Power bar gel Blasts

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So what's a gal to try if she can't stand things with the consistency of gummy bears, jelly beans, or gum drops?

Fig Newtons
P&J sandwich on wheat bread cut into quarters
banana or apple
dried apricots and nuts
Trail mix
a cookie
pretzels
and a thousand other things....

Personally, I can't see buying incredibly expensive artificial goo gel packaged in wasteful one-use foil or plastic wrapping. Something wrong with real food? (just my humble opinion)

Mimi-
when they say "natural lemon and cola flavors", that doesn't mean "natural lemon and natural cola flavors". It means "natural lemon" flavor and "cola" flavor.
I used to be in the food business and I know some of the labeling tricks.

[maillotpois]

I used these on the Death Ride last weekend, and they worked great. Especially at altitude and in heat, both of which we had (before the hail and downpour ), I generally have a hard time taking in food during long rides. These were very easily digested.

I have now been told by someone who shall remain nameless that they smell like a public restroom.



Anyway, if you are one who finds this type of product helpful, they're worth giving a try.

[jobob]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with real food, BSG

... unless you're on a very long &/or difficult ride and, if you're like some (not all), your stomach can't tolerate said real food after a while.

So if you keep your rides short & easy, odds are you'll have no problem with the real thing!

[Veronica]

Something wrong with real food? (just my humble opinion)

Yep! It makes me want to puke on a long, hard ride!

V.

[SadieKate]

Ditto the yup. During hot weather, Bubba would be collapsed on the side of the road without electrolyte replacement. I've bonked because my body can't digest "real" food on long or hot climbs, and can't say I like sulfur-induced asthma from dried fruit.

Not sure why the wrapping on an energy bar is any more wasteful than the gooey bag leftover from a PBJ or whatever "real food" snack.

[aicabsolut]

So the powerbar things have a little bit of sodium but no other electrolytes? And they have sorbitol? Sugar alcohols destroy my digestion. I tried one of these the other day that my friend had on the ride. Ok. Kind of like gummy bears. After reading the ingredients, I'm not having these again.

[maillotpois]

That's the thing. For a bakery ride - 50 miles or less, real food may be fine. But if it is longer, harder, hotter, etc., then there is a real purpose behind those foods designed specifically for athletic performance.

I struggled for years with fuelling on long rides. I still have trouble sometimes - and everyone has off days. But generally, these performance products (Sustained Energy, Hammer gel, these power bar things, electrolyte drinks) balanced with a nice Payday here or there actually work for me.

(Once again I had to skip lunch at Death Ride, missing out on the soup, because I was too busy trying to shepherd my coach-ees. Between the power bar pine sol pops, the sustained energy and the Paydays, I was fine.)

[maillotpois]

So the powerbar things have a little bit of sodium but no other electrolytes? And they have sorbitol? Sugar alcohols destroy my digestion. I tried one of these the other day that my friend had on the ride. Ok. Kind of like gummy bears. After reading the ingredients, I'm not having these again.

I didn't notice the sorbitol before. So maybe they're not for everyone. However, they did work on a tough ride, so I'm not unhappy with them.

I don't think they're designed to be electrolyte replacement. I use PB Endurance and Hammer E- caps for that.

[jobob]

Paydays are nearly the perfect on-bike food, IMHO.

[maillotpois]

Well, sure!

I wish I'd been as enlightened about Paydays as I am now when I did the 600k. (Of course, I didn't use SE back then either.) Not that either of those would have made it less insane.

[Andrea]

So the powerbar things have a little bit of sodium but no other electrolytes? And they have sorbitol? Sugar alcohols destroy my digestion. I tried one of these the other day that my friend had on the ride. Ok. Kind of like gummy bears. After reading the ingredients, I'm not having these again.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!!! My LBS owner offered a pack to me to try out & I had to turn her down. I can't even chew sugarfree gum because it will cause "noxious emissions" within about 36 hours.

Does Aceulfame Potassium mess with you, too?

[aicabsolut]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!!! My LBS owner offered a pack to me to try out & I had to turn her down. I can't even chew sugarfree gum because it will cause "noxious emissions" within about 36 hours.

Does Aceulfame Potassium mess with you, too?

I don't think I've ever tried that. I avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible. It would be a safe bet to say that it wouldn't agree with me.

I didn't notice the sorbitol before. So maybe they're not for everyone. However, they did work on a tough ride, so I'm not unhappy with them.

I don't think they're designed to be electrolyte replacement. I use PB Endurance and Hammer E- caps for that.

Well, they say they're a "gel" replacement, and I think a lot of gels have electrolytes, so it's kind of deceptive.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, i see some people have trouble nibbling real food on long hot rides. I've done 50-70 mile pretty hilly rides with no such problems, but I don't know about centuries yet, or climbing the Alps. I just don't like the ingredients, the price, or the packaging of these gel goo things.

I've bonked because my body can't digest "real" food on long or hot climbs, and can't say I like sulfur-induced asthma from dried fruit.

Not sure why the wrapping on an energy bar is any more wasteful than the gooey bag leftover from a PBJ or whatever "real food" snack.

Yes, a piece of waxed paper is much less environmentally wasteful than those gel foil packages which are NOT biodegradable. I'm not thrilled with individual granola bar plastic/foil wrappers either. You can also buy small waxed paper bags for holding pretzels, sandwich pieces, and such.

You can buy sulphur-free dried fruit at any health food store. They have papaya, apricots, dried apples and pears, mango.... all natural, good for you, and sulphur free.

I like to mix about 1/3 real organic fruit juice to my water on long or hot rides. I think it gives me extra energy and nutrients.

Just a few alternate things to consider.

[jobob]

I don't think people necessarily have trouble nibbling the real food, I think it's more a matter of what happens to it once it hits their stomachs!

[OakLeaf]

packaged in wasteful one-use foil or plastic wrapping.

I'm all for washing and re-using my plastic bags. At any given time I'll have three or four hanging to dry over my sink. But faced with a bag that's completely coated with whatever goo I made myself to eat - stuffing it back into my jersey pocket to smear its sticky stuff all over my jersey and eventually, my back - having it sit at body temperature or warmer for hours - I'm not too keen to reuse that bag