Bottle Mount Accessories That Aren't Bottle Holders

[Achterbahn]

Hi folks, my new bike has two sets of mounting holes for a bottle cage: one on the top tube (keep in mind this is a mid-step) and one on the downtube, opposite to the integrated battery. Both can be seen in the image below.

Now, I am not in the habit of carrying a water bottle with me. I mostly do city rides, so I always either leave or reach a place with abundant drink options. I was wondering if there are suggestions of other nifty accessories that can be attached to these mounts. Otherwise, I'll leave them as is.

I thought of a lock holder, but these seem to be specific to each lock. I have this lock, and the mount isn't very secure, adding a lot of vibration to the bike. It also uses long screws that go on either side of the mount and end up damaging the paint.

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Now, I am not in the habit of carrying a water bottle with me. I mostly do city rides, so I always either leave or reach a place with abundant drink options. I was wondering if there are suggestions of other nifty accessories that can be attached to these mounts. Otherwise, I'll leave them as is.

I thought of a lock holder, but these seem to be specific to each lock. I have this lock, and the mount isn't very secure, adding a lot of vibration to the bike. It also uses long screws that go on either side of the mount and end up damaging the paint

Topeak sells some cool gadgets that can mount a pump and multi-tool to a bottle cage mount.

What I might also suggest is find a small top tube bag and modify it (using a piece of plastic and melting holes in the plastic and fabric -- a soldering iron works great for this) to let you bolt it to the bike through the cage mounts. I've seen this work pretty well and it is a lot more secure than just the velcro straps.

 

[Achterbahn]

Topeak sells some cool gadgets that can mount a pump and multi-tool to a bottle cage mount.

What I might also suggest is find a small top tube bag and modify it (using a piece of plastic and melting holes in the plastic and fabric -- a soldering iron works great for this) to let you bolt it to the bike through the cage mounts. I've seen this work pretty well and it is a lot more secure than just the velcro straps.

The top tube bag seems like a good idea. I even found one on Amazon that comes with the holes for it. However, since I have a rack, pockets and often bring a backpack with me, I am not sure how much difference it would make for my use case, given that it's such tiny extra storage...

 

[J.R.]

 

[Sierratim]

We use Abus folding locks that stow away in their matching holder for a noise free and secure mount. It uses water bottle cage screw mounts.

BORDO GRANIT XPlus™ 6500/85 black + bag ST

BORDO GRANIT XPlus™ 6500/85 black + bag ST

mobil.abus.com

 

[Achterbahn]

These are all great suggestions, thanks!

 

[Achterbahn]

I decided to go with a folding lock and a bottle cage. The folding lock is compact and offers decent protection for quick stops and situations when I don't want to carry a huge u-lock - feels like something appropriate to be permanently bolted to the bike. The bottle cage because I noticed that other accessories are often made to fit in those (e.g. tool kits, portable speakers, etc) like JR listed.

 

[6zfshdb]

Similar to what J.R. posted, I've used these water bottle bosses in the past to attach containers for holding a variety of small items. The issue for me now is I need a step thru bike. Mounting things in this area takes up space and defeats the step thru concept. In an effort to keep this space clear, I mounted the water bottle cages on the stem.



For many though, these bosses can indeed be used to hold a variety of different items. On my Trek MTB's for example, I used them to mount a small box to carry tire tools and a spare tube.

 

[Achterbahn]

Here's the final result

 

[penserv]

I didn't have room for a water bottle on the frame because my battery is too big. I found this neat little handlebar holder that is a lot more convenient because you don't have to bend over to get the bottle. I'm an old guy and my balance isn't all that great.