Topeak Modula Bottle Cage XL

[cyclesafe]

Carries 1.0 and 1.5 liter plastic bottles!  How common are these bottles in the US?  Ok, finding the odd size bottle and reusing it will save the planet, but sometimes one buys an ice-cold Gatorade (in tropical punch flavor) and chooses to retire the algae infested reused bottle. Anybody using this cage?

http://www.topeak.com/2006/products/bottlecages/modulacagexl.php

Also, do you think this Nalgene bottle? (caution this bottle is made out of polyethylene so it does not have the wonderful characteristics of the traditional polycarbonate Nalgene bottles).  Do you think it could be made to fit the Topeak cage above?  If so, how would you modify either the bottle or the cage?  

I can fit at lease two (and maybe three) of these on the frame of my bike and still have clearance for turning my fenderized front wheel.  Oh, to have all that water mounted low on my bike!

[BrianCM]

The Topeak cage is very much like the old Blackburn Bomber cage, but it is adjustable while the Blackburn is fixed.  To use my Blackburn, I have to be very picky about what 1.5L bottles I buy.  I have a Blackburn Bomber on my Giant Sedona.

1.5L bottles are all over, just walk into any store and walk down the bottled water aile.  The vast majority of bottles should fit in the Topeak cage.

For a bottle to fit in the cage, the diameter is what's important.  Maybe the Nalgene would fit, maybe not.  I recommend that you simply buy a couple of different 1.5L water bottles from a grocery store, and see what fits.  If it doesn't fit, enjoy the water and recycle the bottle.  If the bottle fits, it will last a good while before its too brittle and cracks.

My Sedona carries 1.5L, 24oz bottle, and then my 1.5L Nalgene pack.  Lots of water, and it lasts all day.

[Dan]

I have used this bottle cage and mounted one of them to either side of my Rock Shox Judy Fork with hose clamps.  I removed the little plastic piece at the top for narrow bottles and used the 1.5 liter Nalgene bottles that are wide at the top.  I then used "Jannd" velcro ankle straps (to keep your pants out of the chain) to hold the top in place.  I tour mostly off road in remote areas so wanted the extra water but didn't want to carry it all on my back.  It worked great, gave some weight up front which helped even out the weight of panniers on the back but there was one problem.  On the first day of a test run on the local trails the welds broke from the bottle cage and the nalgene, still hooked into the cage, went flying off the bike.  The little metal bracked that was hose clamped to the fork was of course still held firmly to the fork. If you will tour offroad I might consider another bottle cage but on pavement touring they shold work fine.  The problem was due to the heavyness of the full 1.5 liter bottle and the upright mounting position and the very rough trails.  I though about finding an aluminum welder to re-weld and add some reinforcements but haven't done that yet.
Good Luck!