I’m going to show you how to mount a bottle cage on a bike that doesn’t have mounts or doesn’t have mounts where you want to put the bottle cage. You want to get a bottle cage that has little tabs up at the top and on the bottom of the back side because we’re going to use those to mount the cage. Get a bottle about the size that you want to use and figure out about where you want it to be placed.
Find Your Ideal Location
When you figure out where you want the bottle mounted, pull off a piece of electrical tape about 10 inches long, and wrap the tape around the frame about where the top tab is going to be sitting. We don’t want the tabs or the clamps that we will use to scratch the paint on the frame. Wrap the tape around the frame 3 or 4 times. Then pull off another piece, about 10 inches, and wrap it around the frame where the bottom tab will sit.
Wrap Electrical Tape Around Frame
Now, I’ve got these hose clamps which are slightly bigger then the seat tube of the frame is going to be. Put the first clamp on the frame and tighten it a bit to get it started. Not all the way. Then go ahead and put the second one on and close it most of the way.
Tighten Clamps Around Tabs
Take the bottle cage, get it in the position where you want it to be, put the tabs against the tape, the clamps into place, and begin tightening the bottom clamp first. Don’t tighten it all the way, but enough to hold the cage in place. Get the cage into the exact position you want and begin to tighten the top clamp. Once you are sure the cage is in the right position, tighten both clamps as tight as needed to stop the cage from moving. Be aware of the frame material when deciding how tight the clamps will be.
