How much can you say about bottle cages? A surprising amount, as it happens.

Firstly, they are the perfect way to carry your water when out on a road bike. Although you can ride with a rucksack, a lot of road cyclists find that this is uncomfortable when riding for a long period of time, can obscure your view when looking back over your shoulder, and can slip up the back, particularly when riding on the drops of the handlebars.

Bottle cages can be chosen based on cost, colour or weight. Starting at around £3, you can go right up to £30 and above for a superlight carbon fiber cage, which are great for keeping weight low for racing.

Cages are usually top or side entry, and which one you go for is a matter of personal preference. They’ll also take pretty much any water bottle (or bidon, in the world of road cycling) securely, but some will fit better than others.

The attach via the two bolts that will located on your bikes downtube, inside the front triangle of the frame. Most bikes will also have a second set of bolts on the seat tube, and we’d recommend fitting cages to both. That will give you plenty of liquid carrying ability for longer rides, or rides in hot weather.