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review

Blackburn Camber carbon fibre bottle cage

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Lightweight carbon fibre bottle cage that's strong and secure
Weight: 
27g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Blackburn's Camber full-carbon water bottle cage is lightweight and strong and it does its job really well.

The mouth is large so getting your bottle in there is easy even when you’re riding fast over a rough road, and the side ribs flex slightly to provide plenty of grip. The lower cradle stop might look a bit fragile but it’s actually super- sturdy while a lip at the top stops your bottle jumping out if you hit a big bump or pothole.

We’ve been using the Camber for ages – a good couple of years now – and it has always held our bottles in place perfectly without any rattling, and that includes over towpaths and cobbles. The back plate (which you usually can't see) is a bit scratched from dirt getting in between the bottle and the carbon as you ride, but structurally it's still in perfect nick. Plus, Blackburn give you a lifetime warranty so you don’t need to worry about durability.

Weighing in at just 27g, this is one of the lightest bottle cages we’ve ever used, and it doesn’t lose out to heftier alternatives one bit in terms of performance. As well as the matt white version, it’s available in gloss white, gloss red and carbon finishes.

In terms of price, the Blackburn cage sits at the upper end of mid-priced. There are more expensive options out there from the likes of Elite, but there are plenty of cheaper ones out there too. The Blackburn Camber is hard to beat though as a piece of functional bike jewellery. 

Verdict

Lightweight carbon fibre bottle cage that's strong and secure

road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackburn Camber carbon fibre bottle cage

Size tested: White, Matt finish

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 190cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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