Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount - Review

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Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount

• by Mike Stead

UPDATED Fri, Oct 03, 2025 05:32

First Published: Aug 13, 2022

1£18.99

VERDICT:

8/ 10Great way to quickly and securely expand your bike's luggage capacity

Fits quickly

Stays put

Fits wide range of tube diameters

Doesn't scratch

Possible to over-drive the bolts into your paint

Weight: 50gContact: multisportdistribution.co.uk How we test

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The Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount is a quick and effective way to add another bottle cage to your bike. With two strap lengths and a flexible design it’ll fit most places on your bike.

You can never have enough of a good thing. Like bottle cage mounts. Especially when you head off bikepacking with frame bags, you’ve likely lost one or two bottle locations. Being able to add a few more back on might make your trip a whole lot better hydrated or convenient.

> Buy now: Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount from Multisport Distribution for £18.99

This is basically a cage mount on a plate you strap to your frame, and of course those carry more than just bottle cages; think pump clips, ‘bento box’ top tube bags and the like. It’s a pretty simple concept, and Dawn To Dusk has done a good job executing it.

The kit includes the plate, two sets of straps – one long, one short – and two lengths of bolts to suit varying thicknesses of accessory. The straps cover tube diameters between 35 and 77mm. 77mm is pretty chunky – I have large hands, and that’s too big to close my grip around.

Measuring 19mm wide, the ultrasonic-welded straps have hook and loop fastening on one side and a pliant rubber coating on the other to avoid scratching your frame. Of course the usual caveat applies – it’s not the strap that will scratch, rather the particles of dirt that work their way in between. As always my advice would be to tape your frame.

The composite base plate holds two replaceable M5 nuts, and as they’re nylock nuts you don’t need to threadlock them. However, there’s nothing to stop the provided bolts carrying on through the soft rubber foot and into your paintwork, so it’s important to gauge the depth carefully. It would be good to see some sort of metal backing underneath the nuts to prevent any risk of over-driving the bolts.

If the tube diameter is right, it’s also possible to thread the straps in such a way that the end is underneath the accessory you’re mounting. This provides an extra level of security for the strap, which is very handy and comforting when holding critical water or tools down below.

> Cycling hydration: Is 1 water bottle or 2 best on long rides?

Not that it’s really needed, mind… my harshest test was holding a full 740ml bottle on the top tube of my eMTB as I battered through two batteries and quite a few thousand metres of climbing and high-speed descending. The mount didn’t move at all, resisting any forces trying to tilt it to one side. I imagine the most common application for the Bear Hug Mount will be on the outside of the down tube, but other possible locations include on the seat post or underneath of the top tube.

A word of warning: I wouldn’t try this on a fork. Although at first glance a great solution, under impact – say with a trailside rock or root – any load could rotate into your spokes.

Whilst the Bear Hug is designed for two-hole bottle cages, I can’t see why you couldn’t strap two to your bike aligned to fit a three-hole cage or cargo deck. The grip force of the Bear Hug is rated at 14lbs – possibly to match that of their top-rated Kaptive 14 cage.

Value

At £18.99 with two sets of straps and a set of bolts, the Bear Hug is sensibly priced. You’d pay £25.70 for the Granite Design AUX kit (though you get a cage as well there), or £10.99 for the SKS Anywhere Adapters.

Both of these options only include one set of straps, however, so you might need to factor in extras. The SKS straps are – like the Bear Hug – good for up to 77mm, but for smaller tubes you’ll either have to put up with lots of slack or cut the strap short, meaning it’s now no good for going larger.

Overall

If you want a really solid, multi-scenario option for holding bottle cages or accessories, the Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug is tough, effective and very easy to trust.

Verdict

Great way to quickly and securely expand your bike’s luggage capacity

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It’s for people needing to carry more stuff than their bike has mounts for.

Dawn To Dusk says: “Gone are the days where anywhere mounts look like add-ons. The sleek, low-profile design Bear Hug mount focuses on functionality and convenience, and appears seamlessly against your frame just like the bike was designed to have a cage there all along.

“The Bear Hug ‘s unique mount design featuring the Grizzly Grip technology flexes and bends to conform to where you want a cage. One size truly does fit most tubes!”

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

DTD says:

We found the best way to fit the widest range of shapes and surfaces was by using a large compliant pad for maximum frictional resistance. We then designed a rigid composite molded plate to guard against vibration. The straps are actually not sewn, but ultrasonically welded for maximum strength and have a special frictionally-resistant surface to prevent movement.

FEATURES

1. Corrosion-resistant screws – Short for carbon cages, Long for thicker cages

2. Tough composite material upper plate

3. Embedded stainless steel locknuts (2)

4. Large super compliant base pad. Fits most frame tube shapes.

5. 2 Pairs of straps. Fit tubes from 35-71 mm (1 3⁄8′ – 2 3⁄4′) diameter

Material

Large super compliant base pad, Tough composite material upper plate

Weight

59 grams

Includes

– Set of 2 short and 2 long straps to fit 35-77mm (1 3/8″ – 2 3/4″) diameter sized tubes

– 2 M5 x 10 mm Button Head Screws for carbon cages

– 2 M5 x 14 mm Button Head Screws for nylon cages

– 2 M5 Nylon Insert Lock Nut

– Bear Hug mount – base pad & rigid upper plate

Location use

Behind Seat Tube, Down Tube, Seat Tube, Top Tube, Underneath Down Tube

Grip Force

14 lbs

Difficulty Level

Easy, Moderate, Tough, Extreme

Rate the product for quality of construction: 9/10

Feels well built from quality parts.

Rate the product for performance: 9/10

Holds on like a… well, like a bear.

Rate the product for durability: 10/10

Looks like new after a bashing.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable) 8/10

Reassuringly hefty.

Rate the product for value: 5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well – it doesn’t shift over rough terrain.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The speed of fitting.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Theoretically possible to over-drive a bolt right into your frame’s paint.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It’s towards the premium end.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

I’d like to see plates under the nuts to prevent accidental over-driving of the screws. Otherwise it’s a great solution.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 47 Height: 183cm Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe My best bike is: Nah bro that’s it

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L

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• Dawn to Dusk, Dawn to Dusk 2022, Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount, Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount 2022

Mike Stead

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike’s been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he’s not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

1 Comments

ThreadedOldest FirstNewest FirstBest Rated

1 thought on “Dawn To Dusk Bear Hug Mount”

1. If I’ve got my maths right

   If I’ve got my maths right 35mm minimum leaves out a lot of skinny tubed road bikes and steel tourers/MTB’s?

Comments are closed.

Latest Comments

smallbeer 50 minutes ago

Fair point. Maybe I misconstrued the OP's comment. I took it to be a whinge that the justice system has, for decades, failed to charge drivers with manslaughter despite them having no qualms about charging this cyclist with the same. My point was that there are other charges for drivers who kill, whereas - for now at least - there aren't for cyclists.

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers Hirsute 1 hour ago

BBC said 10 -12 mph. A bit concerned about the comments on ebike legislation. Clearly a lot of people have no idea of the speeds a normal bike can be ridden at nor the importance of the mass of the rider.

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers mdavidford 1 hour ago

In fact it appears that the fact it was an ebike was of little or no relevance at all - it could just as well have been an unassisted bike.

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers mdavidford 1 hour ago

The death by dangerous and careless driving charges /are/ exceptions made for drivers, precisely because of the persistent difficulty of being able to convince people to try and convict them on manslaughter charges, when there would be no difficulty doing so in equivalent circumstances in any other area of activity (except maybe soldiering/policing).

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers ktache 2 hours ago

From my watching of the BBC's, the sun looks as though it's between the drives 5 an 6 o'clock.

in: “Half of UK cyclists admit to not wearing a helmet due to worries like bad hair”… Halfords claims; Bizarre meltdown over cyclist not using bike lane… even though it’s still being built; Wins for MvdP and Vingegaard + more on the live blog ktache 2 hours ago

My thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Jim Blackwood.

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers wtjs 2 hours ago

From the footage shown, the driver didn’t deviate from their course...Wonder what was distracting the driver? https://upride.cc/incident/hk21rxt_focus_dangerousdriving/ No deviation or even a sideways glance as this distracted driver charged straight onto my roundabout and would have hit me had I not avoided her. Very likely there's a small mobile cupped in her right hand, and I know the exact time, but no response from Lancashire Constabulary

in: “Half of UK cyclists admit to not wearing a helmet due to worries like bad hair”… Halfords claims; Bizarre meltdown over cyclist not using bike lane… even though it’s still being built; Wins for MvdP and Vingegaard + more on the live blog wtjs 2 hours ago

There were 150 comments, the majority in opposition to the bike lane and money being invested in cycling, many directing their anger towards the rider not using the cycle lane I was cycling with my trailer out of Worcester towards Malvern 4 days ago, approaching a mega-roundabout which some readers may know. The Edge 1040 was directing me way off right to a cycle lane which crossed a duel carriageway on a special bridge, but I knew that the lane was diverted onto a narrow pavement because of flood damage to a small bridge, and wasn't much use, so I stayed on the road. There was a loud irate horn blaring behind me followed by a close pass by an archetypal driver of a large Audi. He was then stopped by the traffic coming from his right at the roundabout. I bashed on the window and to my surprise he opened it- I let him have it with maximum volume shouting including 'Ponce Boy' so he didn't have chance to get out what I anticipated to be a 'get on the cycle lane' Morons Charter and he was so taken aback that he just zoomed off with a 'and you've got a crap bike'

in: “Half of UK cyclists admit to not wearing a helmet due to worries like bad hair”… Halfords claims; Bizarre meltdown over cyclist not using bike lane… even though it’s still being built; Wins for MvdP and Vingegaard + more on the live blog HoarseMann 2 hours ago

Having looked at the streetview for this location, it's the sort of road that's so wide, it makes you wonder why there isn't segregated cycling infrastructure. https://maps.app.goo.gl/YMXuoobapWCMuprCA

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers HoarseMann 2 hours ago

Just around the corner from where this incident occurred, a bus driver killed someone by running them over. That was also a manslaughter charge: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8549852.stm

in: “No longer can cyclists endanger pedestrians with impunity”: British legal ‘first’ as e-bike rider handed suspended sentence for killing 91-year-old while cycling on pavement due to near misses with drivers

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