sports drinks

[nuthatch]

Gookinade - a powder available at REI. It's really great for replacing electrolytes without having lots of flavor or sweetness to it.

[Lise]

Gookinade - a powder available at REI. It's really great for replacing electrolytes without having lots of flavor or sweetness to it.

Thanks for the suggestions about low-sugar drinks. I know that part of the reason for the drink is quick calories, and that comes from sugar. But man, oh, man, it's just soooo sweet sometimes! I use Accelerade powder, and put one bottle of that and one bottle of water in the cages. After a long ride or run, I'll drink some Endurox. It's so sweet that I usually make it 1/2 strength. I think I'll try some of the lower sugar mixes and do half & half with Accelerade.

Lise

[Grog]

Half-Gatorade, Half-Water.

And, these days, after most rides, hot chocolate.

[annie]

And, these days, after most rides, hot chocolate.

Mmmmm, yummy! Me. too!

If on a short ride (which they are these days), plain water is enough.
Once the weather warms up, rides get longer, then I use gatorade at about 1/2 strength. I've tried Cytomax - it upsets my stomach. I'll use Accelerade if I think I need a bit more than gatorade, but I really don't care for the taste. Rock Star Energy drink (a red bull clone, but cheaper) is very tasty and I'll drink that for variety, but I don't care for the effervescence it has. Put it in your water bottle and every time you open the top --POP, FIZZ-- you get a little squirt out of the bottle. Can get pretty sticky.

annie

[DeniseGoldberg]

Gatorade works for me. I carry Gatorade in my water bottles and water in my Camelbak for long rides.

--- Denise

[DirtDiva]

Gookinade - a powder available at REI. It's really great for replacing electrolytes without having lots of flavor or sweetness to it.

Heck, I'd try that just for the name.

Personally, I tend to just use water, but I seldom go for more than a two-hour ride.

[traveller_62]

If the ride is under 2 hours, plain water is sufficient under most conditions...especially if I've planned ahead and have eaten a small carbo rich snack about an hour before the ride.

For rides over 2 hours I have a strategy similar to what Lise describes: One bottle of Accelerade and one bottle of water. I usually dilute the Accelerade more than the product calls for.

There are other products that I've found that taste better than Accelerade but none of them have worked as well for me in terms of hydration and sustained energy. I would experiment with several products and find the one that works for you.

Gatorade for example is a great product for a lot of people but it gives me cramps when I drink it -even diluted!

-traveller

[Trekhawk]

Hey rocknrollgirl - I forgot to mention in my previous post Pedialyte. On previous threads about hydration this has been recommended by other forum users who found sports drink didnt agree with them (cramps etc). I always keep some in the house now and it comes in handy when the kids get sick too.