That being said, as ever there are always some questions that need answering, so having tried a tonne of cages out I'll try my best to answer them below. What bottle cage do pros use?

In the same way, all of us, as consumers, make trade-offs every single day in the products we buy and the services we use – and it seems clear that for many people, in the months and years to come, the actual financial cost will become an increasingly important part of the equation. The open front allows for unencumbered installation, though the mounting eyelets are relatively short so have limited height adjustability on the frame. We rarely see the pros using superlight cages, as often their bikes are under the UCI weight limit as standard anyway, and so adding slightly heavier cages is no big deal and helps them make the legal limit.Each Barnacle uses an M5 bolt and swivel nut to secure it to the tubing and a brass M5 threaded boss embedded into it. Although they can handle more, Jon suggests loading the Barnacles up with no more than 1,000 grams will have negative effects on the bike’s handling (when mounting to the fork), and should be avoided. Find more at our press release here. As previous, I'm surprised at people who think they get to tell others how they can and can't spend their money. And while the potential market for such as product at that price point is very small, it does exist – and as has also been pointed out in the comments, the opinion of people who would be prepared to fork out that much for a bottle cage is equally valid – it’s their money and their choice. My only gripe is that the holder is sold with screws with a short head to allow good clearance of the bottle. The fancy screws from my frame stamped with the brand do rub against the bottles when I try to use them so I have to use the Supacaz screws... and they are incredibly soft. You can round the head without using any leverage if you are not careful.

It's an interesting demonstration of the effectiveness of the Cerakote coating. I tried to replicate the test myself with a not-entirely-sharp Stanley blade, and indeed, it did the same thing. After inserting and removing a bottle through a couple of months' worth of grimy weather, I've not noticed a single mark on the cage. In all, the Supacaz Fly Anodised bottle cage would add a nice aesthetic touch to a bike. It provides decent retention but the overall product feels a little flimsy. The best bottle cages? How much difference can they make? Well, there's more to them than meets the eye, though I will admit they are all relatively similar in terms of functionality. Below I've rounded up 24 very good options, including plastic, carbon, and metal options, as well as some more specialist ones for smaller frames, odd-shaped bottles, and high capacity units. Even the weight weenies will be happy, as I've weighed them all too. The holder in itself is very light, gorgeous, and the finish looks durable (to be confirmed along the kilometers of course). Well, first of all the Sicuro cage is made from high-quality 3Al/2.5V titanium, and is hand-bent and laser welded in the USA. It's pretty light (33g on the road.cc scales, just over the claimed weight of 30g) and being titanium it's also pretty tough.

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It's hard to beat the Topeak Feza, in either the 10g road or 12g gravel version. Despite being crazy light, and looking rather flimsy, I've found the G12 model to be dependable, and grip more tightly than far cheaper models. There are lighter ones on the market, just, but you're going to be shopping with boutique brands and spending big dollar to save around four grams. Do bottle cages fit all bottles?