Portland Design Work (PDW) is known for their whimsical bottle cage collections that can add some fun and character to any bike. In this review, we’ll be looking at the Otter bottle cage and the companion Wotter bottle which take inspiration from otters. Retail price on the bottle cage is $25 which includes stainless steel mounting bolts and single piece aluminum 5052 alloy construction. As with all of PDW’s cages, the Otter cage has an elaborate design with detailed cutouts to mimic the otter’s physical features and even painted whiskers. The Otter cage also has a matching $13.95 26 oz Specialized Purist “Wotter” bottle with matching water themed graphics and cute otters. PDW also donates 10% of the profits from the Otter Cage to organizations that protect wildlands & wildlife.
The Portland Design Work Sparrow cage combines one piece aluminum construction with adorable design details to bring the sparrow to life.
| Retail Price | $25 (per cage) / $11.95 (per bottle) |
| Rating | 9.6/10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 58 (cage), 90 (26oz bottle) |
| Likes | + Secure hold on bottles even over rough terrain + Robust and durable aluminum construction + Clever details like paw cutouts and painted whiskers |
| Dislikes | – Non-color matched mounting bolts |
| Where to Buy (US) | Portland Design Works |
MOUNTING
As far as mounting, the bottle cage uses a standard two bolt design with the bolting area recessed in. Unfortunately, PDW does not include color matching bolts which means the stainless steel isn’t a perfect match to the cages. PDW does use darker bolts than their other cages which helps it blend in with the darker finish of the cage. The top bolt hole has no forward or aft adjustment while the bottom bolt has a little adjustment to make installation easier. With a bottle installed on the cage the mounting hardware is hidden and only the otter paw arms are visible.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Otter cage takes the outline of an otter and wraps the arms around the bottle to hold it in place. The bottle cage is a one piece design that is cut out of a single sheet of aluminum 5052 which is quite thick at almost 1/16” inch. That means there are no weld marks or seams on the bottle cage which gives it a sleek appearance. Portland Design Works offers the Otter cage in two different colors: brown and steel gray. We have both of the colors in this review which have a beautiful uniform anodized finish with the brown color being a perfect match for the actual dark brown color most otters have. Under the light you’ll also notice the finish has a bit of a texture and subtle darker flakes that adds depth to the finish.
PDW has also added some nice detailing to the cage with eye, nose and paw pad cut outs as well as curved edges along the arms and paw. One of our favorite features of this cage are the painted on white whiskers which help outline the mouth. The bottle is primarily held in place by the otter’s arms which compress the bottle while the tail of the otter is bent 90 degrees to prevent the bottle from sliding through. Unlike most cycling bottle cages which have a retention tab on the top of the cage that fits into the corresponding grip ring on water bottles, the Otter cage has a flat design. This is actually intentional as PDW found that the tab would make the cage difficult to use with non-cycling specific bottles
WOTTER BOTTLE
As with many of the bottle cages, PDW also creates a matching water bottle to pair it with the otter bottle cage. In this case, the 26oz “Wotter “ bottle is the perfect companion to the Otter bottle cage. It’s an obvious pun that replaces part of water with otter and is corny enough that even PDW doesn’t apologize for the pun on their product listing. The design of the bottle was created by Valerie Valdivia and has friendly otters floating and playing in the water. It’s a fun design that features otters lying on their back with baby otters, sleeping or holding objects. The bottle is just a Specialized Purist bottle with their MoFlo cap and PDW’s custom design printed on it.
It’s an attractive design with the design extending around the exterior and a transparent slit that lets you see what the water level is. The main body of the bottle has a light green background, Portland Design Works in dark blue and a transparent cap. The MoFlo cap is a standard pull/push style cap that locks into place by pushing it down. Although Specialized hasn’t designed the mouth piece to be easily removable, if you do some googling you’ll find there are some tricks to releasing it for a thorough cleaning.
ON THE BIKE
While it felt a bit counter-intuitive we swapped out our carbon Topeak Feza cages on our Specialized Tarmac for the Otter cages. Their playful designs and metallic finishes give the Otter cages a premium look that pairs well with our chameleon paint color. Where the PDW Cat and Dog cages can look a bit childish, the Otter cages have a premium appearance that looks great on commuters or race bikes. The cages also have a strong grip on bottles which can be almost too snug on cycling bottles like the Polar Breakaway and may require a little adjustment by pulling the metal out a bit. With a bottle installed on the cage you can not see most of the Otter details though, which is a downside to the design of this cage.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Portland Design Works Otter cage and matching Wotter bottle to be well made and fun. The one-piece design and metallic finish gives the bottle cages a premium appearance that looks great on any bike. We were impressed with the tight grip of the bottle cage that ensures bottles stay secure and do not rattle. Even though most of the details of the Otter cage is obscured by bottles, the details and paint finish help the cages stand out. The matching Wotter bottle cage has a nice water-themed color scheme and matching otter graphics for a perfect pairing. As far as negatives, the bottle cages do not have color matching hardware which would be a nice touch. That said, the Portland Design Works Otter cages and Wotter bottle are an attractive and fun addition to any bike.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Portland Design Works. 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.