I haven't tried the carbon version, but the Specialized Rib Cage has never ejected one of my bottles. They work especially well when paired with a Specialized (Purist) bottle; the little notch fits in perfectly with the retaining bar on the cage.
+2 for the Ribcage. I've had the earlier version on a road bike for 10+ years and they have always been great. But haven't used them on a bike that gets ridden on rough gravel roads. For that, I use King Cage Iris bottle cages.
I have used this cage for about 2 years now and although I have seen lots of bottles ejected from other riders on gravel rides/races I have yet to have one ejected.
Arundel Mandible are known to be very, very grippy (I've certainly never ejected a bottle on my road bike, though on my gravel bike I use King cages (also never ejected a bottle). https://www.arundelbike.com/product/mandible/
OltreForza wrote:Looking for grippy carbon cages that will hold bottles in place on rough terrain, preferably all black. What do you guys recommend?
I'd question the need for carbon fiber specifically? I use EIS S7 carbon cages (No longer made) with rubber grippers at the lower retaining bolt on my road bike, but have lost certain bottles when the roads turn chunky and gnarly. For rough terrain; all the cages on those bikes are Lezyne and I have NEVER lost a bottle in dozens and dozens of endurance MTB and endurance gravel races.
If you're chasing grams on rough terrain; you're in the wrong game.
Another recommendation for Arundel. I've used the Side Loader, Other Side Loader and Sport cages on my gravel and XC bikes and never lost a bottle in years and years of riding, training and racing. The Side Loader and Other Side Loader are not cheap, but I bought them based on the recommendations of many seasoned riders that these do a great job of holding bottles.
I have the Specialized water bottle cages but for additional security, I bought some 1/8" bungee cord off of Amazon and made some water bottle straps. Each strap goes over the top of the bottle and holds it in place. It just takes a second to flip off the bungee when I want a drink and another second to put it back on. I haven't worried or thought about loosing a water bottle ever since....and I saw a lot of water bottles on the road on technical sections of the DK 200 this year.
I've used Arundel on my mountain, road, and gravel bikes and have never lost a bottle. They can be hard to get bottles in and out of because they're so tight, but you will not lose a bottle.
The bottles I posted above grips well but isn't hard to get the bottles out. I pick neon yellow to give a contrast to my red bike but I am sure they come in black. They are also light and not real expensive.
Arundel, either Side Loader or Dave-O. I've used both, fork mounted and inside the triangle. I've never lost a bottle and never had an issue getting bottles in and out while riding.
Lezyne for the win! They aren't CF, but they do not drop bottles. I even tested them with a saddle mount assembly. After 61 miles of gravel in Iowa I didn't lose one water bottle. This cage is the BEST cage for grave and mountain bikes. I've been riding gravel with them for 3 years and never have I ever launched a bottle. They will hold any bottle with your normal cut outs.
I have water bottles launched all around me now for 2 years while gravel riding and have yet to have any launched with the set up I posted above and they aren't that expensive on Nashbar.
I bought mine in the neon yellow but they sale them in black also. Great price also.
