Fidlock dances an interesting line between being an “ingredient” brand—making snazzy buckles commonly found on high-end helmets—while also making and selling the Twist mount, bottle, and bag system that uses magnets to affix water and accessories to your bike. That Twist system is nothing new - it turns ten this year, but it feels like it's still picking up momentum in the North American market. The brand is making inroads on the OE world with more and more brands shipping bikes with a Fidlock bottle and mount from the factory, but there’s also a range of bags and other accessories you can swap in. I’ve been using the bottles, and some other bits and bobs for the last few months and it’s time to weigh in.

Fidlock Twist Details

• Options: 450-800 ml bottles, universal and boss mounts
• Twist-to-release function on all bags and bottles
• Prices: Bike Base: $14.99, bottles ranging from $39.99 to $49.99

Fidlock Twist Options

The most common application of Fidlock I see out in the wild is slotting smaller bottles into bikes that wouldn’t usually have space for them in the front triangle. That includes older bikes that were manufactured before “fit a bottle in the damn triangle” became an industry-wide mandate, as well as smaller frame sizes where a full size bottle just won’t physically fit. In that application, Fidlock is excellent, and over the years I’ve actually handed off a selection of small Fidlock bottles to my more petite friends so that they can stay hydrated like the rest of us.

But Fidlock is pushing to expand its range beyond that niche use case. In pursuit of that, the brand makes a wide range of bottle sizes, all the way up to an 800-milliliter option. You can also get bags and a universal bottle mount that use the same interface, as well as a universal base that will strap to any bike frame. 

Fidlock sent me a full medley of options, with a range of bottles and bases, as well as the universal bottle cage which uses a BOA cable system to clamp any bottle you want, and one of their bags. I’ve thrown a couple of the normal bases on my trail bike, and strapped the universal base to my downhill bike, and have been riding both a bunch this spring.

Fidlock Twist Performance

There are two layers to Fidlock performance. First, how well does it do its most basic job? How easy is it to remove and replace bottles while riding, and how secure are they? The second question that I’ve found myself meditating on is whether this system has the potential to change how I think about on-bike storage, and what it would take to fully integrate it into my riding philosophy. So let’s get into that simpler first question:

Installing the Fidlock bases is easy. Either bolt them on like a bottle cage (paying attention to which end goes up) or use the straps to lock the Universal Base onto your frame. Those straps are extra long, so once you’ve got them fit, you can trim them back. It takes a second to get used to the twist-and-lift motion it takes to remove a bottle, but once you’ve got it, it’s easier than using a normal bottle cage.

As far as security goes, I’ve seen a disproportionate number of Fidlock bottles along the trail that have bounced off bikes and been lost, but I have yet to lose one off my own bike and I’ve ridden plenty of rough trails. I think this is due to the fact that it’s possible to get the bottle to stick to the mount without all the way locking in, similar to a traditional bottle that’s halfway in the cage. But, unlike a traditional bottle, there isn’t an obvious visual cue, so folks are more likely to ride off with their bottle half latched. If you make very sure that your bottle is fully locked, you should be fine.

Fidlock’s bottles are nice, even if they don’t come emblazoned with the logo of your local shop. They don’t taste too plasticy, and they do a good job of not leaking while still dispensing plenty of water when it's time to take a sip. They’re quite a bit more expensive (and a little heavier) than traditional bottles, but I’m not worried about that weight. The price is more of a worry since I tend to treat traditional bottles as somewhat disposable and replace them every season. Otherwise they tend to get nasty and, psychologically at least, I worry that they’re releasing microplastics into my already saturated brain.

If you want to use your favorite traditional bottle, Fidlock makes the Twist Universal Connector. This is basically a magnet base with BOA cables that will clamp onto any bottle. That’s cool, but what’s cooler is that you can use it to carry just about anything else that fits into the cables. Stick a banana in there, or a chunk of salami, or a thermos of soup, or a can of beer, or a packable jacket. Your imagination is the only limit. I’ve really dug having the Universal Connector mounted to the accessory mounts on the bottom of my top tube. I’ve tried a variety of straps and brackets meant to hold things there and the Connector is significantly better than any of them because you can just twist it and remove the whole thing from your bike. That makes it easier to load and unload instead of having to kneel next to your bike and swear at your situation.

I’ve also been a fan of the Universal Base mounted inside the front triangle of my downhill bike. There’s plenty of space there for a bottle but no bosses. So, with the base installed, I can bring water or a jacket or a med kit on shuttle laps.

Fidlock’s Twist Toolbox is a bag that uses the same system so you can swap it onto any Fidlock base. It’s fairly cavernous and can fit tools, a tube, and some snacks. It’s a quality bag with internal dividers for organization. But it doesn’t necessarily feel explicitly tailored to the needs of cyclists which leads us to the next section.

The Fidlock Ecosystem

As it currently stands, Fidlock’s Twist system is good, but it could be great. It’s a solid way to carry a water bottle, or a bag, or a Universal Connector with stuff strapped to it. But I can taste so much potential here, most of which would need to be unlocked with more specific accessories. I can imagine a world of swappable parts that you can twist on and off the bike to prepare it for specific rides. I want a handsaw mount, and a water filter mount.  Maybe there’s an action camera mount? I want a snazzy little pump with a Fidlock base built in. Or, maybe I could swap in a med kit when it’s appropriate? 

I think there are two ways to accomplish this goal: First, Fidlock could assign a team to start cranking out bike accessories. I’m sure they’d come out polished and rad, and I’d be first in line to purchase them.

Or (and this is unlikely but a boy can dream) I’d love to see Fidlock lay the groundwork for an open-sourced project a-la Gridfinity. For the uninitiated, Gridfinity is a free organization system that’s super modular and 3D-printable. It’s very easy to print your own organizers at home and create custom systems for your own tools and fasteners that plug into the bigger ecosystem. It’s a playground that anyone with a 3D printer and a little creativity can use to dial in their storage and organization to their specific needs. Yes, it’s dorky, but so are bikes.

It would be so cool if Fidlock released files that allowed anyone with a CAD program and a 3D printer to design accessories that plug into the ecosystem. That way we could all create and share our own specific setups, designed for our own riding priorities and then use the robust and excellent Fidlock interface to attach them to our bikes. It’s a pipedream, but it would be really cool.

Outside of that unlikely fantasy, I’m excited to see what Fidlock does next. The current line is a strong start, but there’s plenty of potential to expand the customer base without just focusing on the more uphill battle of getting folks to ditch traditional bottles for this more expensive option.

For Now

For smaller riders, or those dealing with limited front triangle space, Fidlock’s bottle system is absolutely game changing. For the rest of us it also makes a lot of sense, so long as you make sure that your bottles are securely loaded before you ride off into the sunset.

Learn more: Fidlock