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review

Arundel STR/DTR side entry bottle cages

7
£65.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Lovely carbon cages with secure grip and useful side entry for small frames or bikepackers
Weight: 
28g
Contact: 

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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Arundel's lovely STR and DTR side-loading carbon fibre cages works wonderfully, with a vice-like grip on bottles, and are ideal for smaller frames or bikepacking with easier sideways access. They're beautifully made and very light, but you have to part with a lot of cash for one or a pair.

  • Pros: Easy bottle insertion, secure grip, fit adjustment, beautifully made, light
  • Cons: Very expensive

The STR (Seat Tube Right side entry) and DTR (Down Tube Right side entry) cages differ from the Mandible we've tested in the past by being – as you might already have guessed – designed for side-loading.

> Buy this online here

You'll want a side-loading cage if your access to the bottle is restricted either by a small frame or a frame pack. And if you're into mountain biking, they're also useful on full-suspension frames with limited access because of low slung top tubes and suspension linkages.

With one designed for the down tube and one for the seat tube (swap 'em around if you're left-handed), getting bottles out when the front triangle is crammed with a frame pack is made much easier.

Arundel DTR and STR Mandible other sideloader.jpg

As I've become hooked on gravel and adventure riding, I've taken to using a frame pack on longer rides. You can stuff an awful lot of food into one, so there's never shortage of mid-ride snacks when your route on long lost forgotten bridleways doesn't take you past a shop/pub/cafe/petrol station.

These are beautifully made cages, as you'd hope for the money. They're made by wrapping carbon fibre over a foam core, and the quality is exceptional. There are no nasty sharp edges, it's all very smooth. You can choose from two finishes, a 3K weave or a unidirectional weave, and glossy or matt. Ours is a matt 3K weave.

To provide some adjustment to suit different frames there are four holes: two round and two slotted, so you can fit the cages higher or lower to suit your requirements.

> Read more road.cc reviews of bottle cages here

Sliding a bottle into each cage is extremely easy. I tried a wide variety of bottles (Camelbak Podium, Tacx, Elite, Specialized) and they all worked just fine, no compatibility issues to report. Once in the cage, the bottles were held in place very securely. No ejected bottles to report at all.

Getting the bottles out is easy enough, too, with both the STR and DTR relinquishing their octopus-like grip when you tug at the bottles.

I must say, even on the occasions when I didn't need the side-loading feature, slotting bottles into place was often easier with these than with a normal cage because the angle of entry lines up well with your hand. So even if you don't particularly need side-loading cages, they still work very well as regular cages.

Arundel STR Mandible Sideloader 1.jpg

You might well be choking at the price, but it's not far off the Topeak Shuttle Cage X at £55, and the SKS Pure Carbon bottle cage isn't cheap either, though it is 'only' £44.99.

If you want carbon and low weight and aren't taken by the looks of the Arundel, the Elite Rocko Carbon could be worth a look. That's 27g for £27.99.

Or if you want a side entry cage without paying a fortune, the Tacx Radar gets the job done reasonably well for £13.99.

I'm a sucker for a bit of carbon fibre and I do like a good looking bottle cage, and when it's done as well as this it's a struggle to resist the temptation. Yes, they are jolly expensive and value for money isn't that great when you pick out some more keenly priced carbon rivals, but if you want to treat your bike and fancy a bit of lovely bling, you can't really go wrong.

Verdict

Lovely carbon cages with secure grip and useful side entry for small frames or bikepackers

road.cc test report

Make and model: Arundel STR/DTR side entry bottle cages

Size tested: N/A

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Arundel says: "The names DTR and STR tell you where they go and what they do.

DTR stands for Down Tube Right side entry.

STR = Seat Tube Right side entry.

This side-loading design is a great match for our Mandible cage and was developed over a two-year period, including testing in MTB World Cup competition. DTR fitment is like our proven Other Sideloader. STR is like our SideLoader."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Arundel lists:

Full carbon construction

Foam core sheds weight

Mandible-like cage arms are incredibly strong

Approved for all riding types including MTB and Cross

Uni-directional carbon in a glossy finish

Cage bolt holes allow you to position the cage exactly where you want it

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very nicely made and lives up to the expectations set by the high price.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Smooth entry even in a tight place, and very secure grip on the bottles.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

I've still got an old set of Arundel cages and they're still going strong.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

They are lighter than regular cages but they're not the lightest.

Rate the product for value:
 
3/10

The price is a bit silly really.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Keeps bottles securely in place yet they're easy to get in and out in tight places.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Lovely build quality and finish.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Price.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's about the same price as other top-end lightweight carbon cages mentioned in the review.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a lovely cage that works very well, but at the price, value for money takes a serious hit.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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4 comments

Avatar
Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
1 like

Nobody's forced to buy one.

I own another model bottle cage by Arundel and it's hands down the best I ever had:  light, no bottle ejections on gravel paths or rutted singletrack, no rattling.  I've blown more money on less useful stuff.  

It's not because you're already carrying gear that the weight factor becomes totally insignificant.

 

Avatar
Rapha Nadal replied to Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
0 likes
Xenophon2 wrote:

Nobody's forced to buy one.

I own another model bottle cage by Arundel and it's hands down the best I ever had:  light, no bottle ejections on gravel paths or rutted singletrack, no rattling.  I've blown more money on less useful stuff.  

It's not because you're already carrying gear that the weight factor becomes totally insignificant.

 

The Mandibles are some of the most secure cages I think I have ever used.  Pricey but so awesome in both carbon & stainless steel offerings.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

so you're paying £100 extra for a pair of bottle cages to save what...30 or 40g at most? On a bike loaded with 5-15kg of bike packing gear?!?

 

For transcontinental potential winners only I reckon...

Avatar
bechdan | 4 years ago
2 likes

You know its another 4 months till April 1st

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