle. We found in less than 5 months, without direct exposure to the sun, that the rubber surface had "skinned" over, drying out the upper surface, leaving that surface with roughly the same "grip" as the rest of the bottle. There is a wide and deep recess for a real grip of the bottle about two thirds up the side. This provides one of the more comfortable grips for bottle removal. This recessed grip narrows the interior "throat", into the bottom stage, to just under two inches, still wide enough to fit ice cubes on end. The top of the bottle screws off allowing an opening just over 2 inches for filling the top stage. The screw-off top positively eliminates any leaks from the cap. The valve on the cap top has a rubber gasket to prevent leaks that originate near the valve base. The valve has a broad opening for a high flow rate, and a gasketed outer surface that allows liquid flow under pressure, but with the valve shut prevents leaks. There probably isn't a cyclist that doesn't bring and use a water bottle while driving their car. It's always a process finding a bottle that is leakproof and easy to use, this is the obvious choice for that bottle. At this time the Racers Edge bottle is made only with the bottom section in Clear (translucent) or White, and the screw-on cap with valve is White. All models have the Specialized logo screened on them, PLAIN (no printing) is not an option. Empty, the Racers Edge botle weighs 99.5 grams. 37-65-024 (Color-C-W) 24oz w/Logo $6.99 SPECIALIZED BIG MOUTH WATERBOTTLE Specialized uses another screw-on bottle top on the Racer's Edge bottom section to make the Big Mouth bottle. The Big Mouth uses a traditional built-in style valve that has an oversized rubber "poppet" used to open and close the bottle's valve with the riders teeth. Again, this bottom section of this bottle is capable of full size ice cube storage and has a grip ring. The Big Mouth bottom section comes in Clear (translucent), Green, Lavender, Red or White. The Big Mouth weighs 91 grams empty. 37-65-024 (Color-C-GN-L-R-W) $3.99 GIRO BOTTLEROCKETĒ WATERBOTTLE This product description is included for historical purposes only, as the original BottleRocketĒ was discontinued for the 1994 season. We wanted you to know about the origin of the BottleRocketĒ II, and in a sense, the Specialized Racers Edge bottle that appeared after the BottleRocketĒ II. Giro made improvements in traditional waterbottle function and fashion with the BottleRocketĒ. The BottleRocketĒ was a three stage design, with a lower reservoir, a grip ring and an upper cap. The lower and upper pieces were made of the traditional soft bottle plastic, while the center "grip ring" section is made of a harder clear acrylic. The lower stage screwed into the center grip ring stage and the cap screws onto the top of the grip ring. The BottleRocketĒ used an O-ring between the lower section and the grip ring, while the top firmly sealed making a single leakproof bottle. The hard acrylic grip ring stage is enclosed by a textured, Kraton-like rubber that sealed the joints tightly, while providing tactile grip for removal and placement. The poppet on the top uses an O-ring to seal, and has a graduated variable flow as you pull the bottle more and more open. Because of the removable grip ring design, the original BottleRocket was easy to clean. The hard plastic joint allowed it to withstand up to ten times the internal pressure of conventional bottle, so carbonated beverages were no longer a problem. The BottleRocketĒ held 23 fluid ounces, with the bottle available in several color schemes. The top and bottom always matched, and were available in Clear, or White. The grip ring came in six colors, Blue, Green, Lavender, Orange, or Pink. The weight of an empty BottleRocketĒ was 144 grams. It sold for $9.99 GIRO BOTTLEROCKETĒ II WATERBOTTLE Giro's BottleRocketĒ II fulfills a more traditional design, having two rather than three pieces, and it doesn't rely on a hard acrylic center ring to enhance the structure of the bottle. Accordingly, it will not hold liquid under pressure (carbonated) like the original BottleRocketĒ. The screw-on top provides a leak proof seal between the upper and lower sections. The cap has a variable rate of flow internal valve that is somewhat more easily opened and closed with your teeth than other bottle valves. The top of the BottleRocketĒ II is in fact the same one used on the original BottleRocketĒ just molded in different colors. The BR II has a 23 fluid ounce capacity. The bottle opening beneath the cap is 2 1/2" across. At the throat, where the outside narrows for a hand grip, it is still 2 inches across making complete cleansing of the bottle extremely simple. Any of you who have ever left your traditional bottle (with a 1 1/2" or less opening) filled for a few days, have discovered how difficult, (even if you fit the complete sponge inside), it is to maneuver around the inside while cleaning it. There are people (environmental vandals) your author has ridden with who , because of this difficulty,will throw out (away) a bacteria laden bottle rather than wash it. The BottleRocketĒ II is the easiest bottle we have found to clean, and clean thoroughly, including the Racers Edge or the Big Mouth. There is no imaginable set of circumstances, barring failure from abuse that this bottle will not last a lifetime. The bottom section is made in Clear (translucent) or White, while the screw-on cap, for 1994, comes in four colors, Black, Lavender, Red, or Teal (dark Turquoise). The weight of an empty BottleRocketĒ II is 68.5 grams. 37-58-110 (Bottom-C-W / Top-BK-L-R-T) $5.99 FACTORY WATERBOTTLES Many people want water bottles bearing the logo of their favorite bike or parts maker, we keep many of these on hand. These are the actual factory bottles. They have the poppet top that can be opened and closed with your teeth in one hand. They may be available in either the small, (21 ounce) or large, (28 ounce) size in Clear or White. 37-43-000 (Color-C-W) Blackburn 21oz $5.99 37-43-050 (Color-C-W) Blackburn 28 oz $5.99 37-78-000 (Color-C-Y-W) Fat City 21oz $5.99 37-78-050 (Color-C-Y-W) Fat City 28 oz $5.99 37-GF-050 (Color-C) Gary Fisher 28 oz $5.99 37-02-200 (Color-W) GT Bicycles 28 oz $5.99 37-GI-000 (Color-W) Grove Innovations 21 oz $5.99 37-46-000 (Color-C-W) McMahon Racing 21 oz $5.99 37-46-050 (Color-C-W) McMahon Racing 28 oz $5.99 37-74-000 (Color-C) Mtn Goat 21 oz $5.99 37-74-050 (Color-C) Mtn Goat 28 oz $5.99 37-94-000 (Color-W) Profile for Speed 21 oz $5.99 37-39-050 (Color-BK-C) RinglŽ 28 oz $5.99 37-43-000 (Color-C-W) Ritchey 21 oz $5.99 37-43-050 (Color-C-W) Ritchey 28 oz $5.99 37-SS-000 (Color-C-W) Salsa 21 oz $5.99 37-SS-050 (Color-C-W) Salsa 28 oz $5.99 37-S-000 (Color-C-W) Synchros 21 oz $5.99 37-S-050 (Color-C-W) Synchros 28 oz $5.99 37-67-000 (Color-C-W) Yeti 21 oz $5.99 37-67-050 (Color-C-W) Yeti 28 oz $5.99 37-89-000 (Color-C) Wilderness Trail 21 oz $5.99 37-89-050 (Color-C) Wilderness Trail 28 oz $5.99 BIKE PRO WATERBOTTLES These are the same bottles as above, made for us by Specialized, that have our "BIKE PRO mountain man racer" screened in Black on each of the colored bottles. The bottles are available in the 21 ounce or 28 once size, in Aqua, Blue, Clear, Yellow, Lavender, Red, or White. Demonstrate your allegiance with one of these bottles on your bike. 37-65-000 (Color-B-C-L-R-Y-W) 21oz $2.39 37-65-010 (Color-B-C-L-R-Y-W) 28oz $2.89