# Best kind of water bottle cage for strapping to fork leg?



## Raybum (Apr 16, 2009)

What's your favorite type of cage for strapping to fork legs? (with zip ties or hose clamps)


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## redfox1939 (Sep 16, 2012)

As for anything cages I've heard of a few breaking, definitely for light and bulky items. For water lots of people go with a bottle cage strapped on each fork leg and a camelback or platypus inside the framebag if more capacity is needed.

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it's all here :Sedona restaurants l Cathedral Rock


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Two fish makes cages with rubber pads and straps .


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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

The supports on these _Specialized_ cages are tongues, that allow hose clamps. These hose clamps for the Fox fork were 304 grade stainless, at 21-44mm.

35mm maximum, would have been a better size hose clamp, giving less tail to catch in the grass.










Leeboh mentioned rubber pads, I cut the pads from an old inner tube.

Warren.


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## Burnt-Orange (Dec 10, 2008)

cool set up Wild
just what I need for my fat bike 

Sj


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## alanthealan (Jan 22, 2010)

Salsa Anything Cage


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## bob13bob (Jun 22, 2009)

Never thought cages like that would be able to hold bottles with the vertical movement of a suspect fork.

sent from one of my 4 gold leafed iphone4s's


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

Salsa stainless cages actually have slots for hose clamps/zip ties. I have one zip tied to my down tube, but for a fork I would use hose clamps and rubber pads.


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## jbphilly (Feb 22, 2012)

Where do you guys get the hose clamps for attaching cages to the fork? And what kind?


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## kyle_vk (Jul 25, 2011)

any hardware store carries hose clamps...who cares what kind...its not like you need a bike specific hose clamp. Just buy the one that fits your fork/cage combo the best.


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## beagledadi (Jul 18, 2004)

I would think mounting the cages pointing backwards (behind the fork leg) would be better for weight distribution than up front?? Just curious.

Matt


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## ridemtn (Aug 25, 2009)

I just did a trip with the integrated bottle cage/strap mount from Two Fish and found it to perform very well, (they have just the bottle cage mounts only via strap as well, it just looked less streamlined than what I was aiming for) I was quite impressed. 

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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

SlowerJoe said:


> cool set up Wild
> just what I need for my fat bike
> 
> Sj


Sj, G'day and thanks for your note.

This shot from the August 2012 issue of _Tracks_ magazine, Australia's Bicentennial National Trail magazine, prompted me to set up my fork, for this coming Summer. The article by Dave McLeod is about mountain biking on the BNT during extreme weather conditions ... like during heat waves.

The photo shows from L-R Brad McCullach, Terry Montgomery and Jeff Coward hiking and hauling, Terry's bike and BOB up (what could be) the nightmare called Lazareni Spur in the Victorian High Country.


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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

bob13bob said:


> Never thought cages like that would be able to hold bottles ...


Bob, G'day. Absolutely.

In the photo above, cheap orange twine holds those bidons in the cages.

I made my tethers for the bidons on the fork, out of sticky-back Velcro tape. With the soft side of the tape against the paint, of course.










For the two bidons on the frame, I bought some elastic tape with press studs.










You think that my fork is _"suspect?"_

Three years on and it is still behaving faultlessly Mate. I hope your fork is equally fine. I'm an off-road tourer, not a bikepacker. Take a look!

BNA - Australian Cycling Forums • View topic - Scooting around the Tinderrys.
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=8470&v=jj
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=9650&v=hb

Warren.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

I had some cheap aluminum cages mounted to my fork legs on a month long tour in Chile last year mounted using the rack braze on and a hose clamp. Both cages failed but with the use of a velcro strap they continued to hold the 1L zefal magnum bottles the rest of the trip. Travel was on primarily dirt roads, some asphalt and some single track whenever I could find it.

This year on the Colorado trail I intended to use two of the 2fish adapters mentioned earlier with arundel cages mounted to my Fox fork. They ejected bottles, which were held down with velcro straps into my front wheel on the very first downhill section of segment one dropping in to the South Platte before the uphill grind of segment two. After 2 bottle ejections the bottles went into my jersey pockets and stayed there for the next 500 miles while the adapters and cages were mailed home in Leadville.

From this experience I wouldn't mount bottles on a suspension fork with the intent of riding proper single track with the 2fish adapters again. For dirt roads, gravel grinding or less I wouldn't have a problem with doing so.


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

I do exactly the same thing as *Wild Wassa *(hose clamps and old tubes to protect the fork). Here is my old fully rigid setup where I used cheap straw bale twine to secure the bottle tops to the fork. I'm kind of cheap overall so I use store bought 1L water bottles instead of bike bottles, but it works fine either way. The key is ensuring there is enough room at the top of the bottle to secure it below the stanchions (so, mount the cages as low as you can)










Not the best image, I know, but you get the idea. I now have a different bike with a suspension fork and a different setup (no more panniers and rack), but its still no problem. I just reused aluminum cages I already had and its all has been fine, even on rocky descents.


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## DesertDog (Apr 14, 2006)

Raybum said:


> What's your favorite type of cage for strapping to fork legs? (with zip ties or hose clamps)


Here's something different that I use.

http://forums.mtbr.com/nevada/mojave-water-haulers-781458.html


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

I have an Ogre, which has dedicated fork mounts for bottle cages, but even so I would still go with the Specialized cages. I've used all kinds of cages and those are 1) cheap and 2) reliable. Yet to break on me.

I feel dirty putting Specialized branded parts on a Surly though .


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

Raybum said:


> What's your favorite type of cage for strapping to fork legs? (with zip ties or hose clamps)


Bontrager Bat Cage








These are totally unflappable. I've strapped them to fork legs on a rigid bike and run the roughest trails I know with full bottles, and they hold great. No extra strapping needed, even on the back of the fork leg where they are more upside down.

I attached it using the Minoura Bottle Boss Adjustable Bottle Cage Holder








There might be better ways to attach it, but these worked great. I now use one for a bottle mount behind the seatpost.


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## 1 Speed (Jan 8, 2004)

I used the Two Fish model with King Cages and once I got them properly cinched down, they worked fabulously. It takes a little practice and willingness to tug on the velcro but it's tough stuff.


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## redfox1939 (Sep 16, 2012)

Definitely don't meet any styling requirements - but cheap, and absolutely indestructable. And because they're moulded plastic, they consistently grip a bidon tighter than a schoolboy gripping 
________________________________

restaurants in Sedona It's all here!!


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## buddhak (Jan 26, 2006)

After destroying two Alu cages on my Pug fork I went with plastic. Specifically the Cateye BC100. $6 ea, lightweight, holds bottles securely, "unbreakable" flexible plastic (sounds like a challenge), and almost designed with 2x/3x zip tie mounting in mind. Perfect solution for me. Pics later.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

buddhak said:


> After destroying two Alu cages on my Pug fork I went with plastic. Specifically the Cateye BC100. $5 ea, lightweight, holds bottles securely, "unbreakable" flexible plastic (sounds like a challenge), and almost designed with 2x/3x zip tie mounting in mind. Perfect solution for me. Pics later.


The Cateye BC-100 is unbreakable. I have been using them for ~20 years with ZERO problems. Can not remember the last time I lost a bottle, either. Alway good to put washers under the mounting bolt heads, though. The bolts can pull through with a heavy load (like older way heavy light batteries.


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## buddhak (Jan 26, 2006)

Shiggy, your enthusiastic redommendation for the cateye led me to the product. I am very pleased so far.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

buddhak said:


> Shiggy, your enthusiastic redommendation for the cateye led me to the product. I am very pleased so far.


Cool. I have also zip-tied the cage to the top tube and seat post for long rides. Used a strip of leftover cork bar tape under the cage to help keep it from moving around.


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## Troy Harman (May 30, 2013)

Was there a specific reason that you used aluminum cages instead of carbon? Just wondering? Getting ready to head to the hardware store to pick up the clamps. Did you try them on the back of the fork? results? or did it just make more since to face them forward? Thanks for the info. Troy


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

Raybum said:


> What's your favorite type of cage for strapping to fork legs? (with zip ties or hose clamps)












Whatever cheap a$$ ones I can find in my parts bin. They are sacrificial in that location anyways so they'll get destroyed sooner or later.

I made a small keeper loop out of bungee cord [not shown in photo] that goes from the cage over the top of the bottle. Keeps it secure even on an uber fast rough descent.


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