The avid cyclist doesn’t ride without a bottle; there isn’t anything worse than going on a long trip and having nothing drink. But, if you go into the mountains, the added weight of water can sometimes be a burden. Fortunately, we now have many options to buy lightweight bottle cages—almost too many options. To distinguish which ones might be better for you, we think the Alpitude Superleggero is one that you could place in the super light category.
9 grams (!)
The Alpitude Superleggero bottle cage weighs only 9 grams. Okay, 9.5 grams, according to the manufacturer, but that’s a peppermint in difference. The holder still does exactly what you can expect from a bottle cage though thanks to its ultra-simplistic design. But, yes, you have to save those grams from somewhere …
The bottle cage holder has two screws, each weighing 5 grams, to fix the cage onto the frame. When dealing with tricky issues such as weight reduction, it is almost questionable whether it is more efficient to leave the whole bottle cage behind… but unscrewing also costs unnecessary energy…
The bottle itself would slide easily in from the top. Although the bottle cage doesn’t seem very strong, it should be able to handle whatever surface you ride your bike on, whether on the street or off road. And without losing your bottle, of course.
The Alpitude Superleggero is made of light carbon material and is cast in one form. Besides that, you get two screws and a plate that keeps the bottle in place at the bottom. According to the maker, the device is sturdy enough to carry a large bottle filled to the top. Now all you have to hope for is that the carbon of the bottle cage doesn’t break if you crash!
If you want to score this minimalist lightweight, you can order it here. It costs about eighty euros, including shipping. But this could be worth it because, as we all know, if you want to race up the Mont Ventoux, every gram counts.