energy gels, are they any good?

aripallaris

came across a few in my local GNC and wondered whether they were any good. seems a lot of riders use them. ive often used supplements for gym training (proteins, energy drinks etc), so wondered if these little compacts where a decent thing to have in my bike bag.

if they are what do you recommend?

ari

optimisticbiker

Yes they are... i'm a recent convert and the energy hit is pretty good... better than a banana! You have to try a few to find ones that work for you and taste ok. I use torqgel, they have some great flavours - i adore the rhubarb and custard one, tho sadly its one that few stock, the black cherry yoghurt is nice too..

aripallaris

sounds cool, ive often taken MRI's black powder which is a seriously strong energy powder that premixes into water (gym based). wonder how these stack up. ill try find a single sachet in store. do you mix these with water or tear and munch?

optimisticbiker

tear and suck while squeezing... its a bit of an art one handed but i've just about mastered it... then wash down with drink.. I use SIS Go drink at 70g/litre

Variado

I keep a couple with me in the bike bag just in case, they're lightweight and good to have if i've not eaten properly, the energy levels drop, and there are a few miles left to get home - delivers a nice quick burst of energy to avoid struggling back in the face of an impending bonk.

I wouldn't use them as a regular cycling food though, too sweet and i'd prefer a banana/flapjack - strictly emergency fuel.

richVSrich

well i've signed up to london to brighton for this year..

ive only recently gotten into cycling and never cycled that far before (did 24 miles on sunday hungover which i though was decent :P )

so would these things be a good thing to have with me? how should i eat in the evening / in the morning before the ride?

cheers!

Blandiblub

They work well for me - but I'm doing lots of running at the mo. Can't imagine cycling use being much different though.

I'm gonna be in the throng leaving Blackheath on Sunday - the London Marathon. Will probably use 2 or 3 gels during my 26.2 miles (over about 4 hours). Not much more than that as they can upset your stomach (too much sugar, etc).

The Lucozade ones are very, very 'treacle' like - you need to take with water to wash them down. You can get SIS ones (which I prefer) which have more water content (more volume though so still good for energy) so you don't necessarily need a drink with them. The blackcurrant flavour tastes like children's medicine, which can either be a good or bad thing...

Pross

Yes. They've got me the last few miles home on a few tough club runs lately and the speed they work at is impressive. I also used them on a recent 20 mile mountain walk. They can be very messy though, one split open on me while I was biting the top off it - not pleasant! Save them until late on though.

MarcBC

I tried the free one that came with a Wiggle order on my first sportive last weekend. It was blackcurrent flavour apparently.

I do not know if it worked but it certainly burst out of the wrapper, tasted revolting, made my fingers, hands and anything I touched very sticky.

I will stay with energy bars I think.

phillipjohnson

They are good but I would take the advice on the box with a pinch of salt... the advice on mine says to take one every 15 mins... no way... I would go more for maybe one an hour in the second half of a ride... so if I go out all day I would only have maybe four on the afternoon. I would have other stuff as well though.

I wouldn't use them on a commute... overkill... just get a bag of haribos and have a couple.

phillipjohnson

They are good but I would take the advice on the box with a pinch of salt... the advice on mine says to take one every 15 mins... no way... I would go more for maybe one an hour in the second half of a ride... so if I go out all day I would only have maybe four on the afternoon. I would have other stuff as well though.

I wouldn't use them on a commute... overkill... just get a bag of haribos and have a couple.

Cleat Eastwood

you can also get sporty jelly beans which are much more portable and have the same amount of energy as a gel

see Here

aripallaris

love jelly beans will get some no doubt.

optimisticbiker i found some single sachets and tried the forest fruits flavour. all i can say is that it tasted horrible. so bitter not pleasant at all. ive also got the cherry flavour hopefully thatll taste better.

as a tester i tried it before my gym session this evening to see if it really gave me an energy injection. to be honest i felt only a small amount that depleted very very quickly. not massively impressed although i am used to stronger MRI's black powder. i think i might just get a few MRI sachets instead.

optimisticbiker

aripallaris wrote:

love jelly beans will get some no doubt.

optimisticbiker i found some single sachets and tried the forest fruits flavour. all i can say is that it tasted horrible. so bitter not pleasant at all. ive also got the cherry flavour hopefully thatll taste better.

as a tester i tried it before my gym session this evening to see if it really gave me an energy injection. to be honest i felt only a small amount that depleted very very quickly. not massively impressed although i am used to stronger MRI's black powder. i think i might just get a few MRI sachets instead.

Each to their own, as they say YMMV (your mileage might vary). To me the strawberry one tastes like cough medicine and the orange one is too sweet, but the rhubarb & custard tastes ... well, like rhubard & custard. I've tried some of the other brands and found no kick from them at all. I take one at about every hour of my longer rides.


@Blandiblub - good luck for Sunday, I ran it twice a few years back in around 4hr30... it was a wonderful experience...

mtb-idle

you shouldn't need them whilst commuting but can be useful on longer rides

cjcp

Blandiblub wrote:

I'm gonna be in the throng leaving Blackheath on Sunday - the London Marathon. Will probably use 2 or 3 gels during my 26.2 miles (over about 4 hours). Not much more than that as they can upset your stomach (too much sugar, etc).

Good luck on Sunday. Fwiw, I used Squeezy gels (bought them off Wiggle) and took one just before the start and then one every 30 mins throughout the run. On its face, it seems excessive, but I can't run and eat solid food - just get stomach cramps at that pace (can just about stomach a little bit of banana).

I don't need to take them that regularly when on the bike as you don't burn as much energy in the 30 min period, and I can also eat solid food on the bike. But the gels are brilliant for me on the bike, too - huge help on the Marmotte last year. As said above, they work very quickly.

stevie_90210

I use the High 5 energy plus and rate them quite highly:

http://www.discount-supplements.co.uk/s ... 0ml-sachet

davmaggs

Make sure you try them out before any events as they can react badly and cause 'digestive' problems.

Also if you are just using the gym or doing some commuting then they aren't required at all.

You'll often see people in gyms with energy drinks killing themselves on caridio machines trying to burn off weight whilst drinking more calories than they are expending.

stevie_90210

davmaggs wrote:

Make sure you try them out before any events as they can react badly and cause 'digestive' problems.

Also if you are just using the gym or doing some commuting then they aren't required at all.

You'll often see people in gyms with energy drinks killing themselves on caridio machines trying to burn off weight whilst drinking more calories than they are expending.

+1 Yes I agree with all of that, but of course it depends on how long and hilly your commute is. I use one for commuting home as it's a 20 mile route and very hilly.

Sanderville

davmaggs wrote:

Also if you are just using the gym or doing some commuting then they aren't required at all.

Definitely right, but some days I'm just so knackered after work I'll have a SiS Go Bar twenty minutes before setting off and the difference it makes is amazing. I know I'm eating as many calories as I'm burning but sometimes an unassisted ride home is just too grim a prospect.

aripallaris

davmaggs wrote:

You'll often see people in gyms with energy drinks killing themselves on caridio machines trying to burn off weight whilst drinking more calories than they are expending.

very true, but fear not i dont take supplements because of hype. ive trained solidly for 8years and go beyond the general gym goers normal regime. thought it would be an interesting test to try these at the gym purely because the last month ive been on a cutting regime. which means extremely low carb intake. In theory taking one of these energy drinks (being carb heavy) should give me a quick energy release at the start then a slow prolonged release after the initial buzz. personally for me i didnt feel they worked too well but i am used to much stronger stimulants like black powder. None the less im sure they will work for most. will keep trying till i find something i like, always good to have something in the reserve sack.

Sanderville

After reading all this last night I used the free ZipVit gel that came with my last Wiggle order before I set off. I was absolutlely flying home!