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I have a Next PX 6.0 mountain bike. It did not come with pre-installed mounting screws/threads for a bottle cage. The frame has large oval-shaped tubes, so many attachments that come with bottle cages don't work, since they're not big enough to wrap around the entire tube.

My current configuration is with cable ties, but they keep breaking. The bottle cage is currently only attached by one cable tie, as the other two have snapped off. (The bike is hanging from the ceiling, which is why the orientation might look strange.)

Are there any options out there for a more permanent installation of a bottle cage on this bike?

[UPDATE: I gave this bike away when I graduated from college, which was before I got around to attempting any of the solutions offered here. But, if you have a similar issue, the answers/comments here should still help.]

bike photo #1 bike photo #2 bike photo #3

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    This page lists a range of solutions. Kind of impressive to see what all we (humans) have come up with. nordicgroup.us/cageboss
    – compton
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 3:57
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    Almost a dupe of this question, which is worth checking out @1dareu2mov3: bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/16668/…
    – compton
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:00
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    Use sticky foam pads between the cage and frame to provide some give, and better quality cable ties.
    – mattnz
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:20
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    Another option might be a small frame bag in that triangle, held on by velcro straps on three sides, with a camelback-style hydration bag inside and a sipping tube/valve combo.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:29
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    Thanks, @compton, for mentioning that other thread. There's definitely some useful information there.
    – 1dareu2mov3
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:30

4 Answers 4

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The approach I've seen is to use hose clamps to hold a bottle cage to the frame. Hose clamps are what (used to?) attach a car's radiator hose to the radiator, if you've seen that. If you have an old inner tube, you can slice that into strips to pad between the clamps and the frame so the paint doesn't get scratched.

worm-gear hose clamp

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    I don't know, but I'd say likely and worth a try if the tubes are oval even if not circular. Adding extra padding strips might help so that they could compress/expand to fill in the space between the tube and the clamp.
    – compton
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 3:54
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    The hose clamp is ugly, but it's probably your best bet for this scenario (if the tubes are not TOO crazy). Note that the clamps come in different widths, and the narrower they are the more flexible, so look for fairly narrow (but still sufficiently long) ones. Note that you may have to visit several hardware stores, et al, to find a decent selection. Also note that you should probably "pre-bend" the clamp to the shape of the tube before you begin tightening it.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:10
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    Totally - hose clamps / jubilee clips like this can deform a lot and still function perfectly. The tricks are to locate the clamping bit so the band enters straight and not being pulled around a corner formed by the end of the shell. And to put a decent layer of tape between the frame and the clamp to minimise erosion due to friction.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:25
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    These suggestions are very helpful. I'll try using a hose clamp (or perhaps multiple), and if it works, I'll come back and "accept" @compton's answer. Thanks, guys!
    – 1dareu2mov3
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:28
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    Trying to pre-bend the clamp is a waste of time. You don't know where to bend it until it is wrapped close around the bike tube, and when you have done that it will be bent already. They are quite "springy" and flexible. Put some grease on the band so it will get drawn into the screw as you tighten it - otherwise it might have seized when want to remove it, and the nut on the screw thread is usually not "precision engineering" - it's easy to round off the corners of the nut if you try to attack it with brute force!
    – alephzero
    Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:59
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Here are a few that I found while looking. easy if you know what to look for.
Will depend on what you want and need

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  • The top mount here is not fit for this purpose. It's for a BTA (between the arms) setup with a bottle on aero tt/tri bars.
    – sjakubowski
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 17:53
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I've used rivnuts to create mounts for bottle holders. It requires you drilling into your frame and then tightening up the rivet nut, but once you have done that you would have effectively the same mounts that are present on bikes with the cage mounts pre-installed.

You would probably want M5 size rivnuts for compatibility with other bottle cage/fender bolt thread sizing.

Beware This may compromise the strength of your frame. Don't do this on carbon fibre or thin walled metal frames.

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  • Not something you'd want to do with carbon or Al or even fancy steel frames.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Oct 9, 2017 at 3:15
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    The risk here is that rivnuts do not add as much strength as the drilled hole takes away. The frame may be thick enough to survive, or it may be pared down to the minimum thickness for safety which is why there are no mountings there in the first place. A hole in the frame can be a stress riser (a start point for cracks) A qualified framebuilder can tell you if the frame is thick enough using specialised tools. If the bike's not valuable give it a go. A rivnut tool is expensive, so look to hire one, or practice rivnut installation using a scrap of tube, two spanners and a nut.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Oct 9, 2017 at 4:25
  • Very good points Daniel and Criggie. I've added a note.
    – Mac
    Commented Oct 10, 2017 at 4:16
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The answer of @compton brought me an idea - hose clamp but nicer - hose wire binding, like this: Hose wire binder tool With some pieces of inner tube it will not damage the paint job and with some isolation tape it will be almost invisible. The reasonable place for the knot is the underside of the frame so not disturbing anyhow.

Here is how to use one (DIY):

And here is how to make one:

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