Cannondale Gripper Aero Bottle, ReGrip Aero Bottle Cage, Aero Gains

If you’ve read any of my articles, you’ve probably already figured out that I’m a big fan of aero gains. Yeah, weight is important to a point, but you’ll typically have more impact from aerodynamic enhancements than dropping weight, unless you are riding mountain passes all day. That’s where the Cannondale Gripper Aero Bottle and ReGrip Aero Bottle Cage come in. We do aero everywhere else, why not bottles and cages?

So that’s the question. We spend a ton of time finding the right aero frame, matching it to the fastest wheels, the slipperiest helmets and kit, but there are still a few areas we can look to optimize on the bike. Bottles and cages have taken some different shapes over the years, but in general, the bottles are round and the cages are matched to them. Some brands began making thin, wide bottles for time trials, but for road, they have generally not changed much. Two brands have challenged the norms: Cannondale, being an evolution of a standard bottle, and Trek, evolving the time trial bottles. Both have their pros and cons, but we’ll focus on the Cannondale offering.

The Details

The Cannondale Gripper Aero bottle and ReGrip Aero Cage are made to work as a system. Launched in 2023, it was part of the launch of the SuperSix Evo as the brand’s new superbike. Instead of focusing on just weight, the new SuperSix Evo blended aerodynamics and lightweight to become the all-around bike we see Team EF-Education racing.

The Gripper Aero bottle resembles a more traditional round bottle, but with flat sides in the lower portion of the bottle before slowly flaring out for the cap, giving it a narrow profile when mounted in the cage versus a typical 74mm bottle. The bottle holds 600ml or 21 fluid ounces and has a large screw top that makes it easy to add your powders and ice cubes. The cap uses a rubberized push/pull valve that helps to minimize leaks, but still makes it easy to get your fluids in. It’s also dishwasher safe, so cleaning is a breeze.

The ReGrip Aero Bottle Cage follows a similar profile, keeping the narrow shape of the bottle. The Re in the ReGrip name signifies that it is made from recycled materials, helping to lessen the impact on the environment.

As mentioned, Trek also has an aero bottle and cage. Made to work with their Madone, they went more extreme, with a shape that is closer to the time trial bottles from the past, versus a traditional round bottle. Their bottles are a touch smaller and have more of a more oblong shape to the opening. It also costs $110 per bottle and cage, which is almost four times as expensive as Cannondale’s offering.

On The Road

When mounted on the bike, the bottle and cage hide behind the downtube of modern aero frames that have an aero foil shape on the front end and a flat back side of the tube. On the seat tube, that narrow profile helps keep an aerodynamic profile flowing from the front to the back of the bike. For the ReGrip Aero cage, the slots to mount the cage to the frame offer a decent amount of flexibility to raise and lower the cage on the frame to find the right position. There isn’t enough material to drill any custom holes as I have done with other cages to mount them lower on the frame, but honestly, I didn’t feel the need to. One really nice touch to the design is the long channel down the center of the cage that allows you access with a long hex wrench to provide easy access the the bolts when installing the cage.

Since the Gripper Aero Bottle looks and functions similarly to a traditional round bottle, it is very intuitive to use. The wide mouth opening isn’t quite as wide as something like an Elite Fly bottle, but it is still plenty wide to pour in powder from a scoop or a bag, and you can easily add ice. The valve is standard too, and did a good job of staying leak-free when closed. Even when I had the valve open and the bottle in the cage, there were no issues with leaks. The flow of the valve is pretty standard, making it easy to get your drink, even during hard efforts.

Handling the bottle was easy, too. It has a bit of grip molded into the shape of the bottle, making it easy to grip to get in and out of the cage. Even with the flat sides versus a traditional round bottle, there is plenty of real estate to hang onto the bottle and squeeze when you need a drink. Getting the bottle in and out of the ReGrip Aero cage isn’t challenging, but it’s also not quite as easy as a traditional round bottle and cage. For the Gripper Aero bottle and ReGrip Aero cage, you have to line up the sides of the bottle with the cage when inserting it, whereas a regular bottle, you can just jam it into the cage. After a few times, you get used to it quickly, and it becomes second nature.

With the bottle in the cage, it is firmly in place. I used these cages and bottles when reviewing the SuperX during a Spring gravel event, and even over rough surfaces, the Gripper Aero bottles didn’t budge.

Now, in the beginning, I mentioned that the Gripper Aero bottle and ReGrip Aero cage work as a system. The ReGrip Aero cage is made to also work with traditional round bottles, too, so if you need to use a regular bottle, it will work. Unfortunately, though, I can’t quite say the same about the Gripper Aero bottle and regular cages.

About the only complaint I had about the pair is the volume of the bottle. 600ml isn’t bad, but many riders would prefer the option to run a larger bottle and retain the aerodynamic properties of the Gripper Aero bottle. How a taller bottle would affect aerodynamics would be a consideration. Also, I’ve seen some people comment that they wish there were a carbon version of the cage, but honestly, we are talking about shaving grams at that point.

The big question is how aerodynamic are they? That’s a question that I haven’t been able to answer (still working on it). The concept behind the Gripper Aero bottle and ReGrip Aero cage holds merit, so while they might be small, the aero gains should be there.

At $30 per bottle and cage combo, it’s about the same price as most standard bottle and cage combos. You can also pick up the cage for $19 and extra bottles for $12. All of this makes for a very functional and value-packed upgrade to your bike over other options that are much more expensive.

Final Thoughts

Bottles and cages aren’t the most sexy parts to review, but they are very important parts of your bike. Without them, you’d be stuffing bottles into your pockets and riding along. At about 50g, the ReGrip Aero cage isn’t the lightest option, but unless you are riding up hill all the time, both ways, aero gains beat out small weight gains. Cannondale doesn’t offer any aero claims, and honestly, they are probably small, but if you are looking to optimize every part of your bike, the Gripper Aero bottle and ReGrip Aero cage are a great option that won’t break the bank.

www.cannondale.com