Electrolyte Chews

[witeowl]

The sportbeans seem to be all sugar.

Sure maltodextrin or a complex chain carb might be better than "sugar", but for endurance riding what's "wrong" with sugar?

This.

If you're looking just for electrolytes, stick with drinks (or tablets, I guess). Any chew, even with electrolytes, will have the primary goal of providing easily metabolized energy which, for most endurance sports, is a form of sugar. And they'll rarely be complex carbs because the idea is fast replenishment of glucose. If I'm burning a thousand calories per hour on a good ride, I'm certainly not concerned about one hundred calories of sugar.

BTW, I just got off my lazy butt and compared the packages of Sharkies, SportBeans, Clif Shot Bloks, and Luna Moons (no GU Chews on hand). They don't list most things, but judging from the Nutrition Facts and ingredients, SportBeans appear to win across the board, except that Sharkies have a bit more sodium.

The worst part about SportBeans is that they're somewhat more difficult to eat on the bike.