I'm new to trying out the sports drinks. Just got to riding long enough for it to start to matter! But in the interests of hydration, I tried out this stuff called "Glaceux" or whatever, "vitamin water" - glugging it down about halfway through my hour-and-a-half ride today. It tasted all right - and I sure felt better and better hydrated than when I was using my "stop at the occasional drinking fountain for a sip" method. I actually had to stop to pee during the ride! Which I thought was a good sign. I should mention that before I left I did have my usual home-concocted smoothie of yogurt, fruit, and (yech!) powdered wheat grass.
So after I got off my bike my stomach started really bothering me and then, uh, other parts started really bothering me. So my question is: what is the easiest to digest sports drink? And also, is it really necessary to drink them at all, even on a long ride? Could I instead drink a lot of water and maybe eat a couple of bananas?