Xlab rear mounted bottle holder system...

Ask rugbykid - he's got one, saw it last weekend, pretty neat because he got the attachment that holds his CO2

I have a Saddle Wing.  I like it.  For long course races, I carry one bottle on the seat tube and two in the Saddle Wing.  Plenty of hydration for a HIM.  It also holds  2 CO2 cartridges, 2 tubes, tire levers, inflator and I wrapped up a third CO2 cartridge in one of the tubes. 

The only issue I have with the Saddle Wing is 'bottle ejection'.  If you hit a bump hard enough, the bottles tend to be ejected.  I had to change from regular wire cages to Profile composite cages with the rubber band around the top.  Even with this, I still had a bottle eject.

TJ

I got the flatwing (no experience with the saddlewing) but it's getting a little dusty.  I eventually went with a camelbak for my hydration needs and just a small bike bag to hold my C02 and tools. 

I was comfortable reaching back to get the drink, but had the hardest time putting it back in the holder which caused me worries as my tri bike is a little twitchy with one hand up front and one playing hit and miss with the holder. 

My experience when I had it, I did have problems getting off the bike even with the flatwing.  Especially after longer rides, I couldn't lift my leg up high enough since I was so sore.  Maybe I should have used smaller bottles. 

I have the flatwing w/x-nut attachment that holds the CO2/inflator and stuff.  I also get a spare tube and tire lever back there.  I've found bottle ejection to be more a function of the cages than the mounting system.  The profile cages I use have cured it.  Flatwing- I like it.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=1203&photoid=6047

Mike,
    Which profile cages are you using?

Thanx
Dave

These:

http://www.trisports.com/profilekages.html

I also have the saddle wing and enjoy it.

A side note though, in the new Triathlete mag, Peter Reid makes a comment about frame mounted bottle cages actually being more aerodynamic than behind the seat bottle cages.

I'm using the same profile cages that Mike pictured, and like Zia mentioned, they  do have an elastic band around the top to help with bottle ejection.  However, after 2 years, both my elastics deteriorated and broke and the bottles still eject on serious bumps.  A minor cure was to physically bend the mounting bracket so that the cages are completely vertical now instead of angled slightly to the rear.  When I see a rough bump in the road (RR tracks or something similar), I slide my butt slightly rearwards on the saddle.  I can feel the tops on the bottles against me and that slight pressure keeps them from being ejected.  It's a minor pain, but after a while you get accustomed to doing it, though you have to pay attention to the typical rough New England roads!  Not a perfect solution, but until something better comes along, it'll have to do.

I also used some loctite on the mounting threads where the bracket attaches to the underside of the saddle, as these screws had a tendency to back out after a lot of vibration.

This has been a never-ending source of debate.  The most recent I've heard is that you should keep rear-mounted bottles as low as possible- the lower they are, the more aerodynamic they are.   Bottom line (for me) is I need a place to carry fluids and store all my crap, and the rear mounted system provides an out of the way place to do that.

I'm using the same cages as Stake and that seems to have solved the ejection problem.

On the bottle in frame aero issue, go here  http://www.analyticcycling.com/AnalyticCycling.html and select the 'Rider Aero Study'.  It says one bottle on the down tube is more aero than two bottles in the frame, more aero than no bottles in the frame and more aero than bottles behind the seat.

TJ

Here is the John Cobb article from 2003:

 http://www.profile-design.com/road_test_press/water_bottles.html

I know there is more stuff out there, but I haven't made the attempt to find it.  According to this study, the bottom line is you are looking at ~3 or 4 min difference from best to worst configuration over a 112 mile course.  From a practical standpoint, how many of us are really worried about that?

I can stand up and say that I am not.  I need a place to store my crap and these seem like the ideal setup to do that!!

Thanx for all the info.

Adios
Dave

Great thread as I am looking for a rear mounted bottle holder and XLab's unique mounting system appears to be the only choice given the aero shaping of my seat post.

I have looked on-line but cannot find a good product description that would differentiate between the FlatWing and SaddleWing options ... what is the difference between the two?

Great, thanks! While it seems that the higher bottle position would be easier to reach/put back ... but mid be a pain in the rear to get on + off the bike?

Also, what is the X-hook for?

It is to help in racking the bike in transition.  Is it worth the $10 (I think?) it costs...not so sure.