You know, sometimes I don’t want to think about products. Part of the reason TCI is independent is that we don’t really care to navigate the treacherous waters of product review, being inundated with gear to consider, feeling pressured to say something good about everything, or to just send it back with apologies, because it sucks. And also, it’s not my favorite thing, to ruminate on my stuff.
However.
Some products are fundamental. Like I would never want to spend a LOT of time talking about water bottle cages, but if you made me talk about them, I’d say, “Get yourself a King cage and be done with it.” King Cage is, to me, synonymous with bottle cages. A King cage is one of those products that is exactly what you need, nothing more and nothing less.
The stainless-steel cages are $28. The Ti ones are $66. Get the stainless if you’re a regular schmo (I am). Get the Ti if you’re fancy (no judgement). They look like bottle cages, you know, the picture you have in your head when I say ‘bottle cage.’ Like that.
Anyone who wants to talk to me about the weight of a bottle cage is gonna get a raspberry and then the view of the back of my head slowly getting smaller as I walk away.
If for some reason, you really think you need a carbon fiber cage, like if you think putting a stainless cage on a carbon frame is too weird, then get the Arundel Mandible. I have some. They’re great. And they’re $80.
But for my time and my money, if you make me talk about gear and say something about bottle cages, the answer is gonna be King Cage. They’re made in Durango, CO. By a guy called Ron.