Vincero Stratus Water bottle Review

Vincero Stratus 20 Pro Pack Review

http://chelmercycles.co.uk/ 

 I came across this bottle by accident at a Mud Sweat and Gears event that a friend had entered, at this meet there was a stand from a local bike shop based in Chelmsford [Chelmer Cycles], they were there supporting the riders with spares etc. 
I mentioned to Richard who was manning the Chelmer Cycles stand, that I was waiting for a bottle holder to be delivered, for a review I was going to do. He asked if I had seen the Vincero Stratus 24 drink system, from a company called Vincero and made in the USA, it looked unusually different, and the offer of a review on something I had never seen before was very tempting, and so I must just say a big thanks to Richard at Chelmer cycles for the chance to do this review.

http://vincero-design.com/

http://www.chelmercycles.co.uk/

Made in the USA.

Stratus 24 is the biggest capacity that Vincero make.

Stratus mount along side normal bottle mount.

 Compared to a normal bottle holder there is considerable saving on space.

Good Grip on the Stratus.

Easy-to-handle, non-slip shape and it will still fit a traditional bottle cage if needed. 

The Medical grade silicone valve requires no manual opening and closing, delivering excellent flow without any drips.

So what is so special about this particular drinks bottle then.

The Vincero is a very clever drink system, with a Earth magnet inside the bottle and another on the mount, [which fits on your bike frame]  when they are close, the pull is amazing! take a quick look at the video clip I have done.

As you can see the pull is very strong, it is lighter and less cumbersome than a conventional water bottle holder and drink bottle. When the bottle is attached to the mount you cannot see the mount, the Stratus bottle just sits there waiting for the you to release it and drink from it, once removed all that is left on the frame is the very small magnetic mount.
To replace the bottle, simply pass it over the magnet for it to grab the bottle and it will hold it firmly in place!

Instructions are inside the packaging so open the box carefully!

 http://vincero-design.com/

http://www.chelmercycles.co.uk/

Carbon Fiber Composite.

The Mount.

Small.

Simple.

Clever.

Stratus 24 is the biggest capacity that Vincero make.

 The  largest bottle is  24oz. and when empty has a trim weight of 100g (including cap).

Now that you all know what the Vincero Stratus Drinks System is about, on with the review! 

My first test on the Stratus was not on a road bike, but on a full suspension mountain bike, one of the reasons was, because when I felt the strength of the magnets, I just knew it would not be a easy bottle to fall off a road bike and so I felt it had to be a rough ride that would be the best test.

First thing I had to do was remove the old bottle holder from the Specialized Camber. 

 Once the holder was removed a little clean up around the area.

 When fitting to the frame have the magnet at the bottom then use the two bolts provided to tighten.

Looks much better than a cage.

 You can see by the photo the amount of space saved. 

Looks like "Magic" sitting there! 

 Once out on the ride I tried to get the bottle to come adrift over a few jumps (Nothing too big as I am not a Pro) but had no luck dislodging it, I tried jumping over logs, and riding over extra rough ground and the Stratus stayed put!

The only problem I found was the bottle sits a slightly lower down on the up tube on the Camber, and I had to lean down a lot further than I normally do when riding this bike, no real problem but just thought I would mention it.

Yes strong enough for a MTB bike! 

The bottle itself felt great to hold and drink from, just a small squeeze and the drink flowed well. Great design.

ROAD BIKE TRIAL.

The Specialized Allez has two bottle holders on its frame.

 

I wanted  to fit the Vincero Stratus in place of this mount, but had trouble with the frame studs not being in line for some reason, so could not fit the Stratus on to the down tube, as I did not want to damage the bike or the bracket. 

For some reason the thread for the bolt was not set at the correct angle, no problem for a normal bottle holder but as the Vincero is a much bolder design, and did not allow the bolt to go in at the right angle. Maybe they could introduce a elongated hole maybe that would allow a little bit of adjustment.

 Vincero fitted to the seat tube with no problem.

 So much more pleasing to the eye! 

 Earth magnets are a powerful force! 

Place the bottle near the bracket and it will snatch it out your hand! 

 On the ride I found it took a few attempts to get used to the grab of the magnet, and kept looking down to see if it was fitted in the right place, I soon got used to the grab feeling as well!
The down tube would be a much better place for it to be fitted so will test on my Trek 29er.

 So much neater looking as well! 

From top view the Vincero bracket is hardly noticeable.

The bottle it self is great to drink from, just pull it off the mount and squeeze and suck as easy as that, you can pull the bottle off in any direction which makes it a lot easier to remove than a caged bottle, to replace just pass the Stratus past the magnets and they grab it!

Trek 29er Hardtail Test.

My next test was on the top rail ot my Trek 29er Hartail MTB bike.

 It's off with the old water bottle holder.
Down Tube.

 On with the new Carbon Fibre composit Vincero Stratus holder.
Looks much better than a normal holder I must say!
I like the clean look of this mount.

 Very nice.

 And now with the Stratus bottle mounted it cleans the frame up lovely!

The down tube is the best place for this Stratus bottle, makes it a lot easier to grab and replace the bottle with just a pass over the magnet.
I went out on the Big Harlow Bike Ride around the cycle paths of Harlow which are not the smoothest of cycle path you can ride on!
Lots of uneven paths with bits of tarmac missing, the Vincero Status  bottle held on all the way, having it on the down tube is the best place to attach the mount, I will have a look at trying to get the mount to fit on the road bike as after riding with the Vincero Stratus in this position realize this is the best place to have it.

Cost of the Vincero Stratus bottle is around the £8.00 mark, so a little bit more expensive than a normal bottle.
Best to go for the bottle and system were you can purchase the mount and bottle together. if you need  to get a new cap, they can also be bought separately.
Have a word with Chelmer Cycles for best price, they are not cheap just over the £25.00 mark but then you are getting a very clever design system.

My verdict on the Vincero Stratus Drinks system...

A bit more expensive than your normal cheap drink bottles, but this design is a lot more than just a drinks bottle and adds a lot more class to your bike, plus a great talking point, as I found out on my first ride with other cyclists.
Easy grab and replacement,  very easy to drink the juice from and replace in a easy movement.
Great for the mountain bike boys!
The Carbon Fiber Composite bracket could do with a little bit of allowance for adjustment.


Check out Chelmer Cycles for a stock of the Vincero Stratus system, you wont be disappointed!

One great thing about the Vincero water bottle is in the way you can clean the bottle!

Remove the top, unscrew the inner cap to release the mouth piece, this way you can make sure the drinks system is 1005 clean! 

Check out the lads at Chelmer Cycles for a great Saturday ride out, pop in and take a closer look of the Vincero system.

http://chelmercycles.co.uk/

Foot Note This is not a Paid Advertisement for Chelmer Cycles or Vincero Design.