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review

Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage

9
£54.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent way to keep bottles safe yet easily accessable over really rough terrain
Over 10lbs of grip force
Easy entry and exit
Good looks
Can be positioned anywhere
Grips any bottle
Five year warranty
High price
Weight: 
43g

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.

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The Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage is a very grippy - and very expensive - full-carbon way to keep your bottles clutched. Multiple design features work to keep your bottles where you want them, no matter the terrain. What price a drink of water?

Water bottle cages have one job, but go to any mass-start gravel event and you'll see that many designs don't even do that. When I did the Dirty Reiver 200km race with the road.cc team a few years back, the first rocky descent was littered with bottles and wafts of regret as people arrived at the bottom to find their hydration strategy literally missing.

At that point – or more likely a dozen miles on when they reached down only to grasp air – I bet many people would happily pay £54 plus postage for a cage like this.

And that's really the target market for the Kaptive 10 cage - people riding rough terrain and relying on their hydration staying put whatever.

> Buy now: Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage for £54.99 from Multisport Distribution

The kind of terrain where missing a half-litre of fluids could be the difference between happiness and either cramp or dehydration. If that's the sort of riding you do, the price is likely second to the peace of mind.

Featuring 4K carbon weave construction, six grip arms, a 3mm-thick base, a 5mm-deep hook and angled top edges, everything works together to hold really tight to any bottle. All this means it isn't for those with really small frames, frame bags, or anything else that would prevent a straight pull to get the bottle out.

2022 Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage - closeup.jpg

The angled top outer edges at least make reinsertion easier than otherwise would be the case. Dawn to Dusk even suggests the Kaptive 10 can be mounted horizontally or facing downwards on your top tube, butted up against your stem for knees-free extra bottle capacity. I tried this on my mountain bike using DtD's Bear Hug strap-on mount, and it worked just fine. The bottle stayed gripped.

2022 Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage - back.jpg

After a year on test, the logos on the outside of each cage still look like new. There's scouring inside the cage where bottles have been removed or replaced whilst covered in gritty filth, which is to be expected. You get a five year warranty against manufacturing defects or workmanship (not crashes though).

It's shown no change in its ability to hang on to bottles over the roughest terrain I could throw my gravel bike at, either, despite the efforts of Perthshire's roughest tracks. Not once has a heavy 750ml bottle even begun to slip.

> The 11 gravel specific products you never knew you needed – bar tape, shoes, helmets and more

Testing with the official road.cc Digital Force Meter (OK, a hand-held luggage scale), I measured over 14lbs (6.3kg) of force required to break one of the firm's own Aqua Flow bottles free. A range of other bottles all took between 11 and 13lbs of force to release - even rather soft bottles with a minimal indentation for the cage hook.

Tests on the plethora of other cages littering the workshop showed most take around 3-5lbs of pull force to release a bottle, and some were pretty nice and a few rather pricey.

Value

Which brings us to 'what price security'? £54 is a large sum of money for a bottle cage - but not unique. The SKS Pure Carbon Bottle Cage is £46 and weighs 23g less, if that matters. Stu found it grippy enough, but then he rides that manicured chalky southern gravel, not the rugged stab-you-in-the-kidneys-as-soon-as-look-at-ye granite of the Scottish Highlands.

The Topeak Shuttle Cage X is £66.99, weighs about the same as the SKS cage, but as with the SKS there's no grip force claimed.

The only real competition from a security point of view then is from Dawn To Dusk itself. The Kaptive 8 or side-entry Sideburn 8 are both a bit weaker at 8lbs of force for the same price, while the Kaptive 14 creates – you'll never guess – 14lbs of force. But that costs more at £59.99.

Overall

Unlike so many rivals, the Kaptive 10 does exactly what it promises. It also takes a beating and still looks good. If you need your hydration to stay put anywhere on your bike yet be easily accessible, however rough things get, it's well worth the high investment.

Verdict

Excellent way to keep bottles safe yet easily accessible over really rough terrain

road.cc test report

Make and model: Dawn To Dusk Kaptive 10 Cage

Size tested: n/a

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?

It's for people riding rough tracks and roads, who want to keep their bottles fixed.

Dawn To Dusk says: "The KAPTIVE 10 is a robust cage made to withstand the shred. Its 120 mm tall sides provide a whopping 10 lbs of grip force. So go ahead and blast the rock gardens... this cage is ready to ride."

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

DTD lists:

1. Carbon hook projects 5mm into bottle groove for excellent bottle retention

2. 120 mm (4.7in) Tall sides with six 13 mm (0.5in) wide gripping arms. For 10 lbs of Grip

3. 3 mm thick solid carbon shelf to handle heavy bottles

4. Six 13 mm (.5in) Wide Gripping Arms

5. Funnel edged sides for easy insertion

6. Special high temperature high pressure double molded carbon fiber 4k composite for great rigidity. Only 39 grams

Matte midnight 4k carbon weave. Logos in matte 'dirty snow' finish.

Special high temperature – high pressure, double molded carbon fiber for great rigidity.

Weight 39 grams

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Excellent finishing as befits a premium product.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Hangs on as promised.

Rate the product for durability:
 
10/10

Still looks like new on the outside.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

It's 20g or so more than the lightest offerings, but 43g isn't exactly heavy.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

It's expensive, but no more so than other carbon cages.

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

Can't fault it at all.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The grip strength.

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?

The price is on par with other high-end, full-carbon cages.

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 does its job extremely well and the price matches other carbon fibre cages.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 183cm  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe  My best bike is: Nah bro that's it

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

Add new comment

23 comments

Avatar
The _Kaner | 2 years ago
0 likes

Elite custom race cages have always been my go to, for road and off road usage. Never had a bottle release unaided from any of those - since about 2010 I've been using that design (3 road bikes and an MTB).

Avatar
Rich_cb | 2 years ago
0 likes

Whilst we're discussing the fascinating world of bottle cages, does anyone have any experience with fidlock?

I've recently bought one for my daughter's bike (no bosses) and it's quite impressive, toying with the idea of fitting the system to my winter bike but it's quite a big outlay so wondering if anyone else is using them and what they think?

Avatar
Basemetal | 2 years ago
0 likes

Ever wrestled with a Triban 500 Bottle Cage? 28g of Polyamide/fibreglass and killer grip on 750ml bottles. Most frquent complaint is "grips almost too securely", but cheap as chips, light enough, and embarrassingly effective.

Avatar
TheBillder replied to Basemetal | 2 years ago
1 like
Basemetal wrote:

Ever wrestled with a Triban 500 Bottle Cage? 28g of Polyamide/fibreglass and killer grip on 750ml bottles. Most frquent complaint is "grips almost too securely", but cheap as chips, light enough, and embarrassingly effective.

I find it depends on the bottle - a Cannondale one fits easily but my club logo bottle is really hard to remove (& only 500 ml). Best technique for me is to put my thumb on the top of the cage and push the base of the bottle up with a finger.

It has got a bit looser over time, but we're talking 4 years and a lot of miles. Still pleased with the cage every time I read a review of a carbon cage that costs ten times the money and saves 0g.

Avatar
Basemetal replied to TheBillder | 2 years ago
1 like

Good point on bottle choice! The waist on a typical 750ml lets me pull hard enough from the Triban cage while never having to think about a bottle rattling or bumping loose unintentionally. A few 500s have been stiffer, but still within acceptable for the security.

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I love my bike | 2 years ago
0 likes

This seems to be the widely available XLAB Gorilla Carbon Bottle Cage with different printed branding? (which also claims retention force in lbs)

Avatar
Sriracha replied to I love my bike | 2 years ago
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OnYerBike replied to I love my bike | 2 years ago
0 likes

XLAB and Dawn to Dusk both appear to be trading names of "Airo Importation Inc." 

Avatar
Sriracha replied to OnYerBike | 2 years ago
0 likes

I wonder what advantage they see it splitting the product across two unknown brands? When I see the same product hawked across multiple no-name brands I tend to steer clear.

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OnYerBike replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
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My guess would be marketing towards two different segments of the market without any additional R&D. XLAB appears to be focused on performance/triathlon/TT riders (indeed the "XLAB Gorrila Cage" is marketed for being mounted on a rear carrier), whilst Dawn to Dusk appears to be aimed at gravel/adventure/MTB riders.

They are presumably counting on some kind of brand penetration within each of those two markets for the two different brands, and insufficient cross over that many people will twig they are selling the same thing under different names. 

Avatar
OnYerBike | 2 years ago
0 likes

In terms of competitors I would like to suggest the Arundel Mandible/DTR/STR. I'll admit to having found one of the very few bottle cages that costs more than the one reviewed, but as you say what price peace of mind. I've had the DTR and STR on my bike for about a year and a half now, and never once had doubts about the security of my bottles (including some Perthshire gravel, Dirty Reiver, Badger Divide etc. - none of that soft southern gravel for me!)

The STR and DTR are side-loading, which means they are compatible with frame bags which is a big plus for me. I would also say they are aesthetically more pleasing - I must say I am not a fan of the logos on the Kaptive 10's, and the STR/DTR are overall more minamlist and look very neat (especially in a matte UD weave).

Avatar
Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
0 likes

.

55 quid?

.

If only, it seems, given the single-source (Amazon) price of £78.

.

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OnYerBike replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
0 likes

There's a link near the top of the review to buy from "Multisport Distribution". 

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Flintshire Boy replied to OnYerBike | 2 years ago
0 likes

.

Ta. My old eyes missed the blue font!

.

(I'm still not buying it, mind you!)

.

Avatar
Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
1 like

Why not just use a Camelbak or similar off road? I have no bottle cages on my MTB or gravel bike, no concerns about bottles bouncing out, easier and safer to get a drink on the move, handy pockets for nutrition, tools etc and available cheaper for a whole hydration system than just this one element of one!

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
1 like

My thoughts exactly. Especially for something like the Reiver. 
Hell I did my Ride 100 "no stopper" with a generic camelbak. 

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KiwiMike replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
3 likes

Because I hate having a backpack on. And after every ride it's a faff to remove, drain, dry out etc. Whereas two bottles can be slung in the dishwasher and be ready to go again in 30 seconds. I say this as the owner of <checks garage> five Camelbaks. 
 

That said, I just finished an 8hr eMTB epic wearing a backpack with a spare battery and 2L Camelbak bladder. Go figure. 

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Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

the first rocky descent was littered with bottles and wafts of regret as people arrived at the bottom to find their hydration strategy literally missing.

At that point – or more likely a dozen miles on when they reached down only to grasp air – 

I bet many people would happily pay £54 plus postage for a cage like this.

And that's really the target market for the Kaptive 10 cage - people riding rough terrain and relying on their hydration staying put whatever.

You go to some lengths to justify the price. However, without knowing the price of all the cages which didn't lose their bottle on the rocky descents, it's the argument which does not hold water.

I suspect the truth is that price has little bearing on how well the cage holds its drink. Pay whatever you wish to of course, but don't kid yourself with this justification.

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

I think you missed the point. I was saying that loads of people lost bottles at that event. In a year's riding much rougher trails, I've never lost one. Therefore the people who did lose one might have liked to have a cage like this. 

Avatar
Flintshire Boy replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
1 like

.

'argument does not hold water'.

.

LOL - you are too subtle with your puns, Sir!

.

 

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ktache | 2 years ago
0 likes

I loved the ringle H2O cage, came late to them, ringle had already stopped making them but they were cheap on eBay, even NOS. Never lost a bottle. But the cage never lasted long, the Ali would split at the bolt holes. Then the prices became ridiculous, have a look.

There was some bloke making "copies" in the US, got enough for 2 bikes, unfortunately the cage is too small, just too tight. Ah well.

Before I had brought the copies I contacted ringle asking, seeing the prices and therefore the implied demand, if they would consider making them again. Nah.

They looked damn fine too.

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Jules59 | 2 years ago
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The bottom retaining tab looks very similar , in size and thickness, to the one on the Boardman carbon cages I had. When mounted on the seat post, the weight of 750ml of water in the bottle was enough to eventually snap the bottom tab off when going over bumps etc.
I would think that is a possibility with this cage design too.
I changed to stainless steel.

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Jules59 | 2 years ago
0 likes

In a year's abuse they are fine. Given how thick they are I highly doubt they will ever break under a mere 750g of load, even amplified by a bump. And there's a 5yr warranty if they do. 

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