What’s the best water bottle cage for mountain bike? Read our review to find out!
Cycling requires strong legs and endurance. To make this easier, it’s better if you pack light. What about water?
It can be easy to hydrate while biking, without even needing to stop to take a drink if you don’t want to. A water bottle cage is a great way to bring a water bottle with you on your cycling adventures without weighing down your backpack.
![Aduro Bike Water Bottle Holder Aluminum Cage, [2X Pack] Bicycle Water Bottle Mount Lightweight for Cycling Fits Any Bike with Easy Installation](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41plGPg5j8L.jpg)
Staying Hydrated While Cycling
Table of Contents
When you sweat while cycling and doing other physical activities, your body loses water and needs to replenish its reserves to keep going. Keeping water within reach in a bottle cage will help you stay hydrated while out on your mountain bike.
More Value for Your Money
Most of the bottle cages we reviewed come in double packs, giving you more value for your hard-earned cash. If your bicycle frame has space, you could install both bottle cages. Having two bottle cages means you can bring double the amount of water with you, making it an excellent idea for longer rides.
Alternatively, you could use the extra cage for someone else’s bicycle. You could install the second cage on your partner’s bike, which means the both of you can go on well-hydrated rides together! You could also install the cage on your teen’s bicycle, or give it to a friend. The second bottle cage certainly won’t go to waste!
Lightweight Cages
Adding more weight to your mountain bike will make it harder to pedal and go faster. That’s why all the bottle cages we reviewed are very light, with most weighing less than 2 ounces (57 grams) a cage. Your full water bottle will weigh more than the thing securing it to your bicycle!
Easy Installation
All of the bottle cages we reviewed are quick and easy to attach to your mountain bike’s frame. All the cages include screws to secure it to the frame as well, which means your bicycle frame needs to have drilled holes so you can use any of the cages listed below.
Many bikes have pre-drilled screws for installing bottle cages, but not all do. Make sure your bicycle has such holes in the frame before purchasing a screw-in bottle cage. If not, you may have to drill holes in the frame yourself.
Don’t want to drill holes in your expensive mountain bike? Different types of bottle cages don’t screw in with drilled holes so that they may be of greater use to you.
Best Water Bottle Cage for Mountain Bike
Lightweight Aluminum Water Bottle Cage by Ibera
This water bottle cage is sure to secure most water bottles without weighing down your mountain bike. You can buy this cage in single or double packs. You could even attach two cages to your bike to double the amount of water for your cycling adventures.
Two screws are included with this bottle cage for installation, but you’ll also need a 3-millimeter hex wrench, which doesn’t come with your purchase.
Pros
- Available in four different designs. The carbon pattern and white has a glossy finish while black and silver has a matte finish.
- Available in single or double packs.
- Fits most water bottles snugly, so they won’t fall out when you’re on the road or trails.
Cons
- The cage’s finish may wear over time, and that means it could stain your water bottles, hands, or even your clothes.
- Hex wrench needed for installation isn’t included with purchase.
Alloy Aluminum Lightweight Water Bottle Cage by Ushake
This alloy aluminum cage will fit water bottles 2.75-3 inches wide (68.9-76.2 millimeters), and the cage’s arms will secure the bottle down so that it doesn’t tumble out.
Purchase includes 2 cages so you can use both on your bike, or give one to your partner, teen, or friend to use!
Pros
- Includes 4-millimeter hex key, screws, and washers for easy installation into drilled holes.
- Fits a variety of bottles, not just those intended for bicycle cages.
Cons
- Made of a few pieces welded together, which means it may be less sturdy than a single-piece bicycle cage.
- The screws included with purchase may not fit the drilled holes on your bicycle.
Aluminum Water Bottle Cage by Aduro
Besides being a little heavier, this water bottle cage is every bit as functionals as the others.
The cage fits most standard and oversized water bottles, and the bending arms will secure your bottle well, even on bumpy roads. Aduro’s bottle cage comes in double packs, which gives you more value for your money.
These cages weigh in at 2.1 ounces (61 grams) each. Though this weight is certainly nothing to scoff at, Aduro’s product is the heaviest cage out of the 5 we’ve reviewed.
Pros
- Available in 4 colors: black, blue, red, and silver.
- Includes Allen keys and bolts to install the cages on your bicycle frame.
Cons
- Heavier than other water bottle cages.
Lightweight Carbon Fiber Water Bottle Cage by Pergear
Pergear’s carbon fiber bottle cage is incredibly light, weighing in at 1.05 ounces (30 grams), which makes it the lightest bottle cage out of the five we’ve reviewed. If weight is one of your top priorities in selecting a bottle cage, Pergear’s product might be the best choice for you.
Carbon fiber is amazingly light, but your metal water bottles mightn’t like it. Stick to plastic bottles with this cage, as metal ones might get scraped up.
Pros
- Corrosion resistant.
- Very lightweight.
- Logo-free design.
- Purchase includes 2 cages, screws, and a microfiber cloth for cleaning.
Cons
- Metal bottles may get scratched.
- Some testers reported the outer coating peeled over time.
Water Bottle Holder by Pro Bike Tool
This bottle cage is designed to fit most standard and oversized water bottles. It is sure to secure your water bottle down for your entire bike ride, whether you’re on a paved road or bumpy forest trail.
The cage has some flex, so that means your slightly larger or smaller water bottle will fit nicely.
It won’t weigh down your bicycle either, as it weighs in at only 1.69 ounces (48 grams).
Purchase includes stainless steel bolts for installing on your bicycle frame.
Pros
- Shiny, even-colored finish is durable and easy to clean.
- One-piece design means less worry about damage or breaking.
- Your water bottle won’t easily fall out of this cage.
Cons
- Intended to hold only bicycle water bottles. It might fit your non-bicycle bottles, but there are no guarantees. You might have to buy a water bottle to fit this cage.
- Purchase includes a single cage, unlike many of the others we reviewed that come in double packs.
Our Choice
Our favorite water bottle cage out of the ones we reviewed is Pergear’s Lightweight Carbon Fiber Water Bottle Cage. We like this cage because it’s the lightest one we reviewed, weighing in just a little more than an ounce.
If you install both the cages on one bicycle, they’d about be the same weight as a single Aduro’s cage. This cage’s carbon fiber design makes it as sturdy as it is lightweight. The only real drawback with this bottle cage is that you have to use plastic bottles in it. The carbon fiber cage could potentially scratch up your (pricey) metal bottles.
Although this bottle cage isn’t suitable for use with metal bottles, we still think it’s a great purchase. Carbon fiber bottle cages are usually much more expensive than aluminum ones, so Pergear’s bottle cage is a steal of a deal!