Solid titanium rod construction separates the Iris Titanium from King Cage's hollow-tube standard cage, creating a stiffer structure that grips bottles more tightly. The Iris design wraps further around the bottle circumference compared to traditional cage shapes, which increases contact surface area and prevents bottles from bouncing out on rough terrain. This tighter retention works particularly well for downtube mounting where bottles experience more vibration and can walk themselves loose on extended gravel rides or singletrack. The solid titanium material adds weight compared to hollow tubing but delivers the grip strength that mountain bikers and gravel riders need when bottles get hammered over technical sections.

Each cage is precision-machined and hand-welded in King Cage's Durango, Colorado shop, then stamped with King Cage Titanium marking. The titanium construction won't leave black scuff marks on plastic bottles, though it will scratch paint on metal bottles due to the harder material properties. The cage accommodates standard cycling bottles plus metal bottles like the Mover 18oz Purist, Klean Kanteen, and Hydro Flask that measure 2.9 inches across the bottom. The Iris doesn't work with Thermoflask 24oz bottles due to dimensional incompatibility. The tighter fit means bottles require slightly more force to insert and remove compared to standard cages, which some riders find reassuring and others take time adjusting to after using looser-fitting carbon or aluminum cages.

The Iris provides more secure bottle retention than King Cage's standard titanium or stainless steel cages, which makes it the choice when you absolutely cannot afford to lose a bottle mid-ride. The tradeoff is the 57-gram weight versus 28 grams for the hollow-tube standard cage. If you're mounting cages on the downtube or riding conditions where standard cages have let bottles rattle loose, the Iris solves that problem. The titanium material maintains its shape permanently and resists corrosion, so the cage will outlast multiple bikes while maintaining consistent retention tension throughout its service life. King Cage hand-makes every Iris cage in small batches using USA-sourced materials rather than outsourcing production.