Which Gel or energy drink do you drink??

[FreshNewbie]

I read an article where the author explains how important it is that your energy food does not contain a lot of simple carbs. Usually I take GU gel on my rides and a pack of jelly beans. Which gel do you prefer that doesn't taste awful and is ok on stomach???? I never tried Hammer Gel or their other products but i see a lot of cyclists like it. I tried Clif , like them but want to to try something else. Suggestions >???

[mimitabby]

what does the article say about simple carbs? when you are burning lots of calories, don't you need them?

Thanks
ps most sports drinks #1 ingredient is some kind of sugar!

[KnottedYet]

I'm very happy with the Clif stuff, so haven't tried anything else lately. I have a friend who loves the "Honey Stingerz". I guess they're mostly honey with some goodies added in. She also likes the vanilla bean GU.

[FreshNewbie]

The article basically explains that simple carbs ( sugars in most fitness products) is not a sufficient source of fueling for atheletes. In a long run an athlete ends up bloated, with stomach cramps, etc ( which happens to me ) because of using simple sugars as a source of energy. Basically, simple carbs are not digested and sufficiently used by our bodies >??!!

[KSH]

I munch on Clif Shot Blocks - Raspberry on my rides.

They fit perfect in my bag on top of my bike and I can reach in and chew on them easily.

The taste is good too... almost similar to those fruit chews you had as a kid.

[kellym]

Gu chocolate. Has never bothered my stomach on a hot day and seems to provide a sustained level of energy when I start feeling tired.

[tulip]

for rides under 40 miles, I just drink water and I bring a Luna bar in case I get hungry. Over 40, I bring 2 bottles of water and 2 luna bars. No energy drinks, they are mostly sugar.

[hirakukibou]

I like cytomax energy drink. I also eat cliff bars or luna bars on rides. Sometimes I eat a gu, but I find them hard to swallow.

[Deanna]

I prefer the GU gels and G20. The chocoloat GU gel doesn't work too well in a flask, but if you mix in a little bit of hot coffee it makes it a good consistency for the flask top. For bars I use Larabars and chewy trailmix bars.

[FreshNewbie]

I think GU is one of the best tasting Gels out there (if there is such a thing), at least out of everything I tried so far. Went to a local store today and got couple of Hammer Gels in raspberry flavour, will post how I liked it if anyone interested. Luna bars are the best, i love lemon zest and lime flavours.

[Lenusik]

Clif block shots -wonderful little cubes that taste great! Gu is too sticky and hard to open. I open the block shots before the ride and put them in a small zip lock bag. It makes it much easier to reach for them. If I am going for a shoter ride - around 30 miles, I drink Propel. It has very small sugar. If I go longer - Gatorade is still the best stuff. Don't worry about sugar if you go fast and long, especially in the summer heat.

[Cari]

Blue Powerade is delicious. Gatorade tastes pretty good and you can get it in the less expensive powder form, but it has lots of sodium. Cytomax has more potassium, but it tastes soapy if you drink it alone. So I mix about 2 parts Gatorade to one part Cytomax. For very long rides, I might add some complete whey protein powder (vanilla flavor). Accelerade has protein already mixed in, but I just don't like the way it tastes and it doesn't seem to dissolve very well.

Gels: chocolate Power Gel. I really dislike the Clif gels -- too sweet. I've heard good things about Gu but have yet to try it.

Strawberry Clif Shot Bloks are awesome. They also have a Black Cherry flavor which is pretty good and has some caffeine in it. Like KSH said, they're easy to eat while riding. The Jelly Belly beans taste good, but they're pure sugar -- they give me a rush and then I crash.

For bars, I'd say Clif Bars, hands down -- chocolate chip, peanut butter, and black cherry almond flavors. I've only tried Luna Bars once (Dulce de Leche flavor) and didn't like them.

Aside from cramping, as you guys mentioned, drinks that only have very simple sugars will make your blood sugar shoot up and then plummet. If you use a sports drink or gel that has different types of carbs (which are metabolized at different rates) effect is more subtle, rising slowly and then tapering off. That's why it's also good to mix different carbs when you're eating before a really long ride -- like wheat, corn, oats, rice, etc.

[kjay]

Ginger Snap Larabars, Cytomax, and chocolate Gu. Must try those Clif block shots, though. They sound good and easy to handle.

[Dianyla]

My favorites:

Drink:
Orange cytomax (still looking for the elusive cranberry/grapefruit flavors)

Gels:
Gu Chocolate, Espresso, and Orange flavors. Second favorite flavors: Berry, Banana

Electrolytes:
Clif Blocks: Raspberry

Bars:
Larabars: Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, and Coconut Chocolate Chew
Luna Bars: Peppermint Stick and S'mores
Nature Valley: Chewy Trail Mix, Fruit & Nut

Junk:
Starbucks Frappuccino, Payday Bars, Hostess Apple Pies, Planters Honey Roasted Peanut packs

[cindysue]

Must try those Clif block shots, though. They sound good and easy to handle.

come to Danville on Saturday for a 40 mile ride and I'll give you a bag to try.....

we're meeting at 9:00 am at California Pedaler: 495 Hartz Avenue

[im4smiley]

I like the power gel's tropical fruit, strawberry banana and raspberry cream. I didn't like the tangerine as mcuh and I haven't tried the chocolate..as much as I love chocolate..I am not sure about the gel..someday i will try it.

[betagirl]

Drink: Cytomax. It tastes better than gatorade to me. But if I do drink gatorade, I prefer orange or red. Not a big fan of powerade

Gel: Gu chocolate. I found powergel to be kinda gross.

Another recent discovery are Clif Shot Bloks. The berry are good. Not a big fan of the orange. Those are the only 2 flavors I've tried so far.

[mtkitchn]

I like the banana Gu, only because I try to avoid caffeine and that's the only one I know of w/no caffeine. Any others I should try?

[Trekhawk]

Drink - I like Cytomax.
Gel - I like banana Gu too. Another one I tried on the weekend (they were handing them out at the ride) was PowerBar Gel 4 x Sodium Flavour Plain Energy. CindySue said it tasted like Popsicle and I think thats a good description. I like that it was less gluggy than Gu. Easier to get down towards the later part of a ride.

[Aggie_Ama]

I love Luna Bars- Lemonzest! I think it tastes like the Lemon Pastry Creme Girl Scout cookies. They tend to melt on my long rides making a sticky mess. I usually put them in the fridge the night before so they are only slightly melted by the time I eat them. My new favorite food is the Sport Beans.

I like Gatorade myself. My husband said he hates it and must water it down to drink it. My blood sugar tends to drop on rides and I find the sugar is just what I need. For any ride over 20 miles I bring one bottle of water and one bottle of Gatorade.

I haven't done the gels. I am an odd duck and have to chew something. If I drink things (like a smoothie) I mentally do not feel satisfied. Just a weird quirk of mine. :o

[yellow]

I'm a recent convert to all Hammer, all the time. Hammer gel and Sustained Energy and/or Perpetuem for longer rides (2+ hours), just gel and maybe some Heed for shorter rides. I thought it was all hooey, but it works for me. In fact I have been REALLY surprised at the results (as in, why the heck didn't I do this sooner??). I don't eat any (or very little) solid food on rides anymore; don't need it. :)

[maillotpois]

I'm all Hammer for gels. Love banana and at the double this weekend I tried apple cinnamon, which was also very good. Like applesauce.

I think Hammer stuff tries to use more complex carbs.

For drink we use Power Bar's Performance drink. I have started using their recovery drink during longer rides and it works well. Has some protein in it, similar to some of the hammer drink products. I was not able to drink the Hammer drinks when I tried at Knoxville double last year.

[Fredwina]

I like Cytomax for drinks, I like the citrus/orange, but I'm alos developeing an affinity for grape. As for Gels, I used to the Clif shots, but find I like the Shot Block better. Less messy and then do give you some thing to chew on.

[Duck on Wheels]

Got introduced to a new bar at spin class. Called "Green", and is actually green inside. All the ingredients are actual fruits, grains and veggies. Tastes like a fig newton, but with chocolate instead of cookie covering. Expensive, though. And I haven't tried it on a long ride.

[FreshNewbie]

Bought some raspberry flavour Hammer Gel yesterday to try before my cycling class. I actually liked it, didn't have a problem eating it and it was easy on my stomach. The salesperson told me that apple cinnamon was good but somehow I had a feeling that it might be too sweet, I guess I will try it next.

[SadieKate]

For one hour or less rides, tropical fruit Cytomax mixed with pink lemonade Crystal Lite for a yummy tart drink. Longer rides, I use Hammer Gel, either raspberry or banana. Endurolyte capsules when it's hot.

I'm going to experiment with other drink mixes to augment the gel on long rides. My stomach is OK with things like Nectar and Mojo bars, fig newtons, Pay Days, cantaloupe and PBJs but sometimes my tastebuds rebel and I can't eat too many peanuts anyway. I never hold the rest stop food selection against ride organizers because I never know what I want until I'm standing there. How should they?

On the other hand, I can be highly critical of the food at the end.:rolleyes:

[Grog]

I love Clif Gel (Razz-Sorbet). I actually think it tastes good and is enjoyable to eat. :eek: (Think jam by the spoon.)

I love Clif Electrolytes (lemon preparation) but I ran out and I can't find it in Canada, not sure it's imported. So yesterday I mixed about half the suggested quantity of Country Time lemonade powder with a pinch of salt in my 600 mL bottle. Just as good, pretty much the same amount of calories, certainly pretty simple carbs. So that's what I'll be drinking for now.

[tulip]

Just a quick note for those of you (us) who ride to lose weight...all those gels and sport drinks are VERY caloric. Really, for rides of fewer than 40 miles or so, you only need water (PLAIN water) and a banana. Otherwise, you're likely going overboard with the sugar and calories.

[CorsairMac]

actually I just discovered the Emer_gen_c has higher minerals and vitamins than their Electro Mix and the sweetener is fructose which I can tolerate - so I've switched over the Emer-Gen-C.




OT: Mimi you avatar is Hilarious!! is that Your cat???

[FreshNewbie]

Tulip, I think there is much more to consider when it comes to rides below 40 miles. For instance, I usually ride early in the morning and can't eat a large enough breakfast that will hold me for 40miles, so I take a bar or gel with me. On a 40 miles ride you can burn more than 1000 calories, although it's true that you don't need to replace the calories you burn, but still your body needs some source of fuel (carbs, fat, protein) In fact hammer gel i bought has only 2 grams of sugar and 80calories, I can live with that considering that I don't eat a lot of them. Now, you are right about sport drinks, they have a lotttttttt of sugar, I usually try to mix them with water. Anyway, thats just my .02$ :p

[tulip]

Water works for me. Bananas and Luna bars, too. My 14-mile commute every morning is done without food beforehand (can't eat that early, either), but when I get to the office, I'm HUNGRY!

My longer rides do include bananas and Luna bars and water. Nothing more is needed for me, but we are all different.

We should just be aware of the marketing that strives to make us NEED special foods for riding. I just don't think most of them are necessary.

[SadieKate]

Really, for rides of fewer than 40 miles or so, you only need water (PLAIN water) and a banana. Otherwise, you're likely going overboard with the sugar and calories.Not necessarily. I know a lot of people who get upset stomachs from banana during a ride (especially with anaerobic hill climbing spurts or intervals) and anything over an hour in our summer weather means you need electrolytes.

I think the point of the discussion is to find what each person’s GI tract, metabolism demands and taste buds can tolerate or prefer. Then, try to gauge how to apply that to one’s own exertion level (intensity and distance). You can't just make the assumption that your 40 mile ride is equivalent to anyone else's 40 mile ride. My 34-mile ride tonight will include 3 4-mile intervals at time trial pace in 90 degree weather. A banana (or any solid food) and water only is recipe for disaster. If I were to do the same course at a recovery level, I might be OK with a banana, but one benefit to gels and drink mixes is the lack of needing to fumble with the wrapper or store the trash. Very easy for on the bike calorie intake.

[FreshNewbie]

SK I agree, I think food on a ride is as individual as a saddle :D

[Lenusik]

You can't just make the assumption that your 40 mile ride is equivalent to anyone else's 40 mile ride. .

I totally agree. My shortest ride is 25 miles, which you may consider nothing. But I include 2-3 good hills on the way. I would not even try to take them just on water in a 100 + degree weather.

Another great thing to take with you is CASH. Sometimes I am in modd just to go a little longer and the only thing that I have is Propel. I would make a point to stop at a convenience store to get a Power bar and gatorade.

[Aggie_Ama]

I agree, I think Gatorade is bad about marketing to the general public what we don't need.

For hydration and nutrition, it is completely up to an individual. My stomach tolerates pretty much everything, so I am not as cautious about what I eat. I do love PB&J at any break point. It should be required. :D DH has more issues and thinks about it more.

Personally, I can go about 50 miles without eating. I think I am the minority. I am perfectly content with a bottle of water and gatorade. I might take in some Sport Beans. For me, I cannot ride over 30 miles in the Texas heat without replenishing electrolytes.

I need Gatorade (my sugary drink of choice) because I also experience a drop in my blood sugar. The drop in my blood sugar tends to aggravate my movement disorder and I extremely uncomfortable. Again, most people on this board do not have the factor of the movement disorder. I would venture to guess no one has the same disorder.

[Dogmama]

I like cytomax with a small scoop of vanilla protein powder. It cuts the buzz I get from cytomax & gives my muscles a boost.

I think the article about simple carbs is not true for most people. When we run out of sugar, we bonk. Ugly.

[jobob]

If I don't have enough to eat, even on a 20-mile ride, I can get lightheaded and shaky.

And although at this point a 20-mile ride is "nothing" for me (and, rest assured, 20 miles used to be a very big deal for me!), I still need to eat early and often, and I find that an energy drink like Cytomax helps me considerably, especially in hot weather.

What I'm saying is, what works for one may not work for another.

That's why I cringe at blanket statements such as "you only need (this) for (that)".

- Jo.

[Grog]

I also need SOMETHING to prevent me from bonking on any ride, because I'd rather be on the safe side than stuck in a headwind 10 km from home (or more!!) with no energy left to go and the desire to kick myself for not getting properly fueled. Usually it's some calories in my bottle (lemonade, Gatorade, Clif electrolytes) and a gel or other "food" in my jersey pockets. Whenever the ride is longer than an hour, I make efforts to intake about 150-200 calories/hour, and this would be insufficient on a ride longer than 3 hours.

This is especially true if I ride towards 5pm, before dinner.

Even if you're trying to loose weight, I don't think it's safe not to fuel-up on rides that are longer than an hour. You don't want to bonk. Plus, I'm nearly certain it actually impedes weight loss if you don't intake enough calories while exercising, because you'll almost certainly feel like you need to eat more later. If this works for you, tulip, good for you, but I'm not sure the 40-mile ride is a generalization we can make so easily... I do agree however that marketing is intense in this area and that we have to remain critical of what's offered.