Restrap’s Side Release Bottle Cage is designed for ambidextrous use in tight spaces in conjunction with frame bags and any frame. It features a retaining strap to hold the bottle on rougher terrain. It doesn’t cost a lot and could be the answer if you’re having a water bottle access crisis.
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Restrap Side Release Bottle Cage – Technical details
Restrap’s Side Release Bottle Cage is made from unspecified moulded plastic with flippable tabs on top and bottom, allowing the cage to be used for left or right-hand operation. A small silicone grip strip also fits between the frame and the bottle cage to help grip and prevent marking your frame’s lush paintwork.
The open side also features a rubber band which can be strapped over the opening to hold the bottle or Cargo or clipped back and stored out of the way.
And yes Cargo, not just bottles as the cage is slightly expandable you can fit oversized objects in using the strap to hold them in place. Restrap’s website shows a bottle of Cava but I’d not want to open that after a bumpy ride.
Like all Restrap products, the Side Loader Cage is covered by a lifetime warranty which is impressive considering the nature of the flippable ends and rubber band and the retail price of £15.
Water bottles are available in two sizes to match the cage with an orange cap to match the orange rubber band on the cage and are available in 500 or 750ml sizes from £12 and £13 respectively.
Restrap’s Side Release Bottle Cage – Installation and performance
Fitting the water bottle cage is slightly unusual as you do the initial setup in reverse. First, lay/hold the silicone grip strip over the bottle mounting bosses on the frame and then install the provided bolts so that they are in but still protruding with most of their thread exposed. Next, flip the folding base in the cage to choose your initial orientation and slide the cage over the exposed bolt.
You are now able to adjust its position up and down by a huge 25mm and then tighten the bolts. It’s not exactly rocket science but the clever bit is that you can simply reverse the cage and choose access from the other side by loosening the bolts sliding the cage off and flipping the bases and reinstalling in the opposite orientation.
For those of you wondering why this is useful and what the fuss is about as your stock traditional one or two-bottle setup is universally accessible from the saddle, it’s for those of us with frame bags attached to our bike which often block a clean-up and out removal option. It also works with small frames and suspension frames where there is just enough space to store a bottle but not enough to remove it. What were those designers thinking?
Also sometimes trying to run two full-size bottles in the frame space clashes as the bottoms overlap. Restrap (and others) offer a widely adjustable mounting up and down position on the same boss bolts to help here, in fact, a full 25mm is available.
Restrap has given bikepackers, small frame and suspension bike riders options which is great to see and they have done it at a fraction of the price of a Fidlock system which isn’t height adjustable on its own, even if it is extremely secure.
In use, the Side Loader is straightforward but there are a few things I would recommend for the best performance. When mounting the silicone grip strip with its little side tab I found that it interfered with the access of the rubber strap if they were on the same side. So if you know you want the left-hand opening, make sure that tab is on the right.
Releasing the rubber band from its stowed position close to the frame was less successful on the move. However, I found that unclipping and reclipping the strap whilst riding was unnecessary as I was able to get the 750 bottle in and out with the strap in place. I tended to leave it in that position, holding the bottle, when I was on rough terrain and only clip it into its storage location for smooth road sections.
When Riding rough terrain the rubber strap is very useful in preventing bottle ejection during super rough trail descents. Previous side-loading bottle cages I have used have suffered from this on occasion, so it is great to see that Restrap added the orange rubber band to eliminate this issue.
Restrap Side Release Bottle Cage – Verdict
For £15 you can have a unidirectional side access bottle cage with a security strap that fits any bottle. That’s not a lot of money by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, you could add straps to an existing bottle cage if you already have them but I doubt it would be as adaptable for different applications or frame sizes or have a lifetime warranty.
Topeak offers the £20 Ninja Master+ Cage SK+ with Free Strappack which has a side-access bottle cage and under-bottle stowage strap which may or may not take up too much space on your bike. You can just fit the cage of course for £10.
Lezyne’s Flow SL Cage offers left or right versions like the Topeak one above but costs a little more at £13 and offers nothing above bottle storage.
Fidlock’s TWIST bike base offers all the same security, small frame, odd-shaped tubes and bike packing friendliness of the Restrap option for £13, but it does cost a minimum of £35 for the essential Twist Lock Bottle. Secure? Absolutely, and completely dependable. Rebuildable yes, spares are available, but it’s a large investment.
Restrap has hit a home run with their Side Release Bottle Cage, it’s cheap and light, and it works with different sizes and different style frames, with or without bikepacking bags and the rubber strap offers extra security for rough trails. If you want a simple bottle cage, the £15 Side release bottle from Restrap works well.
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Product purpose:
With a foldable base, it offers the flexibility of being mountable in two different positions, giving you the choice to have the opening on either the left or the right side.
The cage also has a rubber retention loop which keeps bottles even more secure on rough and bumpy terrain. Adjustable fit means this cage can fit on any bike, using any bottle mounts available on the frame or forks.
Build extra:
Rubber band with keeper for when not in use and clip for when strapped over bottle
small silicone grip mount to protect frame
Product construction extra:
“All Restrap products carry a lifetime guarantee to be free of defects in materials and workmanship. We stand by our products and will cover the cost to repair or replace any defective product”
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Make sure the bolts that hold it are done up tight though.
Product durability extra:
Product weight
Product weight extra:
product value
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Product value extra:
Plus you can fit larger bottle IN DIAMETER and use the strap tp hold them in.
Overall performance:
Product likes:
The rubber strap really helps
£15 thats all.
