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review
Bottle cages
PDW The Bird Cage

PDW The Bird Cage

8
by Stu Kerton
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Mar 15, 2013

1
£13.00

VERDICT:

8
10
A top performing bottle cage that brings a bit of fun to your bike
Weight: 
75g
Contact: 
www.paligap.cc
How we test

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PDW stands for Portland Design Works who as you can probably guess are based in Portland. We're talking US of A here though for the makers of this The Bird Cage bottle holder - not on the coast of Dorset.

Since 2008 the guys at PDW have been coming up with various bits and bobs to customise your bike from bar grips, to racks, mudguards and plenty of things in between. They've now turned their attention to the humble bottle cage.

The Bird Cage is as you can probably see a bird shaped sheet of 5052 grade alloy rolled to create a holder for your bidon. Coming in either a chrome plated finish or sandblasted black or silver it should match any frame colour without too much issue.

Once on the bike it is actually quite subtle unless you really pay attention to it - we've placed on both oversized carbon tubes and skinny steel ones and it suits them all.

Thankfully the Bird Cage isn't just a bit of bike bling; it actually performs as well. Whether you're using a 500 or 750ml bottle the grip remains tight both full and empty so you shouldn't see your bottle disappearing off down the road. Even on a harsh aluminium test bike there was very little in the way of rattling through road buzz and engaging and disengaging is relatively easy to.

Weight wise it is heavy compared to most bottle cages, especially carbon ones but 57g isn't exactly going to effect your climbing ability.

Price is £15 for the chrome and £13 for the sandblasted versions which is pretty damn good I reckon. That price includes two stainless steel bolts as well.

Even after hundreds of bottle movements it's showing no signs of wear and still holding with a vice like grip.

Verdict

A top performing bottle cage that brings a bit of fun to your bike.

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: PDW The Bird Cage

Size tested: Black

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?

PDW just wanted to add a bit of fun into the humble bottle cage and they haven't done it at the expense of performance.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

No bottle ejections so a thumbs up.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

No slackness issues yet but we'll keep you posted.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

Not one for the weight weenies.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

Very impressive. Holds a bottle tight even on rough terrain.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It's fun.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 34  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Ribble Winter Trainer for commuting, Genesis Flyer  My best bike is: Sarto Rovigo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

PDW The Bird Cage
PDW
Bottle cage
Stu Kerton

With 20 years of road cycling and over 150,000 miles in his legs it's safe to say Stu is happiest when on the bike whatever the weather. Since writing his first review for road.cc back in 2009 he has also had a career in engineering including 3D-CAD design and product development, so has a real passion for all of the latest technology coming through in the industry but is also a sucker for a classic steel frame, skinny tyres, rim brakes and a damn good paintjob.
His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too!

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