To cage, not to cage, where to cage?!

[TreaderSteve]

For a bike that doesn't need a water bottle (as you'll be slaking thirst at the pub whilst admiring your pride and joy and not during a 3-hour race), assuming your bike has both seat and down-tube cage bosses, also assuming you have one cage, should there be no cage, on the downtube, or on the seat-tube?!

What's the consensus?

 

[iveto1983]

For a bike used only on shorter rides, I think they look better without. If you fit only one, it’s on the downtube for me.

 

[greencat]

Try and avoid fitting you can. I've had one frame destroyed as a result of someone crashing into mine. I mostly ride with a water bottle in my waist pack now.

 

[TreaderSteve]

Try and avoid fitting you can. I've had one frame destroyed as a result of someone crashing into mine. I mostly ride with a water bottle in my waist pack now.

Yes, a good point well made!

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Try and avoid fitting you can. I've had one frame destroyed as a result of someone crashing into mine. I mostly ride with a water bottle in my waist pack now.

So if you crashed & land on your water bottle you only break a couple vertibrae?

 

[greencat]

So if you crashed & land on your water bottle you only break a couple vertibrae?

I don't tend to ride in a way that involves a lot of crashing nowadays. But the water bottle sits on the right hand side (my water bottle is shorter than this and I only have one) - but I have the same pack:

 

[ishaw]

No cage. Bling bolts, copper greased so they don't seize.

 

[PhillB]

No cage thanks...I always take them off frame sets I buy. I live and ride in a suburban area so never really need to take fluids with me. If I do go into the countryside it goes on the backpack

 

[jonthefish]

No cage. Too much of the "mud" that inevitably gathers on the drinking bottle has passed through a cow or a deer. Bit off-putting. Bottle in the backpack.

 

[Lucidone]

Where I don't have a cage (or rack etc.) I use stainless grub screws (with soft-loc or similar) to fill the holes - I think it makes the frame look 'cleaner' and yes, I'm that much of a tart!