The Wheel World

I was just wondering about the benifits of using energy gels and bars. Do they realy make that much of a difference? My mate thinks so but am yet to be convined.

THEY DO i find the energy bars better myself.

i dont like the gel i find them digcusting, they also make me and a few of my mates sick

Red bulls are the way to go.
Ive tried a couple of bars but i reckon that they are yuk so i havent had any since.
I just use red bulls. They work a treat !!!!

Energy bars, Gus and sports drinks can all make a difference, but I find that if you're not "scientific" about how you use them, you won't get much overall benefit. What I mean by this is that it's best to include them in your general training and riding - the more you use them, the better the benefits will be.

In terms of endurance racing (4 or more hours), I used to have a 45-minute "feed schedule". After 1 block of 45 minutes, it's time for a Gu and, by then I should have finished a bottle of water (small bottle - 500ml). Then, after the next block of 45 minutes, I should have finished a bottle of sports drink and it's time for an energy bar. Then it's back to a Gu block, followed by a bar block and so on until the race is over.

Different race conditions mean that this schedule is never perfectly adhered to, and the human body is different every day, so you have to have some flexibility, but as an overall scheme, this has worked for me for a long time and I'm 100% confident that using Gus and energy bars in this way is an advantage over "non-energy" foods.

You need to make allowances for "real" food at some point, however. I find that about every three hours or so during an endurance event, I wheely crave something that doesn't taste like flavoured plastic, so I usually take a couple of slices of cold pizza with me. Seriously. It does wonders.

As far as drinks like Red Bull go, I have to stay away from them during enduro stuff - the immediate buzz is brilliant, but it doesn't last too long and the energy crash soon afterwards is unrecoverable.

Hope some of this helps. Cheers.

Whoo Hoo first post!!!

I prefer goos and gells as they are easier to knock back when racing.
I find the bars take almost as much energy to chew and swallow them than they provide.
I have been experimenting with my own recipe goos, which taste a whole lot better than anything that I have bought.
I just need to find a refillable dispensing vessel that when you squeeze the contents out, it does not return to its rigid plastic shape, which makes it difficult to extract the bottom half of the contents.
Anyone know of such a beastie?

How about a snap lock bag? That would probably work well, just open a bit on the corner and suck out of that. Whats your recipie?

Ps. You should post your recipie in a new thread and get a mod to sticky it.

yippee first post ok gels are the best for me,, hey bunya bloke try a refilable toothpaste tube from a camping store

i would have never thought of a toothpaste tube, whats the recipie called, i will sticky it

Mmmm, toothpaste tube, certainly worth a look.

Ok my latest recipe.
1 large handfull of raw unsalted mixed nuts (for delayed carbs, and that something in your belly feel)
1 handfull of dried dates (these little troopers are where all the goodies are)
2 generous desert spoons of honey (lots of easily absorbed simple carbs)
1 teaspoon of coffee (a bit of caffeine)
5 squares of dark chocolate (what the heck it tastes good)
50-100mls of water. (just to make it runny)

Stick everything in the blender, except the water, and turn it on, add the water until it reaches the required consistency.
This amount will be enough for a 50-60km race.
Combine it with a sports drink in your bidon, and water in a hydration pack to get the rest of what your body will need.

Preparation time. about 5 minutes
Cost. about $2.00
Taste. make your own mind up.

yummm, it sounds nice. i will try it 2moro and get back to you with what i think