Energy drinks/foods

[arryb]

I'm going to start some proper training in the next week or 2 in the build up to hopefully doing some road racing/TTs in the summer. What would people recommend by way of energy bars/drinks - do they work? If so, what is recommended and where can I buy it?

Thanks in advance, Arry.

[Parrot of Doom]

They really are a bit of a waste of money. Water is what you need, and if you want food then a banana or a bit of cake is enough. If you sweat a lot of salt, just eat something salty.

Personally I find it's more important to eat the right foods after your ride, like protein.

[ewenm]

If you're in Bath at the moment, pop into Running Bath and have a look at the SIS products. The guys in the shop know what they're talking about.

[JPJ]

It does depend on the sort of distances you intend to cover - I wouldn't normally bother with energy drinks/gels/bars for less than a 2 hour normal/training ride, although would have bottles of energy drink for a 2hr XC race.

SIS stuff is good but has a bad effect on my stomach. I have found Torq to be a lot easier on the insides, and their gels are actually really nice and don't have the consistency of frogspawn. For more solid food, try Mule Bars which are natural and really nicely flavoured and aren't too dry or chewy.

[sjg]

I like Torq - their bars are the most palatable (the pineapple and ginger ones are ace). Generally don't bother with them or energy drinks unless I'll be out for 2+ hours though, but tend to keep a gel stashed away just in case I start flagging. For group rides it's Haribo all the way though

For triathlons I'll have energy bars and gels for the cycle bit just to keep me going through that and the run!

Edited by sjg on Monday 19th January 13:37

[arryb]

ewenm said:

If you're in Bath at the moment, pop into Running Bath and have a look at the SIS products. The guys in the shop know what they're talking about.

Thanks ewenm, still here so will pop in next week and have a chat with them. I'm only thinking about 40mile+ rides where that extra bit of energy might come in handy but I've never tried them so don't really know whether they work or not?

[AbarthChris]

Parrot of Doom said:

They really are a bit of a waste of money. Water is what you need, and if you want food then a banana or a bit of cake is enough. If you sweat a lot of salt, just eat something salty.

Personally I find it's more important to eat the right foods after your ride, like protein.

Sorry POD, I dont mean to be rude but bks they're a waste of money.

They're only a waste of money if you're not doing enough activity to use up what can be ingested through normal food. Having the carb powder in a drink does mean that you can ride longer and harder than on just pure water - there has been many studies conducted, all proving this pretty conclusively.

Having used a lot of SIS products last year (3000 miles in 4 months training for and riding LEJOG) I can vouch that they work, but the bars are incredibly chewy and after a few you will feel physically sick at the thought of another. The gels are good, if you're flagging a bit, then they provide an instant hit, esp if you buy the caffeine gels.

Having spoken to Torq at the london cycle show, I will be using Torq stuff from now on, it just seems to be a bit easier to stomach, although i will know more when I start using them in anger.

Having said that, you cant go wrong with either SIS or Torq

[Parrot of Doom]

Right, so if these energy bars and drinks are providing your body with important nutrients, then why not just carry food that does the same job?

I can't help but remain cynical about the claims made by such products.

[AbarthChris]

Parrot of Doom said:

Right, so if these energy bars and drinks are providing your body with important nutrients, then why not just carry food that does the same job?

I can't help but remain cynical about the claims made by such products.

Its the concentration/combination of said nutrients in a package thats easy to carry / consume and enters the body quickly that makes these worthwhile.

Yes, you can get the nutrients from normal food obviously, but what would you rather do when you're on a 100 miler, carry a bag of cold pasta or a couple of gels and bars that give you the carbs you need plus the electrolytes needed to replenish those lost through sweat?

[Parrot of Doom]

Well that's fair enough I suppose, but I'd probably still want to carry the food instead. The price of some of these bars bears little relation to their worth.

[sjg]

The Torq bars are £1.24 each if you buy in 24s (and that includes delivery), or they're often at the shows and give a discount on that. Or under a quid each if you club together with a couple of other people and buy a few boxes. I don't think that's bad value really.

[AbarthChris]

Parrot of Doom said:

Well that's fair enough I suppose, but I'd probably still want to carry the food instead. The price of some of these bars bears little relation to their worth.

I normally carry food too, if im out mtb'ing ill just have a camelbak full of water and a few flapjacks banana's etc, but for longer endurance rides, or road rides where space is limited, the bars and powders are really good.

especially when you blow up 20 miles from home

[Parrot of Doom]

Fair enough. The most I ever did on my road bike was about 60 miles, average was around 30. I tend to get saddle-sore before my legs run out of puff

For any bike geeks, it was (and still is, it's up in the loft) a late 80s Mercian frame with Reynolds tubing, a mix of Ultegra and 105, and Mavic rims.