Topeak Adjustable Water Bottle Cage Review
Summers in Japan are extremely humid. If I ride outdoors at all, I leave at sunrise (around 5:30am) and aim to be home by midday. Having been caught out in the past, I now drink at every stop — traffic lights, hilltops, anywhere I pause.
Because vending machines are everywhere in Japan, I don’t use standard cycling bottles. Instead, I rely on the Topeak Adjustable Water Bottle Cage, which securely holds cold 600 ml vending-machine drinks. Even in mountainous areas, you’re rarely more than 10–15 minutes from a vending machine.
On a typical 100 km ride, I’ll get through around 8 × 600 ml bottles. I alternate one sports drink for every two bottles of water. As midday approaches, I’ll also pour water down my neck to cool off. Welcome to cycling in Japan.
Note the large thumbscrew beneath the cage. I’ve set mine specifically to accept 600 ml vending-machine bottles. The bottle should be tight enough that it won’t eject over potholes, but not so tight that removal is awkward.
One unseen bump is all it takes for a loose bottle to launch itself down the road, so checking the tension is part of my pre-ride routine.
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