Carbon fiber water bottle cages are a great way to personalize your bike and drop a few grams at the same time. Topeak’s new Fezā cage series offer lightweight tubular carbon composite designs for road cycling, gravel riding and even mountain biking. In this review we’ll specifically be looking at the road cycling R10 variation with the matte natural finish. The bottle cage has a retail price of $72.95 and stands out with its tubular carbon fiber construction. Note, Topeak also offers an R10S version of this bottle cage in some markets which is nearly identical except for the offset bolt placement. The R10 includes two countersunk aluminum Torx bolts to install the bottle cage as well as the Fezā Bottle Glide. It’s a small plastic piece that sits under the cage to create a level surface between the bolt holes to allow the bottle to slide in easier.
The Topeak Fezā R10 combines the classic dual hoop style of an aluminum bottle cage with modern tubular carbon fiber.
| Retail Price | $72.95 |
| Rating | 8.8/10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 10 (cage + bolts), 2 (Fezā Bottle Glide) |
| Likes | + Feather light carbon fiber construction + Minimalist design with natural carbon finish + Has impressive grip on bottles |
| Dislikes | – Premium price – Bottle removal requires more force than typical bottle cages |
| Where to Buy (US) | Todson |
UNBOXING
The Topeak Fezā R10 comes in a sleek black cylindrical cardboard holder that’s similar to poster tubes. On the outside of the tube you’ll find specs and even a carbon fiber top sticker for a premium appearance. Inside the tube you’ll find:
- Fezā R10 bottle cage
- 2x Aluminium cage Torx bolts + Torx tool
- Instruction manual
- Fezā Bottle Glide
The packaging is very well executed as the water bottle cage fits snugly inside the rigid tube which prevents any accidental shipping damage from occurring.
FIT & FINISH
The Fezā water bottle cages combine the classic minimalist design of aluminum bottle cages with modern tubular carbon fiber construction. That means these cages are not only lightweight but extremely stiff and far more durable. The Fezā has a hoop on each side that grasps the bottle on each side. To prevent the bottle from sliding out of the cage there is a perpendicular extension on the bottom. Topeak offers three variations: the road cycling R series, gravel G series and the mountain biking MT series. While each series has slightly different shapes, they all share the same tubular carbon fiber construction. Note, there is also an R10S version which has slightly offset bolt locations (i.e. the bottom cage is offset upward) that is available in the European currently.
The bolt attachments are molded into the cage where the side of the hoops connect to each other. Topeak even includes two black countersunk aluminum Torx bolts which sit flush with the top of the cage for a sleek installation. There is no center connection between the two bolts a bottle could potentially rub against the ridge of the bottom bolt. To address this, Topeak includes what they call the Fezā Bottle Glide to bridge the gap and create a smooth surface between the bolts. It appears to be constructed of plastic and only adds 2 grams to each bottle cage. In our opinion, we think the extra piece gives the bottle cage a more finished look. Even with the extra piece, the R10 is half the weight of the Topeak Shuttle Cage XE 3K we previously reviewed.
ON THE ROAD
With its minimalist design and natural finish, it’s hard to not find the Topeak Fezā R10 attractive. Paired with our chameleon Specialized Tarmac that bottle cage looked at home and pairs well with other carbon fiber accessories. The bolt holes of the cage are not adjustable and fairly high, which means the bottle cage sits lower than other bottle cages and could potentially be an issue for some bike frames. We chose to use the Fezā Bottle Glide which made inserting and removing the bottle easier as the bottle could smoothly slide in and out. On the road we were impressed with the grip of the cage, despite the simple design the cage held our Polar Breakaway bottles with tenacious grip. In fact, we found that there was a bit of a learning curve to re-adjust to the extra force required to remove the bottle. Once you re-adjust to it, the bottle performed well and with its carbon fiber construction seems to be more gentle on water bottle exteriors.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Topeak Fezā R10 bottle cage to be an attractive and well designed bottle cage. The cage has a minimalist design and tubular carbon fiber construction that looks more similar to traditional aluminum cages than modern carbon fiber cages. Even with the lack of a front tab, a traditional feature of bottle cages, the Fezā R10 grips bottles securely over any type of terrain. We actually found the cage to almost be too grippy, as it requires a fair amount of force to remove a water bottle from the cage. Aside from the expensive price, the Fezā R10 is a visually attractive cage with a minimalist design that’s matched by a featherlight weight.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Topeak. 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.