Another product out of their bikepacking Innovation Lab, the new modular Apidura Cargo Cage is a transformer, telescoping to mount to either 2-bolt or 3-bolt setups. Designed for a nearly universal fit, the versatile alloy Cargo Cage can carry bottle small & large with its strap guides, or you can attach a special small-diameter Apidura Cargo Cage Pack that give you up to 1.3L of waterproof Expedition-series storage.
The original Salsa Anything Cage has been around almost as long as Bikerumor, I think I first spotted the 3-bolt cages in 2009 or 2010… but adventure riding has evolved a lot since then. Now, it’s not only bikepacking bikes with dozens of braze-ons that go on adventures, so companies like Apidura continue to innovate to help outfit all manner of riders.
One of Apidura’s most interesting new little gadgets is this 2 or 3-bolt Cargo Cage.
Built to carry both small & large loads wherever you can fit them in, the two-piece ADC12 alloy cage features a modular foot to support the base of a bag or bottle. Extend it fully to use 3-pack bolts, snap it back into the body of the cage to use 2 standard bottle bolts, or remove the foot entirely to simply strap longer items to the wings of the cage.
With 3 different way to install it, Apidura aimed to make the most versatile cargo cage possible – “a single, straightforward modular cage for all bikes and applications“. Especially nice if you want to use one cage for carrying tools/spare on your mountain bike, then to swap it over to the gravel bike to carry a bit of extra gear for a weekend bikepacking trip.
The 85g anodized cage has long strap slots on both wings so you can thread-in pretty much any strap you already use – from basic velcro straps to secure webbing straps like the Austere Cam straps we recently reviewed, to the Voile-style strap popular with bikepackers & adventure racers.
Apidura says the 70g Expedition Cargo Cage Pack is optimized for use under the downtube, offering a high level of protection in a slim bag that can will fit behind the front wheel and not interfere with your cranks.
The 1.3L roll-top bag shares the same tough, waterproof 3-layer laminate Trilon construction and similar details as Apidura’s Expedition fork bags – like the modular strap loops, reinforcement where it contacts the cage & reflective detailing – just dialed back to a 8.5cm diameter.
Of course, the fact that the Apidura Cargo Cage can work with either 2-bolt or 3-bolt installations is great – fit it to almost any bike to carry more gear. But what I feel is just as important, is that you can even slide the mount in between a bit to mount bigger items to a standard 2-bolt setup.
On this Canyon Dude fat bike there is only the 2-bolt mount on the downtube. But by sliding the cage a bit higher, I can support even larger items like this 28cm tall insulated L.L.Bean thermos that my wife has been taking on trips for 18 years. I was careful to align the mid-point support of the outer cage bracket with the upper cage bolt, so I could balance larger objects with minimal cantilevering about the bolts – strapped on with one webbing & Voile-style strap, to see which I prefer…
The cage is simple, light, easy-to-use, and quite versatile. I’m sure I’ll end up bolting it under the downtube or on the fork leg of some gravel bike after this winter’s snow melts. I have a feeling it would be a great way to strap my tent poles to the side of my fork, so I can stuff the tent into a smaller bag on the bike.
As for the Pack, we really haven’t used it much and likely won’t until wet riding returns – carrying small gear in the recent 1L MTB Backcountry Frame Pack in the meantime. The narrow ~9cm diameter of the 30cm tall bag makes it a bit tricky to stuff some gear all the way down inside compactly. With that said, it would be a nice spot to tuck some heavier repair spares away safely, like a tube and extra tools that you don’t need to access often while riding.
The Apidura Cargo Cage itself sells for $52 / 44€ including three steel bolts to mount it securely in any setup. And the separate 1.3L Expedition Cargo Cage Pack is an extra $48 /40 including two repositionable velcro straps to attach it to the cage. Both are available now, direct from Apidura and via their retail partners.
Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.
Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry gave some these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components and worked as a bike shop mechanic.
Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.
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