Portland Design Works Lucky Cat Bottle Cage, Oh My!

November 3, 2017 - Josh Tack, Adventure Cycling's Membership Manager, posts to his Touring Gear and Tips blog every month.

Can words describe how excited I am about the Portland Design Works Lucky Cat Cage? They sure can, and you’re about to read them.

Released last August, the first run of Lucky Cat bottle cages went out of stock nearly as fast as McDonald’s Szechuan sauce — which surprised no one. The good news for you and me is that they’re back and available in either a black or white lucky cat. Can a black cat be lucky?

Clearly, the most compelling reason for wanting one of these is that it’s a water bottle cage shaped as a cat, but of course PDW didn’t stop there. The cage is made of a single sheet of alloy that makes it both durable and easy to clean — because sadly, these cats can’t clean themselves.

The bottle cage is also side loading, which may not seem like a big deal to big people riding big bikes, but it’s relevant to those with small frames and/or full suspension rigs. It makes popping water bottles in and out of the cage a lot easier when space is cramped. All of the cats grip with their right paw, so your bottle will pull out from the right side when mounted to the down tube, or from the left side when bolted to the seat tube.

This is a rare case where bolt selection comes into play when mounting these cages to your bike, and I say “these cages” because I know you’re not getting just one. The top bolt serves as the cat’s nose, while we’ll go ahead and say the lower bolt is the belly button. Lucky Cat Cages retail for $25 each, and if you can’t find them in your local shop, you can grab them on the Portland Design Works online store. Meow.

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