Vincero Design's Cageless Water Bottle Review

Vincero Design a Boulder, Colorado based company has released what surely promises to have not only you but the entire cycling community rethinking the most fundamental of accessories, the water bottle cage. Utilizing rare earth magnets and carbon fiber Vincero Designs is able to get their mount down to an amazing 16 grams! The concept is sound and after a few weeks of testing I would have to agree that this is an amazing system. The idea of using magnets as opposed to a cage actually increases the functionality of the mount as you hydrate. Your regular water bottle cage basically cradles the bottle and as you hydrate the bottle gets lighter and is more prone to be thrown out of the cage, whereas the magnets are so burly strong that as far as I can tell there is no real way to eject the bottle unintentionally.

The system, which is comprised of the mount, dubbed the Edge 16 and a water bottle (sold in both 20 and 24 oz sizes) is not only a thing of simplicity but also of absolute function. As you slide the water bottle back into the mount the magnets snap to each other promising a firm and secure hold. The motion to remove the bottle is in line with what we already know so there is no real learning curve. In addition to the obvious mount differences there is also an amazing feature in that the silicone valve requires no movement on the riders part to get water out, simply squeeze and drink. In addition the valve does not leak! This system just works.

During the testing I mounted the system on a variety of bikes from my rigid single speed to a towny to a full on down hill race rig, and no matter what beating I gave it the magnets held strong. Although just recently I did manage to lose the bottle, but to Vincero's credit it was my fault. I was a bit hung over and not on the top of my game and when I pulled my bike out of my truck I noticed the bottle was not seated properly but being the fog that I was in I ignored it and about a mile into the ride it blew out on a rock section. I should also mention that previous to this I had to near endos and it held in there for those! The good news is it took me a good 6 miles of riding to figure out I had lost it and subsequently backtrack to it which helped with my hangover! Another aspect of this system is that for roady racers this is the lightest cage on the market, at 16 grams the paltry weight coupled with the increased aerodynamics this is sure to be seen through out the race community soon enough. I mean come on, if your are the type that shaves every hair off of your body in increase aerodynamics why not do the same for your bike by utilizing the lightest smallest signature water bottle mount on the market? Cyclocross riders, think of the enjoyment you'll gain from not snapping carbon mounts every time you shoulder your bike and from the new freedom to actually have hydration during a race...priceless and potentially opening the door to the podium. This tiny magnetic mount also allows water bottle manufacturers more freedom in bottle shape and size as well as potentially opening up bike builders to fit bottles in different areas. And some of the smaller frames especially in the 29er world have great trouble fitting cages on the frame not only due to the cage size but also because you cannot remove the bottle if you ever do get it in the cage, this is not so with the minimal movement necessary to place and remove this system. Priced at $47 (bottle and mount) this blows away all of the other ultralight carbon units which seem to run from about $80 all the way up to $300, and that is for just the mount! Wake up riders this is a great idea!