Water bottle hitting my frame!

Blade180

Hi

I bought a new gravel bike, and I put the bottle cages and used 1 Litre water bottle.
Because the bottle cage is quite small it does not support the whole bottle meaning the top section of it when riding on rough terrain smacks against the frame.
Which I have already found out the now left with rough surface and slightly chipped paint.
Only a small patch.

So on shorter rides I can be ok with 500ml bottles, but when I will be going bikepacking I need 1L bottles.

How can I remedy this?

arlowood

Try wrapping/sticking a foam strip around the top end of the bottle where it extends beyond the bottle cage. Not very elegant but could work.
Alternatively would you consider ditching your small cages for something bigger that will support the bottle?

redvision

Personally I would just take a slightly smaller bottle but if you have to have a full litre, get one with a soft rubber valve and then put a lizard skin patch under the toptube (or whether the bottle keeps hitting).

pblakeney

Smaller bottles and top up as required.
Less seriously, there was someone who used 50l hydro packs, or something...

JBA

Get better bottle cages and/or use smaller 750ml bottles.

MattFalle

smaller bottles and fit another 'cage to carry a third to get the water carrying capability back

Blade180

Hmm.

I see now a couple "maybe" solutions:

I can wrap bubble wrap around the upper water bottle.
Which should stop the impact.

OR

Go with smaller capacity. Which I don't really want to.


For the down tube there is 3 bolts, I was looking for a bottle cage would be longer as my frame can accommodate that.

veronese68

If riding off road I use a camelback type thing as the bottles get covered in muck.

darkhairedlord

One of these....

MattFalle

Blade180 said:

Hmm.

I see now a couple "maybe" solutions:

I can wrap bubble wrap around the upper water bottle.
Which should stop the impact.

OR

Go with smaller capacity. Which I don't really want to.


For the down tube there is 3 bolts, I was looking for a bottle cage would be longer as my frame can accommodate that.

as far as I am aware thete are smaller than standard and stand sized cages but no "supersize" ones.

why don't you want to put another cage on?

johngti

Does the extra 250ml really make life that much easier?

Charlie_Croker

A larger cage that suits the bottle?
You only need to drink from one bottle/holder, you can rotate them as needed or pour from the backups to the one your drinking from.




Topeak Modula XL Adjustable Bottle Cage shown (Cage height adjusts to fit 1-1.5 liter bottles)

Where there's a will...

joe_totale-2

2 x 750ml bottles equals 1.5 litres. That'll keep you going for a while even if it's hot.

You're never that far from a tap/shop in this country so topping up is never too tricky.

MattFalle

pilot_pete

You never ‘need’ one litre water bottles in the UK, you just want them. Just keep it simple and put a couple of bottle cages on and carry two 500ml bidons. Problem solved. And if you are truly bike-packing carry some puritabs which will sort you in an emergency if you run out and need to fill up from a stream.

shirley_basso

pilot_pete said:

You never ‘need’ one litre water bottles in the UK, you just want them. Just keep it simple and put a couple of bottle cages on and carry two 500ml bidons. Problem solved. And if you are truly bike-packing carry some puritabs which will sort you in an emergency if you run out and need to fill up from a stream.

Not a deliberate dig at you PP but after the vitriol milemuncher got after his bollox about never being near a water supply I found myself out of water on a very hot day and wondering what my options where. It was very early (7am) so didn't want to knock on any doors or just help myself to a garden hose.

Tidings of deep joy when I rounded the corner to find a beautiful church.

How did it water the gardens?

EFFING water butt.

pilot_pete

If you are genuinely bike packing, just carry puritabs - fill up from a stream and drop one in. Tastes a bit like swimming pool water but when you’re thirsty that’s fine. They are tiny and take absolutely no space whatsoever.

oblongomaculatus

joe_totale-2 said:

.

You're never that far from a tap/shop in this country so topping up is never too tricky.

Got to disagree with that. My favourite type of ride is 100 miles plus, which in summer means I take two 1 litre bottles in the cages, with another bottle in the XL saddle pack I use for those rides. Obviously, this adds a lot of weight on the bike (to start with at least), and in hot weather even that sometimes isn't enough.

The problem with restocking in a shop is leaving the bike unattended. A lock would add more weight. A few years ago I found myself running out at about the 70 mile mark on a blazingly hot day. Normally I would have pressed on, but I was really thirsty, and in the next village there was a Spar. I wheeled the bike in with me. Got a couple of strange looks as I looked for the mineral water, and a member of staff said it wasn't allowed. I explained, and pointed out child buggies, which if anything are bulkier (& usually a lot grimier than my bike!), were permitted. Outside, I drank about half a litre of (chilled) water straight down, then filled up one of my own bottles with the remainder.

pblakeney

🤣🤣🤣🤣
I guarantee that my lock weighs less than your excess water.

MattFalle

oblongomaculatus said:

joe_totale-2 said:

.

You're never that far from a tap/shop in this country so topping up is never too tricky.

Got to disagree with that. My favourite type of ride is 100 miles plus, which in summer means I take two 1 litre bottles in the cages, with another bottle in the XL saddle pack I use for those rides. Obviously, this adds a lot of weight on the bike (to start with at least), and in hot weather even that sometimes isn't enough.

The problem with restocking in a shop is leaving the bike unattended. A lock would add more weight. A few years ago I found myself running out at about the 70 mile mark on a blazingly hot day. Normally I would have pressed on, but I was really thirsty, and in the next village there was a Spar. I wheeled the bike in with me. Got a couple of strange looks as I looked for the mineral water, and a member of staff said it wasn't allowed. I explained, and pointed out child buggies, which if anything are bulkier (& usually a lot grimier than my bike!), were permitted. Outside, I drank about half a litre of (chilled) water straight down, then filled up one of my own bottles with the remainder.

just take a really small cafe lock. i got mine for a Euro from a supermarket in France.

Weighs nothing, packs down to nothing.

I wouldn't use it if I was leaving the bike for hours but it will stop someone walking off with your bike whilst you buy 20 Bensons and a can of Vimto.

oblongomaculatus

MattFalle said:

oblongomaculatus said:

joe_totale-2 said:

.

You're never that far from a tap/shop in this country so topping up is never too tricky.

Got to disagree with that. My favourite type of ride is 100 miles plus, which in summer means I take two 1 litre bottles in the cages, with another bottle in the XL saddle pack I use for those rides. Obviously, this adds a lot of weight on the bike (to start with at least), and in hot weather even that sometimes isn't enough.

The problem with restocking in a shop is leaving the bike unattended. A lock would add more weight. A few years ago I found myself running out at about the 70 mile mark on a blazingly hot day. Normally I would have pressed on, but I was really thirsty, and in the next village there was a Spar. I wheeled the bike in with me. Got a couple of strange looks as I looked for the mineral water, and a member of staff said it wasn't allowed. I explained, and pointed out child buggies, which if anything are bulkier (& usually a lot grimier than my bike!), were permitted. Outside, I drank about half a litre of (chilled) water straight down, then filled up one of my own bottles with the remainder.

just take a really small cafe lock. i got mine for a Euro from a supermarket in France.

Weighs nothing, packs down to nothing.

I wouldn't use it if I was leaving the bike for hours but it will stop someone walking off with your bike whilst you buy 20 Bensons and a can of Vimto.

I know the sort of thing you mean. I think I've got one somewhere. They're so flimsy you could practically bite through them. I really wouldn't leave an expensive bike out of sight for more than 10 seconds using one. Even substantial, heavy duty locks won't hold up a determined thief for more than a few minutes. Sure, you'd have to be really unlucky for one of those to come along while popping into a shop, but still.

What I'm really waiting for is someone to invent dehydrated water tablets. Just drop one into your bottle, it's activated by the remaining drops from when it was originally filled, and in seconds the bottle is full again.

MattFalle

We're not talking about a determined thief, we're talking about someone just strolling up and walking off with your bike.

turn up

cafe lock bike to lamp post outside shop

20 Bensons, can of Vimto.

In and out in 3 minutes.

pblakeney

Some people do like overthinking very simple scenarios.

oblongomaculatus

Yes, it's massively unlikely anyone dishonest would happen by, break the flimsy lock and make off with my bike in the few minutes it's out of my sight. But I balance that against how I would feel if it did happen. I would lose a valuable bike, and would have the huge hassle of getting home from some out of the way village. I don't have anyone who drives I could call on who could come and rescue me. On balance, I think it's better to carry the extra water.

I'm overestimating the risk, I know. It's probably because a while back I was using a bike as the last part of my commute to work (after getting off the bus). As this was Cambridge, bike theft capital of the world, I used a cheap, rusty mountain bike shaped object, and three locks, attached to railings near the bus stop. All was well for the first couple of weeks, then one day I got there to find the rear tyre flat. Someone had tried to steal the bike, seen that the locks were too robust (the fabric sleeve of the chain one had been pulled up) and knifed the tyre out of spite. After that I started using a second bus (adding about half an hour to the journey).

shirley_basso

why not just carry a spare tyre and tube in your bag?

Your sh!t BSO was clearly too posh.

oblongomaculatus

shirley_basso said:

why not just carry a spare tyre and tube in your bag?

Your sh!t BSO was clearly too posh.

I had a spare tube, but didn't think of a tyre. I managed to improvise a repair using cardboard.

I agree with your second point, in retrospect it clearly was. I came to that conclusion and decided it was only a matter of time before it was vandalised again, or a thief equipped with the right tools relieved me of it altogether, hence my switching to a second bus.

womack

shirley_basso said:

pilot_pete said:

You never ‘need’ one litre water bottles in the UK, you just want them. Just keep it simple and put a couple of bottle cages on and carry two 500ml bidons. Problem solved. And if you are truly bike-packing carry some puritabs which will sort you in an emergency if you run out and need to fill up from a stream.

Not a deliberate dig at you PP but after the vitriol milemuncher got after his bollox about never being near a water supply I found myself out of water on a very hot day and wondering what my options where. It was very early (7am) so didn't want to knock on any doors or just help myself to a garden hose.

Tidings of deep joy when I rounded the corner to find a beautiful church.

How did it water the gardens?

EFFING water butt.

What time did you start your ride if you were out of water by 7am!!

shirley_basso

5.30 or so. It started cold then was suddenly oppressively hot

MattFalle

shirley_basso said:

5.30 or so. It started cold then was suddenly oppressively hot

excuses excuses.

sounds like badmin to me, pure and simple.

joe_totale-2

pblakeney said:

🤣🤣🤣🤣
I guarantee that my lock weighs less than your excess water.

Indeed, here's a decent little cafe lock that'll be fine for the 2-3 mins you're in a shop and weighs a hell of a lot less than the extra kilo of water you're carrying:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessorieslocks/safeman-compact-pocket-cable-lock/

Alternately ride with a friend.

darkhairedlord

MattFalle said:

oblongomaculatus said:

joe_totale-2 said:

.

You're never that far from a tap/shop in this country so topping up is never too tricky.

Got to disagree with that. My favourite type of ride is 100 miles plus, which in summer means I take two 1 litre bottles in the cages, with another bottle in the XL saddle pack I use for those rides. Obviously, this adds a lot of weight on the bike (to start with at least), and in hot weather even that sometimes isn't enough.

The problem with restocking in a shop is leaving the bike unattended. A lock would add more weight. A few years ago I found myself running out at about the 70 mile mark on a blazingly hot day. Normally I would have pressed on, but I was really thirsty, and in the next village there was a Spar. I wheeled the bike in with me. Got a couple of strange looks as I looked for the mineral water, and a member of staff said it wasn't allowed. I explained, and pointed out child buggies, which if anything are bulkier (& usually a lot grimier than my bike!), were permitted. Outside, I drank about half a litre of (chilled) water straight down, then filled up one of my own bottles with the remainder.

just take a really small cafe lock. i got mine for a Euro from a supermarket in France.

Weighs nothing, packs down to nothing.

I wouldn't use it if I was leaving the bike for hours but it will stop someone walking off with your bike whilst you buy 20 Bensons and a can of Vimto.

If he's touring it's more likely to be half ounce of ready rubbed.