electrolytes, whats your preference?

[aquamoose32]

I am been doing a lot of 70-100 mile rides. I used to just drink water, but I have been turned onto these GU packets and shock blocks that they instant give me bursts of energy. I did a century ride event and met this guy who was telling me all about long chain sugars, ect (he used Hammer nutrition). He thought GU was too much sugar. I tried one of his hammer packets and didnt feel as good as I do when I eat a GU 50 miles in. What do you prefer, or do you stick to water as well?

[zoom-zoom]

For electrolytes I use any combo of sports drink, water, and Endurolytes capsules. Gels and blocks and things are relatively low in electrolytes. I sweat like a horse and finish hot weather rides covered in salt crust, so I have to keep up on replacing lost minerals or else I end up cramping.

For calorie replacement I'd rather stop and eat real food. Long rides require more protein than any of the bars offer.

[Owlie]

When I get to the point of doing metrics and beyond, I'd just stop to get real food at some point, as well as take a little break. 35-40 seems to be my break point, at which no amount of gels/blocks/bars will do much to help.

For electrolytes, I use slightly diluted Gatorade--I dilute it because I hate the strong taste of undiluted stuff. Plus, adding ice helps keep it cooler. Warm Gatorade is nasty. I need to tweak this a little, because I find I'm losing a lot more salt than I think. Maybe I should look into the extra-salt shot blocks...

[OakLeaf]

I like Zenergize Hydrate. Plenty of sodium, a noticeable amount of calcium and magnesium, and no antifreeze.

+1 on real food on a long ride. I need my protein and, as a recreational rider, I don't have to worry about eating something I can scarf and digest quickly. When I'm on a supported ride, a lot of times they don't offer much protein and don't go near any stores, so I will pack some Perpetuem even though I normally avoid soy. It's what I use on runs over 15 miles.

No Gatorade for me. I just can't tolerate much fructose during a workout. It doesn't matter whether it's HFCS or fresh fruit.

[itself]

Ultima Replenisher in Grape or Wild Raspberry. Those were the only two flavors where I could tolerate the stevia.

[PscyclePath]

I am been doing a lot of 70-100 mile rides. I used to just drink water, but I have been turned onto these GU packets and shock blocks that they instant give me bursts of energy. I did a century ride event and met this guy who was telling me all about long chain sugars, ect (he used Hammer nutrition). He thought GU was too much sugar. I tried one of his hammer packets and didnt feel as good as I do when I eat a GU 50 miles in. What do you prefer, or do you stick to water as well?

If you're going to be out riding for more than two hours at a time, you need to take some food along, or stop somewhere for a snack. A good rule of thumb is that if you're just pootling along at 12-15 mph, you're burning approximately 400 calories/hour, and you need to start putting some of that back in the tank in order to stay fueled.

Now, just what you eat or drink is going to be a personal thing, based on your appetite, and what your stomach will let you keep down and digest. Some folks can get by on gels or energy bars, others do better on "real" food such as a sandwich, cookies, or maybe a boiled potato ;-) It's something you're going to need to experiment with and see what works for you.

Me, I carry two bottles, one of energy drink and one of plain water. Over the past year or so, I've been replacing the energy drink bottle with Nuun (for electrolytes) and carrying a couple of Payday bars or Clif Shots for the carbohydrates. At rest stops (e.g., local convenience stores) I'll get a Coke and maybe a bag of chips. It's worked really well for me... but your or somebody else's mileage on the same fuel may differ widely.

[Crankin]

I also have stopped using the energy drinks and have used only Nuun this season. I supplement with Luna Bars and real food, and occasional Shot Blocks when I feel really tired.

[azfiddle]

I like Nuun, because they are only 10 calories, and I don't always need the extra calories but I do have concerns about electrolytes in the desert heat. I have tried a couple of similar products, but so far, I prefer the Nuun tablets to the

I don't like Gatorade- too sweet for me, but I recently tried Gu Brew, and I like it because it is very light- not too sweet or thick.

As for other stuff- I like Luna bars and shot blocks- only use GU when I am on a very long or demanding ride. Today, we stopped at a farmer's market, and picked up delicious peaches, apples and a little bag of locally grown pistachios before getting back on the road, and my DH and I shared one bottle full of Gu Brew, in addition to water.

[ny biker]

My stomach can't tolerate food on long rides, especially when it's hot. I stick with gu, gu roctane and gatorade.

[badger]

Ultima Replenisher in Grape or Wild Raspberry. Those were the only two flavors where I could tolerate the stevia.

+1. I just ordered the wild raspberry so I'd be curious to see how it tastes. I've tried the lemonade, which is ok but I'm not a lemon fan.

[OakLeaf]

Remember that sweat normally contains more or less a gram of sodium per liter - there's a lot of variability depending on the individual and their heat acclimation. If you're eating salty foods, then good, but if you're relying on gels and electrolyte supplements for your sodium, make sure you're getting enough. Ultima wild raspberry only contains 37.5 mg sodium per packet! If you took enough of those to replenish even an hour's worth of sweat, you'd be way overdosing on some of the other heavy metal minerals in it.

[Catrin]

My stomach doesn't care for real food on long rides - outside of bananas (as long as I only have ONE) - outside of that Cliff bars, shot blocs, Hammer Heed, Accelerade all do well by me. I am unsure why I can tolerate Cliff bars, but my stomach accepts them. PB sandwiches also go down well if I can keep from smashing them - on a banana is even better.

[Becky]

Vitalyte if I need to drink my carbs. Nuun or Elete if I don't. I love the little Elete dropper bottles for keeping in my jersey pocket on long rides.

[Owlie]

I can't do real food on rides, and can't do Clif bars if it's hot and humid. I probably need a longer break for food--you know, eat at a leisurely pace, wander around a little, then hop back on the bike. I'm basing this on my experiences with riding right after breakfast.

I'm going to have to try Nuun or something else, as I don't generally need the sugar since I carry at least one package of shot blocks in hot weather.

[nscrbug]

As of this season, I am a NUUN/ZYM/GU electrolyte tablet convert. On hot, long rides I will carry 1 bottle of NUUN (or other type of tablet) and 1 bottle of plain water. I also carry a few extra tablets wrapped in foil in my bento box. I actually prefer the taste of the orange ZYM tablets over all the others, but NUUN is easier to find in my area. I don't like strongly flavored beverages while on the bike, so I tend to dilute mine a bit more. Aside from that, I generally always carry with me (but don't necessarily eat): 1 Luna or Lara bar, and a pack of Shot Bloks, Luna Moons, or Honey Stinger Chews (my personal fav!). On longer rides, I will sometimes also bring an Uncrustable (PB & Honey flavor). Depending on how I'm feeling, I may also share a banana (bought at a gas station) with my DH.