If you have a smaller bicycle frame or a mountain bike, you may not have enough space to use a standard bottle cage. To get around this, side entry variations of bottle cages allow the bottle to be removed side ways (either the left or right depending on the variation purchased) and avoid hitting your frame. Elite offers a large selection of bottle cage varieties that stand out from the market through minimalist design, lighter weight and great grip. In this review we’ll be taking a close look at the Elite Carbon Prism side entry bottle cage for right side entry. These bottle cages offer impressive light weight, and subtle design elements to complement any bike.
The Elite Prism bottle cages are visually sleek and have enough grip to securely hold your bottles in place. The premium appearance comes with a premium price tag, although the 28 grams should satisfy the pickiest weight weenies.
| Category | Bicycle Bottle Cage |
| Rating | 8.4/10 |
| Retail Price | $54.99 (Carbon)/$24.99 (Fiberglass) |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 28 |
| Likes | + Light weight + Excellent bottle grip + Carbon version satisfies the carbon fiber obsessed |
| Dislikes | – Premium price for carbon version – Color options limited to graphics – Side-entry scratches bottles |
| Where to Buy (US) | Todson |
UNBOXING
Elite ships the Prism bottle cage with a simple cardboard backing and plastic rivets to hold the bottle cage in place. This makes unboxing easy but a little uneventful. Note, hardware isn’t included with the cages as you simply reuse your existing hardware.
FIT & FINISH
Although a bottle cage seems like a trivial thing, there are a wide variety of designs on the market. Standard bottle cages try to balance grip strength and ease of use to ensure you don’t lose a bottle if you hit a pothole, but still gives you enough flexibility to allow you to insert/remove a bottle on the go. A side entry bottle cage has an additional design constraint to ensure the bottle can be removed horizontally as well as vertically. Elite has designed the Carbon Prism bottle cages to not only exceed these criteria but also reduce the overall weight. Using a carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix construction, the Prism weighed in at an impressive 28g.
The Prism bottle cages uses a dual prong design, with the prongs positioned near the bottom and top of cage. This allows the center of the bottle cage to be open to allow for a bottle to be removed or inserted sideways through the center. These prongs hold the bottle firmly in place over even the largest potholes but still allow for easy bottle entry/exit. With side entry, the top prong bends slightly while the bottle is being inserted (which tends to scratch your bottle) but then flexes back into place. We found the bottle cage to be easy to use as both a standard or side entry. Instead of an aesthetic carbon fiber finish, the Carbon Prism bottle has a matte black finish. However, the minimalist construction and finish give the Prism bottles cages a unique and premium appearance.
The graphics on the bottle cages are limited to the small portion on the prongs. Color variations are available, but are limited to a small portion of the graphics. This means you may not be able to color match the bottle cages to your bike’s color scheme. Nevertheless, the primarily matte black finish goes well with any bike design and have a timeless look to them.
THE VERDICT
Overall, the Elite Prism bottle cages are visually sleek and have enough grip to securely hold your bottles in place. The premium appearance comes with a premium price tag, although the 28g should satisfy the pickiest weight weenies. Compared to standard bottle cages, the two prong design offers ease-of-use and a unique appearance. For those willing to sacrifice a few grams, the fiberglass version of Prism bottle cages are available for half the cost with the same excellent grip.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Elite. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.