October 14th, 2025 | by Keaton Smith
One of the most beloved features of a Bivo bike water bottle is the high flow rate. It’s kind of a fun mystery until you try it for the first time.
People are often quite surprised by the waterfall that pours out and, honestly, drinking out of a Bivo can take some getting used to, but people are usually quick converts.
A customer recently wrote in saying: “I’ve had mine for a few years now. I’ll never go back to a squeeze bottle. They flow almost toooo well. So much so you have to be careful not to drink all the water too quickly.”
We like to say that hydrating with a Bivo is truly effortless- and, in fact, it can take some restraint not to chug the whole bottle at the beginning of a ride!
Here are some FAQs and how to's about the Bivo flow!
The straw is not for drinking out of, it’s for venting the air. So, if you try to drink out of the straw and it doesn’t work, it’s because it’s not intended for drinking! Also, the straw and nozzle are food grade silicone, a material we selected because it’s inert and dishwasher safe!
We knew if Bivo bottles didn't flow as well as or better than plastic, you wouldn't adopt it! Nobody wants to work hard to get their water out because you're already working hard enough on your bike! Some benefits include:
Open and close our nozzle like any other sport bottle and simply tip and pour.
One of the most beloved features of a Bivo bike water bottle is the high flow rate. It’s kind of a fun mystery until you try it for the first time.
People are often quite surprised by the waterfall that pours out and, honestly, drinking out of a Bivo can take some getting used to, but people are usually quick converts.
A customer recently wrote in saying: “I’ve had mine for a few years now. I’ll never go back to a squeeze bottle. They flow almost toooo well. So much so you have to be careful not to drink all the water too quickly.”
We like to say that hydrating with a Bivo is truly effortless- and, in fact, it can take some restraint not to chug the whole bottle at the beginning of a ride!
Here are some FAQs and how to's about the Bivo flow!
The straw is not for drinking out of, it’s for venting the air. So, if you try to drink out of the straw and it doesn’t work, it’s because it’s not intended for drinking! Also, the straw and nozzle are food grade silicone, a material we selected because it’s inert and dishwasher safe!
We knew if Bivo bottles didn't flow as well as or better than plastic, you wouldn't adopt it! Nobody wants to work hard to get their water out because you're already working hard enough on your bike! Some benefits include:
Open and close our nozzle like any other sport bottle and simply tip and pour.
'b' up = high flow rate
'b' up = high flow rate
Since we can’t squeeze a metal bottle, when designing Bivo, we had to figure out how to make water pour out quickly. Enter: our patented(!) Gravity Flow system that vents air in to allow water to pour out as fast as it does.
It works like this:
When you pull up and open the nozzle on your Bivo, the ‘arm’ of the nozzle unblocks a small one-way hole. This hole allows air to vent in through the venting straw, which in turn enables the water to flow out of the nozzle as air replaces the water in the bottle.
We designed the nozzle system to look like a lowercase ‘b” (for Bivo, of course!). And to get the fastest flow, you should drink with the ‘b’ upright. Air flows best that way, rather than twisted 180 degrees and looking like a “q”.
There’s a lot of physics behind all of this, but all you really need to know to get the best drinking experience out of your Bivo is to drink with the ‘b’ facing upright!
Since we can’t squeeze a metal bottle, when designing Bivo, we had to figure out how to make water pour out quickly. Enter: our patented(!) Gravity Flow system that vents air in to allow water to pour out as fast as it does.
It works like this:
When you pull up and open the nozzle on your Bivo, the ‘arm’ of the nozzle unblocks a small one-way hole. This hole allows air to vent in through the venting straw, which in turn enables the water to flow out of the nozzle as air replaces the water in the bottle.
We designed the nozzle system to look like a lowercase ‘b” (for Bivo, of course!). And to get the fastest flow, you should drink with the ‘b’ upright. Air flows best that way, rather than twisted 180 degrees and looking like a “q”.
There’s a lot of physics behind all of this, but all you really need to know to get the best drinking experience out of your Bivo is to drink with the ‘b’ facing upright!
'q' down = lower flow rate (but still fast!)
'q' down = lower flow rate (but still fast!)
P.S. For all the science lovers out there, I’ll share a few more details as to why pouring with the ‘q’ facing up doesn’t work as well. At that orientation, the air vent becomes the lowest point of drainage in the system. This results in backpressure on the air straw- with the potential to lock the system- until flow is established. However, with a little suck on the nozzle, air is forced through the straw and the flow is initiated as it would with the ‘b’ facing upward.
Basically there’s no ‘wrong’ way to drink out of a Bivo, but there is a there’s a slightly more effective and efficient way!
P.S. For all the science lovers out there, I’ll share a few more details as to why pouring with the ‘q’ facing up doesn’t work as well. At that orientation, the air vent becomes the lowest point of drainage in the system. This results in backpressure on the air straw- with the potential to lock the system- until flow is established. However, with a little suck on the nozzle, air is forced through the straw and the flow is initiated as it would with the ‘b’ facing upward.
Basically there’s no ‘wrong’ way to drink out of a Bivo, but there is a there’s a slightly more effective and efficient way!
With so many different options out there, finding the perfect bottle can be hard. But it doesn't have to be! We've created a comprehensive guide to help you pick the perfect Bivo just for you!
For Quench'd this week, we interviewed adaptive athletes Allie Bianchi and Greg Durso as well as advocate Berne Brody about the release of their new film Best Day Ever, highlighting Vermont's newest bike park built entirely for adaptive riders.
