Bivo stainless steel cycling bottles review

SQUIRREL_13119529

Bivo’s bottles are manufactured from stainless steel, designed to take away the typically plasticky taste found in conventional water bottles and significantly better for the environment. 

The brand has also sweated the details with optimising the flow rate of the bottle, which is undoubtedly the fastest I’ve ever used. 

Since Bivo launched its water bottles range in 2020, other brands have been quick to catch on to experimenting with stainless steel and improving bottle designs. 

There are four Bivo bottle options – the Bivo One, Duo, Trio and Trio Mini. 

The One is a 21oz (621ml) capacity bottle, with the Duo a larger 25oz (740ml) option. The 21oz Trio and 17oz (500ml) Trio Mini are insulated bottles, claimed to keep cold water cold for 12 hours or more. 

I’ve been testing a selection of Bivo insulated and non-insulated bottles since last December and while the water is undoubtedly the best-tasting I’ve ever drunk from a bottle, some flaws hold them back.

Bivo bottles details and specifications 

Although metal bottles have been a mainstay since cycling’s inception, plastic options are what most cyclists use for their low weight and practicality. 

While stainless bottles themselves are nothing new, options that fit into a bottle cage and can be drunk from one-handed haven’t found their way into the cycling sphere – until Bivo’s solution. 

Bivo bottles are constructed from four pieces – a nozzle, straw, main body and cap. 

Everything except the cap can go straight in the dishwasher, with Bivo recommending to wash the cap by hand. 

Bivo uses food-grade silicone for the nozzle and straw, and high-quality stainless steel for the body in an effort for the rider to never experience the taste of plastic or mould again.

Bivo has put a lot of effort into ensuring a super-fast flow and claims you can empty its bottle faster than you can by squeezing a traditional plastic bottle. The brand says it leveraged on the experience of an ex-NASA engineer in its team. 

The bottles are designed to fit into any bottle cage and there's a guide to how the bottles will fit on a sliding scale of snug to relaxed fit on the Bivo site.

Each of the bottles is available in a vast array of colours, so you can choose one to suit your bike. They’re also available in a raw finish, which Bivo says tends to slide in and out of cages easier. 

Because all of the coloured options use a silicone finish, Bivo doesn’t hide the fact they’re likely to scratch over time and says “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”. If you want a bottle that doesn’t scratch, Bivo recommends opting for the raw option. 

Bivo offers its bottles in insulated and non-insulated variants. The insulated bottles are built with “the newest lightweight double wall vacuum insulation technology”, which is claimed to be 25 per cent lighter and use 25 per cent less material than traditional insulated metal bottles. 

The brand claims the insulated bottle will keep water cold and warm (not hot, because of the high flow rate) for 12 hours or more. 

If you’re going to invest in both insulated and non-insulated, you better have a system in place because you can only tell from the bottom which is which. 

Finally, if you frequently ride off-road or just don’t want nature’s goodness to get on the mouthpiece, the ‘Dusty The Dirt Cap’ is an optional extra for $5. 

Bivo bottles performance 

Quite simply, water and other drinks have never tasted better than out of a Bivo bottle – they taste just like they do out of a glass. 

I’ve really appreciated this on all my rides, but particularly long endurance escapades where you eventually get fed up of plasticky-tasting water.

The super-fast flow rate is also a highlight and I’ve found I drink more water than I’m used to – a positive to stay hydrated on your bike but not ideal if you find you need to ration water before a refuelling opportunity on longer rides. 

Other than the fact the finish is prone to scratching, I’ve been very impressed by the build quality of the bottles. All of the components slot together with a reassuringly snug fit and are very easy to disassemble and wash. 

The insulated bottle’s performance is also commendable and I’ve found them to live up to their 12-hour claim of keeping cold drinks cold. 

This is typically a shortcoming of competitors' insulated bottles, but the double-wall construction works wonders here. 

There’s nothing worse than having warm water going down your neck in the heat of the summer. 

I found their bottle cage fit to be very hit-and-miss. It was fine with my Elite Cannibal and Silca Sicuro bottle cages, once I’d swapped the bolts out for the shallower ones Bivo supplies. 

But they were overly tight for a pair of own-brand Look bottle cages, to the point where I had to stop whenever I wanted a drink. The first ride I’d used them with these bottle cages was a 220km audax (if ever, a reason to test new products on shorter rides first…) and I didn’t drink for a couple of hours at one point because I wanted to stay in a group. 

I wish the insulated version came in a larger capacity size as well because 21oz is not very generous for longer rides. Bivo says this is a common request, but it’s not currently an option because it would be harder to fit into a bottle cage. 

It’s disappointing that all of the bottles I used (including the raw variant) scratched easily. 

While Bivo acknowledges this can happen with the coloured bottles, as someone who likes to keep things fastidiously clean, it really upsets my need for tidiness and especially stings considering their significant expense. 

And there’s no getting around that high asking price. For a bottle that’s almost $50, that’s the rough equivalent of five plastic bottles. If you replace a bottle a year, the Bivo works out equivalent to once every five years. 

The fact the optional dirt cap is another $5 is also disappointing and I think it’s something Bivo should include as standard with the bottle. 

Finally, it’s a simple fact that stainless steel water bottles are heavier than plastic bottles. For reference, I weighed a Bivo Duo at 173g and an insulated Bivo Trio at 236g. As a comparison, a 750ml High5 bottle weighs 86g. 

While it's not an issue for me, riders concerned with weight will likely be put off by this. 

Bivo bottles bottom line 

Bivo’s bottles set a new benchmark with their construction, taste and fast flow rate, all in a more environmentally friendly package, which is to be applauded. 

But they also have a few flaws and are hard to justify for their tall asking price. 

Of course, sustainable products are often more costly to design and produce than throwaway items and it can be hard to find the sweet spot. 

SQUIRREL_13119529