We’ve seen something similar from Birzman, and a straight-line approach from Fabric, and now there’s a full twist version. The new Fidlock Bottle Twist mount uses a proprietary bottle design with two nubs that slot into the base plate. It’s as clean a design as any of the others, where it differentiates itself is with the magnetic attachment that makes it easier to replace the bottle hands eyes? free. It seems to be the the exact same thing we saw from Restrap earlier in the year which it appears Restrap had a hand in developing, as Fidlock looks to actually be Restrap’s magnetic clasp supplier.
Fidlock has been making magnetically attaching buckles for shoes and other gear (like that Mindshift pack we reviewed), so from that perspective it’s a somewhat proven design being used in a new way for cyclists…
The magnetic attraction pulls the bottle into the mount, where one-way clasps close around the nubs. To release, simply twist it clockwise and it’ll overpower the clasps and come out.
At the moment, it looks like it’s only available in Europe for about $29 each (which curiously is a good bit cheaper than the Restrap version, although they do manage proper international delivery.) But, poking around their site gives us the impression they’re equally interested in selling the tech to another brand to use on their own bottles.
Stop trying to make cageless bottles happen, it’s never going to happen
“where it differentiates itself is with the magnetic attachment that makes it easier to replace the bottle hands free.”
So, like, you use your knees? Elbows? Grasp the bottle with your feet while you freewheel?
Dear Fidlock,
Did you by any chance forget the lefties among us? Turning the bottle clockwise with the left hand seems kind of cumbersome.
i’m right handed and id rather it release the in the opposite direction, turning your hand out is wrong
I dunno, the whole concept of not being able to whack any bottle I have or buy onto my bike just seems pointless. I applaud the thinking and effort but, for me anyway, the idea where I am locked into buying a specific bottle… no thanks.
Yeah I agree with Eleven_g… I have dozens and dozens of bottles and this would make all of them useless…
They will release a bottle cage adapter so you can use any bottle plus cage with this. Just twist off the cage and go.
+1
I’m waiting for the fidget spinner model. Full endless rotation for maximum uselessness!
Ceramic Speed will provide their ceramic bearings for ultimate ‘performance’ 😉
I like to ram a bottle of cider in the cage on special piss up/hot days. How would this work with that?
“it appears Restrap had a hand in developing, as Fidlock looks to actually be Restrap’s magnetic clasp supplier”
Seems to be an open design from a company in Taiwan – expect to see it under a number of brands. Works well, nice product if the specific mount and bottle isn’t an issue.
Proprietary bottle = Fail. Some days I really want my vacuum bottle full of hot coffee on a ride. My current bottle cages don’t care what bottle I use.
Stop fixing a problem that doesn’t exist!
This belongs in a Brookstone store for bike products.
A place to look at cool engineering but I never buy anything.
I prefer to cover my bottle and down tube in Velcro
The problem does exist! Some full suspension frames don’t really allow for any axial movement of the water bottle without coming into contact with the shock. Even the “side loading” cages aren’t quite good enough for some frames.
This looks to be a perfect solution for those scenarios. Justa ’cause yous guys don’t need one, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place in the market.
Yes, there are legitimate applications for this bottle system. However, I don’t see this becoming widely used, as most people aren’t going to throw away all their bottles and (expensive) cages on bikes without a space problem.
Carbon? Is it Tryathalon friendly? Lemme know, thanks
The only benefit of having no cages on a bike is there is one less “jewel” to bling one’s ride… Which is not a benefit to lots of cyclists.
I got one of these at Interbike to try out, and I am very impressed. Works great for warming up for cyclocross, as I want water before the race but do not want anything on the frame after the start. The low magnetic studs do not interfere at all with shouldering the bike. Wearing a skinsuit means I cannot easily carry a standard bottle for the pre-ride, and the twist release means that the bottle does not eject over the rough sections that caused standard bottles on teammate’s bikes to eject.