Anyone else using Zero Extreme electrolyte tabs in water ?

Raffles
Raffles Posts: 1,137
edited February 2013 in Road general
On a recent club run , I was flagging at the end of it and a fellow member suggested trying Zero Extreme with added caffeine as he found they helped him to maintain energy levels. I got a tube from wiggle and a 25% off voucher :D and ill fill my bottle with the electrolyte drink instead of isotonic for saturday outing. Curious to see if anybody else has used the tabs and how they found them.
2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Raffles wrote:
    and ill fill my bottle with the electrolyte drink instead of isotonic for saturday outing.

    electrolyte drinks are isotonic.
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    1z38apy.jpg



    Knew I should have listened harder in science at school
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Raffles wrote:
    On a recent club run , I was flagging at the end of it and a fellow member suggested trying Zero Extreme with added caffeine as he found they helped him to maintain energy levels. I got a tube from wiggle and a 25% off voucher :D and ill fill my bottle with the electrolyte drink instead of isotonic for saturday outing. Curious to see if anybody else has used the tabs and how they found them.

    Well they're free of calories, so have no energy in them whatsoever. They simply help you hydrate and keep your mineral levels correct.
  • Brakeless
    Brakeless Posts: 865
    Raffles wrote:
    On a recent club run , I was flagging at the end of it and a fellow member suggested trying Zero Extreme with added caffeine as he found they helped him to maintain energy levels. I got a tube from wiggle and a 25% off voucher :D and ill fill my bottle with the electrolyte drink instead of isotonic for saturday outing. Curious to see if anybody else has used the tabs and how they found them.


    The reason you're flagging is because your clothing is all cheap shite and the Guys dropping you are all wearing Rapha and Assos and your bike doesn't fit you - they're all riding jig fitted carboitegraphhium frames that cost twenty trillion quid and they all look down on you because your legs are hairy and you're too fat. You can try Zero tablets but if you haven't got the legs then you haven't got the legs.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Yes - but they have caffeine in them which is a stimulant ..
    In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    On the clothing front, I used the 25% voucher from wiggle this morning and picked up a pair of the dhb aeron pro bib shorts which look very tasty and the voucher code meant I got em for 50 quid..........nice :D
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Raffles wrote:
    On the clothing front, I used the 25% voucher from wiggle this morning and picked up a pair of the dhb aeron pro bib shorts which look very tasty and the voucher code meant I got em for 50 quid..........nice :D
    They don't make your legs go up and down any faster though ...
  • cookdn
    cookdn Posts: 410
    No energy in High5 Zero as it is a zero calorie drink. The Xtreme just adds caffeine as a stimulant over the standard tablet

    Doesn't make it bad. I use the standard tablets regularly both on the bike and at the gym as it is quite palatable and noticeably better than plain water. One tablet in a 700ml bottle is strong enough for me, the Berry and Citrus flavours are my favourite.

    ProBikeKit are as good a place as any to get them at £5.53 for the standard (20 tablets) and £5.24 for the xtreme. PBK also have a good deal on Camelbak Podium bottles at £5.03, these are great for the gym as they don't leak in your bag.

    Best regards
    Boardman CX Team
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Slowbike wrote:
    Raffles wrote:
    On the clothing front, I used the 25% voucher from wiggle this morning and picked up a pair of the dhb aeron pro bib shorts which look very tasty and the voucher code meant I got em for 50 quid..........nice :D
    They don't make your legs go up and down any faster though ...

    No? Darn, better send mine back then. Thought my cadence hadn't changed much.

    And caffeine may well be a stimulant, but at some point your body is going to need some fuel.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    How did you get a 25% Wiggle voucher by the way?
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    bernithebiker wrote:
    And caffeine may well be a stimulant, but at some point your body is going to need some fuel.

    Most of us have sufficient fuel onboard already ... it's just a case of converting it ... ;)
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    bernithebiker wrote:
    How did you get a 25% Wiggle voucher by the way?


    bought tub of chamois cream and the tabs last week and they came with the voucher.
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Slowbike wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    And caffeine may well be a stimulant, but at some point your body is going to need some fuel.

    Most of us have sufficient fuel onboard already ... it's just a case of converting it ... ;)

    I use these tabs in the summer* to ward off cramps, (and the caffeine's a little bonus), for rides of up to 2 hours. Beyond that I'm going to need something to eat, be it a gel, a banana or something, otherwise I'll start to flag.

    But I am a skinny runt, so don't have much body fat to fall back on..... :D



    *in the winter just water's fine
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    bernithebiker wrote:
    But I am a skinny runt, so don't have much body fat to fall back on..... :D
    Would you like us all to give you a pound of ours? ;)
  • stephenlinden
    stephenlinden Posts: 66
    Not used the xtreme zero but used the other High5 xtreme and the caffeine makes me a bit hyper :o after a ride (probably because I'd only been out for a couple of hours) and then makes me irritable :cry: afterwards. That's probably just a "normal" reaction to excess caffeine - I'm a tea man, no coffee, so it might affect me more that coffee drinkers.
  • tmg
    tmg Posts: 651
    I tried the xtreme zero when Ribble where giving freebies with orders and they gave me stomach cramps, I use the Zero tabs all the time with no issues
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    stephenlinden wrote:
    Not used the xtreme zero but used the other High5 xtreme and the caffeine makes me a bit hyper :o after a ride (probably because I'd only been out for a couple of hours) and then makes me irritable :cry: afterwards. That's probably just a "normal" reaction to excess caffeine - I'm a tea man, no coffee, so it might affect me more that coffee drinkers.

    Tea does contain caffeine - but about half the levels of that in coffee.

    I think you'd have to swear off caffeine for a week or so in order to get a boost from caffeine. I have a couple of coffees a day and I'm pretty immune to it. i can doze off straight after one.
  • rc856
    rc856 Posts: 1,144
    I've used the Zero tabs on a sportive before. Made me have to stop to pee sooo many times it wasn't funny.
    Converted back to my old choice of Nuun tablets which don't give me that problem but hydrate me.
    I drink a lot so have one bottle with energy (PSP22) and Nuun in the other.
    Whether it works or not, I would struggle to drink plain water.
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    you can read at a lot of sources that not enough hydration and your leg strength whistles cheerio to you. the ride i referred to in the opening post lasted about 3 hours and i think i only consumed about 1 litre of fluid, maybe its no surprise that my legs were cooked. my reason for buying the tabs was to see if they get the right amount of hydration to where i need it most and ill find out on saturday.
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    If you like the flavour you're more inclined to drink ... :)
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    Raffles wrote:
    you can read at a lot of sources that not enough hydration and your leg strength whistles cheerio to you. the ride i referred to in the opening post lasted about 3 hours and i think i only consumed about 1 litre of fluid, maybe its no surprise that my legs were cooked. my reason for buying the tabs was to see if they get the right amount of hydration to where i need it most and ill find out on saturday.

    :lol: Yes, February is indeed the time of year when a litre of water in 3 hours just isn't enough.

    FFS
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    Raffles wrote:
    you can read at a lot of sources that not enough hydration and your leg strength whistles cheerio to you. the ride i referred to in the opening post lasted about 3 hours and i think i only consumed about 1 litre of fluid, maybe its no surprise that my legs were cooked. my reason for buying the tabs was to see if they get the right amount of hydration to where i need it most and ill find out on saturday.

    :lol: Yes, February is indeed the time of year when a litre of water in 3 hours just isn't enough.

    FFS


    Sorry, I forgot you are Chuck Norris :roll:
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • pride4ever
    pride4ever Posts: 510
    O.P. get some interval training done. No fancy-Dan electrolyte can replace brutal eye bulging HIT training.
    the deeper the section the deeper the pleasure.
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    Had my first experience of calf twinges / cramps during the final 3rd of a 65 mile ride today. Felt like an elastic band going off and gave me a fright, I thought I'd torn a muscle.

    I'd drunk 1 x 500ml bottle to that point but had a few gins last night and didn't have much water before I set off so am hoping it was just dehydration and not a more serious muscle problem.
    Should Zero tablets (or something similar) and a better approach to hydration help keep the twinges at bay in future ?
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    bobbydazzla wrote:
    Had my first experience of calf twinges / cramps during the final 3rd of a 65 mile ride today. Felt like an elastic band going off and gave me a fright, I thought I'd torn a muscle.

    I'd drunk 1 x 500ml bottle to that point but had a few gins last night and didn't have much water before I set off so am hoping it was just dehydration and not a more serious muscle problem.
    Should Zero tablets (or something similar) and a better approach to hydration help keep the twinges at bay in future ?
    They worked for me. Used to get calf muscle cramps when pushing hard at the end of the 20km ride in Sprint tris.

    Using Zero (or similar) seems to have cured that.
  • rc856
    rc856 Posts: 1,144
    Nuun tabs get my vote :)
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    Raffles wrote:
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    Raffles wrote:
    you can read at a lot of sources that not enough hydration and your leg strength whistles cheerio to you. the ride i referred to in the opening post lasted about 3 hours and i think i only consumed about 1 litre of fluid, maybe its no surprise that my legs were cooked. my reason for buying the tabs was to see if they get the right amount of hydration to where i need it most and ill find out on saturday.

    :lol: Yes, February is indeed the time of year when a litre of water in 3 hours just isn't enough.

    FFS


    Sorry, I forgot you are Chuck Norris :roll:

    I suspect your problem is that you're losing 90% of the water you drink through p!ssing yourself with fear every time you take one hand off the handlebars.

    Regardless, if your legs are "cooked" after 3 hours of riding in February after you've consumed a litre of water, then its because you're sh!t, not because you're dehydrated. Hope this helps.
  • stephenlinden
    stephenlinden Posts: 66
    I tried them on Saturday. As I set off in drizzle and it was freezing cold, I only managed 12 miles so it's probably not really the sort of trip to test whether they help. I think a ride of more than an hour is needed :)

    It was berry flavour and tasted OK if that's any help.

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