Would like a bottle and cage that I can be sure will not fall out on rocky terrain, anyone have any suggestions?

Blackburn, used on 3 Peaks CX, loads of MTB riding and never lost a bottle.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/blackburn-mountain-bottle-cage/rp-prod8285?gs=1&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Chain+Reaction-UK-PLA-PLA-All-MB-SE-Shopping+QLB+Manufacturer+Mobile&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid%7CsS8mxuQDP_dm%7Cpcrid%7C161810673982%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cprd%7C25792UK

Thanks funky, what bottle did you use?

Any cheap as chips alloy cage e.g. Decathlon for £2

Fit to bike, apply pressure with hand and bend into frame to achieve a grip so tight on any bottle that you can barely yank it out when you need a drink.

Heard good things about the Specialized Zee cage.

Cheap alloy cage and any old bottle, get a 6″ loop of shock cord and larks foot it around the top of the cage. On steep stuff I hook the elastic over the neck of the bottle, never have an issue.

what bottle did you use?

Whatever I’ve got for free 🙂

Tends to be these

Blackburn alloy cage and a High5 bottle, not had one fall out yet. As above bend the cage to apply the tightness to hold it

In nearly 30 years of riding off road, I can’t remember a single occasion when I’ve lost a water bottle out of a bottle cage. Currently I’m liking King SS cages, with either camelback or regular bottles. I mostly ride rigid 29ers and 700c CX bikes and have done the 3 Peaks several times. I couldn;t manage to get the water bottle to fall out of my drop bar 650b bike recently riding Paris Roubaix (although I rather wished that I had).

Any cheap as chips alloy cage e.g. Decathlon for £2

had 3 break at the join where its welded to the mounting plate on the cheap ones.

Yep, the Specialized Zee is really good.

Lezyne Flow is very much a firm hold. After 4 years it still takes a solid yank to get any bottle out!

Elite Custom race bottle cages and Camelbak Podium bottles.

*Not a recommendation as such, more what I would avoid next time*

I tried one of theses

http://fabric.cc/bottles/600ml-cageless-waterbottle

and it came off twice on its first go. Great idea, but not quite there IMO

I couldn;t manage to get the water bottle to fall out of my drop bar 650b bike recently riding Paris Roubaix

but how many bottles did you see at the side of the road. I reckon i saw at least 50.

but how many bottles did you see at the side of the road. I reckon i saw at least 50.

Yes, I saw loads – but I don’t quite understand how they manage it. Whilst I maybe partial to “a little shiney”, I do buy pragmatically and stuff that (nowadays anyway) tends to work pretty well.

I have a Fabric cageless bottle and its never let me down, it is however an absolute bugger if you wanted to be able to use it on the move. I find it holds the bottle too tight..

I do however really like it

Elite Custom Race: https://www.evanscycles.com/elite-custom-race-bottle-cage-EV166230?esvt=54926-GOUKE2292120&esvq=&esvadt=999999-0-1219830-1&esvcrea=189739609867&esvplace=&esvd=c&esvtg=pla-301056093748&esvo=EV166230-NA-BLK&esvaid=50080&gclid=CLeAr7P5nNQCFe8W0wodNyoLIQ

I had a nice plain plastic Bontrager one but lost a bottle on a washboardy descent above Builth, then had a Lezyne side entry one, similar result elsewhere.

Now have the elite, not lost a bottle since, they deform to fit the bottle a bit, almost stretch, and have a rubbery bit at the bottom that grips the bottle.

Currently I’m liking King SS cages,

should have said +1. better than my fancy carbon cages on my XC bike – but the carbon matches the colorway better 😳

Back bottle every time. Can’t stand the look of cages and hanging a kg of water off my frame.

Elite Cuissi, perhaps pushed to tighten it up a bit, perhaps with some skateboard grip tape on parts of it too. Any cheap bottle, I like the Elite ones, if you’ve used griptape, ideally one you don’t mind scratching.

better than my fancy carbon cages on my XC bike – but the carbon matches the colorway better

[coughs] I might have Bontrager RXL carbon cages on my road bike… 😳

Got a plastic looking Specialised bottle cage that was about £12. Looks ok, very light and charging down the Pedalhounds DH run at Cwmcarn the bottle didn’t move even a little bit. Just got a cheapie decathlon £1.99 bottle with a flip cover for the valve. Actually the bottle that’s lasted the best out of any and without going mouldy in the valve. The hi5 bottles always seem to start leaking after a few months.

Any cheap alloy one that you can squeeze tight. What ever bottle is lying around. My Cotic X with its stupid double cages use cheapy (ETC I think) side openers never lost a bottle.

ELite customs for me. If I know it is going to be really rough (3 peaks) them I wrap the bottle with tape. Hard to get in and out but equally it doesn’t fall out either.

Another vote for elite custom race here. I use them with the matching bottles (normally picked up by the roadside at the tour of Britain) and have never had a bottle drop. Even this week at Ae with the bottle not fully inserted it didn’t come loose.

Works for me

King Ti
Mt Zoom side entry

Not worked for me

Bontrager side entry carbon – fell out repeatedly

I use Camelbac Podium bottles.

You can’t go wrong with the Elite cages.

Zee cages work just fine (and they are available with either side entry). However, not all bottles have the recess at the same height. I have some Cube bottles that are a wee bit high for the little lip in the Zee to engage into. It’s worth making sure you have a compatible pairing.

Another vote for the Elite Custom race cage 8)

Problem I have with the ally cages is they bend to easily, sure you can bend them back but I did have a bottle jump out mid ride before.

Had a 50% loss rate with Elite cages.Swapped to Trek Bat cages and not lost one since.

Back bottle every time. Can’t stand the look of cages and hanging a kg of water off my frame.

Specialized Rib Cage is by far the best cage I’ve ever used never dropped a bottle the plastic ones are great and light and the S-works one is just a bit pimpy but a little too grippy.

Bottles? meh I must have hundreds! currently the rubber capped SIS ones are good Camelback podiums are good I got given a bunch from Cannondale/Drapac, I guess it’s teaching you to suck eggs but avoid the High 5 or freeby ones as the plastic valve is (personally speaking) horrible to open/drink from

For mountain biking seriously avoid the RL/RXL’s they drop bottles before you’ve left the car park, the USE carbon ones are good but I’ve snapped the nubbin at the end on every one i’ve ever owned.

King Cages are great but now they only live on my Pace, Klein and retro bikes

Back bottle every time. Can’t stand the look of cages and hanging a kg of water off my frame.

Duuuude you like totally enduroooo.

I have have never lost a bottle with Elite Custom Race cages, I currently uses these on the grrrrrrravel bike.

However the best cage I have ever used were the King Cage Iris. Grip well, look ace.

Ive got the pdw bird cages on my cotic escapade. They’re lovely and a bit different. Not lost a bottle yet despite using it as a gravel bike.

Pdw birdcage

Just got std alpkit cages on my other off road bikes. They seem to do the job as well for a fiver each or something.

Elite cuissi. Been using them (or their earlier guise) for 25 years. Not lost a bottle yet. Except when I’ve dropped it.

Until very recently elite used to be fitted to a good number of the bikes used on the cobbled classics. Now there’s propper money in cages, so sponsors get funny if you don’t use their latest 100 dollar plastic fantastic cage. And drop bottles.

Still some of the top guys use cuissi with the logos peeled off.

Bottles, i now use podiums, as i have to pay for them 🙁

Prior to that it was whatever i was given! (Still never lost one!)

do they even make bottles that big? Biggest I’ve seen is 750 ish.

Two bottles….

Ah.
Yeah.

Doh……

Still time for a stealth edit

I have used the Fabric bottles on three quite different bikes, Cotic Rocket under the top tube, Litespeed 26er hardtail and Canyon Nerve 29 on the down tube. I have never had a bottle come off the bosses