Fidlock Bottle Twist

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Fidlock says: "The Bottle Twist combines a magnetic-mechanical mount with a bicycle water bottle.

"The bottle twist was espacially engineered to do away with conventional bottle cages, to take up a little space on the bike frame as possible. Thanks to its minimalistic design, the Bottle Twist can fit even the tighest bike frame and can be positioned on any part of the frame, from the crossbar to the saddle bar; which ever point is most conventient for the user.

"The mount is attached to the bike frame with the screws provided. The bottle just needs to be brought close to the mount and the magnetic attraction pulls the bottle in. The mechanical mechansim then secures the bottle."

My feelings: a competent alternative to traditional bottle and cages, and well suited to small compact-geometry frames in particular, but may not be the most cost-effective solution.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Fidlock:

"The patented fastener technology offers a number of advantages: it enables virtually automatic closing and allows the fasteners to be opened in a user-friendly manner with just one hand – even when wearing gloves. The fasteners are also highly reliable, robust and secure.

"This is made possible by the use of slidable neodymium magnets combined with stable mechanical locking. The result is an important feature of Fidlock fasteners: two different procedures are used to open and close the fastener.

"When the fastener is closed, the magnets move towards each other due to magnetic pull and, once they connect, the magnets are automatically securely locked together by the mechanical locking functionality. When the fastener is opened, the polarity of the magnets is reversed by sliding them apart, for example by turning the fastener. This means that the magnets repel each other, supporting the opening procedure."

Both components seem of high quality and extremely well executed.

Some people have queried the longevity of magnets, but I'm assured this variety will retain their power reliably for many years.

Not cheap, especially when compared with composite side-entry designs. However, materials are very high quality and should last. Similarly, this system could prove a godsend for riders of very small compact geometry frames struggling to fit two bottles in the main triangle.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Fidlock system. The magnetic connection takes a few practice runs before becoming second nature but is every bit as secure as traditional bottles/cages. The ability to port the hardware to replacement bottles means the system also has longevity on its side. Looks very neat too.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Pretty much everything, given the design brief.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing per se, although many riders of smaller semi/compact frames may find left/right-specific side-entry cages an inexpensive solution to the problem of getting two bottles in the main triangle.

Use this box to explain your score

Well engineered, high quality alternative to the traditional bottle and cage setup. Could be a godsend for riders of very small frames but pricey compared with more conventional alternatives.