A Velominatus is never to judge a book by its cover; appearances and predispositions are quickly cast aside at the discovery of a diamond in the rough. After all, the pursuit of perfection necessarily requires that we are a breed who turn over the last stone in search of it, even when all hope has long since been lost. But the gems to be found when peering past outer appearances, these are the reward for our effort.
Even those items which are necessary evils, those we’d just as soon have no need for, these items are not exempt from our quest to discover the perfection; a mini-tool, patch kit, C02 chuck, chain catcher. Today, @Steampunk describes such a component: his Immix Bidon Cage.
Yours in cycling,
Frank
—
The Velominati appreciate the finer things. While we adhere to Rule V to varying degrees of devotion, we are at the same time fragile and fickle beings. A ride can be ruined simply by receiving a less-than-stellar espresso pre- or post-ride or by discovering a mystery clicking sound buried somewhere in our drivetrain. We crave the very best. Style and performance are shared badges as we search and yearn for that ever-elusive momentary glimpse of la volupté. Cannondale is rarely the first name associated with the search for this most austere experience in cycling, though they make some good bikes. When compared with handcrafted Italian frames or components, Connecticut’s finest might lack some class or caché (in these instances, I pronounce Cannondale in the original French: Canon D’Allez), but moving beyond the romance of all things European there are some bits and pieces that warrant some appreciation. Submitted for consideration: the Cannondale Immix bottle cage.
First, a confession: I loathe bottle cages. I appreciate their importance and how one’s performance is enhanced by being properly hydrated, but I find them unsightly””interfering with the frame’s symmetry. Too: they remind us of our protean form and that we cannot ignore the physical demands of our bodies for nutrients and hydration while we ride. But for this minor detail, I would ride without them. Furthermore, as an inveterate steampunk, I dislike plastic. It’s hard to escape this infernal material when it comes to the bidon, but I won’t stand for it on my cage. Carbon fiber isn’t much better, and typically is more prominently visible from a distance, with its thick, bold silhouette. And don’t get me started on wind resistance when the cages are empty.
With this important caveat out of the way, the appeal of the Immix cage becomes more significant. For me, it balances function and form. The carbon fiber base sits nicely flush against the downtube or seat tube””and, in my case, matches my fork. Sturdy. The cage has been on the bike for more than two years and it continues to clutch the bottles tightly and without any wobble. Full or empty, the bidons remain snug, a mere afterthought until such time that I should need a drink. Sleek. The titanium bars minimize the visual intrusion of the cages on the bike and yield a very light (29g) overall product. These look fast, without the crazy and distracting lines of their carbon fiber competitors.
Here’s the rub: the Immix cage has been discontinued, apparently because they were over-zealous in clutching their charges. I’ve not had this problem; the bottles are snug, but easily removed while on the go. The great tragedy, however, was that I only got one. I had bottle cages, which (see above) I didn’t like very much, but ordering two fairly expensive bottle cages online (product unseen) seemed somewhat foolhardy. Cannondale doesn’t ship to Canada (odd, since they’re owned by a Canadian company), and my LBS even failed in procuring a second cage. Opportunity finally knocked this week; I traveled to Vancouver to visit my parents. Online, I had found a Cannondale dealer there who still had an Immix cage in stock. Almost directly off the plane, I headed straight for the store to collect my second cage. The guy behind the counter didn’t much seem to care that I was excited to get my hands on this product, which had probably been collecting dust on his shelf; nor did he seem surprised/amused/relieved to part with a product that had been collecting the aforementioned dust for so long. No matter: in some small, strange way, my ride is complete. Regardless of what you are field testing in your bidon, you want it held tight, without drama and with a little bit of style. In a minor but significant way, the cage is a crucial piece of every ride.
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Xyxax - Oh no, a tri-curious wife! Be careful, my friend. That's dangerous there, very dangerous. She'll be cutting date night short so she can get her full 10 hours of rest, putting bar extensions on her road bike...and going for jogs! The horror.
I saw a guy riding yesterday. I thought, "He looks terrible on a bike." All jerky and the opposite of smooth and Casually Deliberate. Then I spotted the bar extensions and it all became so clear.
Also rode with a friend last week, plus two others. One was a gal. Great! Someone fun to draft! Then she mentioned she was tri-curious. Talk about a turn off. Bar extensions utilized by a female cyclist are like man-hands, they just ruin an otherwise potentially nice gal.
@Ron
Worse still, she'll be wanting a swimmer and a runner to join the two of you...
@Ron
My wife is regrettably tri-curious as well. She joined a beginners tri-club this spring and I've been torn between encouraging her (for the overall fitness upgrade) and treating her with disdain as a cycling aesthete. The biggest problem is her insistence that I, too, should join the tri-club next summer. Not wanting to openly denigrate an activity that has given her a lot of newfound pride, my responses are always non-commital. Perhaps a Rule 42 violation, but as I've said before, marital tranquility sometimes requires bending of the rules here and there.
One plus resulting from her joining the tri-club is that we finally went and bought a decent road bike for her, which I proudly built up for her, and we ride together once or twice a week. She, too, has brought up the notion of putting clip-ons on her bike. ("Clip-ons" is an apt name, because they are the cycling equivalent to wearing one of those course and unsightly polyester clip-on ties from TJ Maxx with a $1000 suit). Rest assured, my fellow Velominati, that I have exercised my right as the bike's builder to categorically shoot down any such suggestion.
Don't be too hard on the tri boys and girls.
It gets a lot of people onto bikes who might not otherwise, which has got to be a good thing. And once they are on a bike they have a much better chance of adopting la vie velominatus.
In fact when I first came to Abu Dhabi the only rides in town were the ones organised by the tri club, so I have that to thank them for.
The other advantages are that they spend a lot of money on bikes and the bike industry, and they sell a lot of quality stuff on eBay, some of it barely used :-o
The thing that will ruin my ride the quickest is when I've done some sort of adjusting in the stem/headset and then head out for a ride and try to focus on the V-Locus and notice that the stem is .25 degrees off the centerline. It drives me nuts the whole ride.
@Ron
I carry a multi tool, patch kit, C02 chuck, and two cartouche C02's. That is all. And I helped a poor guy out of a completely fucked situation yesterday. He'd dropped his chain and somehow crammed it between the small chainring, chain stay, and the wheel. There was no way it was coming out. With just my minimum tools available, I got it out for him without so much as a smattering of grease on my fingers.
@Chris
none taken
you certainly don't need CF to mash the fuck out of the big ring up a hill before blowing up, so the enjoyment bonus of CF is quite overrated on those terms
Always interesting to see where people go with their gear selections. For me, my bidon cage quest was given up the day I got the Zipp cages. I have them on all bikes except my steel, which I feel - as @Xyxax suggests, is inappropriate.
But provided the cage is made properly, carbon is the perfect cage material. It never fatigues or loosens up. It is flexible enough to allow easy passage to the bidon while clamping down hard enough not to allow it to escape, even with a ride over the cobbles.
Metal cages, always seem to rattle, fatigue, bend, misshape...it's a disaster.
As a final point, as much as I can understand your reverence to this cage, the two materials seem like a failure point...is the titanium bonded to the carbon, or does the carbon just hold onto some loops of connected Ti? In any case, it is a pretty cage.
@Cyclops
OH MY HOLY MERCKX THAT MAKES ME CRAZY. And with the 130mm and 140mm stems I ride, it takes an Act of Coppi to get it straight.
@Steampunk
Forgot to mention, fantastic work on the Canon d'Allez. Into the Lexicon with that one, my friend.
@frank
where were you when I needed you - I managed to wrap my chain between the crank arm and the cog going up a hill - couldn't get the fucker out as it had been driven in with maximum angry-V - thought I was going to have to amputate - eventually sorted thanks, but hands were completely black, as you never showed up!