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review

Tacx Ciro bottle cage

8
£15.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Lightweight and secure water bottle cage available in nine colours at a decent price
Weight: 
30g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Tacx Ciro is a good looking, lightweight and very secure bottle cage available in a choice of colours to match your bike. And at a penny under £16 it's good value when you take all those factors into account. Some may find the fit a bit too tight, but if you want an ultra-secure setup then it's hard to beat.

  • Pros: Light, secure, looks good, nine colours
  • Cons: Quite a tight fit

The Ciro is an evolution of the Deva cage. The focus for this new product has been on getting the weight as low as possible while ensuring it's still strong and durable enough to securely hold a water bottle in place.

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To achieve this low weight, the cage is constructed using a glass fibre core wrapped with moulded carbon with a very minimalist design – the result, says Tacx, of analysing every aspect of the cage to shed weight where possible. It's certainly achieved that because at 30g there's really not a lot to this cage.

Essentially the Ciro consists of two wings that clamp around the top of the water bottle, with a small retaining lip at the bottom and a ramped section at the front to further aid bottle security. That ramped section is designed to interface harmoniously with Tacx water bottles (obviously) but it works with other bottle brands just fine, so fear not, you don't have to buy matching bottles to get the best from this new cage.

In use, the Ciro does a solid job of holding water bottles securely. The fit between bottle and cage is on the firm side compared to other bottle cages I've used regularly in recent years and it does require a bit of a firm push to seat the bottle fully into the cage when replacing it after a drink. There are easier cages to get bottles into.

> Read more road.cc reviews of bottle cages

But once in place, there's no way the bottle is going to bounce out. I tested this over rough ground on a gravel bike and no bottle ejections occurred, and the same was true on the road bike, even on my bumpiest local roads. It's also been tested by several professional WorldTour cycling teams during the classics and if it's good enough for the pros, it's probably good enough for you and me.

Naturally, a Tacx water bottle fits nicely, with the ramp shape of the cage fitting perfectly into the groove that circles the top of the bottle. Happily, the cage works okay with other bottles – no problems with an Elite or Camelbak Podium bottle.

The actual weight of 30g is damn close to the 29g claimed. That's light, although it's heavier than the 23g Elite Vico Carbon bottle cage Jim tested last year. From Jim's review it would seem bottles fit into the Tacx Ciro much more easily than the Elite Vico, and personally, I'm willing to pay a 7g weight penalty for an easier-to-use cage.

And lastly, there are nine colours to choose from, so you can personalise or match the cages to your bike, with gloss and matt options.

In summary, the Tacx Ciro is a good looking bottle cage that is light and secure, comes in a wide choice of colours and with a reasonable price tag. If you're in the market for some new cages for your bike, this should definitely be a contender for your cash.

Verdict

Lightweight and secure water bottle cage available in nine colours at a decent price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Tacx Ciro

Size tested: Various

Tell us what the product is for

"The Ciro bottle carbon cage is shaped to clamp the bottle very tightly. Tested in the classics, the minimalistic design complements your bicycle," says Tacx.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Tacx:

Clamping: Its black shell is reinforced by carbon to strengthen the optimized form, so the bottle stays perfectly in place.

Weight: The carbon shell reduces the weight to 29g

Colours: A full pallet of gloss and matte colours are available

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Keeps your bottles securely in place so you won't go thirsty.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Minimalist appearance looks good on a race bike, light on the scales and works well.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The fit is actually a bit tight.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Considering the low weight and good performance, plus the wide range of colours, £15.99 is impressive. You're getting a high-quality product at a good price here.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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1 comments

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Boss Hogg | 6 years ago
1 like

Yep, just got a set myself. Construction quality is quite good but perhaps not quite as as good as the  Deva. There is also no indication as to where they are manufactured; on the Deva it is clearly stated Made in the Netherlands. That aside, grip is definitely on the firm side, hopefully this will not cause any issues with the frame inserts after long periods of use.

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