Arundel is a small US company run by two cycling enthusiasts with a passion for making their own signature bicycle components. Their first product to emerge back in 2000 was a carbon bottle cage, dubbed the Dave-O. Being handmade, the first batch didn't come cheap, but several years later and with the cages now produced in China, they're more reasonably priced while still retaining all the quality and unique design that made them stand out in the first place.
All the bottle cages are made in a compression mould, with each layer of carbon hand laid before going into the press and being subjected to "temperatures around 250 degrees and pressures close to 1000psi." The result is a cage comfortably around 30g but which, as the website says, is an ideal balance between low weight and durability after much testing of even lighter cages.
The guys behind Arundel have their own machine shop so they're continually busy testing and trying out prototypes, striving for a product that offers the best balance of weight and performance. And both being cyclists of a decent level, they realise not everyone grabs their bottle the same way (how do you grab yours?). The Trident uses slimmer and lower mounted arms that grip the bottle lower down, meaning you can grab the bottle around its waist, rather the neck. So you can pick a bottle cage depending on your preference for grabbing a bottle.
Vertically challenged cyclists running a smaller frame can sometimes be limited on their bottle size choice, which the Sideloader is deigned to get around. They've even produced two versions, depending on whether you're left- or right-handed.
The Chrono is one for time triallists, and is a cage and bottle combination that offers a “keen balance between a slippery aero shape and the critical issue of useability.”
The last of the cages is a good old-fashioned Stainless Steel Cage. If you're sick of seeing carbon-everything, then this lightweight steel job will be just up your street. Ideal for any classical-themed bike sporting a Brooks saddle, I reckon.
Besides bottle cages, the company has a line of saddle bags and bar tape.
www.arundelbike.com
Available from Bespoke Cycles
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