Caffeine-free drink for during ride?

Zippy
Zippy Posts: 189
I'm out on my bike across the fields for six hours at a time – at a leisurely pace.

I would drink plain water while out (and beg refills at an allotment-garden and an English Heritage stately pile that happen to be on my route). But my thorough tiredness seemed to indicate I needed something better. So I went on to one bidon of flat Lucozade to one of water. Suspecting that I could do better than Lucozade, though, I posted on BRadar; and a number of replies pointed me the way of Holland & Barrett.

I tried their 'Body Fortress'-brand 'Iso Energy' and it seems to do the trick; but have since noticed in the small print that it contains caffeine, which I would rather do without.

Can anyone recommend a drink, preferably inexpensive, that replaces the salts lost in sweating and gives a mild energy-boost, please? Equally, I would be very happy to entertain suggestions as to what to drink before, during and after a ride – all caffeine-free, note.

Thank you.

Zip'.

Comments

  • Isotonic drinks don't contain any caffeine by definition. fact.

    Now that I've got a min from playing PS3 :lol:

    Have a read here... might help.
    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12572817
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I think I have seen a drink advertised as Isotonic having caffeine in as a 'flavouring'.
  • Humm.. well according to the standards set by the BDA isotonic drinks can't contain caffeine.

    As caffeine is a diuretic, it would stop any benefits of what an isotonic drink is supposed to do... therefore its not isotonic.

    Its kinda naughty that though... a sports drink is regarded as being isotonic. They actually call the caffeine drink "sport focus". Possibly a loophole somewhere.

    Would be interesting to see what my Nutrition lecturer has to say on this!!
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    bigbenj_08
    Please follow this up. :twisted:
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    16mg/l is fairly low I suppose.

    The Expert Opinion section has a vid though I have not seen it.
  • yea thats what I was thinking.

    Kinda makes it pointless though... my dissertation was on glucose and caffeine drinks. I've looked a hundreds of journals documenting the affect of caffeine on the CNS and cognition.

    I ended up using 75mg of caffeine per 250ml water in my testing, as that was around the normal for those types of study (unless they were repeated doses),
  • ok so from what I can see... its again a difference in opinion between the UK and the USA. Our standards say that isotonic drink don't contain caffeine, USA can be with or without.

    There are no legal areas set by the UK food standards agency with regards to sport drink definitions.
    Within sport, the definitions are set by the British Dietetics Association, but the guidelines have no legal obligations.
  • FSR Si
    FSR Si Posts: 147
    I use Gatorade when i'm out riding, doesn't have any caffeine in it, its a still drink, not over flavoured, and doesn't taste powdery like some of the "sports drinks"

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_ ... n_gatorade
    My Rides......91 GT Talera SingleSpeed, 97 Klein pulse race, 2010 Boardman HT Pro
  • Ditch Witch
    Ditch Witch Posts: 837
    1. caffeine is actually not that diuretic. For example, in tea and coffee, the water taken in is far more than that expelled by the caffeine's diuretic properties. However, more caffeine than that might be worse.

    2. caffeine is proving to be a very good sport drink for short term performance boosts. Don't discount it completely.

    3. Try something like PSP:

    http://www.cyclelane.co.uk/products.php ... 1760&rs=gb

    You can even get deals occasionally where you get a bottle and a sample of their performance, recovery, gels and snack bars. I use it for triathlon and it's good gear. I have found it to upset my tum if I drink too much of it, though, so I always take it and water for long rides.
    I ride like a girl
    Start: 16.5.x Now: 14.10.8 Goal: 11.7.x
    www.ditchwitch.me.uk
    www.darksnow.co.uk
    Specialized HardRock Pro Disc 04
  • Nik_B
    Nik_B Posts: 270
    Tea might be ok but try having a cup of coffee after a ride. I've done it a couple of times and end up with a nasty head ache no doubt due to dehydration.
  • Ridg
    Ridg Posts: 98
    have you considered making your own energy drinks, which can be as simple as fruit juice, sugar salt and water?

    gives you the option to mix them to your personal needs, eg the right iso / hydro tonic mix

    nothing to do with the OPs question, but an interesting read

    http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/caffeine.html
    Caffeine mobilizes fat stores and encourages working muscles to use fat as a fuel. This delays the depletion of muscle glycogen and allows for a prolongation of exercise. The critical time period in glycogen sparing appears to occur during the first 15 minutes of exercise, where caffeine has been shown to decrease glycogen utilization by as much as 50%. Glycogen saved at the beginning is thus available during the later stages of exercise.

    the issue with this is that caffeine is a restricted drug
  • Zippy
    Zippy Posts: 189
    bigbenj_08 wrote:
    Isotonic drinks don't contain any caffeine by definition. fact.

    Now that I've got a min from playing PS3 :lol:

    Have a read here... might help.
    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12572817

    Erm, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, but the IsoEnergy powder from Holl'&Barr' does list 'Anhydrous caffeine' as an ingredient. (I'm to avoid caffeine in the afternoons, you see.) 'Isotonic'? 'Ice'n'tonic'?: it's all Greek to me. Thanks for the tip about PSP, though: that looks just the ticket. A further question, though: it is available as a powder, isn't it? (The websites I looked at didn't make it clear.)

    And thank you, too, Ridg, for the idea of mixing-up my own drink.

    You've given me plenty of food er, drink, for thought.

    Thank you all, again.

    Zip'.
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    I use 50/50 water and Lucozade Sport. Seems to do the job fine.
  • gaz047
    gaz047 Posts: 601
    zippy, yeah its powder mate, use it myself and blackcurrant is the best flavour imho :wink:
    the lucozade/water mix is surprisingly tasty too!
    if it ain't rainin.....it ain't trainin
    Stick your 'rules' up your a%se
  • Razer_MTB
    Razer_MTB Posts: 361
    Tesco are doing the 500g tubs of psp22 and go electrolyte for £7.50 each. they have a couple of different flavours of the electrolyte too
    whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons
  • Ridg wrote:
    have you considered making your own energy drinks, which can be as simple as fruit juice, sugar salt and water?

    gives you the option to mix them to your personal needs, eg the right iso / hydro tonic mix

    nothing to do with the OPs question, but an interesting read

    http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/caffeine.html
    Caffeine mobilizes fat stores and encourages working muscles to use fat as a fuel. This delays the depletion of muscle glycogen and allows for a prolongation of exercise. The critical time period in glycogen sparing appears to occur during the first 15 minutes of exercise, where caffeine has been shown to decrease glycogen utilization by as much as 50%. Glycogen saved at the beginning is thus available during the later stages of exercise.

    the issue with this is that caffeine is a restricted drug
    Where?
    Not in sport its not. It not on the banned substances list.
    The following substances included in the 2009 Monitoring Program (bupropion,
    caffeine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradol, pseudoephedrine,
    synephrine) are not considered as Prohibited Substances.

    oh and..
    THE MEDICAL INFORMATION PROVIDED IS OF A GENERAL NATURE AND CANNOT BE SUBSTITUTED FOR CARE PROVIDED BY A QUALIFIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.
    That website is not peer reviewed.


    Ditch Witch
    your information isn't in context. yes caffeine had been found to improve stimulation and reaction times of athletes in short bouts of exercise. There have been very varied results regarding caffeine and enhancing performance in any endurance sports.
  • deffler
    deffler Posts: 829
    I use the NUUN tablets available on Wiggle & CRC, I absoluteley swear by them. Very light on the stomach. I use em for cycling, football, hangovers and work as I get dehydrated due to air con. These have only 6 cals in em. Come in a small tube so you can carry em with you on a ride

    Then use a energy gel, I use high5. This combo reduces calories and sugar that Lucozade & Gatorade are full off.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Nuun_ ... lets_(Tube)/5360040045/
    Boardman Hybrid Pro

    Planet X XLS