Mountain biking is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and stay active. Like any activity, it is important that you stay hydrated while doing it. One way to stay hydrated while on your bike is using a water bottle holder, also known as a bottle cage. The purpose of this article is to better inform you, the reader, about the water bottle holders for mountain bikes that are on the market today.
At quenchingyourthirst.com, we have researched several water bottle holders. In doing so, we have hand-picked our top 5 favorite water bottle holders for mountain bikes.
As a note, we use bottle holder and bottle cage interchangeably in this article.
Our Top Pick
Ibera Bicycle Lightweight Aluminum Water Bottle Cage
Aluminum Alloy Material, Weighs Only 1.45 oz, Easy Installation, Side Ribs Secure Bottle Over Rough Terrain. Find it on Amazon here.
What Are We Looking For?
While researching and reviewing water bottle holders for mountain bikes, we rated them on the following categories:
Material
- Water bottle holder material should be light-weight and durable. It is a fine balance between a material that is rigid enough to provide the strength required, yet flexible enough to fit different sized water bottles. From our own experience and from research, plastic water bottle holders typically:
- become brittle when cold
- aren’t suitable for high-impact (mountain biking)
- lack the strength to secure a water bottle over bumpy terrain
- For these reasons, we found water bottle holders that were designed with some form of aluminum alloy to work best.
Easy Installation
- The majority of bike frames come with threaded holes for mounting water bottle holders. It should take 60 seconds or less to attach the water bottle holder to the bike. Typical designs use only two screws for attachment. Oval holes on the water bottle holder allow some wiggle room for fine-tune adjustments. Note: before purchasing a screw-on water bottle holder, be sure to confirm your bike frame has the required threaded holes.
Hardware/Tools Included
- For most water bottle installations you’ll need 2 stainless steel bolts and a hex wrench. While I’m yet to come across a water bottle holder that doesn’t provide the stainless steel bolts, not that many companies provide a hex wrench. If you’re big into mountain biking, you probably have a repair kit with several sized wrenches. However, keep this in mind if you’re just getting started and don’t have a full toolset yet.
Size of Water Bottle
- Bottle holders should be designed to securely fit standard sized water bottles. They should also have a little play in them to accommodate non-standard, slightly bigger or smaller water bottles. The standard size water bottle measures 2.875″ (7.30 cm) in diameter. Make sure the bottle cage you’re planning to purchase will fit your existing water bottle.
Considering all that was discussed above, our top 5 picks reviewed in this article include water bottle holders by (1) Ibera, (2) UShake, (3) FiveBox, (4) Aduro, and (5) Pro Bike Tool.
Some general details for each of the top 5 water bottle holders for mountain bikes can be seen in the comparison table below.
Comparison Table
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| Type | Ibera | UShake* | FiveBox | Aduro* | Pro Bike Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.45 oz, 41 g | 2.15 oz, 61 g | 3.53 oz, 100 g | 2.1 oz, 61 g | 1.69 oz, 48 g |
| Material | Aluminum Alloy | Aluminum Alloy | Aluminum Alloy | Aluminum Alloy | Aluminum Alloy |
| Tool Incl. | No | 4mm hex wrench | No | 2 Allen keys | No |
| Hardware Incl. | 2 x stainless steel bolts | 4 x M5 screws | 2 screws | 4 x M5 stainless steel bolts | 2 x M5 stainless steel bolts |
| Bottle Diameter | Standard size | Max 3" | Standard size | Min 2.75" Max 3.0" | 2.875" +/- 0.2" |
| Colors | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
* these packages both contain two bottle cages
Keep scrolling down to see pictures and detailed reviews for each pick of the best water bottle holders for mountain bikes.
1. Ibera Bicycle Lightweight Aluminum Water Bottle Cage
Topping the list of our picks of water bottle holders for mountain bikes is the Ibera aluminum bottle cage. Available in four colors, the Ibera water bottle cage is constructed from 6061-T5 heat-treated aluminum.
It weighs only 1.45 oz (41 g) and can easily be mounted to mountain bikes with a 3mm hex wrench. The bottle cage comes with two stainless steel bolts for mounting, however, a hex wrench is not included.
The oval cage design fits most standard sized water bottles. Side ribs secure water bottles when riding over rough terrain. The cage ribs still allow riders to easily remove bottle when riding.
If we haven’t convinced you already, read the Amazon reviews to see what others love about the Ibera Bicycle Lightweight Aluminum Water Bottle Cage.
2. UShake Alloy Aluminum Water Bottle Cages (2 Pack)
The UShake water bottle cage weighs 2.1 oz (61 g) and is available only in black. 2 M5 screws easily mount the bottle cage to the frame of most mountain bikes with pre-drilled holes.
The M5 screws and a 4mm hex wrench that you’ll need to install the bottle cage are included.
A heat-treated aluminum alloy cage combines the strength and durability required to secure a water bottle over bumpy terrain.
The water bottle holder fits a maximum bottle diameter of 3″ (7.62 cm) and a minimum of 2.75″ (6.99 cm). Ideal for longer rides, this package includes two identical bottle cages.
You can mount one to the seat post tube, and the other to the angled down tube.
If we haven’t convinced you already, read the Amazon reviews to see what others love about the UShake Alloy Aluminum Water Bottle Cages (2 Pack).
3. FiveBox Lightweight Aluminum Alloy Bicycle Water Bottle Cage
Made from aluminum alloy, the lightweight FiveBox bottle cage is available in four colors: black, blue, silver and red. On bike frames with threaded holes, you can easily mount it with two screws.
Not included is a 4mm hex key that you’ll require for installation.
The bottle cage is designed to fit standard sized mountain biking water bottles, which are typically less than 3″ (7.62 cm) in diameter.
Once inserted, the arms of the cage wrap around the bottle, ensuring a firm grip. Despite a firm grip from the bottle cage, the bottle is still easily accessible while riding.
If we haven’t convinced you already, read the Amazon reviews to see what others love about the FiveBox Lightweight Aluminum Alloy Bicycle Water Bottle Cage.
4. Aduro Bike Water Bottle Holder Aluminum Cage [2X Pack]
Attach two water bottle holders to your bike for extra long rides with this two-pack from Aduro.
You can mount bottle holders to both the angled down tube, and seat post tube. Designed from aluminum alloy, the heat-treated material provides a secure way to carry your water bottles while mountain biking.
It fits most standard and oversized bottles with a minimum diameter of 2.75″ (6.99 cm) and a maximum of 3.0″ (7.62 cm).
Depending on what color matches your bike best, it is available in black, red and silver. Included in the package are 4 stainless steel M5x0.8 bolts and 2 allen keys. The estimated installation time takes 60 seconds per bottle cage.
If we haven’t convinced you already, read the Amazon reviews to see what overs love about the Audro Bike Water Bottle Holder Aluminum Cage [2X Pack].
5. Pro Bike Tool Water Bottle Holder
This CNC machined mountain bike water bottle holder from Pro Bike Tool is manufactured from heat-treated, durable aluminum alloy.
The flexible design fits 2.875″ (7.30 cm) diameter bottles and is adjustable up to +/-0.2″ to accommodate non-standard sizes. It is available in a black or white, powder coat finish.
The position of the bottle holder can be fine-tuned on the frame due to the oval mounting holes. With the provided stainless steel bolts, it should take 60 seconds or less to install.
Once mounted, you can get back on the trails, knowing you’ll stay hydrated with a securely fastened water bottle.
If we haven’t convinced you already, read the Amazon reviews to see what others love about the Pro Bike Tool Water Bottle Holder.
Conclusion
In this article, we researched and reviewed our top 5 water bottle holders for mountain bikes. Our top 5 included bottle holders from the following companies: (1) Ibera, (2) UShake, (3) FiveBox, (4) Aduro, and (5) Pro Bike Tool.
We rated water bottle holders for mountain bikes on the following categories:
- Material
- Easy Installation
- Hardware/Tools Included
- Size of Water Bottle
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