For cyclists venturing into bike touring or bikepacking, and even for daily commuters seeking extra hydration, the ability to carry sufficient water is paramount. As frame bag and cargo cage popularity surges, riders are increasingly looking for versatile methods to mount essential accessories like water bottle cages to their bikes, especially on forks and downtubes. Whether tackling arid desert routes or simply riding in warmer climates, supplemental hydration is often non-negotiable. Fortunately, adding extra Bike Mounted Water Bottle capacity doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Several affordable and ingenious workarounds exist, perfect for upgrading older bikes for bikepacking adventures or simply boosting your hydration options.
Understanding Bike Frame Mounts: Braze-ons, Bosses, and Eyelets
Before diving into mounting solutions, let’s clarify common terminology related to bike frame attachments. Often, you’ll hear terms like braze-ons, bosses, and eyelets used interchangeably, but understanding their nuances can be helpful.
-
Braze-on: This term broadly refers to any small fitting permanently attached to a bicycle frame to provide a mounting point. Historically, these fittings were brazed onto steel frames, hence the name. While modern frames might use welding for titanium or aluminum, or even molding and adhesive for carbon frames, “braze-on” remains a common term for these mounts. Typical braze-ons include guides for cables, mounts for racks and bike mounted water bottle cages, and bosses.
-
Bosses: Generally, bosses are considered to be protrusions that are welded, brazed, or otherwise attached to the frame. Examples include cantilever brake bosses, rack bosses, shift lever bosses, and cable guide bosses. However, in the bike component industry, “bottle bosses” are also frequently sold as threaded inserts – essentially, what we commonly recognize as bottle bosses for bike mounted water bottle cages.
-
Eyelets: Often used synonymously with bosses and braze-ons, eyelets also refer to these mounting points on the frame.
For clarity and consistency, throughout this guide, we will primarily use the terms “mounts,” “eyelets,” or “bosses” when referring to threaded attachments specifically designed for cages and cage-mounted accessories, including bike mounted water bottle solutions.
Many modern bikes, especially those designed for touring and bikepacking, are now equipped with additional cage mounts. These commonly include pairs or even triplets of bosses on the underside of the downtube and a three-pack of bosses on each fork blade. Our Gear Index of Forks with Bottle Cage Mounts offers a comprehensive overview of forks with these features. However, some bike manufacturers still prefer a cleaner aesthetic without fork mounts, and many older bikes are limited to just two pairs of mounts within the main frame triangle. Thankfully, a growing market of products and DIY techniques allows you to add bike mounted water bottle cage mounts to virtually any bike. Below, we explore both permanent and do-it-yourself methods for increasing your bike’s water-carrying capacity.
Permanent Bike Mounted Water Bottle Mount Solutions
For those seeking a more permanent and integrated solution for adding bike mounted water bottle cages, two primary methods stand out: hiring a frame builder and using rivnut bottle bosses.
Engaging a Framebuilder for Custom Mounts
While technically possible to have a carbon fiber expert drill and bond bottle mounts into a carbon frame, or to weld bosses onto an aluminum frame, these processes are complex and often impractical. However, for steel frames, adding braze-ons is relatively straightforward. For instance, we had bosses added to the downtubes of two first-generation Surly Troll bikes (before downtube bosses became standard on that model). This proved to be a reliable and cost-effective solution.
Logan Watts Author Photo
Keep in mind that framebuilders often have busy schedules, so you might need to plan for a wait. Furthermore, when deciding on the placement of bosses, especially on the fork, consider tire clearance, particularly with suspension forks at full compression. Brazing will also affect the frame’s finish, potentially necessitating a repaint or at least a partial respray to restore its appearance.
Installing Rivnut Bottle Bosses for a Secure Fit
Rivnuts, also known as rivet nuts or threaded rivet inserts, offer a robust and relatively simple way to add threaded mounts to your frame or fork. These are one-piece, internally threaded tubular rivets that are installed from one side. A specialized rivnut tool is used to compress the rivnut, causing it to buckle on the backside and clamp securely against the material it’s being riveted into.
If you’re comfortable drilling into your fork or frame, rivnuts are an excellent solution that can be implemented at a reasonable cost. We successfully used rivnuts on a Surly Troll and subjected it to thousands of miles of riding without any issues. You can find a detailed guide on the rivnut installation process here. A key advantage of rivnuts is that they generally don’t require refinishing the frame, preserving the original paint job. However, a potential downside is the risk of rivnuts loosening over time, although proper installation mitigates this. It’s also worth noting that rivnuts are best suited for sturdy forks rather than extremely lightweight or slender ones.
DIY Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cage Attachment Methods
For those who prefer a more hands-on approach or need temporary or adaptable solutions, several DIY methods for attaching bike mounted water bottle cages are available. These are particularly useful for bikes without existing mounts or for adding extra capacity in various locations.
In our Bikepacking Hacks video series, Neil demonstrates six practical DIY methods for adding mounts and cages to your bike. Watch the video below for a visual guide, and continue scrolling for a detailed list of each technique.
Hose Clamp Bottle Cage
DIY Hose Clamp Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cage: An affordable and adaptable method for attaching cages to various frame tubing.
Hose Clamp Bottle Cage: Simple and Effective
Hose clamps, also known as pipe clamps, are a widely used and readily accessible method for attaching bottle cages, especially to suspension forks or metal frames lacking bosses. While not typically recommended for carbon forks due to potential compression damage, it can be done cautiously with padding.
Hose clamps are sized by diameter. To select the correct size, you’ll need to estimate the circumference of the tubing plus the cage mounting area. For instance, a 3.0″ clamp is often suitable for Fox 34 or RockShox forks (common suspension forks have a diameter around 1.75″). To protect the frame’s finish, sandwich a layer of recycled inner tube or electrical tape between the clamp and the tubing. Tighten the clamp sufficiently to hold the cage securely, but avoid over-tightening, particularly on suspension forks, to prevent damage.
Certain bottle cage designs are particularly well-suited for hose clamp mounting. Widefoot’s oversized cage and Salsa’s Nickless Cage, for example, feature slots that accommodate straps or clamps neatly. For cages without such features, longer hose clamps might be necessary to wrap around the cage’s tubular rails.
Bikepacking Hacks – Tape Cage Mounts
Electrical Tape Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cage: A surprisingly robust and residue-free method for securing cages to various frame types.
Electrical Tape Bottle Cages: Surprisingly Secure
Featured in our Bikepacking Hacks series, electrical tape proves to be a remarkably safe and dependable method for attaching standard bottle cages. It works effectively on forks, downtubes, suspension forks, and even oversized tubes.
For a truly secure mount, using approximately 2/3 of a roll of electrical tape per cage is recommended. Lezyne Power Cages are known to work exceptionally well with this method. To protect your frame’s paint, apply a base layer of tape where the cage will contact the frame. In testing, an electrical tape-mounted cage endured nearly 1,000 miles of bikepacking and trail riding across rugged terrain in the Southwest without showing signs of failure. A significant advantage of electrical tape is its clean removal, leaving no sticky residue behind.
Zip Tie Bottle Cage
Zip Tie Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cage: A less preferred but workable emergency solution for temporary cage attachment.
Zip Ties and Tubes: A Minimalist Approach
While zip ties are our least favored method for attaching a bike mounted water bottle cage to forks or downtubes, they can be functional with the right zip ties and appropriate load management. Although strong, zip ties are generally less durable than metal clamps and can degrade over time, particularly when exposed to UV radiation and weather.
Nevertheless, in a pinch, zip ties can work. Opt for the heaviest-duty zip ties you can find. Similar to the hose clamp method, use pieces of recycled inner tube between the cage and frame tubing to prevent slippage and abrasion damage.
Voile Straps Bikepacking
Voile Straps Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cage: Versatile and secure for larger bottles and rough terrain, especially on oversized tubing.
Voile Straps: Robust and Adaptable
Voile straps are incredibly versatile and are excellent for reinforcing larger water bottles in flexible cages, especially when riding on very rough terrain. They can also be used to strap a cage directly to a frame. This can be achieved with cages that have sufficiently large slots to thread the straps through. Alternatively, for oversized cages, you can strap the cage to the frame and then further secure the bottle to the cage with additional straps. While this method might appear slightly less refined, it is effective, especially for carbon or aluminum oversized downtubes where clamps might be less suitable.
Extra Bottle Cages – Surly ECR, Troll, Ogre
Example of multiple Bike Mounted Water Bottle Cages: Demonstrating various mounting locations and increased hydration capacity for extended rides.
Additional Bike Mounted Water Bottle Hacks
Beyond these primary methods, numerous other creative hacks exist for adding extra bike mounted water bottle capacity. Explore this tutorial for adding a carrier to a Tubus rack to carry extra water. Another technique details utilizing a rack bolt to mount cages on the seat stay. For a purpose-built solution, Bedrock Bags offers the Honaker, designed specifically for downtube bottle mounting. Furthermore, consider using a stem bag; almost any stem bag can function as a soft, easily accessible bike mounted water bottle cage.
Do you know of other innovative products or DIY hacks for adding bike mounted water bottle cage mounts or carrying extra water? Share your ideas in the comments below!
