Topeak Feza Cage Tubular Carbon R10

The Topeak Feza Cage Tubular Carbon R10 is a very light and capable bottle cage that holds bottles well, but it does require a little more force than others to get them out – and it comes with a heavyweight price tag.

One thing is for certain with this bottle cage – it won't weigh you down.

That is because it hits the scales at only 12g. To put that into context, this is the same weight as a £2 coin. That 12g even includes a 'bottle glide', which is a small piece of plastic that sits between the cage and the bolt holes to allow the bottle to slide in more easily. Take that out and you're down to a virtually imperceptible 10g.

That is, from my research, the lightest bottle cage we have tested on road.cc – impressive.

One of the main reasons for this low weight is that there is not much to the cage. Its tubular construction resembles aluminium bottle cages from the 1980s, but it's made from carbon fibre, which is considerably lighter.

During my first couple of rides with the bottle cage I was worried that I would accidentally snap it because it doesn't look particularly robust, but after dozens of rides I didn't find any issues at all. I don't tend to be somebody who aggressively wrestles my bottles out of their cage, but even so, I didn't find anything to complain about in terms of potential points of weakness through regular use.

It doesn't have the kind of side entrance/removal that you often find on modern bottle cages, which means it won't be particularly good on smaller frames or bikes laden with frame bags, but for my 56cm road bike there were no issues. This is because this cage is exclusively top entry, so if you've got a larger bottle then you'll need the space above it to remove the bottle easily.

One thing to note about the cage is that it holds bottles very well and there's very little movement even over rougher surfaces. Even when I was using particularly tall bottles there wasn't any excess movement. This comes at a slight price though, which is that the hold on the bottle means you need a little more force to remove the bottle than you would with some cages. That said, it isn't like lifting you're Thor's hammer and it didn't ever feel like I needed to really yank on it, just that it requires a little more effort than on other cages I've used.

Fitting it is just a case of either using your bike's frame bolts or the black T20 Torx bolts that come with the cage, which sit in recessed holes in the cage. You can also install the bottle glide, which sits between the cage and the frame and allows the bottle to slide into the cage more easily.

The RRP is £60, which is steep for any bottle cage. However, given that this is the lightest cage we've tested, some may feel it's a cost worth paying. It certainly won't be something you'd stick on a commuter bike but may be ideal for a money-no-object weight weenie.

Value

You could compare it to the Specialized S-Works Carbon Rib Cage III that Liam reviewed, which comes in £10 dearer and is double the weight – yes, a whole 24g! 

If you're looking for a similar-looking 'retro' bottle cage, then you could splash £90 on Silca's Sicuro Cerakote Titanium bottle cage that Hollis liked, which is titanium so should prove durable – but it weighs 21g more than the Feza.

Overall – I like this bottle cage, it looks great with a minimalist retro look, it weighs less than a £2 coin, and it grips bottles well. The hold on the bottle means slightly more force is required to get the bottle out and there is also the small issue of that £60 price tag...

Verdict

The lightest cage we've tested combined with a great hold – but there is no getting around that price