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review

Elite Scalatore bottle

9
£4.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent bottle with a dash of extra Italian flair for a reasonable price
Weight: 
97g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk

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The Scalatore drinking bottle from Elite is a stylish and functional piece of kit that would look the part on most road bikes. Its understated colour scheme and decals are far from garish, there's even a stylish picture of a mountain well, sort of - the graphics depicting a famous Giro climb (Stelvio) on the side of the bottle are a nice touch.

In use, the Scalatore is a highly practical and easy to use bottle. It has a wide screw-top cap with a raised ridge design, which makes it easy to open and shut, even when wet. The wide opening ensures that is easy to mix up energy drinks for longer rides and simple to wash. The softer rubber push-pull nozzle on the Corsa cap works very well, and I never had any trouble getting it open or closed during rides. The Corsa cap is also designed to pop off when the bottle is run over so that it won't fell another rider in the peloton if it falls from your cage; we didn't have cause to use that feature in anger but it's a good idea, and car-park testing proved that it works very well.

The outer surface is easy to grip and nicely shaped for the bottle's straightforward placement or removal in conventional bottle cages. In fact, it never came loose from any of the various carbon, aluminium or plastic cages in which it was placed. The whole thing can be stuck in the dishwasher when you need to get it clean, and despite its pale colour scheme it doesn't mark up too much and retains the graphics well over time.

Verdict

Excellent bottle with a dash of extra Italian flair for a reasonable price.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Elite Scalatore bottle

Size tested: M

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

Elite's Scalatore 750 ml Bottle with the renowned Corsa cap is now available at a lower price point

Same cap and valve design as the market-leading team-issue Hygene model

Triple-function cap with soft rubber push-pull nozzle is easy on the mouth and delivers fluid fast

Easy to grip bottle with ergonomic shape

Stylish and understated design brings a touch of Italian flair to any bike

Dishwasher safe and BPA-free

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Excellent quality.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

It does exactly what it should and doesn't leak.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

The nozzle is softer than many and kinder to your teeth as a result.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Offers high level quality for a low price.

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

Faultlessly.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The wide neck opening that makes it easy to clean in the dishwasher and the functional cap/nozzle.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 1.78m  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Surly Long Haul Trucker  My best bike is: Litespeed Saber

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, mtb, Triathlon

 

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4 comments

Avatar
chappers | 12 years ago
0 likes

rubbish... dropped a full bottle and the top cracked in half.

Avatar
andyp | 12 years ago
0 likes

I found the edges on the cap a bit uncomfortable on my delicate fingers, me. But otherwise it's a very bottly bottle.

Avatar
Barry Fry-up | 12 years ago
0 likes

no automatic valve that fills up with black gunk, can't be put in the dishwasher and breaks after 6 months? on a bottle that costs a fiver? yup, it's a disgrace.

Avatar
mikroos | 12 years ago
0 likes

No automatic valve? How can this be a good bottle without one?

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