Wolf Tooth B-RAD Review: Maximize your bosses…

Wolf Tooth just launched B-RAD. Short for Bottle Relocation and Accessory Device, B-RAD was created to expand and maximize the potential of your bike’s preexisting bottle mounts. The system consists of three different machined 6061-T6 aluminum mounting bases — the B-RAD 2, 3 and 4 — and a growing number of mountable accessories, which is right now a single accessory plate/strap and the Double Bottle Adaptor. While we haven’t racked up sufficient testing miles to make a long-term judgement — we’ll update this when we do — we did play around with the myriad of configurations it offers and put together a list of potential uses.

As mentioned, the B-RAD system mounting bases are available in three sizes. Among many other obscure uses, each one can shift a bottle cage away from rear shocks, add room for tools or spare tubes below a bottle cage, or even provide space for a second bottle or double-bottles on sufficiently-long downtubes. Read a summary of each B-RAD product followed by a list of possibilities…

Wolf Tooth B-Rad 2

The B-RAD 2 is the shortest of the three B-RAD Mounting Bases. It features two mounting slots to bolt to existing bosses, and two threaded mounting holes. It is the least flexible of the three bases with two main functions: 1) to move a bottle to an optimal location on small or dual suspension frames; 2) or to mount B-RAD accessories to, such as the Strap and Accessory Mount. That said, being able to move a cage up or down 1 3/4″ can play a pretty important role in getting a bottle to jive with a half-frame pack, or allowing room for a longer liter bottle.

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Possible Uses

• Slide cage mount up or down on a full-suspension bike to better accommodate a bottle without interference with the shock.
• Slide a bottle cage down and away from a half-frame pack to make more room for bottle removal.
• In combination with the B-RAD 3 the B-RAD 2 can be used to slide a bottle cage up to allow the Strap and Accessory mount (shown above).
• Add accessories such as the B-RAD Strap and Accessory mount (outlined next); it’s the only accessory available now, but Wolf Tooth aims to expand the product line.

• Weight: 26g (oz)
• # bosses: 2
• L/W: 5.125 x .75in (13 x 1.9cm)
• Place of Manufacture: USA
• Price: $17.95
• Contact: WolfToothComponents.com

Wrap up: While the B-RAD 2 is a good little addition for a few very specific uses, I think the B-RAD 3 is far more enticing and I’d probably recommend spending a couple extra bucks for it. That said, the B-RAD 2 is the only one of the three mounting bases that doesn’t rely on a piece of padding and a zip tie for proper installation. So if you are simply looking to add the Strap and Accessory Mount, or just need to move a bottle cage up or down, it’s pretty handy.

Wolf Tooth B-Rad Strap and Accessory Mount

The B-RAD Strap and Accessory Mount is a versatile attachment that affixes to a B-RAD Mounting Base to allow anything under 10″ in diameter to be strapped to the frame or fork. A few examples include a rain jacket, tool roll, spare tube(s), or an assortment of small bags. The Strap and Accessory Mount includes the 6061-T6 aluminum mounting plate with two rails that laterally secure the plate against the base. The strap, made of a sticky Toughtek Grip Fabric, Velcro Hook and Loop, 3M SALAS reflective tab, and an EVA Foam Pad threads through the mounting plate which bolts to the base.

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Possible Uses

• On full-suspension bikes you can make good use of the small frame triangle by stowing a spare tube, jacket, or tool roll in the small triangle provided… great for trail rides if you don’t have a frame pack.
• Combined with B-RAD 3 the Strap and Accessory Mount can tuck under a water bottle to add utility to a existing pair of bosses.
• Use it on a fork with the B-RAD 3 and another bottle cage for even more storage.

• Weight: 39g (oz)
• # bosses: 2
• L/W (strap): 13.5 x 2in (34.3 x 5.1cm)
• Place of Manufacture: USA
• Price: $29.95
• Contact: WolfToothComponents.com

Wrap up: The Wolf Tooth B-RAD Strap and Accessory Mount is a pretty cool little piece of gear. I’ve always used electrical tape to affix a spare tube on the fork or frame for bikepacking trips, so I can see the value. I am especially excited about pairing it with a bottle cage on a fork leg with the BRAD-3. It’s well made, sturdy, and the Toughtek Grip fabric feels like it’ll do the job keeping things in tow on bumpy trails. However, even with the foam pad integrated into the strap, I still might recommend stowing certain items in a small bag. The fore and aft edges of the mounting plate are machined and could cut into a spare tube over time, I think. Also, I’d be a little leery of stowing small items by themselves; the grip fabric feels plenty sticky, but on rocky and rooty singletrack, I am not so sure something like a tire lever wouldn’t slither its way out. We plan to update this post with our findings after a fair amount of use.

Wolf Tooth B-Rad 3

The B-RAD 3 is the middle sibling in the three Mounting Bases with three slots and four threaded holes to provide a few additional options over the B-RAD 2. The B-RAD 3 includes a thin piece of closed cell neoprene foam padding, a beefy zip tie, and four 18-8 stainless steel bolts. The pad is used to protect the frame tube or fork leg from abrasion on the end opposite the two bolts; the zip tie is also used at that point for added security. A typical application for the B-RAD 3 would be to mount a bottle cage in two threaded holes with a B-RAD accessory mounted to the other two. Additionally, the B-RAD 3 is perfect for converting a pair of bottle mounts to a three-pack for mounting a Salsa Anything Cage or a King Manything Cage on frames and forks. And like the B-RAD 2 it can be used for adjusting the placement of a bottle cage as well.

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Possible Uses

• Convert two bosses to a three-pack: This is one of the most interesting uses for the B-RAD 3; any set of bosses can become a three-pack to mount a Salsa Anything Cage or a King Manything cage. This is especially handy on the underside of a down tube or on a fork leg with only two bosses.
• Double the utility of a pair of bosses by mounting a Strap and Accessory Mount and a water bottle.
• Add a mount via a rack mount: This isn’t a Wolf Tooth sanctioned use for the B-RAD 3, and it could be dangerous, but I’d be willing to try it. The idea is to mount the B-RAD three on a fork that has only a single fork mount boss; then use two zip ties to further secure the B-RAD 3 Mounting Base. Again this could be risky and is not recommended.

• Weight: 41g (oz)
• # bosses: 4
• L/W: 8 x .75in (20.3 x 1.9cm)
• Place of Manufacture: USA
• Price: $19.95
• Contact: WolfToothComponents.com

Wrap up: In my opinion, the Wolf Tooth B-RAD 3 Mounting Base is the most practical solution within the B-RAD system. I immediately saw its potential for expanding a regular pair of bottle bosses into a three-pack for use with the Manything Cage. It’s also especially useful when configured with a bottle cage and a B-RAD accessory.

Wolf Tooth B-Rad Double Bottle Adapter

The B-RAD Double Bottle Adapter consists of two of slotted mounts designed to mount two water bottle cages side-by-side. The mounts require the use of a B-RAD base (typically the B-RAD 3 or 4). Theoretically, when mounted on the downtube the B-RAD 3 or 4 moves the bottles up so they don’t interfere with your legs.

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• Weight: 20g (0.7oz)
• # bosses: 2 per mount
• Place of Manufacture: USA
• Price: $23.95
• Contact: WolfToothComponents.com

Wrap up: A lot of bikepackers will be likely be drawn to the B-RAD system because of the Double Bottle Adapter. Think Baja Divide or other such routes that require extra water capacity. We’ll update this after more testing, but after tossing some pedals on the Cutty and taking it around the block with the setup shown in the main photo, I was surprised that the bottles are indeed out of the way when mounted with the B-RAD 4. I will add that with the large carbon top-tube, larger bottles make contact with the tube. Smaller (21oz) Purist bottles work well in that position without rubbing the top tube. It’s worth noting that the double bottle adapter doesn’t work with most angled fork mounts that Salsa and Surly implement on their bikes. This pushes the bottle into the tire. It did fit (barely) on the Pugsley, but not on the Krampus or Cutthroat. I’d like to see Wolf Tooth make an angled version that actually offsets the angle of Salsa/Surly fork mounts or adds a slight angle to flat mounts.

Wolf Tooth B-Rad 4

At a foot in length, the B-RAD 4 is the longest of the three slotted mounting bases. It has two 1.75″ slots in the middle and two 1″ slots in the exterior position. Nine threaded holes provide a ton of flexibility for two smaller bottles inline, multiple accessories, or a combination of various cages and accessories. The B-RAD 4 includes a zip tie for each channel, closed cell neoprene foam padding for secure mounting, and four stainless bolts.

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Possible Uses

• Combine a three-pack cage with a double bottle mount.
• Stack two bottle mounts inline; note that this works better when the lower bottle is a smaller 500ml bottle and/or the bottle can be removed from the side.
• Combine a three-pack cage an Strap and Accessory Mount: This is another useful feature as this could be applied on both a fork leg, or either side of a downtube.
• Combine a three-pack cage with an additional bottle cage.

• Weight: 73g (oz)
• # bosses: 9
• L/W: 12 x .75in (30.5 x 1.9cm)
• Place of Manufacture: USA
• Price: $22.95
• Contact: WolfToothComponents.com

Wrap up: The B-RAD 4 is definitely the most versatile of the three mounting bases. To mount two bottles inline is tricky. It is really only possible with the lower cage being one designed for side bottle removal. My favorite use of the B-RAD 4 is pairing a Manything Cage with the Double Bottle Adapter; or a Manything Cage with a single bottle cage.