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| Author: | FatWhat? [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:20 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Gels, powders etc |
i'm riding the evil road bike more and more tacking on longer miles. The 45 miler last week locked up my legs in the last two miles. Any recomendations for gels that people like? I don't really want to put powders or what not in my bottles due to cleaning and the fact that I go through a lot of water. more Any reason to go with one brand over another? Me being me I'm looking for the cheapest 
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| Author: | TrailBurner [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
Gu is my favorite. Vanilla and Strawberry. Fortunately I got a brick of the stuff for Christmas! Also, when I do road rides and I feel suffering coming with 10 miles or so left, a Coke Big Gulp always does the trick. |
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| Author: | FatWhat? [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:51 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
TrailBurner wrote: Coke Big Gulp always does the trick. I'll save my empty calories for beer but I'll keep that one in mind too. |
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| Author: | TrailBurner [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
Yeah, I never usually drink sugared soda, but after an occasional long slog on the road I treat myself. Ice-cold Coke never tasted so good. |
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| Author: | OldDogDan [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
I haven't tried a whole lot of things, because I tend to stick with what seems to work for me. I don't like gels as much as the Clif Shot Bloks. They are less messy, and don't upset my stomach. I hate seeing gel packet trash along the road or trail. You can cut open the end of a Shot Blok tube in advance, then easily retrieve it from a jersey pocket to squeeze out one or two, and put the tube back. I like the Black Cherry flavor, which contains caffeine. |
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| Author: | evdog [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 7:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
May not be quite what you are looking for, but I have found recently that the Camelbak elixir tablets work really well for fending off cramps. It is similar to a powder you'd put in a bottle except its in an easy to use tab. On a ride before xmas I was starting to cramp up and downed half a bottle of this stuff, cramps went away and never came back. If cleaning the bottles is an issue you could always re-use a gatorade bottle and just recycle it after. I have not found cleaning to be an issue as this stuff cleans out easily. |
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| Author: | b5driver [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:06 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
I've had really good luck with with Honey Stinger chews and skratch labs drink mix. On road rides my quads used to cramp up pretty bad towards the end of the ride but I haven't had to many problems since I switched. I've also found that if I stay hydrated the day before and eat well then there is less cramping. |
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| Author: | Valley Boy [ Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
For electrolyte replacement and cramp avoidance I've used those dissolving tablets in my camelback. I've used a bunch of different brands. Camalback Elixir, Nathan, Nuun, Hammer Endurolytes, and a couple others. They all work. No post ride headaches or cramping. A post ride 16oz water with one tablet is a good ride chaser to keep cramps away later too. Potassium, Sodium, and a bunch of vitamins is what they are. And cleanup is no issue because I make sure to get tablets with no sugar. Just rinse with water is good. For energy on the trail it's cliff shots and cliff bars. Yum! |
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| Author: | K2Brandon [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
I like the hammer endurolytes too and and the stinger waffles. Also, if I know I'm going for a big ride I'll drink pickle juice. Sounds weird but it's worked for me on a few 55 mile charity rides. Good luck. |
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| Author: | KingOfTheHill [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:30 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
Hammer Endurolyte tablets, Stinger waffles and AccelGel in orange, vanilla and lime. Just H2O in the pack. On really long rides I'll load a 24 oz bottle with one scoop Accelerade/1 scoop Heed. I know may don't like Accelerade but it works for me. It's really just a matter of trying out different things to figure out what you like, sits well and works for you. But different stuff at REI in single packs to try - if you buy 12 or more you get 15 or 20% off and you can mix-n-match. |
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| Author: | DannyHuynh [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:42 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
sport beans and shot bloks |
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| Author: | DWill [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
There no magic fix. Hydration is the key. Hydrate well the night before and stay hydrated well all day. Someone mentioned elixir tabs which are actually pretty good as they don't contain a lot of sugar but they do have a good amount of electrolytes. Other than that water is the best thing to drink, much better than gatoraid and sports drinks, which is pretty much all sugar. Sugar is great for a quick energy boost, though it won't last long. If you replace fluid (water) and some of the electrolytes cramps will become less of an issue. That is assuming you are in good enough physical condition to handle the workload you're attempting. |
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| Author: | random walk [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
For energy I use maltodextrin powder dissolved in a water bottle. You can make it pretty concentrated (1 cup is about 400 calories) and it still dissolves completely. I buy the big jars of Carbo Gain (e.g. from Amazon), but you can buy malto in bulk from a few places online, including food supply and home brew stores. Ballast Point in Linda Vista carries it but it's cheaper to buy bigger quantities. For electrolytes I was using Nuun tablets, but switched to a mix of table salt & Lo Salt (the latter has potassium and sodium). My highly scientific mix of 3 pinches of tables salt and 1 pinch of Lo Salt in a 24-oz. water bottle gives you about the same Na & K content as a 24-oz. Gatorade, without the sugar or artificial sweeteners. Bonus: it tastes like the sweat you're losing! So I figure how many calories I want to consume during a ride, add the right amount of malto powder to 1 or 2 bottles, add the salts, and meter that out over the duration of the ride. Of course I wash it down with a lot of plain water from my hydration pack. I don't mind the bland, salty taste, but it can be improved with a couple drops of flavored syrup like Mio. |
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| Author: | J.A.M. [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
Skratch Labs drink mix. It's a lot less sweet tasting. Cliff other products, gels, blocks, bars. Cliff drink mix is second. Gell mix can be bought in large bottles to fill a gell flask. There is no trash and you can dilute the mix with a flask. |
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| Author: | Canaan [ Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gels, powders etc |
I used to like Gookinaid but it was more trouble to find than it was worth. Heed by Hammer Endurance is a similar product and it worked well for me. |
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