I've done two rides now with the new Race Cage on my V20. It's definitely a huge improvement on the plastic race case. The attachment is very solid, There's plenty of space. It's light. It doesn't seem likely to fall apart like my two race cases did. The stuff that you put in it stays inside when you hit a bump (this was a problem with the race case). I think it's a great design.
There are a couple of things you should be aware of if you're considering getting one:
1) The included attachment system is only compatible with the stock headrest rails. I had the performance adjustable headrest on my V20 and the diameter of the tubing on that system is too large for the race cage clamps to fit. With the stock headrest rails, if I put them all the way in so that the headrest is up against the seat, the Race Cage will hit the top of the rear wheel. When I back the rails out to where there's enough clearance my head is tilted too far back when using the headrest (I'm 5'10"). The solution is the Suspension Adjustable Headrest which I actually find extremely comfortable. If you want to use the Race Cage with the Carbon Adjustable Seat (which I have on my V20c) you will have to mount the stock headrest rails even though you're not using them for a headrest. This works fine. I wonder if the gap this would create between the seat and the bag would be a bit of an aero penalty compared to my current setup which is a Bachetta Brain Bag mounted directly to the carbon adjustable seat.
2) On todays ride I discovered something one has to be careful about. The stiffener that sits at the bottom of the bag does not attach to the sides as far as I can tell. It's therefore possible for smaller items to work their way under the stiffener. This happened with my keys not long into the ride. They're heavy enough, with no stiffener, to cause the fabric to sag so that it's touching the rear wheel. It took a while before I decided that the noise I was hearing from the rear needed to be investigated (it was wet out and I thought it was the water from the road being kicked up onto the bottom of the bag). The drag was enough to make the bike feel a bit slower than usual. Fortunately it didn't seem to wear the fabric much if at all. If it wore through my keys could have ended up on the road. I might try to install some velcro around the stiffener and the bottom of the inside of the bag so that this won't happen. For now I think I'll put smaller items together in a ziploc bag.
3) There were no instructions with my early shipment of the Race Cage. It should be obvious how to assemble and mount it. The trick is that the fabric fits the aluminum cage VERY tightly so it takes quite a bit of effort to stretch it on. Once the fabric is on the cage may be flexed enough that the grommeted holes in the fabric where the screws go through to the clamps may not be aligned with the holes in the cage frame. It all works out though. Just takes some pushing and shoving.
Bottom line is that I would definitely recommend the new Race Cage system if you're able to use the stock headrest rails.
As a final aside, if you get a new bag you have to transfer all your tools, spare tubes, and pump from the old bag to the new bag rather than just taking them out of the old bag and leaving some of them (e.g. the pump) on top of the freezer in the basement. If you do happen to leave your pump on the freezer, don't get a flat 30 miles from home after you've been dropped by the people you were riding with. If you do get a flat, though, don't panic. Someone will ride by and let you use their mini pump that doesn't actually work. Then, eventually, the person who jogged past and showed some sympathy will drive by with her husband and bring you a really nice floor pump and you'll be on your way. If you shortcut the route, you can still meet your friends for lunch.
There are a couple of things you should be aware of if you're considering getting one:
1) The included attachment system is only compatible with the stock headrest rails. I had the performance adjustable headrest on my V20 and the diameter of the tubing on that system is too large for the race cage clamps to fit. With the stock headrest rails, if I put them all the way in so that the headrest is up against the seat, the Race Cage will hit the top of the rear wheel. When I back the rails out to where there's enough clearance my head is tilted too far back when using the headrest (I'm 5'10"). The solution is the Suspension Adjustable Headrest which I actually find extremely comfortable. If you want to use the Race Cage with the Carbon Adjustable Seat (which I have on my V20c) you will have to mount the stock headrest rails even though you're not using them for a headrest. This works fine. I wonder if the gap this would create between the seat and the bag would be a bit of an aero penalty compared to my current setup which is a Bachetta Brain Bag mounted directly to the carbon adjustable seat.
2) On todays ride I discovered something one has to be careful about. The stiffener that sits at the bottom of the bag does not attach to the sides as far as I can tell. It's therefore possible for smaller items to work their way under the stiffener. This happened with my keys not long into the ride. They're heavy enough, with no stiffener, to cause the fabric to sag so that it's touching the rear wheel. It took a while before I decided that the noise I was hearing from the rear needed to be investigated (it was wet out and I thought it was the water from the road being kicked up onto the bottom of the bag). The drag was enough to make the bike feel a bit slower than usual. Fortunately it didn't seem to wear the fabric much if at all. If it wore through my keys could have ended up on the road. I might try to install some velcro around the stiffener and the bottom of the inside of the bag so that this won't happen. For now I think I'll put smaller items together in a ziploc bag.
3) There were no instructions with my early shipment of the Race Cage. It should be obvious how to assemble and mount it. The trick is that the fabric fits the aluminum cage VERY tightly so it takes quite a bit of effort to stretch it on. Once the fabric is on the cage may be flexed enough that the grommeted holes in the fabric where the screws go through to the clamps may not be aligned with the holes in the cage frame. It all works out though. Just takes some pushing and shoving.
Bottom line is that I would definitely recommend the new Race Cage system if you're able to use the stock headrest rails.
As a final aside, if you get a new bag you have to transfer all your tools, spare tubes, and pump from the old bag to the new bag rather than just taking them out of the old bag and leaving some of them (e.g. the pump) on top of the freezer in the basement. If you do happen to leave your pump on the freezer, don't get a flat 30 miles from home after you've been dropped by the people you were riding with. If you do get a flat, though, don't panic. Someone will ride by and let you use their mini pump that doesn't actually work. Then, eventually, the person who jogged past and showed some sympathy will drive by with her husband and bring you a really nice floor pump and you'll be on your way. If you shortcut the route, you can still meet your friends for lunch.
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