Cleaning cleaning cleaning. Honestly, not my favorite thing to do. But when it’s made easier, I really appreciate it! When we came up with the idea for Bivo cycling bottles, we knew a lot of what the bottle would need. Flow rate was our first thought – how can we get water out quickly enough so you don’t lose a breath focusing on sucking in water (and getting rid of that precious air)?

Our other top priority was cleanability. And that came from all the fine folks who came to our focus groups and filled out our customer surveys. It’s quite common to leave your used bottle on your bike for a liiiiittttle too long with sports drink that turns to mold too quickly. Getting those plastic bottles clean is hard and you told us that’s often why you throw them out. So, we did lots of ideating to figure out how we could make our bottles as easy as possible to clean:

• We think the best cycling water bottles should be dishwasher safe! Yup - all Bivo bottles are dishwasher, yay! If you have lots of grime from a protein shake or just sports drink that was left inside a little too long, we recommend getting the gunk off with a bottle brush before putting in the dishwasher. Side note, the Skratch Labs Chocolate Recovery Drink is delicious, if you haven’t had it. But do make sure to clean your bike water bottle afterwards because it’s not pretty when you find it a week later (speaking from experience here … hummmhmm, Robby).

• The components are removable – the food grade silicone nozzle and straw are removable. And we put a squeegee inside each bottle that is made to clean the inside of the straw. I often pop the nozzle and straw out while washing our bottles (we are a family or four so after a day-long adventure, we often have 4-6 bottles to clean and I am very grateful for the dishwasher!)

Remember, all components are removable! And all the bottles are dishwasher safe 👍

We take note of the questions you send us or ask us at events and a couple have stood out to us as something we should tell you about! 

• Silicone Straw – we picked silicone because it’s inert. It can hold onto some flavor, however, so we do recommend washing it to avoid the taste of old sports drink or soap. Because it can hold onto flavor, we wash ours in the dishwasher or by hand with fragrant free dish soap or detergent. The team here really likes the Unscented Co products.

• Rust & Mold – Stainless steel is an awesome material and just like most things, it requires care and upkeep. SS is highly rust resistant, it’s not completely rust proof. While not super common, you might see rust on your bottle from time to time and it’s very easy to get rid of. Simply mix white vinegar and baking soda into a paste texture, apply to the rust and let sit for a few minutes. Scrub it clean after it sits with a stiffer bristled sponge or brush. For mold, make sure to scrub the bottle with a brush so you can really get deep in the bottles. A mixture of baking soda and white vinegar to clean the bottle also works, especially for bottles that have sat for a few weeks or more.

Happy cleaning and happy riding. Fall is feeling so good to all of us here at Bivo.

Carina

P.S. - I loved this recent article in the NY Times about running without GPS watches. We have #fuelmorefun conversations at Bivo and at home constantly. We picked to talk about having fun in our branding because I believe, when you are having fun, you will be faster. Or perform better at work. Or be a better person at home. When you're not having fun, what's the point? My dad ingrained this in me as a young ski racer. I thought he had a point back then, but now, looking back at it all, he was 100% spot on.