09 November 2019

Let's build a Cooziecage™ [UPDATED]

The original Cooziecage™ and the Cooziecage™ II are both tested-and-perfected on-bike beverage-transport systems.  Follow the step-by-step DIY instructions below to make a Cooziecage™ of your very own.
has been applied to these instructions.
 
Afterwards, I hope you enjoy many a lovely bevvie
all alone
in "silent lucidity"
(ride the whims of your mind)
or when hanging out with your pals
whilst sitting atop big rocks,
or blown-down trees,
or in grassy meadows,
or on snow-covered stumps out in the woods. 

In my experience/opinion, these are things almost everyone likes/needs to do.  

I hope these free* instructions help to make all your rides more enjoyable, and this crazy world we live in a little bit better, too, one beverage and one bike ride at a time.



I like beverages!  I like bikes!  And I think bike rides and beverages go well together.  
Thanks, Cooziecage

If you do too, you should build a Cooziecage™ (or a Cooziecage™ II) and conveniently take a beverage with you on your next ride. 

Heck, you should take one on every ride!  I do.

Tired of waiting until your ride is over to enjoy a lovely beverage? With a Cooziecage™ attached to your bike you'll be able to crack open one of your favorites the next time, and every time, you get to the top of your ride.  

Just imagine how refreshing that will be!
 
What you'll need:

TIME:

  • approximately 5-10 minutes
PARTS:
  • One (1) plastic Cateye BC100 bottlecage.
    NOTE: Cateye BC100 cages are no longer being manufactured. If you don't have an old one in your parts stash, you can still find them new on eBay and Amazon. If you're unable to locate a Cateye BC100 cage, you may wish to consider building a wire-cage-compatible Cooziecage™ II instead.
  • One (1) standard neoprene beverage-coozie of your choice
  • A couple (2) small washers
  • Two (2) small pop-rivets
  • One (1) beverage of your choice
TOOLS:
  • A drill
  • A Sharpie
  • A hole-punch
  • A small sharp pokey thing

Step 1:

Slip the beverage-coozie into the BC100 cage and mark the bolt holes with a pen.

Select images to enlarge

Step 2:

Use the hole punch to open the neoprene enough that you can get a bolt through each hole.  You need not remove the entire punch.


Step 3:
Put the coozie into the cage along with the washers and the bolts and install on the seat-tube of your bike. Pro-tip: regrease your threads!


Step 4:
With your drill and a small bit, make two holes, one on each side of the cage, near the corners of the top rim.  The hole should be just big enough to allow your un-popped rivet to fit through snugly.


Step 5:
Stick your sharp pokey thing through each hole and then through the neoprene.


Step 6:
Install a small rivet through each hole in the neoprene and the cage so the flat side of the rivet faces in. Pop it permanently into place with your pop-rivet tool.


Step 7:
Insert one (1) standard 12-ounce beverage of your choice into your brand-new, hand-made Cooziecage™ and go ride. Sit down and enjoy a beverage when you get to the top. Think about life. Laugh with your friends. Ride like the wind on the way down! 

Step 8 (optional):
If you wish to guarantee retention of your beverage on a long up-and-down ride, consider installing a "safety-belt" on your Cooziecage™ by trimming off a section of butyl inner-tube and deploying it around the top rim of your beverage and the plastic neck of the Cooziecage™. This simple security device has been thoroughly tested on Sedona, Arizona's never-straight, never-flat trails and has proven effective.



WARNING: Depending on where and how your ride has taken you, your beverage may be a little bit to quite a lot or even very very shook-up when you open it.

ONE MORE WARNING: If you ride through muddy, dusty, snowy, or wet conditions on your way to your favorite drinkin'-spot, you may find your beverage covered in all sorts of the muck that you encountered during your ride. Some Cooziecage™ users allow their beverage to self-clean when this happens by opening the fliptop and vigorously blowing off the erupting foamy head along with all the flotsam it's collected. Remember: open, let foam, and blow!
  

Other smarty-pants Cooziecage™ users occasionally elect to insert their beverage upside-down for transport, thereby keeping the top of the can clean by shielding it within the Cooziecage™ itself.  Up to you; depends on the IQ of your slacks, I suppose.



Step 9 (also optional):
If your bike is fitted with braze-ins for two or more bottle cages, you might wish to consider deploying the Cooziecage™ Long-Rider set-up, for those days when life throws more than one hill in your path.



Final Step:
When you're done with your beverage(s), don't crush the empty can(s)!  Simply reinsert the can back it into the Cooziecage™ from whence it came and transport it out the way it came in. Be sure to recycle it when you get home.


Cooziecage™ Stats:
As-built weight: about 42 grams
Weight when loaded with one (1) standard 12-ounce beverage: about 382 grams
Weight when loaded with one (1) standard empty aluminum can: about 56 grams
 

Update: November 2023

Introducing the Cooziecage™ II:
The Cooziecage™ II is a thoroughly-tested and effective on-bike beverage-transport solution for those unable to locate a Cateye BC100 nylon cage, or for installation on classic/vintage bicycles where wire-cages are required for aesthetic reasons.

Steps 1-10
  • Cut-down a standard bicycle water-bottle right below the waist and discard the top portion.
  • Drill four equidistant small holes (just about the size of the rivet you're using) around circumference of the bottle about 1-inch below the rim.
  • Insert a standard neoprene beverage-coozie into the lower section of the water-bottle.
  • Using your "small sharp pokey" tool, make holes in the coozie that line up with the holes in the bottle.
  • Use your pop-rivet tool to secure the coozie to the bottle at all four points of contact.
  • Insert one beverage of your choice into your new Cooziecage™ II.
  • Optional (but recommended): Consider using a section of butyl inner tube around the rim of the can and the neck of the wire cage as a "safety belt" for additional security during transport.
  • Go ride!, Stop and enjoy your favorite beverage somewhere along the way, preferably where the vista is optimally inspiring and encouraging of a healthful reverie.
  • Did your drink get dusty? Remember: Both the original Cooziecage™ and the Cooziecage™ II are self-cleaning... 
  • Just open, let foam, and blow!
Cooziecage™ Showroom:









1 comments :

Daddios Bikes said...

Love this, gives me all the more reason to get out and ride the wrong bike. Love your vibe! Thanks.

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. -- Ed Abbey