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review
2021 Specialized Rib Cage II£17.00
VERDICT:
Looks good and securely holds your bottles – what more could you want? Except perhaps a lower price...
Stylish
Secure
Compatible with Specialized's SWAT tools
Not the lightest
Weight:
34g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Specialized Rib Cage II does its job well, keeping bottles securely stowed even on rough ground whilst looking good. It's not the cheapest or lightest out there, but it's still a quality component.
The Rib Cage II is simple to mount, provides a good tight grip on bottles, but proves very easy to use on the move. I used this on my cyclo-cross bike and encountered no issues even rattling around off road. It worked well with both the Elite and Camelbak bottle styles I tested, too.
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Available in four tasteful colours, the cage is a composite material that feels durable. I've had other Specialized cages like this, and they've all lasted well.
Weighing in at 34 grams without bolts, it's just about fair to label this as a lightweight bottle cage, though it's not hard to find lighter ones – sometimes for less money, too, such as the 30g Prime Doyenne Bottle Cage at £7.99.
One neat feature of the Rib Cage II, though, is its compatibility with Specialized's SWAT tool system.
Also, it's not hard to find more expensive cages, either. The Rib Cage II is 3g lighter than the Lezyne Matrix Team Cage, and that's £3 more at £20, for instance.
The Elite Ala Resin Bottle Cage is a good option and sits in the middle of all these prices at £10, but is 6g heavier.
Overall, this is a solid, effective and secure bottle cage I would be happy to use on any of my bikes. It performs exactly as needed, and looks good.
Verdict
Looks good and securely holds your bottles – what more could you want? Except perhaps a lower price...
road.cc test report
Make and model: Specialized Rib Cage II
Size tested: One Size
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?
Specialized says: "The Rib Cage II is not only a sleek, lightweight water bottle cage, but it's also been designed to be fast in the wind. Of course, it also performs its primary task of holding tight to bottles dutifully, so you won't be losing bottles when the road gets rough."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
SWAT technology design allows for storage and tool integration.
Super-low bottle position improves the aerodynamic profile.
Tuned compression design provides a secure bottle retention with easy in-and-out accessibility.
Reinforced composite material improves durability without adding weight.
Sleek, minimalist design with razor-sharp graphics.
Accepts EMT Cage Mount MTB or Road Tool.
Accepts MTB XC Box (when used on compatible frames).
Weight: 33g
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Constructed well.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Performs exactly as intended, keeping your bottles stowed securely.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
No concerns.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
6/10
At 34g, this is about average. The lightest cages come in below 20g.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
£17 is about average a composite cage, but it's high in the general scheme of things.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Exactly as intended.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The design is simple and it's easy to use while riding.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At 34 grams without bolts, it's just about fair to label this as a lightweight bottle cage, though it's not hard to find lighter ones – sometimes for less money, such as the 30g Prime Doyenne Bottle Cage at £7.99.
That said, it's not hard to find more expensive cages either. The Rib Cage II is 3g lighter than the Lezyne Matrix Team Cage, which is £3 more at £20, for instance. The Elite Ala Resin Bottle Cage is a good option and sits in the middle of all these prices at £10, but is 6g heavier.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
This cage performs really well, has a sleek design and a nice matt finish. It's not the lightest out there, but it certainly isn't heavy – it's very good.
About the tester
Age: 30
I usually ride: S-Works Tarmac My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, club rides, Gravel on a CX bike
Nick hails from the west country and combines riding bikes with hitting balls with cricket bats and golf clubs. You'll find him riding a mix of road, cyclocross and XC MTB.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 1 min 9 sec ago
Wait - I've got it! It's actually an accessible design - for cyclists without arms. Hey presto, you can be in the drops using only your feet!
- chrisonabike 4 min 59 sec ago
Why leave yourself open to the problem in the first place? No windows, no draughty windows.
- chrisonabike 6 min 48 sec ago
Yup - although as a more "distributed" / low cost kind of "good" (which the public purse pays towards) cycling will likely always be susceptible to...
- quiff 1 hour 13 min ago
I'm sure they'd ask Lime to do that too. Come and collect your bikes and my neighbour - they're in pieces.
- brooksby 1 hour 19 min ago
Ireland seems to have a lot of problems with their cycle lanes… Almost as many as England
- quiff 1 hour 39 min ago
Fair point - I was restricting myself to pedal bikes. As I've never spent that kind of money on anything though (mortgage doesn't count), it's kind...
- brooksby 2 hours 41 min ago
And finally: I wonder how many of the "more than 3,000" signatures on that petition are actually locals, who live or work there (and are not just...
- Doug_D 4 hours 17 min ago
Another book suggestion - I can highly recommend "Lost Summers and Half-Forgotten Afternoons: A Mint Sauce collection" - a beautifully presented...
- mdavidford 6 hours 8 min ago
I think you're missing an opportunity to pack even more tech into it - add accelerometers that can detect whether they're pedalling or stepping....
Add new comment
6 comments
I have 16 gram carbon cages on my road bike and love them, but these on the gravel bike and mtb. Bottles stay put!
A good example of the obsessive and yet totally misled preoccupation on pointless weight savings...calling a 34g cage overweight and yet the average cyclist will probably weigh 75kg or more.
I reckon I can save 500g by drinking the contents of the water bottle before I ride...actually thinking about it I could also take the cage off too and fly up those hills...or maybe not.
I'd have to agree. I inderstand wanting a light bike - but there comes a point when the money spent on saving weight becomes ridiculous.
I'm sorry, but, a 34g bottle cage is not overweight; it needs to carry a full bottle of fluid...
It's like people moaning about how heavy a 8kg bike is - it's not.
Surely that only works if you then have a wee.
Whoosh!
Glad to hear you're flushing when you're done.