Vel Race Cage

The Vel Race Cage is a winged design, available in 12 colours – pretty much something for everyone and their paint jobs. Those with deeper pockets looking to trim every last bit of fat from their bikes will probably want to go the carbon route, but for general bidon bearing duties this composite cage hits all the right notes.

• Pros: Sturdy construction, lovely array of colours, seems genuinely compatible with all bottles
• Cons: Design might not suit small frames

All the Race Cages are painted and lacquered for a really rich, glossy effect. At 34g each, they shouldn't offend most folk and in fact are comparable with some carbon fare, including this one from GT, commanding three times as much. Compared with some mid-range carbon composite examples I use, the Vel feels reassuringly sturdy – stiffer too.

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Winged style cages have been with us for a good decade or so. Aesthetics aside,the theory goes that these retain the bottle better, without hindering access. I've also found them more user-friendly than other shapes when fitted behind the saddle, triathlon/TT style.

As you'd imagine, riders of very small or compact geometry framesets might find side-entry or adjustable designs, such as Lezyne's Flow SL and Topeak's Shuttle, more practical.

The cage comes complete with screws for mounting, although I installed our with a mini-pump, so plumped for longer, aftermarket offerings.

Compatibility/performance

So far, the Vel has accommodated all standard bottles, including the Relaj Shape, with comparable finesse.

I also loaded it with a very old and super-hefty lead acid bottle battery, just to see how it would cope with 500g or so. About 20 miles of washboard tarmac and relatively smooth forest trails didn't induce any annoying chatter let alone ejections.

The song remained unchanged when it was fed a Bontrager storage bottle brimming with bits.

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Perhaps it was several months' continuous use of Lezyne's SL, but I've a tendency to retrieve bottles at an angle, especially those on the seat tube bosses.

Release has been marginally faster than conical models, such as the Tacx Deva, which is helpful when tiredness is beginning to bite.

Though hardly the highest priority, its glossy finish is also very easy to keep clean, and shows no signs of damage despite being struck by small stones on a number of occasions.

Summary

All told, there's little to dislike here. Carbon has an edge weight-wise if you're trying to save every last gram, but otherwise the Vel Race Cage blends form, function and sensible pricing.

Verdict

Well-designed cage that combines cosmetic allure, great performance and sensible pricing