Living in the High Desert we have come to appreciate the ability to carry enough water when touring. Look closely at the Bike Hermit’s feet and you can see his white water bottle attached underneath his down tube. (click on the photo to see it better) The challenge is “Chief”, his A Homer Hilsen, only comes with the “normal” two cage bosses. Don’s Surly Ogre (on the left) has 3 cage bosses, as does the Surly LHT and the Surly Disc Trucker. Thankfully we’ve found a sweet solution to add more bottles – Elite VIP bottle clips. Made in Italy these clips resemble a zip tie, the heavy duty type but with cage bosses attached. Designed to fit any tube between 22mm and 50mm diameter. These are slick. We have also mounted them on Surly Pugsley Forks (see below). A light weight inexpensive addition, well worth it for anyone planning rides/tours where water is not readily available. As you can see from the 1st photo, The Bike Hermit also chose to carry a camelback and tucked into his gear is a folding hydration bottle and the water filtering system in case they have to resort to cattle troughs and trickling streams.
