Well, Soma Fabrications, maker of a variety of road, mountain, and track bikes, now offers the "Morning Rush," a bike-mounted coffee cup holder with a matching stainless steel mug that lets you bring 16 oz. of piping hot beverage with you from the start of the ride.  No more waiting in line in line at your local coffee shop--you can sip away while your riding buddies place their orders. (It's also great for commuting.)

But ... before we get too much farther with this scenario, let's not forget the numerous warnings on the package and in Soma's instructions about the dangers of drinking and driving.  Soma correctly points out that it's not a smart idea to pour a steaming hot beverage down your throat while also trying to steer and pedal ...

Coffee, anyone? We show the Morning Rush mounted on our Retro Benotto

Caffeine ... a legal stimulant?

Cockpit view

The provided mount on a pair of oversized bars. It won't fit.

A few notes about the Morning Rush:

• We're impressed with the quality of holder, which is made of stainless steel (except the plastic part that clips onto the bar-mounted holder).  The bar mount is made by Cateye, and is the same as the mount provided with their clip-on headlights.  If it gets dark, you can take the cup off, turn the mount so it's horizontal (the cup mounts vertically) and put on a headlight.
• Soma thoughtfully provided several plastic disks on the inside of the holder so it won't leave scratch marks on the cup. Nice touch.
• The cup itself is stainless on the outside and plastic on the inside. It will keep a cup of coffee reasonably warm for more than an hour. The lid screws on (with a silicone gasket to help keep the coffee inside); a sliding cover moves aside when you want to sip.
• The mount easily fits standard bars near the clamp (with a provided shim), or where the bar tape is.  It will not fit oversized bars (see photos above).  Cateye offers an oversized mount that your local bike shop can sell you, but it's not included with the Morning Rush.  If you have a center-mounted bike computer (like the ErgoBrain), you may also be challeged in terms of mounting location.
• For reasons unknown to us, Soma's packaging shows the holder mounted on a Raleigh mountain bike ... Next time, they should lend a Soma to the public relations department for the photo shoot.  (We don't show it our our Soma because its center-mounted computer interferes with the holder.)

Overall, a nicely done accessory for the cyclist who has everything else.  Our LBS reports that they're selling briskly.  Suggested retail price is $39.95.  You can find the Morning Rush at many bike shops, or buy online at their web site:  www.somafab.com (Soma Fabrications provided a Morning Rush to Campy Only for testing.)

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