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Are there adapters available for moving a bottle cage up/down in the frame? I am trying to move my seat tube's bottle cage down 4-5 centimeters and I prefer using the braze-ons.

Note: the question is about options using the frame's braze-ons, not external adapters.

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  • I'd suggest making up something from a strip of perspex, or some other plastic that is light, cuttable,drillable, and waterproof. A piece of flat aluminium bar would be ideal too. Last resort would be a piece of wood, but that would be more for a short trial/mockup
    – Criggie ♦
    Mar 5, 2017 at 0:06
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    You could use the bottom hole as the top hole, and then use a cable tie or velcro strap to see if it works for you. I have an old MTB with a downtube mount that is very low, and its difficult to reach while riding.. No point making up your adapter to find it doesn't work for you.
    – Criggie ♦
    Mar 5, 2017 at 0:07
  • Have you tried an adjustable cage like the Topeak Modula line?
    – Batman
    Mar 5, 2017 at 2:48
  • @Batman I've got a modula EX which I use for a cable lock. The adjustment is in the wrong dimension (diameter rather than height). I suspect you mean the modula XL(?). It looks rather long for some frames
    – Chris H
    Mar 8, 2017 at 16:23
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    Some of the cheap aluminium (or plastic) cages have multiple holes/slots, and could have an extra hole added if necessary.
    – Chris H
    Mar 8, 2017 at 16:27

5 Answers 5

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There are a number of commercial products available to move bottle cages up or down from the existing braze-ons. They're marketed as a Bottle Cage Relocator or Bottle Cage Adapter, but essentially they're all a flat piece of metal with holes drilled into it that may have some finishing work to make it look nicer. Given they're in the $10 range it's probably a better use of your time to buy one than DIY.

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I had the same problem of too-low bottle bosses (since I prefer to use short bottles), and could not simply use a clamp-on bracket because the down tube is not round but "streamlined" (yeah, right).

What I did is get a strip of aluminum bar (from a hardware store). Without going out to the garage to look at it, I'm thinking it's about 1" wide and 1/4" thick, or maybe a little smaller than that.

I cut off a piece of the bar that was twice the distance between the bosses, plus about 2". I then drilled three holes in the bar, spaced as far apart as the bosses. (This places the first hole about 1" from one end of the bar, the second in the middle, and the third 1" from the other end.)

To mount, first use a screw through the bottom hole in the bar and into the bottom boss. Next take your cage and run a screw (you may need to get a longer one) through the bottom hole of the cage, the middle hole of the bar, and into the top boss. Finally use a screw and nut to secure the top of the cage to the bar, through the top hole.

I've found this to be quite stable -- no problem with rattling, etc (though I suppose it might be a bit rattly for mountain bikers), and it has never bent or come loose.

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    That's nice. That deserves a picture.
    – Craig Hicks
    Mar 5, 2017 at 14:30
  • Yes, please post a picture if you can.
    – user23374
    Mar 8, 2017 at 2:45
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There are numerous Water Bottle Cage Mount adapters. I use "Topeak Handlebar Water Bottle Cage Mount" to mount an extra water bottle cage on the fork of my MTB for long rides. (Nowhere else to put it).
There are two parts:

  1. a metal band with holes and a plastic box with a screw to attach and adjust it - there is a screw passing through a metal plate in the plastic box adjusting the height of the plate which effectively makes the adjustment range continuous.
  2. an attachment that goes on a 0 deg or 90 deg and contains the holes for the cage

Also

  • Max diameter onto which it can mount is ~38 mm
  • The offset from mounting surface to cage holes is ~36.5 mm.
  • Because it attaches with a metal band it is not suitable for a carbon frame.
  • cost 7 to 9 dollars

Toppeak handlebar water cage mount

front view with cage attached to a Lefty fork

side view

back view showing metal band

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    Added image from mfg web site.
    – RoboKaren
    Mar 5, 2017 at 5:11
  • A common problem is that many frames don't have a round down tube.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 5, 2017 at 15:00
  • The metal band is highly flexible, so it would work. The limitation is the circumference of the down tube.
    – Craig Hicks
    Mar 6, 2017 at 0:30
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You could use one or two of these SKS bottle cage anywhere adapters to move your bottle cage location. If you used just one, you'd use one of your existing cage bosses. With two, you have total flexibility in positioning

SKS bottle cage adapter

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If you can't find anything specifically made for this. Maybe just get a metal bracket or other similar piece of metal. Hopeful, you can find something with fewer holes than pictured. Drill some holes in it to customize and place it exactly where you want it.

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  • Metal plate is a "last resort" option. I hope I can find a better option.
    – mkpaa
    Mar 4, 2017 at 23:08
  • Those look like steel plates used in building. A water bottle is 700-800 grammes full, so that's overkill. A modest aluminium plate would be ideal.
    – Criggie ♦
    Mar 5, 2017 at 0:08
  • Its not really the weight of the bottle, but rather the force applied to yank the bottle out or the inertial forces from bouncing up and down in relation to the terrain.
    – Kibbee
    Mar 5, 2017 at 2:32

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