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I want to get a bottle holder for my bike.

It has no pre-drilled holes for the holder.

I found some that clamp on but not sure if they would work with the wide tube that I would need to mount it to.

enter image description here

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  • 4
    Would it be an option for you to use a hydration back pack instead?
    – Old Nick
    Commented May 20, 2019 at 13:10
  • 3
    Use a clamp-on cage: google.com/search?q=clamp+on+water+bottle+cage
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented May 20, 2019 at 16:37
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    The universal clamp on variety should work just fine, they are made for the down tube which is generally large in size, just make sure the zip ties or straps do not interfere with the cable that runs on the underside in the image. They also make handle bar mounted cages as well if you have room, although they are not fun to take to the chest in an over the bar type of crash.
    – Nate W
    Commented May 20, 2019 at 16:51
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    @Old Nick Hydration back pack is an option. As it's already in the 90's, one bottle probably would not be enough.
    – fixit7
    Commented May 20, 2019 at 17:15
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    The top tube intrigues me. How is the pump clamp attached? It looks as if it uses bottle cage holes. Could we get a picture of that?
    – Carel
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 8:51

3 Answers 3

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Get a clamp-on solution like the SKS Anywhere, Topeak VersaMount or Elite VIP.

As Nate W pointed out in the comments, make sure it doesn’t interfere with your cables. enter image description here enter image description here

A quick and dirty solution with cable ties and duct tape can work temporarily as well.

There are also bottle cage mounts which clamp to the saddle’s rails, for example the TacX Saddle Clamp: enter image description here

I think a disadvantage of this solution is that you can’t slide behind the saddle on descents. They are primarily intended for time trial bikes.

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  • Behind the saddle solutions tend to fare badly on a mountain bike as they are prone to the bottles being bounced out.
    – Andy P
    Commented May 21, 2019 at 10:44
  • Thanks for all the ideas. I ordered one of these. amazon.com/Lumintrail-Handlebar-Adapter-Lightweight-Aluminum/dp/…
    – fixit7
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 3:06
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    @fixit7 . But fit them at the front side of the bars, not at the rear side as the pictures suggest. Also be aware that they might affect the handling of the bike especially with full bottles.
    – Carel
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 8:45
  • The problem with the front of the bars is that that’s where the cables are. I think taking the bottle out without causing unwanted bar movement can also be surprisingly hard.
    – Michael
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 9:18
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There are a number of options here:

  • Use a hydration pack on your back
  • Use a hydration pack in a framebag
  • Use a feedbag attached to the handlebars to hold a waterbottle

Get creative! There's lots more ways to carry water out on the trail.

Clamps, drilling, etc into the frame are probably not the best idea for maintaining the integrity of the frame and security of the bottle.

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    Except that it's pretty regular for companies to drill holes in frames and install threaded rivets on many models of bikes.
    – Deleted User
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 13:42
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Using a strap on cage would likely be the easiest method. You should be able to ask a question of the manufacturer and get strap lengths to compare to your tube circumference and determine fit. It's quite common for bikes to have very large downtubes and I imagine it's common for strap on kits to come with longer than necessary straps, since they can usually be trimmed.

You could also get a quote at a shop to get holes drilled in the frame and threaded rivets installed and mount a cage. More info here. I've done this on both bikes that came with no mounts and as a fix on bikes where the threaded rivets from the factory became stripped (after drilling out the stripped factory rivets). This might be more expensive up front (labor from a shop) but allow you to use a much less expensive cage.

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