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portland design works owl bottle cage

there are components affixed to our bicycles that, while not suffering from total neglect, are most often overlooked when a smidgeon of creativity is looking for a means of expression. this is rarely due to ignorance or disdain, but mostly as a result of their inherent functionality and a desire not to overshadow function with unnecessary form. yet there is precedence in the field that makes this more of an oddity than the prevailing of misguided sense.

colnago's first three versions of their clx model featured a teardrop shaped seatpost that undoubtedly enhanced the aesthetic of the bike overall, yet offered no preceptible mechanical advantage. similarly the various two-bolt options affixing the saddle to any number of seatposts are of dubious advantage over campagnolo's original single rear bolt. in fact, those two-bolts often incur a great deal more faff and frustration than most of us find necessary.

but while the shape of contemporary carbon tubes offers a myriad of profiles, all of which we are assured lead to the optimum of lateral stiffness allied to vertical compliance, the humble bottle cage risks appearing as the cinderella of bicycle componentry; very rarely does it ever go to the ball.

most of the variations in grasping a water bottle have been based on a lightening of what is almost seen as an unnecessary piece of luggage in sporting terms. when there are so many following cars and motorbikes with a phalanx of free bottles, you could easily see a time in the future when carrying bottles on the bike is seen as an archaic practice.

almost.

for the rest of us, carrying at least one bottle on the bike for the sunday ride over the ascent of the col de storakaig or the muur de ardnahoe is every bit as necessary as having a chain. and since we are less hidebound by pure functionality, if that bottle cage presents itself in a decorative manner, under certain circumstances, so much the better. of course, no matter the sculpting involved, unless this modern aesthetic in bottle cage design can retain its grasp on a wide variety of infinite bottle diameters, then it succumbs to the ignominy of becoming so much downtube window dressing.

the folks at portland design works have a formidable reputation for doing things pretty much their own way. and their own way more often than not leans heavily towards the eccentric. front lights referred to as lars rover and a rear light with aether demon written on the box. the chris king cielo residing patiently in thewashingmachinepost bike shed features a previous model of pdw bottle cage fashioned in the style of a swift (a bird that is almost portland's official insignia) and as a companion piece and adopting the form fo another bird, pdw's new owl bottle cage is probably the finest example of the art currently available.

available in either silver and black or gold and black, affixed to its card by two supplied cage bolts, not only is its functionality more than impressive in use, the wings that enclose your bottle are verging on sculptural. yes, indeed, it's trivial, if you like to take that point of view, but in the face of endless composite seriousness augmented by electrics and possibly hydraulics, a modest degree of triviality surely doesn't go amiss?

unfortunately, for the time being, portland design works are searching for a uk distributor, therefore my review sample was sent out from portland. your own options are either to order from their website, or keep your fingers crossed that they find a uk distributor sooner rather than later. our british velocipedinal world will be very much the poorer during this temporary absence.

portland design works owl cage

monday 14 september 2015