The Bivo Trio 21oz Bottle is a very refined bottle that offers excellent insulation, so your drinks stay at their intended temperature for hours. The flow rate, taste, construction quality, ease of cleaning, and the availability of spares and replacement parts are all reassuring. Though this is no less than I’d expect given how much it costs – and that heavyweight price accompanies a heavyweight bottle. If you’re a weight weenie, you might want to look away…
The most important thing you want from an insulated bottle is for it to keep your drinks hot or cold when you’re out on the bike – and I’m pleased to say the Bivo Trio delivers on its promises.
I found the bottle perfect for water or cold drinks, which true to Bivo’s claims stayed at the same temperature for 12 hours.
Performance with hot drinks was better than I’ve experienced from other double-wall designs, with piping-hot coffee staying that way for six and a half hours, which is impressive.
It’s hygienic too. The silicone used for the nozzle and straw passes the German LFGB standard for food safety, and everything bar the cap is dishwasher-safe.
The outer wall is coated in silicone for a secure fit, and there are seven colours from which you can choose – plus the option of a raw finish. Bivo says to expect the silicone finish to develop a patina over time, and suggests going for the raw version if you think this will annoy you.
Bivo makes a lot of the bottle’s flow rate, saying it was designed by an ex-NASA engineer. Though having known a couple of former NASA engineers in the past, this is the sort of statement that makes me very cynical…
Unlike a standard drinks bottle, you basically pour the drink into your mouth, rather than squeezing the bottle. (Unless you’ve got muscles like Arnie or Sly, you’re not likely to be able to squeeze stainless steel that easily). This pouring rather than squeezing can be counter-intuitive at first when you’re reaching down for your bottle mid-ride. Though once I got used to it, I managed to stop myself from instinctively squeezing the bottle.
The bottle’s profile is broadly similar to that of a traditional bottle, and Bivo says it has ‘looked at most major bottle cages when we designed our bottle’s shape, so it fits comfortably and stays put’.
I tried the bottle with a variety of cages, including side-entry designs, conventional composites, raw stainless steel, carbon and titanium Elite Ciussi cages. Entry and release has been consistently good across the board.
As an experiment I did give some cage bodies a light shot of silicone spray, which improved matters further but without making things unduly slippery.
The bottle’s extra weight over a standard bidon did mean that shorter bottle cage bolts were prone to loosening, which didn’t surprise me but is worth keeping an eye on.
The 621ml bottle measures 260x77mm so it’s also worth checking that the bottle is compatible with your frame’s geometry and any bikepacking luggage.
The bottle is also pleasingly quiet, with no hint of annoying chatter when you’re riding green lanes or dirt roads.
The cap is also an excellent fit, keeping the spout free of grit, mud and anything else thrown up by the front wheel, though the cap is easy to pop off and back on again when you fancy a swig.
I found it stayed in the cage well too, whether I was riding on or off road.
Care
Grittier, wintry conditions may accelerate ageing but to date there’s been little sign of wear in the Bivo’s relatively thin silicone outer finish. It’s survived being accidentally dropped onto a concrete with no dings or dents.
Crucially, the Bivo is very easy to strip and clean, and I don’t have a dishwasher, but I found cleaning this with my washing up in the usual hot soapy water is all that’s required to keep it clean.
The ready availability of spares should also help to ensure you get loads of use out of this even if things get damaged or lost.
Value
There’s no getting away from the fact that a penny shy of £50 is pricey for a bottle – even an insulated one.
The Camelbak Podium Steel costs £40 for the 650ml double-walled model, which is claimed to keep drinks cold for up to 14 hours – but is even heftier at 354g. We liked the 530ml bottle but you do need to buy the protective cap separately.
The £25 Elite Stainless Steel Deboyo Race is half the Bivo’s price, though at 550ml it’s smaller. It comes with two different caps – a steel one for the likes of soup and a traditional nozzle. It also comes with a protective dome cap.
If you’re not looking a cycling-specific option and don’t need to keep your drinks warm for longer than four to five hours, a 530ml Thermos fits a standard cage nicely and costs around £22.
Conclusion
When all’s said and done, the Bivo is a good, well-made bottle that doesn’t affect the taste of your drinks, keeps them at their intended temperature for long periods and it has an excellent flow rate. There are cheaper options, including a standard thermos, but the Trio lives up to Bivo’s claims and if you like your hot drinks hot and cold weeks cold after hours in the saddle, this is just the job.
Verdict
Refined and well-engineered insulated bottle – but weighty and pricey
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Bivo Trio 21oz Insulated Bottle
Size tested: 621ml
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?
Bivo says:
“The first insulated stainless-steel cycling bottle with a flow-rate fit for astronauts (no really, our engineer worked for NASA).”
I found it a high-quality, well-engineered and executed bottle that broadly lives up to the hype – but you might find the price and weight difficult to swallow.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Silicone anti-slip exterior on colored bottles
Double-wall vacuum insulated (12hrs+ cold)
Patented high-flow sport nozzle
LFGB-compliant food-grade silicone components
BPA/BPS/BPF- and phthalates-free components
100% lead-free
100% recyclable stainless steel
21oz capacity (621ml) / 270g dry weight
10.23″ height (260mm) / max dia. 3″ (77mm)
Seems well made throughout – no dents despite the usual day-to-day use and being dropped onto concrete once. The silicone finish seems sturdy, though Bivo recommends the raw version if you want to avoid a patina developing as time wears on.
Superb flow, user-friendly and well protected from the elements. In common with other double walled models, it will only keep cold fluids cold for 12 hours, but six hours is still very decent for keeping your coffee, tea and soup hot.
Difficult to comment on the silicone outer’s durability at this stage, but it’s holding out well so far. Adding a quick shot of silicone spray to cages may improve the finish’s lifespan. However, this is only an aesthetic concern and doesn’t impair function.
At 290g it’s not the heaviest we’ve ever tested and the weight may be neither here nor there if you’re on a loaded touring bike – but this might be a culture shock if you’re more used to a lightweight bidon.
A very secure fit in bottle cages, yet easily removed when you’re riding. The double-walled design means it’s comfortable to hold, regardless whether you’ve gone for piping hot, or icy cold beverages.
Though well made and designed, there really is no getting away from that somewhat salty price.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The overall performance has impressed me. It keeps fluids at the desired temperature for long periods without giving it a taste, and the flow rate is seamless. It works with most cages too, with a quick shot of a silicone spray making it smoother still. It proved secure and quiet over rutted surfaces and the cap keeps out the muck. It’s also easy to strip and thoroughly clean.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The efficient flow rate, it doesn’t affect taste, the ease of cleaning – and that it keeps cold drinks cold for the full 12 hours; six hours for hot drinks is long enough for pretty much all outings and more than enough for most winter training rides.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Price and weight.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The £40 Camelbak Podium Steel is a 650ml double-walled model reckoned to keep drinks cold for up to 14 hours – though it weighs in at a whopping 354g and you need to buy the protective cap separately.
The Elite Stainless Steel Deboyo Race is half the Bivo’s asking price, though at 550ml it is smaller.
If you’re prepared to look beyond cycling-specific models, I’ve found that a 530ml Thermos will work surprisingly with a standard cage and it costs around £22.
Did you enjoy using the product? Generally, yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes – but not at full price.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Worth considering but there are cheaper options.
Use this box to explain your overall score
Well-engineered bottle that does pretty much what it promises – but no less than I’d expect given the asking price.
About the tester
Age: 52 Height: 1m 81cm Weight: 70kg
I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road
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: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,
1 thought on “Bivo Trio 21oz Insulated Bottle”
I don’t really see the point
I don’t really see the point of dinging an insulated bottle for weight. It’s to be expected. The Elite bottle looks interesting though I’m not thrilled that’s it’s smaller. Both could double as a bottle to put in my laptop backpack for the train and work. Ease of cleaning is significant for me and the Camelback isn’t great for that. I’d like to switch from plastic so still deciding what to get.