Spotlight: Bivo Trio insulated water bottle brings the heat

Spotlight: Bivo Trio insulated water bottle brings the heat

The new Bivo Trio insulated stainless steel water bottle does an incredibly good job of keeping your water cold, and tasting like water.

Bivo’s greatest draw for me has been its unique high-flow nozzle design. There’s no squeezing required. But because air can flow in as fast as water pour out, it’s just like drinking from a glass.

The silicone rubber nozzle is easy on your teeth, and easy to open and close. There’s an optional cover if you find yourself regularly riding in dusty or muddy conditions, too.

In a neat bit of design work, the nozzle is shaped like the “b” in the company logo.

The stainless steel interior is easy to keep clean, and doesn’t transfer a chemical taste to your water like most plastic bottles.

All of the parts easily pull apart for thorough cleaning (and drying).

The silicone rubber coating feels nice in your hands, but it’s also prone to scuffing, especially if you use metal bottle cages.

I’ve been quite clear how much I like Bivo’s stainless steel water bottles. The stainless steel bodies are arguably more eco-friendly than plastic — and certainly help the water taste better — but the real draw for me has been the ultra-fast-flowing nozzle design. Water comes out as fast as you can gulp it down, with no squeezing required. 

Bivo came out with a larger size a few months ago, and now the company has followed up with a double-walled and vacuum-insulated model called the Trio — and it’s amazing.

In fact, it almost works too well. 

One particular ride stands out in my head while I was testing the Bivo Trio. It was 38°C (100°F) as I rolled out the door, and the mid-afternoon, high-altitude sun was absolutely blazing. I put three ice cubes and fridge-cold water in two Bivo bottles, one non-insulated and one of the new Trios.

Half an hour in, the non-insulated Bivo One was already lukewarm. However, after ninety minutes, the water in the Bivo Trio was not still ice-cold, but the ice cubes weren’t even completely melted yet. 

Other positive attributes from other Bivo bottles carry through with the Trio, too. The flow rate is still incredibly high, the stainless steel interior imparts absolutely no taste to the water, and everything pulls apart in seconds for thorough cleaning (and drying) in a conventional dishwasher. Bivo also sells replacement tops if and when one wears out, though I wish the company would also offer individual small parts, too.

Unfortunately, the same downsides also apply.

The stainless body is prone to denting if you drop it, the silicone rubber exterior is quick to scuff (especially in a metal bottle cage), and given the double-walled construction, the Bivo Trio is even heavier at a whopping 273 g while holding a modest 620 mL (21 oz). For reference, that’s almost 200 g heavier than a standard Specialized plastic bottle of the same capacity, and more than 100 g heavier than the already-heavy Bivo One.

The Bivo Trio is also quite pricey at US$49 (pricing for other regions is still to be determined). 

But is it too pricey, or is it too heavy? I can’t answer that question for you, but I personally like cold water on a hot day, and I like my water to taste like water, not plastic. Weight isn’t everything.

More information can be found at www.drinkbivo.com. 

Follow the link to see previous products we’ve covered in our Spotlight series.

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