A less familiar brand for those in the UK than the US, Arundel has been making bicycle accessories, and most notably bottle cages, since 2000. Its aim, the founders say, is to ‘come up with some cool bike equipment that people want to buy’.
The Arundel stainless steel bottle cage, as its sole steel offering, sits in the middle of its bottle cage range. Above it sits the carbon Dave-O and Mandible and below it, the nylon-reinforced Grypto and Sport.
This stainless steel bottle cage has a prodigious history, according to Arundel, and has been used on bikes in the Tour de France, Flanders and ridden to victory at Paris-Roubaix.
Arundel stainless steel bottle cage design
The cage is made from polished 4.2mm tubing forming two half-arms, for vertical bottle entry. This also allows easy installation as none of the tubing sits directly in front of the mounting holes.
The level of frame adaptability is limited, with only a range of bolt positions possible from the lower hole.
The main body of the cage is made from stamped steel, which gives an artistic flourish to an otherwise simple design.
In keeping with the stamped design, the cage’s welds are neat, and the steel has been smoothly polished. The overall aesthetic is clean and stylish, with smart touches like the sleeve at the lower join.
It feels sturdy in hand, with a good degree of spring to the steel arms.
Arundel stainless steel bottle cage performance
When tested, the bottle cage worked well with 500ml bidons, with the steel arms providing a tight hold without hindering accessibility.
The bottles did not rattle and, thanks to the well-polished finish, did not get scratched.
Due to the height and design of the arms, the cage was harder to use with a tall (750ml) bottle as it has a relatively high loading point, which also highlighted the limited mounting adaptability.
The price of the Arundel cage is at the higher end of the spectrum for steel cages but is similar to direct competitors such as King Cage, which also offers top-quality stainless steel products.
When weighed, the cage averaged 55g, just 2g above the stated manufacturer weight.
This makes the cage somewhat heavier than others on the market, but is likely due to the stamped steel spine which serves an aesthetic purpose as well as a practical one.
Overall, the Arundel stainless steel bottle cage is an attractive, minimalistic product that wouldn’t look out of place on either a modern road bike or a classic tourer.
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Photos: Honor Elliott