Best chocolate coated energy bars?

rodgers73

I'm not a fan of Powerbars or ones that are pure sugary stuff. I prefer a chocolate coated bar instead - can anyone recommend a good brand?

Also, I recall eating a bar that was a sort of mashed up dried fruit concoction but have no idea what it was. It was definitely a mainstream brand though - any ideas??

apreading

zipvit ones are nice - chocolate orange are yummy.

andy46

I've never bothered with energy bars, gels or drinks. Do they really make that much difference?

I also have to be careful what I eat as I have a nut allergy.

Herbsman

andy46 wrote:

I've never bothered with energy bars, gels or drinks. Do they really make that much difference?

No.

ShutUpLegs

Herbsman wrote:

andy46 wrote:

I've never bothered with energy bars, gels or drinks. Do they really make that much difference?

No.

I agree

Pedalling harder does though.

adm1

I think energy drinks, bars, gels etc DO make a difference - but only on long rides where you need to keep fuelled. They probably make no difference at all for anything under 2 hours, but for all day sessions they are very useful.

Of course, eating bananas, fruit, flapjacks etc does exactly the same thing.

In any case, I like the "9 Bars" which are basically seeds and nuts, topped with carob instead of chocolate. Pretty tasty. Also the "Clif Bars" are good.

nferrar

Zipvit & Clif here, although I tend to use gels + energy drink and then normal food for solid stuff. Agree that under 2 hours it's not worth having specific stuff, over that though and it's difficult to keep getting enough energy from just normal foods (if you're working at a decent rate anyway) and energy foods are usually a fair bit easier to carry and have longer shelf lives than other stuff so can be less hassle.

danowat

adm1 wrote:

I think energy drinks, bars, gels etc DO make a difference

Of course, eating bananas, fruit, flapjacks etc does exactly the same thing.

Contradiction?

Outside of racing, energy drinks, bars and gels are a waste, when "normal" food sources are perfectly adequete and cheaper.

Herbsman

Pfft


Your all talking rubbish

Everyone knows food intake has no effect on exercise

Grill

What type of bar are you looking for? An energy bar for rides, a protein bar to keep you full, an MRP bar, or a recovery bar? Ingredients and nutrition are all going to be different depending on which you want.

adm1

danowat wrote:

adm1 wrote:

I think energy drinks, bars, gels etc DO make a difference

Of course, eating bananas, fruit, flapjacks etc does exactly the same thing.

Contradiction?

That depends - not a contradiction if you are comparing them to not eating anything (as I meant), but would be contradictory if compared to eating "normal" food.

Outside of racing, energy drinks, bars and gels are a waste, when "normal" food sources are perfectly adequete and cheaper.

I don't disagree. Normal food sources are indeed perfectly adequate. Gels and bars and energy drinks can be more convenient though. Personally, on long rides I make sure to fuel up well with porridge and bananas first, I normally carry bananas and flapjacks which get eaten earlier in the ride, and then a few energy gels for the late stages. Bananas and flapjacks get a bit manky after five hours in a jersey pocket :-)

HonestAl

If you're interested in recovery bars, SIS Build bars are delicious IMO. Far from cheap, but great. Can't help but agree about the points being made regarding just eating normal stuff while riding. That said, I'm tend to carry the odd gel in case I feel cream crackered. I rarely feel the need to actually squirt them down my throat (only ride recreationally, and typically not much more than 50-60 miles so I'm not burning energy and muscle like it's going out of fashion) but nice and reassuring to have them there

TheEnglishman

I got suckered into buying a selection of ones from Lidl while getting a stand. They were cheap. Not actually eaten one yet.

apreading

New flavour Clif bars to try tomorrow - looking forward to the white choc & macadamia in particular...!

Grill

apreading wrote:

New flavour Clif bars to try tomorrow - looking forward to the white choc & macadamia in particular...!

They're good, but they still haven't brought over the good flavors. Chocolate Almond Fudge, Black Cherry Almond, Carrot Cake, and Cool Mint Chocolate are where it's at. Whenever I'm back in the States I stock up.

anto164

TBH, whether energy bars/gels actually work is a whole big argument..

All i know that was eating a Jordans musli bar then a Torq gel before each long climb helped me climb the long climbs of today. (ride today was 6 hr long.)

ShutUpLegs

Muscle fibre alone won't get you up those hills

TheEnglishman

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Muscle fibre alone won't get you up those hills

Nor will the best chocolate coated energy bar!

Herbsman

When it comes to gels do you guys spit or swallow? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15570147



(although... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19827464 )

edhornby

is the simplest option to just make your own?? porridge oats, mixed fruit, bind with honey and butter, in the oven for 20mins

if you want chocolate coated, melt a bit in a pan then dribble on the top when cooling....

racingcondor

Damn that went off topic fast.

OP - Try ZipVit's uncoated chocolate. As the name suggests it's not chocolate coated because it's a chocolaty goo itself. Nice though (unless it's a really hot day. No danger there then since you're in the UK) and less of a 'freeze dried fluff' texture than many bars.

Frank the tank

In reply to the OP.

Maxim bars I found agreeable and they're also made with a yogurt coating, also nice. Personal taste though.