I don’t drink a lot on the bike. On any ride shorter than about 50 miles, I probably don’t need a second water bottle. And most of my rides are shorter than 50 miles. So, why not put that second bottle cage to good use? Years ago I had a Cage Rocket, a storage pod that slipped easily into my seat tube bottle cage and held things like car keys and energy bars. It wasn’t a bad product—you can still find them for sale directly from the factory—but eventually mine failed. It wouldn’t stay closed anymore and that’s a critical failure for a storage device.
I have been using seat wedges ever since, but I haven’t been completely satisfied with them. They can be hard to open and close. In recent years I have found that I use them only for spare tubes, tools, and other things I might need for a mechanical failure. I have been carrying other things—mobile phone, money, ID—in my jersey pockets. But I don’t like riding with things in my pockets. My new “smart” phone is twice the size and weight of my old flip phone, and it fits in my middle pocket only by stretching the pocket walls almost as far as they will go. Some riders are mounting their phones on their handlebars or tucking them into top tube bags. I’m not interested in those options. My phone goes with me only for emergencies. I’ll dig it out if I need it; I don’t want to see it in the meantime.
So, the bottle cage pod is an idea whose time has come again. This time I have gone with the Topeak Escape Pod in its medium size. It solves the Cage Rocket flapper vulnerability with a screw-on top. The pod easily accommodates my roadside repair gear and features a neoprene liner to reduce rattling. (Ever ride down a bumpy road with a couple of CO2 cartridges banging together? You get sick of that sound in a hurry.) If you have used ordinary water bottles to store small items, then you would appreciate the differences a purpose-built storage pod can offer. I got such a good deal that a bought two pods, one for my road bike and one for my gravel / recreation trail bike.
Is it more aerodynamic than a seat pack. You don't want to lose any aero advantage 😁 I might do OBC Shreiber ride tonight. See how quick I get dropped 😭
ReplyDeleteRight now, it's looking like storage pod PLUS seat pack. And maybe I didn't need two pods. I'm thinking about using a single pod for things that are universal: ID, cash, tire levers, CO2, inflator head, multitool. A single POD would be a grab-and-go solution for all of my bikes. Things like innertubes--vastly different sizes for each bike--will stay in the bike-specific seat packs.
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