OK, it’s really “TwoFish”, but it reads better that way, don’t you think?
Brompton is (theoretically) coming out with a water bottle (due at the end of last month) which will attach to the bike with a neat little magnetic clip. The clip should have no effect on folding the Brompton, and won’t increase its folded size, either.
In the meantime, I’m making do with a TwoFish cage.
The TwoFish is a clever, and effective, water bottle cage. There’s a soft rubbery block that sits on the bike tubing. No drilling, and no permanent mounting required, but the wide hook-and-loop strap still manages ti keeps the mounting block firmly in place. If the strap is wrapped tightly enough, the cage doesn’t slip. Here it is, without the water bottle, on Basil’s handlebar stem:
Here’s an upright view of the empty cage. The strap is quite long, so I’ve tucked the end back; that’s the lump popping up. The cage is angled to keep it out of the way when folding the bicycle. Coincidentally, it’s also easier to grab the bottle when the cage is in this position.
I don’t use the TwoFish bottle, though I like it. It’s quite fat — too fat for me to hold comfortably on a bike — and I find it difficult to wrestle it out of the cage. Instead, I use a Nalgene bottle; works a treat, and has a covered, and easily-opened, top as a bonus.
Here’s the problem:
Basil folds just fine, but the cage adds considerably to his width. Not, ultimately, a good idea. A bit of a pain, actually. My money is on Brompton’s upcoming water bottle. (Literally.) In the meantime, though, this is a workable, if not exactly desirable, solution.