So, this is the second look at the Monkii cage, it’s been used on various bikes and in varying roles. As a ‘normal’ bottle cage used to transport nothing more than a normal water bottle, it behaves exactly as you’d expect. It happily carried a 750ml bottle, it didn’t rattle, shake loose, fall apart or fling my bottle off into the brambles when I wasn’t looking – I forgot it was there, which surely has to be a good thing.
I’ve also used it to carry some less standard items including my entire cooking kit and on another occasion my tarp and groundsheet. Both of these items are still in my possession and both the cages are still intact, so the cages can obviously do more than just carry a water bottle. I think it’s fair to say that the size and shape of your kit will have a bearing on whether the Monkii cage will carry it or not. The pre-curved outer wings although flexible, do lend themselves to carrying cylindrical objects. Cylindrical objects with a certain amount of stiffness or strength do well … think cooking pot. Luckily for all concerned the vast majority of pots seem to fall within the cages happy size range, the pot in the pic below has a diameter of 100mm and is a superb fit. You could properly go up to around 115mm in diameter before the cage stopped coping quite so well. The single strap held the pot (containing stove, windshield, etc) fine. I didn’t add a ‘back up’ strap or a ‘just in case’ bungee, the cage was used exactly as it comes out of the packet.
Carrying something like a tarp took a little more thought but was still successful. If you just stuff the tarp into a 6 or 8 litre dry bag and then expect to compress the whole thing down to fit into/onto the cage, you’ll struggle. Instead, if you take a few minutes to ‘pack’ the tarp and try to form a nice, tight cylinder, you’ll be a happy camper.
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| Monkii Cage holding Mytimug … very securely. |
The height of your ‘object’ will also have to be considered. If it’s something rigid then and it fits into whatever space confines there are, it’ll be fine. If it’s something like our slightly floppy tarp or some spare clothes you might want to consider adding a second strap … but only if the height of the item is 160mm plus, if it’s shorter the standard strap works fine. It’s not that the supplied strap won’t hold the load, it will but a supplementary strap will stop Mr Floppy falling over. It’s not a criticism of the cage, it’s simply an easy safeguard when you’re using it for things the designers probably didn’t envisage.
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| Standard (rather dirty) 750ml bottle |
I mentioned the cage fittings in the previous post and the fact the cage is quick release. I also touched on the adaptor that’s available that allows you to mount a cage where there aren’t any bottle mounts … The Monkii Clip. This thing is fantastic and easily outshines any other ‘bottle cage adaptor’ I’ve ever used. It’s a hinged design, made from very tough plastic. The hardware is all stainless and it comes with a set of rubber inserts so you can fit it to a really wide range of diameters … so far I’ve fasted it to, downtube, toptube, fork leg, seatpost, handlebars, steering stem and a seat stay. In every position it hasn’t twisted or moved and it’s held whatever I fastened to it securely.
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| Monkii Clip – ask for it by name! |
Something else I’ve also been playing with is the Monkii Wedge. It’s a bag/tool roll that shares the same fittings as the cage so it can be fitted in all the same places. It’s not waterproof but it’s very weather resistant and more importantly it’s very tough. I wonder if Monkii Tardis might have been a more apt name. You really can get loads in it, alright it’s not going to hold your butties and flask but it will happily swallow all your tools, spares, tube and pump without flinching.
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| Monkii Wedge |
Inside there’s a zippered mesh bag with enough room for a couple of 29″ tubes and tyre levers. Next door there’s 2 smaller pockets which are ideally sized for multi-tools, spare links, cable ties, etc. Then there’s elastic straps (ideal for pump storage) and another pocket which I’ve discovered fits 3 packs of mini Haribo in nicely!
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| Monkii Tardis – tool and sweet storage. |
When it’s fastened up, it’s not as wide as you might imagine. To prove the fact to myself I mounted it to my seatpost but mounted the bag so it faced inwards towards the front of the bike. I set off for a days guiding and when I returned 5 hours later there was nothing to report, the Wedge was still there, the Monkii Clip holding it in place hadn’t moved and very importantly my legs hadn’t rubbed against it … oh and all my bit’s and bobs were still inside where I’d left them, well all except the Haribo which had been consumed somewhere on the hills.
I think one of the Monkii cages real strong points is the modular nature of the thing. The cage on it’s own is really good whether you’re wanting to carry a bottle, a pot or 6 pairs of spare socks. If you combine all the different Monkii items together then it soon becomes much greater than the sum of it’s parts. As an example, this year I’m going to run 1 Monkii cage on each side of my forks (Salsa Enabler forks so I’ll just attach the cage straight to the standard bottle mounts) and carry my cooking kit in one and a shelter in the other. I’ll add a 3rd cage to my toptube mounted on a Monkii Clip which I’ll use for a water bottle. To finish off I’ll keep the Monkii Wedge on my seatpost so my tools and sweets are easily to hand … sorted.
Monkii Cage £11.75 black, white or green
Monkii Clip £8.75
Monkii Wedge £18.75
Monkii Cleats (spare mounts) £3.75
Monkii Fastner (spare straps) £3.75
Available from CycleMiles
I got 2 of the cages and clips to go on rigid carbon forks for my recent ride of the Camino de Santiago. 800+km of mostly off road riding, with a few very rocky/rough sections, and absolutely no problem with them holding gear or showing any signs of construction weakness. Spot on gear, and Miles is a thoroughly nice bloke to talk with!
Wow, this is an enjoyable life you're riding here! And with your self-propelled two wheeled overnight adventures, securing your things and necessities is essential. I can say that not utilizing a backup strap might be a little reckless since you're carrying them on your bicycle. But since you have been doing this for some time now, I trust your judgment on the weight of your luggage and how much strap is needed for security. Nice going!
Quality Strapping Systems
Hi
I'm interested in finding a cylindrical 'bottle' (for want of a better word) into which I could fit all things necessary for a 5 day journey but staying in b&bs. I've tried conventional 1litre bottles with the top cut off but it's obviously not very weatherproof.
My aim is to only carry shorts, tshirt and disposable schlapps (like you get in health spas) plus toothbrush.
Have you ever come across anything of that nature or am I into New Product Development with a supplier ??!!
Hi Richard,
There's a couple of things that may be worth considering.
The most simple solution may be to use a 2l – 4l drybag inside the cage. It'll hold it very firmly and obviously be light but you will have to be a little careful how you pack it to ensure it stays cylindrical.
Another option would be a 2L wide mouthed plastic bottle. Nalgene produce something which looks ideal and again would be held very well by the Monkii cage: http://www.calpaclab.com/product-p/ng-2120-0005.htm
Hope that helps.
I have just the thing you are looking for see:
http://www.webstersabingdon.plus.com/bikes/Storage/storage.html
Essentially it's a section of soil pipe, so cut to whatever length fits your bike best.