Dave-O Bottle Cage
The Dave-O cage, introduced in the spring of 2001, was one of the very first carbon fiber cages. As simple as they look, carbon bottle cages aren’t that easy to make and they cost a lot of money. If we could figure out a way to spit 'em out like candy from Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory, we would!
Each cage is made in a compression mold. Layers of fabric are placed in the mold by hand, the mold then goes to the press where it is subjected to temperatures around 250 degrees and pressures close to 1000 psi. Not a healthy environment to grow up in, unless you are growing up to be a top quality carbon fiber water bottle cage. When you plunk down your money for one of our objects d' art, you can rest easy knowing that the latest in quality control and manufacturing techniques are implemented to produce one hell of a cage.
Dave-O cages weigh in at 30 grams, and so far have proven to be quite strong, given the fact that they are extremely lightweight. Some of our early test cages were in the 18-22 gram range but the bottles weren’t always secure. Our main design parameter was to choose a design that was not only light and durable, but would prevent the bottles from ejecting out of the cage, since there is nothing more frustrating than losing contact with the bunch just to retrieve an errant water bottle.
Before we sold anything to a paying customer we made sure we had a great product. We continue to see some of our first, locally made Dave-O’s on area rides. We still test constantly and solicit feedback from our sponsored pro teams (including in 2008; Team Type 1, Jelly Belly, Kelly Benefits and HealthNet). You can use these off road or on, big bottles or regular, your choice. They hold the bottles really well!
In 2004 we added extra colors. In 2006 we added "Oil Slick", which is a Uni-Tape (not a weave) finish that’s gaining in popularity. The cage itself remains unchanged but the mounting boss decal is available in the original red plus these other colors. It’s a simple accent but when you want your bike to be perfect, it is best to not overlook the details. The Dave-O is also available in a matte finish. So, you get the security and style of an Arundel cage yet it won’t detract from some of todays less exotic paint schemes.