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review
Bottle cages
Kinetic Twenty20 Cage Kinetic Twenty20 Cage
Kinetic Twenty20 Cage

Kinetic Twenty20 Cage

7
by David Arthur @davearthur
UPDATED Tue, Jan 17, 2017 19:45

First Published Jan 17, 2017

2
£9.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Useful for smaller frames where space is restricted, but for everyone else the offset cage design offers a limited advantage
Weight: 
40g
Contact: 
www.2pure.co.uk
How we test

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A bottle cage is a bottle cage, right? Well, the Kinetic Twenty20 Cage is a bit different and has a nifty trick up its sleeve.

Which hand do you use to grab a water bottle when you're cycling along? You probably have a favoured side. For me, it's always with my left hand, so I can keep my stronger arm on the handlebar and stay close to the front brake in case I need to stop quickly.

Knowing that most cyclists probably have a favoured side, Kinetic obviously thought it would make sense to design a bottle cage that allowed a small range of adjustment to suit.

The cage has three mounting positions: the usual central position or with a 20-degree offset to the left or right, to make removing and replacing your bottle a little bit easier.

Does it work? Does it make it easier to extract and insert a bottle while cycling? Well, there's a small difference, but it's very subtle. With the cage offset, you certainly don't have to reach inside the front triangle quite as much, but it's not the game-changing difference I thought it might have been.

Where I found it made most difference is with smaller frames or where clearance is tight, such as on my mountain bike. Here the small offset makes it quite a bit easier to get at the bottle. It would also be useful for anyone fitting a bikepacking pack inside the front triangle, which eats into the available water bottle space.

> Find more road.cc reviews of bottle cages here

The cage itself is very well made, and it's tough and durable. The edges are smoothly chamfered and don't scratch a water bottle. At 40g it's light and is available in four colours. And for a tenner, it's not bad value for money.

If you have a small frame size or limited space, this offset cage design does make your water bottle a little more accessible.

Verdict

Useful for smaller frames where space is restricted, but for everyone else the offset cage design offers a limited advantage

road.cc test report

Make and model: Kinetic Twenty20 Cage

Size tested: 20° left/right

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Kinetic says: "The Kinetic Twenty20 Bottle Cage ergonomically improves the simple act of grabbing a drink on the bike. A natural arm motion removes and replaces a bottle at an angle of approximately 20 degrees off-center. The Twenty20 Bottle Cage can be mounted on a bike frame at a 20-degree offset left (fig. 1 in diagram), right (fig. 3) or centered (fig. 2) allowing bottle insertion into the center of the cage, rather than in from the side. They're great for small frames and mountain bikes too. Kinetic Twenty20 Bottle Cages are made of durable polycarbonate composite and weigh just 38 grams. Available in black, white, red and Kinetic Green."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The Twenty20 Bottle Cage can be mounted on a bike frame at a 20-degree offset left or right - allowing bottle insertion into the centre of the cage, rather than from the side.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

A tenner is a reasonable price for a bottle cage.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Works well and offers slight advantage compared to some bottle cage designs.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy to use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Offers minimal advantage over a regular bottle cage design on a road bike.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

It's a well-designed bottle cage that's good value for money, and the offset option is useful in some applications and can make accessing your water bottle a little easier.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

Kinetic Twenty20 Cage 2017
Kinetic Twenty20 Cage
Kinetic 2017
Kinetic
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

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2 comments

Avatar
Valbrona | 7 years ago
0 likes

The Lezyne Side Loaders are okay. You get right-handed ones, left-handed ones and ambidextrous ones.

Avatar
youngoldbloke | 7 years ago
0 likes

I ride small compact frames and have spent many a happy hour online looking for side loading cages. I haven't seen  this one in the flesh, but can't help thinking there are much better side cages available, such as the Lezyne one (available 'handed').  My favourites by far however are Chinese carbon at around £18 for 2, delivered.

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