X lab 140.6 kit overkill?

Looks to me like the 70.3 kit would be fine, especially if you already have a tool bag under your seat.  I have been looking at the same things and am leaning toward the 70.3 kit.  I think there's more long-term usability without carrying too much.  You can use the straps to hold on tire/tubes.

you should be able to put the tube in the velcro straps/ That's what I do.  On training rides if I take more tubes I just stuff them under the seat.

No offense, but why would you pay $109 for the xlab carbon wing (at xlab.com) when you can buy the minoura double seat mount for $14.95 (at www.trisports.com)?  The xlab carbon wing (just the bracket) weighs a pound and the minoura weighs 135 grams or just over 1/4 of a pound.

Same question about the gorilla cages.  Sure, they look cool -  but why pay $44-50 each when you can buy cheap aluminum ones for $7.99 (www.performancebike.com)?

Put your tube/tools in a cheap under-the-seat bag to free up your bento, buy some cheap metal (bendable, so that you can adjust the tension so that your bottles don't launch) cages and you are set.  If you can't adjust (and by adjust, I mean squish them to hold the bottle tighter) the cages while you are riding, you won't have any way to keep them from launching bottles if you have a bottle that is (a) skinnier, (b) slipperier, (c) wet, or (d) empty.

No offense taken, this is actually the kind of feedback I want. Of course I want light and cheap, but functionality is most important. The reason I was thinking of going with the gorrilla cages is b/c the feedback was very positive about them not launching out the bike. I'm sure we have all seen that happen many times. I know I have, and in fact it once almost caused me to bite it during a race. A few friends who had the launch problem couldn't seem to get the whole bend thing down and eventually went with other cages. I guess I could go with the gorrila cages on the minoura and that would save some $. Anyway thanks for the advice.

Becuase they work much better. I used to have basic aluminum cages and they weren't very good, even when I would squeeze them down.

Edited by bryancd 2010-02-05 1:38 PM

x2 (altho I haven't bought them yet...). The aluminum ones will eventually break, especially if you are bending them to squeeze in a bottle I had one break off my rear bottle holder at Wildflower, didn't even discover it until the end (the bottle was there with 5 miles to go , I know that ) And I hadn't even squeezed the cage that much. ETA in the last 10 miles Wildflower has a HUUUUUGE downhill. I don't know where the cage broke, but the thought of the cage and bottle falling down into my wheel as I am descending at 40 mph makes my stomach turn......

As for the Minoura.... don't get me started. I bought one. The screws that held the metal plate in and to the rails broke the next season. So I bought another one. Broke in the same place, on my last long IM training ride. So I was $30 in with no product. Perhaps I was unlucky enough to get two lemons, but I doubt it. General rule is you get what you pay for. ETA, I didn't pay over $100 for the xlab I bought

Edited by ChrisM 2010-02-05 1:47 PM

LOL! I had a cage break as well, Chris.

I've got an X-lab super wing with two no-name aluminum cages the smaller bag underneath and the little bag on top for my cell phone. The whole setup ran about $100 after one of these % off sales with free shipping deals that come up every now and again. I do believe I could put two innertubes in the small under bag if I needed to.

Oh, angle the rear cages and you're much less likely to launch the bottle.

One thing that's fun for me to do at IMs is walk the bike racks and check setups, especially the pros. I see all sorts of setups making me wonder everything from "is that guy planning on eating anything at all?" to "it's not an unsupported cross-country tour, dude! Leave something at home!" Also there are plenty of people who seem to throw out the "aero" in their "aero" seatpost or "aero" frame, strapping all sorts of things on that seem to have no business being there.

Most people are in the middle, of course, with all sorts of setups that seem to work for them. After saying all that, the list above seems a bit much.

I'm a big fan of the XLab Sonic wing but it doesn't look like they sell it anymore except for Cervelo posts; the Turbo seems similar. My setup has the Sonic with two carbon cages for fuel bottles and one on the downtube for water.

Inflator on the XNut with two CO2s and a backup in the Bento up front is what I use. The Bento also has a mini tool kit and a tiny patch kit.

I have a spare tube in a ziplock bag jammed into the spot between the seat and the Sonic wing, held in place with a velcro strap from Home Depot.

This last IM Cozumel I finally did the trick of taping my gels to the top tube (using blue painter's tape), and loved it. I can't believe I've never done that before! I used my the Bento for some backup food and salt tablets. I have a Salt stick dispenser because I can't fiddle with capsules well on the bike.

I don't think there's any need for a toolbag or a spare tire or any such thing. Ziplock bags and velcro work great for me to store and strap things on. Ironman branded races have full support. No need for a tire.

Edited by brucemorgan 2010-02-08 12:58 AM

I have the x-lab 70.3 set up on my tri bike and love it. It has served me well. Strongly recommended.

Regarding the 'leave stuff at home comment', agree to a point. The extra capacity is useful for training. I have a set-up that stores three bottles (2 on the x-lab and 1 on the down tube) and that lets me ride for about 3 hours without stopping. I stop, re-fuel and keeping riding - that is until the temps hit 40C, then I burn through 3 liters in about 2 hours.

Cheers.

My setup:

1) Black super wing (fits my seat)
2) 2 x Profile Design Kage
3) Xnut
4) 2 x Co2 cartridges
5) Something similar to a nano inflator
6) XSW Straps
7) Xlab brand mini bag

I can't remember how much it all cost $ wise but I know it was a bit cheaper than then 140.6 kit and a little better deal than the 70.3 kit in terms of what I was getting. I'd say the biggest difference is I didn't get the Gorilla cages. The profile kages are cheaper and made of plastic but still have a retaining ring. I would consider them a good value. I did have one snap the rubber band after about a year, but they are so cheap.

I really like my setup. Never had any issues with it and never launched a bottle to date.

One other thing, the XLAB setup is in addition to my aerodrink. I drink from the aerodrink and refill from the wing. When I go through an aid station I throw out the empty bottles from my wing and replace them from whatever they are handing out. I love my aerodrink as well, was also worth the money.


Edited by merlin2375 2010-02-08 7:49 AM

I go very minimalist. Tire levers, CO2, and tube in a very compact bundle taped under the seat with electrical tape and a single bottle cage mounted horizontally between my aerobars using zip ties.

I'm sold on the Profile Design Aqua Rack.  $30.  I put it all the way down on my seatpost which leaves plenty of room for a typical under-seat bag.


http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//CatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&pageSize=16&beginIndex=0&sortBy=Dollar+Rank%2F%2F1&searchType=resultSet&cn1=&searchTerm=aqua