The 10 Best Water Bottle Cages
Special Honors
Portland Design Works Bottle Cages If you're interested in an accessory with a little more stylistic flair it's worth looking at the unique offerings made by Portland Design Works. In addition to fun bottle cages designed to resemble dogs, cats, and owls, they also carry a selection of matching bottles. ridepdw.com
Topeak Versamount While some bottle cages are able to be mounted with a strap or clamp, most require mounting via standard bottle bosses. This can be a problem if you're interested in one of these more typical cages but you're frame lacks mounting holes. The Topeak Versamount system is the perfect solution to this problem, as it allows any standard cage to be adapted and mounted to your frame via two ratcheting straps. Even if your frame does have standard bosses, this clever accessory allows you to mount extra cages to nontraditional locations such as your handlebars or fork. topeak.com
Editor's Notes
September 10, 2020:
Most casual cyclists will find that there's no real need to go beyond basic, affordable options like the Planet Bike Cage, Ushake Basic, and Ibera Cage. These models use tried and true designs, and though they may not last as long as some high-end choices they will handle moderate use well and are inexpensive to replace. The two main disadvantages of these typical selections are their weight and their spotty compatibility when it comes to containers other than standard bike bottles. If you're a cyclist for whom every gram counts, you'll most likely find that these options are too heavy and that it's worth springing for a true carbon fiber model like the ThinkTop Ultra-Light. This material is praised for its lightness and durability, so it's perfect for those involved in racing as well as riders who simply don't want to spoil the weight of their carbon fiber bicycle.
If you already have a water bottle you prefer or think that you will most often be carrying drinks in disposable containers, you may not want to invest in a standard bike bottle. In this case the aforementioned options might not work to your satisfaction, as large containers may be held too tightly and small bottles will likely rattle around insecurely. If your preferred vessel is a large Hydro Flask or a heavy-duty thermos, the Blackburn Outpost Cargo is one of the best choices available. It features a robust metal frame and cloth straps that can tightly grip large containers or even some outdoor gear, making it extremely useful for people who like to take their bike camping. However, it should be noted that it's very impractical to place your bottle back into it while riding, so more stops may be required. The Bikase Any Bottle Cage can also handle large containers decently well, but it's especially good for smaller containers like disposable water bottles. In addition to being able to hold a wider variety of drinks than most other selections it can also be mounted via a strap or bottle bosses, making it versatile in terms of bike compatibility as well.
If your frame is small or nonstandard you may find that it's not possible to practically remove a bottle from a traditional cage or even fit one at all. If the interior triangle of your frame is simply too compact to fit much of anything you might want to get the Accmor Rotating Holder, which can be mounted on your handlebars or a smaller frame tube. If you can just fit a bike bottle but there's no room to pull it up and out, another solution would be selections like the Corki Holder and Lezyne Side Load Flow. Rather than pulling up and out these models have you remove your bottle by pulling it sideways, and in addition to this making them a better fit for compact frames some may find this sideways action to be more ergonomic in general.
If you feel that none of these options seem to fit your specific needs, you may want to check out our lists concerning alternative solutions such as bicycle cup holders and hydration backpacks.