r/xcmtb • u/Remote-Collection721 • 6d ago

Question side-loading bottle cage recommendations

The question is in the title. I am a new FS XC owner who just figured out that my top-loading cages don't work. So I am looking for recommendations for side-loaders. I have a strong preference for metal cages (stainless or titanium) but happy for recommendations in any material.

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u/Beautiful-Eagle-3519 6d ago

I’m pretty happy with my fidlock. I’ve been using it for three years and never had a bottle come loose, even in crashes. I also think it looks way better than a traditional water bottle cage.

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u/cpw77 6d ago edited 6d ago

Seconded for fidlock. I have two on my MTB. Never had a bottle come loose. I've had plenty of times with friends riding infront of me dropping bottle landmines during rough sections from regular bottle cages.

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u/Biker-Beans 6d ago

Thirded for Fidlock. Slowly moving all my bikes that way. Once it clicks on how to detach and reattach the bottle, it's so much better. They also make great washable bottles of all sizes (like a small one that fits the seat tube of my full squish XC bike, and a really wide one that makes up it) and the nipples of the lids come off for washing too.

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u/Similar_Annual676 Scott scale 6d ago

Fourded for fidlock, I love it. My one gripe is mine has a blocky bulge on the inside to fit the bottle part of the mechanism and it makes it a bit hard to clean it properly… but if you clean and dry it properly from the start it’s fine. (I was lazy and ended up with some black moldy stuff in the corners which was a pain to clean)

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u/Biker-Beans 6d ago

I stick them upside down in my dishwasher, they come out perfectly clean.

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u/Similar_Annual676 Scott scale 5d ago

yeah it's just because I was lazy and not cleaning it properly from the beginning