Eating cheaply on the move

VintageGt

Hi guys,

I'm a regular rider doing around 150 miles a week and have long used SIS bars for energy whilst riding. On a good ride I can, at times, eat two bars and whilst they do work for me, they aren't cheap. These tend to be around a quid a pop and I've seen some riders take their own food wrapped in foil, usually malt loaf etc..

Just wondered if you guys had any advice on what's best to take for consumption on the move to avoid the expense of bars or gels?

Thanks folks.

walsht1105

I have McVities Chocolate HobNob Flapjacks > £1-£1.20 for 5, 150 calories each... I like the taste of them, a bit of a treat to be fair, they work for me.

Herbsman

Soreen.

Herbsman

Bananas.

orbeaorca

I just check the cereal bars in Tesco and see what they have on offer and grab a couple of boxes , they suit me fine on rides up to 100 miles.

amaferanga

Soreen. Soreen Go bars. Whatever muesli bars are cheap in Asda/Aldi. Jam and peanut butter sandwiches for longer rides (4 hours +). I never buy energy bars and only use gels in races when its usually impossible to actually eat anything solid.

Herbsman

Sliced potatoes.

styxd

150 miles per week. How many miles per ride? If its only a short ride of about 40miles or less you should be ok without any food, aslong as you've eaten ok before hand.

getprg

50 miles plus I carry a Topeak Tribag lined with foil and filled with about 5 slices of fruit malt loaf (Soreen) - about 80p a loaf.

I buy the sliced loaf and cut each slice into quarters (mouthful size) - makes eating on the bike really easy - no wrappers to remove or rear pockets to fiddle with - just dip in for a mouthful when you need it. Increase the quantity for longer rides.

NB - if you get the tri bag with the waterproof flap it doubles as the battery carrier for those cheap magic shine lamps on wet winter commutes.

VintageGt

Thanks to all, some good suggestions there.

@styxd. I do go without food on normal 40 milers but can get upto and above 70 miles on a weekend and some 50+ milers on evening rides and find that in order to get out to make the best of the daylight I don't have time to eat well prior to that as I rarely get in from work before 5 and couldn't eat a meal and then head straight out so, most of the time, eating on the move is my only option.

VintageGt

getprg wrote:

50 miles plus I carry a Topeak Tribag lined with foil and filled with about 5 slices of fruit malt loaf (Soreen) - about 80p a loaf.

I buy the sliced loaf and cut each slice into quarters (mouthful size) - makes eating on the bike really easy - no wrappers to remove or rear pockets to fiddle with - just dip in for a mouthful when you need it. Increase the quantity for longer rides.

NB - if you get the tri bag with the waterproof flap it doubles as the battery carrier for those cheap magic shine lamps on wet winter commutes.

Cutting up into bits, great idea, pretty obvious really but I never thought of it!

getprg

Cutting up into bits, great idea, pretty obvious really but I never thought of it!

I think you could do the same with sandwiches, sausage rolls or pork pies - should be able to party on the bike and get some advantage from burning all those calories!

VintageGt

getprg wrote:

Cutting up into bits, great idea, pretty obvious really but I never thought of it!

I think you could do the same with sandwiches, sausage rolls or pork pies - should be able to party on the bike and get some advantage from burning all those calories!

Haha, yeah, if I ate a pork pie or a sausage roll I'd be popping rennies for 70 mile, never mind chunks of soreen!

Herbsman

I take it you can't eat at work? I am lucky enough to be able to eat all day while I'm at work so I don't need to afterwards

redvee

Herbsman wrote:

Soreen.

+

Herbsman wrote:

Bananas.

paggnr

Bananas in Australia cost more than energy bars at the moment :shock: :shock:

christurbo

Tesco Value Cereal Bars - 61p for a box of 6, work a treat for me.

tincaman

Aldi have flapjack bars at 49p, each bar is 110grams and 450 calories, one bar good for 50 miles?

VintageGt

Herbsman wrote:

I take it you can't eat at work? I am lucky enough to be able to eat all day while I'm at work so I don't need to afterwards

Well, there's no rule to say I can't but being an electrician I'm in dirty, dusty environments a lot and rarely have any way of heating anything up so whilst I could snack on the move with the likes of bananas, malt loaf and such, the most I could do as regard to anything substantial would be a pot noodle maybe or some cold pasta which I'm not overly keen on.

VintageGt

tincaman wrote:

Aldi have flapjack bars at 49p, each bar is 110grams and 450 calories, one bar good for 50 miles?

A few people have mentioned some bargains to be had at Aldi, will have to have a look.

mattshrops

aldi "musli".(correct spelling) bars

tesco liquorice twists- 3 sweets = 23g carbs. 100g sweets=73g carbs-pretty good find that one

rdt

getprg wrote:

50 miles plus I carry a Topeak Tribag lined with foil and filled with about 5 slices of fruit malt loaf (Soreen) - about 80p a loaf.

getprg, do your knees hit the Tribag when climbing out of the saddle?

thegibdog

Might try the tesco cereal bars, I've been using the flapjack myself but I think it's probably a bit high on fat:
http://www.tesco.com/superstore/xpi/4/xpi50523244.htm

redvee

paggnr wrote:

Bananas in Australia cost more than energy bars at the moment :shock: :shock:

Don't they grow in Australia? I know I ate fresh fruit on the roadside and thought bananas were amongst the samples.

rdt

Asda and Tesco do their own malt loaves for 28p.

Not tasted them but have heard the Asda one is fine.
http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/c ... uId=458671

redvee

Mozza's malt loaf is similarly priced and tastes like Soreen but squidges more when you cut it.

furrag

I use oat bars sometimes. They're okay.

I usually take a Soreen maltloaf with me though. 79p for 1. Fantastic. Bizarrely I always recover much quicker too having eaten one on a ride.

ut_och_cykla

Someone here suggested Nigellas breakfast bars a while ago. I've experimented - first efforts were like concrete in the cold but mixing everything in a blender with a bit of dark chocolate to an unpleasant looking mess made really good tasting easily eaten bars at about 240 kcal per piece. Jam or dried ham sarnies (white bread no butter) also work very well, fig rolls etc.

SBezza

VintageGt wrote:

Herbsman wrote:

I take it you can't eat at work? I am lucky enough to be able to eat all day while I'm at work so I don't need to afterwards

Well, there's no rule to say I can't but being an electrician I'm in dirty, dusty environments a lot and rarely have any way of heating anything up so whilst I could snack on the move with the likes of bananas, malt loaf and such, the most I could do as regard to anything substantial would be a pot noodle maybe or some cold pasta which I'm not overly keen on.

A banana before the evening rides would be fine, no real need for anything else, unless you really haven't eaten anything during the day.

I just use snickers and cheapy energy bars from Decathlon, or if I have run out of those, some cheapy ones from a supermarket.

Cleat Eastwood

redvee wrote:

paggnr wrote:

Bananas in Australia cost more than energy bars at the moment :shock: :shock:

Don't they grow in Australia? I know I ate fresh fruit on the roadside and thought bananas were amongst the samples.

It;s actually illegal to bring bananas into oz weirdly enough; fear of insect things o something.

For a savoury snakck these are excellent, pack full of win...

dr lams rice cakes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UiuqIWGe_s

redvee

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

It;s actually illegal to bring bananas into oz weirdly enough; fear of insect things o something.

Yup, had to go through the red channel when I entered Australia as I had a few Kit Kats in my hand luggage when I did the world tour 15 years ago.My first encounter with Australian officialdom and I had to keep a straight face when I saw him in shorts, shoes and knee length white socks.