Gecko Grip is made from a ventilated polyurethane outer sandwiching a layer of EVA foam. It feels rubbery to the touch, and at its deepest (2mm) the core is relatively dense. The adhesive-backed tape comes in two 2.2m rolls, with end plugs shifter strips and finishing strips.

The Gecko’s moulded surface has a wavy pattern with square indentations providing most of the grip, its rubbery surface shedding water well and providing plenty of grip whatever the weather. The firmer core doesn’t feel as cushioned as some but is an improvement over cork tape.

The Gecko is less stretchy than some grips and much less stretchy than cork. But with each roll 2.2m long there’s enough for any bar. Its flexibility and tapered edges also make it easy to get a smooth fit.

As the Gecko isn’t that stretchy it’s under less tension than cork tape. That, combined with its rubbery surface, makes it pretty resilient to abrasions – though it will still shred pretty easily if it hits the road at speed. The waffle texture can fill with mud pretty quickly but it’s easy to clean and, unlike cork tape, it doesn’t stain.

Verdict 8/10

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine

The Tri Clamp is constructed from reinforced nylon and shaped into a tapered jaw that can be mounted onto round or aero seat posts.

It’s been wisely designed to angle backwards so the bottles point away from your saddle, which makes them easier to retrieve and less likely to jump out when you’re going over bumps.

It’s not just for bottles though, as the clamp also has threaded mounts for CO2 cartridges for roadside puncture repairs.

Two Dave-O bottle cages partner the clamp, and these are truly impressive. Despite only weighing 30g each, the cages are very rigid. They’re also slightly narrower than a typical water bottle, so when you push one in it’s tenaciously gripped, even when it’s empty.

The Tri Clamp itself is reassuringly sturdy but being a little over 6cm deep can make fitting it to a small frame tricky.

Overall the Tri Clamp is one of the most robust we’ve seen, with a well thought out shape. Providing it will fit your bike, it’s a great option.

The bottle cages, however, are quite possibly the best we’ve ever tested.

Verdict 8/10

Arundel call their Sport Bottle Cage 'cheap insurance' and they're right. It may not be the most exotic elegant lightweight bling bottle cage but it does its job perfectly without any fuss, that domestique whose name you can't remember of water bottles.

The Sport cage is the plastic version of the Texan cycle accessoriser's Dave-O cage for a bit more weight and a lot less money. There's not much to say about the Sport cage really: it's cheap enough and it works.

There are two sets of mounting holes, with one of each pair being ovalised to make up for any frame boss misalignment, so you should be able to find your perfect cage position on any bike.

The bottle slips into the wide opening without any fuss, settling home with a reassuring 'tonk' as that top knuckle grips the neck of the bottle and it's just as easy to get out.

In between times the bottle is held in securely by those wrap-round mandibles; the Sport Cage was clattered over cobbles and bounced around on a cyclo-cross bike and there was never any fear of premature ejectulation, and the bottle doesn't buzz or rattle tediously on plain old shabby tarmac either.

That's it job done. Ten quid.

Available in Black, white, red, blue, yellow and pink.

Verdict

Does its job perfectly without any fuss.

This aero bottle and cage is a simple solution for those not wanting to mount round bottles on their seat tube or down tube. The full carbon cage has four bolt holes to allow multiple mounting positions and the contoured 568ml bottle snaps positively into the cage and stayed put during test rides. The raised Arundel logo gives it a good grip, but we can’t say we’ve ever longed for grippier bottles and this could sacrifice some slipperiness against the air. The plastic stopper isn’t as kind on the teeth as rubber types but is graduated for two levels of flow and is a cinch to drink from when fully open. The only real downside is that at £35 more than Specialized’s non-carbon caged Virtue bottle, the price is quite steep.

Verdict
A great frame-mounted aero drink solution, but a bit pricey considering the competition.
Performance 4/5
Value 3/5
Overall 3/5


This review was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine.

Arundel's 'The Dual' seat bag is so called as it's designed to carry two of each essential, two innertubes, two CO2 cartridges and the inflater. It's a tight fit but it all fits none the less. My preferred selection was one tube, CO2 inflator and canister plus a small multi tool.

Lookswise it's got a bit of retro-ness about it but the Dual doesn't look out of place on a fully tricked up carbon race steed either. The piping comes in a range of colours; grey, blue, red, yellow, black and pink - so that all-important handlebar, frame, shoes match shouldn't be an issue.

As Arundel are happy to explain on their website, the Dual isn't constructed from super duper space age materials but the nylon used is hardwearing and easily cleaned. With the current monsoon conditions that most of the UK is seeing the Dual has taken a battering from road spray and spent more of its time drenched than dry. Water does eventually get into the bag so if you have got to carry anything that isn't waterproof I'd stick it in a sandwich bag.

There are some clever little design ideas too: the leather patch showing Arundel's logo is positioned to fit against the seatpost clamp to protect the bag from wear. Thanks to all the grit getting hosed up from the tyre ours was looking pretty scuffed and scratched so it clearly does its job.

The Velcro section of the strap is positioned away from your shorts as you're riding to avoid any snagging of lycra. The strap is double-stitched and keeps things tight, though there is the odd bit of swaying about on the more spirited sections of your ride.

The zip showed no issues after all the soakings and a handy tab means undoing it with full gloves on is easy.

Priced online at around the £12 mark, the Dual is good value for money and the size is spot on if you just want to carry the bare minimum get-me-home essentials. The quality is good which should see it last and the mount, while low tech, is tried, tested and secure.

What's not to like? Well, nothing really unless you don't like the colour!

Verdict

Well priced, hard wearing minimalist saddle bag that you can look at as an extra jersey pocket.

The Arundel Dave-O carbon-fibre cage is fairly light and it holds onto your bottle securely without any road buzz.

Despite the castle featuring prominently in their logo, Arundel come not from the fortified yet sleepy Sussex town but from Fort Worth in Texas where they create a small range of cycle bits and bobs but mostly bottle cages, the Dave-O being one of the carbon offerings plucked from their quiver of eight models.

Named after one of Arundel's founders and made from compression moulded carbon fibre, the Dave-O was one of the very first carbon cages on the market, appearing about 10 years ago. Arundel say that despite looking simple they actually aren't that easy to make and cost a lot of money. The carbon is laid up by a delicate hand and then pressed into shape at 1,000 psi and 250 degrees, which might explain why they cost four times as much as your run-of-the-mill bottle-cage.

Fitting to a bike is as simple as fitting a cage can be, with the bottom mounting hole on the Dave-O being slightly ovalised to allow for a bit of wiggle room when fitting to not-quite-standard spaced bottle bosses. Its published weight is 30g but ours hit the scales at 35g so weight weenies might want to take their scales to the bike shop to find the lightest Dave-O on the shelves.

Whatever the weight, you definitely get plenty of security. On the road the Dave-O wraps its arms tightly round a bottle with none of that annoying buzz as a full bidon vibrates happily in the fey grip of an inadequate cage. Even over stuttery tarmac and along B-roads repeatedly ignored by the council there was no threat of bidon ejection, and when mounted on a cyclo-cross bike for extreme rattle-and-hump testing bottles stayed resolutely safe and sound. You can't want more than that.

Thankfully that tenacity doesn't mean it's impossible to remove a bottle when needed. The twin arm design of the cage leaves a large open hole at the top and, combined with a slight flex in those arms, slipping a bottle in and tugging one out is a simple fiddle-free affair, with the slight clunk of the top knuckle gripping the bottle's neck letting you know that your watery cargo is happily home.

As well as this White Out colour the Dave-O is also available in Oil Slick and Matt 3K to match your pride and joy.

Verdict

As a bottle-cage the Dave-O ticks all the boxes... well, both the boxes: it holds onto a bottle no questions asked, and it's easy to get a bottle in and out, job done. It's more expensive than some carbon cages, it's cheaper than others, it's not as light as some carbon cages yet it's more secure than some and whether you think that's the kind of money to spend on a bottle-cage is your very own need vs want discussion. If you've ever lost a water bottle or two due to feeble cages then it's £40 well spent.

Arundel Gecko Fur handlebar tape sounds the stuff of pimped Lambretta, not everyday road bikes, but after a quick Quadrophenia moment I dressed another set of bars and found myself justly impressed by its tenacious grip and tactile nature come, rain, sleet or shine. Crossers and the rough stuff faithful should plump for the standard Gecko, though, since ingrained dirt, grime and even chocolate calls for more than a superficial cat lick.

In technical terms, this is the same EVA found on the rubberised Gecko but coated with a velvety, hardwearing brushed cotton common to certain genres of smart street attire. Arundel say it's marginally thinner than the regular types but this wasn't obvious from the shock absorbency on dressing the bars. I've been fastidious in my cleansing of the elected drops, removing every last trace of tape, adhesive or other contaminant that might compromise the new wrap's purchase. However, the Arundel range seems to require a very tight, rhythmic mummifying technique to prevent unravelling as you enter the home straight.

While a little frustrating in the garage at half-eight on a Monday evening, it's positively welcome should you need to change a control cable without the expense of replacing perfectly good tape. Sealing the tops with premium grade electrical tape makes all the difference and puts an end to slippage.

Arundel say sweat beads and rolls from the nap, unlike the cork varieties that often allow moisture to permeate the pores. Moving the trainer to the kitchen with the thermostat pointing toward tropical induced plenty of perspiration that pooled on the surface, or to the floor.

Taken to the road and the soft, grippy texture is reassuring in gloved or bare hands whether charging for the lights or braving a white knuckle descent in the pouring rain (and if anything, it becomes all the more dependable in this context). Some might find satin black unimaginative but it sure is practical. Credit where due, this tape stands up well to being leant against brickwork and similarly coarse surfaces without tearing or premature wear.

Verdict

Tactile and surprisingly hardwearing handlebar wrap

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We just love it when a company builds a product for a specific purpose, gets it just right then leaves it well alone. One such item is the Dave O bottle cage from Arundel, which has been around for 10 years with the same basic design. Its the same for a reason; it works beautifully and stands the test of time. Perfect.

Arundel Gecko Grip Bar Tape

The soft, luxurious feel of the Gecko Grip entices you to leave the gloves off, but dont confuse this with highly cushioned offerings, as its actually quite thin, so you retain plenty of bar feel. The texture is exceptionally grippy, wet or dry, gloved or un-gloved, which is both comfortable and confidence inspiring, plus the EVA foam doesnt soak up moisture and become waterlogged. It dried rapidly and was by the same virtue, easy to keep clean. Spot on for winter filth, and we'd bet ideal for cyclo cross too as long as you prefer minimal padding. A small note it's not very stretchy so fitting needs a little more care and attention to avoid wrinkles and creases.

An ant's jaw. Huh? That's what Arundel reckon their Mandible bottle cage is like. It's strong but light. Like an ant's jaw.

At 28g, the Mandible is certainly light. They manage to make it so light because the core is foam. I hunted around the garage and weighed a bunch of other bottle cages. A standard alloy cage is about 48- 56g (who knew?) so chances are you'll be saving a few grams here. If you run two bottle cages, and swap to two of these, you might save 50g or something like that. In the overall scheme of things, that's not a big deal but if you're a weight weenie and every gram counts, well, here you go.

Obviously, that foam core affects the strength? Well, no, not in a bad way. Those arms that look so delicate grab your water bottle in a bear hug and hold it firm. Combined with the lip at the top, they'll keep the bottle in place over rough roads or even off-road trails. I tried it on some dodgy old tracks skirting Salisbury Plain where I've lost bottles before and it was absolutely fine.

So, it's lightweight and it works, and that's yer lot. Oh, and you get the choice of two different mount positions. And it looks cool whether you go for this matte version, the gloss black or the white. In terms of price, it's not out of line for what you'd expect to pay for a carbon bottle cage. As a comparison, the Blackburn Camber I tested last year has a list price of £39.99 and was virtually the same weight. However, we're guessing that if you are already in the market for a carbon cage, a fiver either way isn't going to make much difference to your choice. Weight, looks and grip are; and the Mandible certainly scores well on all of those.

Verdict

Very lightweight carbon cage that holds your bottle ultra-secure