There are few things Devon really hates to put on a bike, however saddle bags are one of them. He thinks that non-integrated storage is, at best, creating extra drag and, at worst, awkwardly placed and overly small. Every wind tunnel test says effectively the same thing: a single bottle, mounted as horizontally as possible behind the saddle is his best hydration solution. Thus on his DA, a large wing was out of the question. How then, could he to carry his spare tube and assorted tools? The solution, it turned out, comes standard on every Felt DA; the Torhans VR bottle.
The VR bottle that comes equipped on the DA is unfortunately, opaque, but replacement bottles from Torhans come with two important features: they are semi-transparent, and about a half an inch or so below the retention tabs is a dotted line for cutting the bottom off for exactly this purpose. A few minutes and a hacksaw later, voila!
It isn’t perfect and the cut is in dire need of a file to smooth it out, but nevertheless, a functional carrier for a surprisingly large amount of stuff. The retention tabs hold it securely in place over the bumpiest of roads and cobblestones and nothing moves an inch,. As for the contents, it is surprising what can be stored inside.
- 20g CO2 cartridge attached to a Lezyne Trigger Drive
- Spare tube
- Pair of Lezyne tire levers
- Powerbar
- Gel (x2)
- Valve core removal tool
The second gel resides in the bottle carrier, attached to the bike. There is extra space below the cutoff of the bottle that allows for assorted small items, such as a few allen wrenches and, in this case, a spare gel.
With all this stored in the VR, the bike stays clean in the wind and still carries 54oz of liquid when fully loaded; enough any ride Devon can throw at it. And with all the storage in the VR, even a mechanical issue won’t slow him down.
Will it hold a tubular and CO2 or better yet tubular tire, 16g CO2, and Vittoria Pit Stop (sealant)? Does Tor Hans report any tri frames known to not fit/hold this carrier? Especially Specialized, Shiv S-Works XL frame?
Unfortunately, it just isn’t big enough to accomodate a tubular tire, much less a tubular tire and a bottle of sealant. You could likely get a bottle of sealant and a spare CO2 or two in there, though! The VR bottle with the mounting bracket from Felt will work on a Shiv, so you’re in luck there, but it will take some creativity to get it to mount firmly. We came across someone a while back who used some double-sided tape on the seat tube and the lower screw for the cage mount on the downtube for the Shiv, which worked for him. If you try something like this, remember to order the Felt DA specific version and take pictures for us!
what other frames do you think this would fit on. I would like to run this on my Cervelo S2 since my saddle does not allow for a bag or rear bottle. BERK custom.
We tend to think that for other frames, the VR can be made to fit, but will likely use the generic mount. Devon looked around and couldn’t find anyone who had tried mounting on an S2 before, but from eyeballing it, he thinks it should fit with minimal gap between the lower leading edge of the mount and the downtube of the S2. Try it and let us know how it goes!
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will this work in venge sworks bikes?
Hi Marlon – we reached out to Hans at Torhans to get that answered for you since we have never tried to fit a VR to a Venge. “I see no reason why it would not fit on a Venge. However, with frames of 51cm and smaller there are difficulties with the fit.“ So depending on your size you should be good to go!
Fifty four ounces of liquid…. That would be a trick bottle indeed.
The 54 ounces was referencing the fact that with a BTA and rear hydration you can still carry that much liquid while having a very aero tool carrier.
I now this was posted on a while ago, but just wondering why you would put gels in there other than emergency. I.e. if you cut it and put it in the cage, if you lifted out during the bike ride, stuff would drop out correct? I.e. this is a good spot for emergency supplies, but not a place to put your nutrition in for the race. IS this correct?
Exactly – its the I’m going to bonk right now without another gel backup gel
Nice one – thanks for the quick answer.
Hey There i have a BMC TM01 Size Medium Short and i was wondering if i have to Buy the Felt VR or if it will fit the normal one…
Hi I also have a BMC TM01 (2016) -will the bottle work do you think?
It’s fiddle as heck to mount the mount though. Hard to reach the bottom screw with a tool or even fingers 🙁
Would this fit Shiv Sworks frame? Thank you
Hi Andrey – the Shiv already has a custom tool carrier, the Fuelcell. You can check it out at https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fuelcell-aero-storage/p/117930?gclid=Cj0KCQjwof3cBRD9ARIsAP8x70PpJA_-tUFxtkC5ReMHh-7UYHdSCndHio0yGfAdzM0vIKn60NnvfDQaAviKEALw_wcB
Can you tell me which bit he cut
Cheers