energy drinks ,snack food

3110neil

Hi guys ,sorry if posted in wrong thread ,as title says ,what does everyone use ,

turnercraig

I'm using these at the moment:

High5 Energy gels
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/High5 ... 360024212/

Clif Bars
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Clif_ ... 360043462/

Ummmmmmmmm nice!

Beardface

Food - Nature Valley Granola bars, harvest/tracker bars, bananas, lucozade tablets (love the taste for some reason, even though its like chalk), chocolate, jelly beans, haribo (tangfastics of course 8) )
Edit - How could I forget clif bars! Mint Choc chip.. tastes just liek a cornetto!

Drinks - Go electrolyte/energy or similar powder mix, Effervescent tablets/sachets, glucose powder, or nothing. Sometimes juice just tastes better.
Usually knock back a can/bottle of lucozade before setting off too.

Wooliferkins

Clif bars and SiS drinks

ride_whenever

the problem is you need to find what works for you, for every suggestion (except for cliff, they're amazing) i can think of people i know who just don't get on with that particular product at all, stomach cramps, bad gas, whatever! Most companies do small one hit sample sachets which are a pretty good, if expensive way of figuring out which ones you get on with.

schlepcycling

I use the summer and winter training formula from these people http://www.allsports-online.co.uk/allsports.cgi

Ridg

High5 because it doesn't contain artificial sweeteners (there are other brands that don't)

joec1

Im a bit of a newb... so use the following...

Cereals before i go out.

then a mix of the "Go" Flapjacks and the apple strudle bars, for early on energy so it releases slowly.

then a gel if im begining to struggle (a bit quicker release)

and the Jelly Bean sports beans. prety much instant energy release...

Nice and bad for the body


Of course you would take all of the in one trip... would depend on how long (time nad distance) you had remaining and what else had been taken

scotto

for a gruelling ride I take L-glutamene before and after, 5 grammes in some water.

Also have the odd red bull 20 minutes beforehand and sometimes a ride bar half way through.

Dazzza

Ride bars are lovely but will melt if left in the jersey.

For on the go energy i love clif shot blocks very easy to digest but in the pocket hmm id say trek bars work for me, good dose of protein and slow release carbs so you don't end up crashing though your ride.

Power bar protein plus are very good as well, i need something with a decent bit of protein as my rides tend to stretch to 6-8 hours easy and find if i don't get enough the old legs really start to groan.

The Northern Monkey

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12572817
and
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12631060

might help

3110neil

Thanks guys ,looks like im sorted for sunday now .

Hercule Q

lucozade bacon sandwiches and mars bars keeps me going all day

The Northern Monkey

Hercule Q wrote:

Cuppa tea, bacon sandwiches and mars bars keeps me going all day

ammended for you

Hercule Q

lol but the tea would have 3 or 4 sugers in it

mingmong

SIS has the edge over High5 in IMHO.

steelo

What duration of riding are we talking about?

A full days XC riding? A couple of hours out on the jumps? Up and down Ben Nevis?

I usually take a banana and a tracker bar (or similar) and some water/squash in the bladder for a 2-3 hour XC ride.

KnightofCydonia

Taut or Gatorade based on both being free of aspartame.

Food wise, i've not really bothered too much yet, I tend to enjoy buying raspberry flapjacks from the places I stop, oaty, chewy and yummy.

Foll Zofalot

Sandwich, Kit Kat Chunky, Bananas, OJ and plenty water. Don't believe in all that 'fancy' over priced superfoods. If your overnighting at a B+B get a slap up breakfast and will keep you going till t time

Nik_B

steelo wrote:

What duration of riding are we talking about?

A full days XC riding? A couple of hours out on the jumps? Up and down Ben Nevis?

I usually take a banana and a tracker bar (or similar) and some water/squash in the bladder for a 2-3 hour XC ride.

I'm the same, don't really go in for all that specially formulated stuff except a recover drink does do the trick after a long ride. I recon unless a rider has zero excess weight why cram in tons of extra calories when you could be burning them off to look healthier.

I am always puzzled at all the energy gel wrappers that litter the side of trail centers like Landegla. Especially on the first hill people can't be out of energy there can they??

Nik_B

steelo wrote:

What duration of riding are we talking about?

A full days XC riding? A couple of hours out on the jumps? Up and down Ben Nevis?

I usually take a banana and a tracker bar (or similar) and some water/squash in the bladder for a 2-3 hour XC ride.

I'm the same, don't really go in for all that specially formulated stuff except a recover drink does do the trick after a long ride. I recon unless a rider has zero excess weight why cram in tons of extra calories when you could be burning them off to look healthier.

I am always puzzled at all the energy gel wrappers that litter the side of trail centers like Landegla. Especially on the first hill people can't be out of energy there can they??

Northwind

i LOOOOOVE Clif Shot blox. They're ace... Gels are OK when you need a massive kick but they're overkill if you just want a wee boost, and you have to eat the all thing. Also, they can be messy- stick a wrapper in your pocket and if there's any left you end up glued to your shorts

TBH you don't need any of this stuff really, if you eat decently before and sensibly during- cereal bars, bananas etc, portable lightweight food for a snack. But it's easier sometimes to just top up when you feel you need it. My basic requirements for a decent ride are just water, dextrosol tablets and bananas but I'd sooner have clif shots, some sort of fruity bar (smaller and less squishy than bananas!), maybe a gel in case I overdo it, and on a really long ride I might throw some sort of water mix in my camelbak- SIS green stuff usually, it's lovely.

Just try some stuff. SIS is easy, Tesco sell a good chunk of their range. Clif Shots come in single packs too, not cheap but ace. Lucozade's new drink powder looks OK too. Or just gatorade or similiar, 50/50 gatorade and water seems to work OK (anything less and it tastes manky)

paul.skibum

2-4 hours I take water over 4 hours I have a fruit snack bar thing and water. Maybe if I was heading into the wilds where shops and stuff were a bit more tricky to find I'd take a wee bit more.

meesterbond

Tea and cake... if it's a long ride, then stop off at a cafe during, if it's not, then after..

Plus water in camelback

And, it it's a real epic, then a hip flask with a cheeky, single malt.

scale20

I cant use the energy gels and drinks, everything comes out of my ass like a flock of starlings after taking it

If I plan on a good day's riding somewhere it's a good breakfast to start with, then its a couple of cheese and ham rolls, Flapjack, and either a couple of mars bars or snickers, does me fine. Then when I'm home propper pig out on some good real hearty grub.

If I plan on doing a quick lap of the marin I don't take owt. I will make sure I've had some grub before going and just have a water bottle on the bike.

scale20

meesterbond wrote:

And, it it's a real epic, then a hip flask with a cheeky, single malt.

Ive done that and I had the pi$$ taken out of me for it.



It was cold at 770m that day

deedeegee

Apologies if this is hijacking the thread but are there any diabetics out there? If so, what adjustments do you make by way of food / insulin intake?

Cheers

Northwind

deedeegee wrote:

Apologies if this is hijacking the thread but are there any diabetics out there? If so, what adjustments do you make by way of food / insulin intake?

I tend to run a bit high... But I'm happy enough just to do that, don't want to go hypo halfway down aonach mor or something So I just do my regular insulin, eat extra food, then if need be do a correction afterwatds (usually at the same time as eating a gigantic cake, or drinking a recovery drink with more carbs in it than a meal...)

But, this is just my approach, it's not neccesarily correct!

Dazzza

Of course most of us don't NEED all this fancy food, most rides i'll be happy with one of those natures finest bars or some malt loaf and some flora, anything up to say 3-4 hours and you'd be fine.

Try stretching those rides into all day epics then you will really see the benefits of these bars, then you require proper food and for me trek bars come very close, bit tough to eat on the go mind but very easy on the stomach.

I have a bag of jelly belly beans sitting here that i really should get rid of, i think a nice long ride is in order.

Hercule Q

Dazzza wrote:

Of course most of us don't NEED all this fancy food, most rides i'll be happy with one of those natures finest bars or some malt loaf and some flora, anything up to say 3-4 hours and you'd be fine.

Try stretching those rides into all day epics then you will really see the benefits of these bars, then you require proper food and for me trek bars come very close, bit tough to eat on the go mind but very easy on the stomach.

I have a bag of jelly belly beans sitting here that i really should get rid of, i think a nice long ride is in order.

i love malt loaf but its a bugger to slice

myopic

Rolls and sausage with brown sauce :P