Best value – Fabric Cageless Bottle

What we have here is a truly innovative product! That’s exactly what the jury of the Design & Innovation Award 2016 said when awarding Fabric’s Cageless Bottle. The 600 ml BPA-free bottle snaps into place via two attachment-studs which are bolted onto the bottle holders. But be aware: some manufacturers place the cage mounts either too far up towards the top-tube or too far down towards the bottom bracket. This means that in some cases the Fabric bottle won’t lock into the holder properly and sometimes it won’t attach at all. This is simply because there isn’t enough room to accommodate the bottle.

Bottlecage test 2 1140x760
On this frame the Fabric bottle sits relatively low towards the bottom bracket but can still attach properly. Please check carefully before buying as some frame-designs won’t be compatible with Fabric’s system.

When installing the system make sure you don’t overtighten the screws or you could end up overstretching the attachment studs and the system won’t work properly as a consequence. When clicking the bottle into position the 1,5 g-light studs disappear into the recess of the bottle – a solution that is both aesthetically attractive and minimalistic. Once the bottle is removed the two studs are only barely visible. Removing the bottle is quick and easy but putting it back on requires a good aim especially when trail-riding. When riding downhill we didn’t notice any shaking or rattling noises. The Fabric system can’t compete with Fidlock’s strong magnetic buckle-system but it’s still great! Unfortunately Fabric’s bottle is rather hard to squeeze when drinking and loses a substantial amount of points against the rest of the test field.

Bottle Cage Shootout Test Review CB 2 von 39 1140x760
The Fabric bottle attaches to the bike via two small attachment studs, each weighing only 1.5 g.
Bottle Cage Shootout Test Review CB 4 von 39 1140x760
These two pointy tapered moulds allow the bottle to slide onto the studs.

The Fabric Cageless Bottle comes with an additional fastening system for a second bike and is available in eight colours and in the following sizes: 525 ml (isolated model), 600 ml and a large 750 ml version. If you like storing your tools in a bottle you can also get the Tool Keg. The price of the Fabric Cageless 600 ml bottle in our test is € 14.90. After many test rides we were impressed with the value for money Fabric offers with their Cageless Bottle compared to the models from Fidlock and Birzman. It also scored some pretty good points with its simple handling, straightforward installation and system weight of just 74 g. That’s why we decided to crown it as our best value recommendation.

More information on the Fabric website

Mounting:
Bottlefit:

Handling:
Drinkingperformance:

Capacity: 600 ml
Material: BPA-free
What’s in the box: Bottle, 4 holders for 2 bikes

Weight: 74 g
Price: € 14.90

Page 3 of 5 Prev Next
Table of Contents
  1. Intro
  2. Best in test – Fidlock TWIST Bottle 600
  3. Best value – Fabric Cageless Bottle
  4. Birzman BottleCleat
  5. Out of competition – CamelBak Quick Stow Flask

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