water bottle cage on a 4500/5500

[chainsaw]

I have all my parts and am in the process of building up my 4500/5500 frame.

wow! that water bottle cage location on the down tube is a TIGHT fit!

no way a large bottle will fit, and even a small one, when fitted, there is not enough room to get it in and out.

I guess you just don't run water bottles on these frames?

I am not a fan of CamelBacks and only use them when I have to. Looks like I am going to HAVE TO start using them though. what a pain for shorter rides.

what I am really asking is, is there a bottle cage that works there better than others? I bought one that fits kind of high on the mounts and doesn't allow you to take the bottle out on the sides very easily.

I have always like Elite Ciussi cages, but it looks like a bad choice for the 4500/5500 frame because you can't remove bottles from the side and the mounting holes are low on it.

[Simon]

I always used a bottle cage on my 4500 and my son's Oz,just a standard wire cage but you can only use a small 1 pint (1/2 litre) bottle,
its tight but once you get the hang of it pulling part way out then then pulling it up and out to the side its soon becomes second nature.
Simon.

[proflex252]

There are side entry cages. Try one of these. They are designed extra for those narrow frames. Maybe you can use big bottles there, too.

CU

[shovelon]

I use a standard bottle cage to hold my battery pack. It is a tight fit but I can wrench it in fine. And it stays put. I also have a carbon side entry but it is way too flimsy, I don't trust it.

I am a dedicated Camelbacker, all my survival gear goes into it, so I remove the cage when I don't ride at night.

Terry