Just want some lower cost alternatives to gels, that obviously won't work quite as good but are less expensive.

thanks

Real food. It works better than gels. Gels are "dire emergency, on the verge of a bonk" remedies.

fig newtons work great

A bunch of Fig Newtons in a ziploc baggie. They've powered cyclists for many, many years with great success.

http://www.carlsteadman.com/placing/f.jpeg

You can use liquid honey or corn syrup with a little salt and flavorings. Search for homemade gel.

Otherwise you can eat dinner rolls with jam, half a PB&J sandwich, rice crispy squares, dates, etc.

You can get powdered gaterade pretty cheaply (walmart) & mix it to your desired concentration. For me thats usually about 50 % of recommended. Unless you're really going long, you don't need solid food.

When I was in school, I'd carry along a baked-potato or two. All the calories of gels for only $0.25 per ride. Also took along little packets of jelly/jam from Carrows, or honey or butter to make the potato easier to eat.

There's also homemade recipes for energy-bars using common ingredients like oatmeal, rice, raisins, etc. But I've found that it wasn't time-efficient to make my own energy-bars.

I use cliff bars from Costco. 250 callories per bar. Cheaper then gels.

Just want some lower cost alternatives to gels, that obviously won't work quite as good but are less expensive.

thanks

How much are you paying for gels?

365 brand FIG BARS from Whole Foods rock my world. I keep an emergency gel in my saddle bag, but otherwise only use them in a 5-gel flask for century-or-longer rides that have limited stops.

Another vote for newtons

Danno, just the thought of a baked potato while riding makes me want to hurl :) You must have a stomach of iron.

For rides I like to carry PB & honey on english muffins. Yummy. You could always do straight honey as well.

Any fruit, dried or fresh, is excellent. I really like blueberries. And of course, bananas. Fig Neutrons are awesome, and I really like those sweet and salty snack bars.

But what really hits the spot on 5+ hour rides is a lunch stop with spaghetti. Or a turkey sub. Maybe a salad.

Az

Personally, I don't care for fig newtons. I find them too dry and heavy.

My preferences are for things like rice crispy squares and Timbits! :)

if racing i'd suggest you try making your own energy drink - try nd get some brewers sugar and mix it up with salt, fruit juice and water.
If just riding, bananas!

Food. Why is this so complicated?

slowandsteady, some food "travels" better than others. For example, Fig Newtons are melt-resistant, freeze-resistant, easy-to-digest, and easy-to-open while riding. Half a tuna salad sandwich with provolone, lettuce, onions, hot peppers, oil & vinegar...not so much! :) I enjoy many of the natural products manufactured by BettyLou's (http://www.bettylousinc.com) and are available in healthfood stores.

Fig Newtons, PBJ and powder gatorade mixed at 50% are my favorites.

slowandsteady, some food "travels" better than others. For example, Fig Newtons are melt-resistant, freeze-resistant, easy-to-digest, and easy-to-open while riding. Half a tuna salad sandwich with provolone, lettuce, onions, hot peppers, oil & vinegar...not so much! :) I enjoy many of the natural products manufactured by BettyLou's (http://www.bettylousinc.com) and are available in healthfood stores.


Yes, I know....this is common sense. I still don't understand how people get beyond the teenage years and still don't know how to feed themselves. I mean, what did cyclists do before gels and power bars??? They ate food. PB&J travels well and supplies all the right nutrients. I suppose cookies are fine too. I personally don't care for fig newtons. They have some chemical taste I just can't deal with.

I have a few powerbars that I keep in my seatbag for emergencies. Powerbars pretty much last forever. But other wise I like to eat sandwiches and pretzels.

Just want some lower cost alternatives to gels, that obviously won't work quite as good but are less expensive.

thanks

The GU gels I buy the 24 pack and only when its on sale. So you have to wait a while when the expiration date on the package gets close. That's when they're on sale. Even if the expiration date is past, its still good. But I would not go a year out. This should lower your cost.

i switch between breakfast bars, figs, and cliff bars. sometimes i carry two water bottles - one with 50% gaterade mix and one with a couple scoops of endrox. yes, i know the endrox is supposed to be for recovery, but it does add some nice carbs and calories and is easy for me to drink.

when i start going over 3 hours, i usually like to stop and grab a muffin, sandwich, or snack somewhere along the way. i tend to get really hungry though.

Get a bulk package of gel, and some fuel bottles. Way cheaper than individually wrapped ones. Or you could just eat regular food. I feel like the tendency I had was to eat more than needed on rides short enough not to require refueling. Unless it's over a couple of hours it's definitely fine with just water or maybe some electrolyte/carb beverage of choice.

A gel flask and Jello fat free chocolate (or whatever flavor you like) pudding.

1 oz of fat free chocolate pudding has virtually the same calorie, carb and fat content as a chocolate Hammer gel. And it has a little protein too. Hammer gel is 0.69 dollar per ounce if you buy the 26 serving container and Jello pudding snacks cost 0.16 dollar per ounce if you buy the 6 pack snack pack. The difference may be the chemicals and sugars used. Get the powdered stuff and some skim milk and its even cheaper. However im not sure about refridgeration with the DIY stuff. The snack packs require no refridgeration. YMMV

A gel flask and Jello fat free chocolate (or whatever flavor you like) pudding.

1 oz of fat free chocolate pudding has virtually the same calorie, carb and fat content as a chocolate Hammer gel. And it has a little protein too. Hammer gel is 0.69 dollar per ounce if you buy the 26 serving container and Jello pudding snacks cost 0.16 dollar per ounce if you buy the 6 pack snack pack. The difference may be the chemicals and sugars used. Get the powdered stuff and some skim milk and its even cheaper. However im not sure about refridgeration with the DIY stuff. The snack packs require no refridgeration. YMMV


The snack packs require no refrigeration because they are packaged in a sterile container and ultrapasteurized. Once you remove them from their container and put it in a gel flask they will perish pretty much just as fast as the stuff you make at home. Either way, how long are your rides? A few hours without refrigeration won't hurt as long as you eat it that day.

I buy a 16oz bottle of organic rice syrup from our local whole foods market for about $3, then throw in some flavoring, sodium, potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin e. The entire mess comes in at about $4-5 when done and is essentially the same thing as "cliff's shots".

My preferences are for things like rice crispy squares and Timbits! :)

Yeah, like they know what Timbits are! :)

Yeah, like they know what Timbits are! :)

Yeah, I had to google it. These?

http://www.timhortons.com/en/menu/menu_donuts.html

Looks like what we call "donut holes" here in the states.

Pop Tarts. Fig Newtons. Baked potatoes.

I did the potatoes all through winter. Cheap as can be, and it felt good having warm pockets of starch in my jersey pockets when it's below zero.

Pop Tarts are cheap, and so are the Newtons, if you don't want to prepare anything.

In theory, PB&J's are a good idea. In practice, I've found that the bread gets soggy and gross.

I buy a 16oz bottle of organic rice syrup from our local whole foods market for about $3, then throw in some flavoring, sodium, potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin e. The entire mess comes in at about $4-5 when done and is essentially the same thing as "cliff's shots".

how do you package it for your rides?

Pop Tarts. Fig Newtons. Baked potatoes.

I did the potatoes all through winter. Cheap as can be, and it felt good having warm pockets of starch in my jersey pockets when it's below zero.

Pop Tarts are cheap, and so are the Newtons, if you don't want to prepare anything.

In theory, PB&J's are a good idea. In practice, I've found that the bread gets soggy and gross.


The key is lining each slice of bread with PB first.

A bunch of Fig Newtons in a ziploc baggie. They've powered cyclists for many, many years with great success.

http://www.carlsteadman.com/placing/f.jpeg

Unfortunately, they contain Trans Fats...even though the nutritional label says 0 g trans fats. They're made with partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, which DOES have trans fats.

The manufacturers skate by this through a loophole in the law - if one "serving" contains less than 0.5g of trans fats, they're permitted to show 0 g for trans fats. :mad:

When I can get them--real figs--and Fig Newtons when I can't. In the cool seasons, I like bite size snickers. Stock up after haloween...

Putting a potato in my pocket--any pocket--just seems, well, wierd. I know it works and all, but...just can't do it.

Yeah, like they know what Timbits are! :)

Not know what Timbits are????????? :eek: :eek: :eek: I can hardly imagine!!! Timbits are a staple food on my rides!!




And yes, as available from sources other than Tim Hortons, some may know them as "donut holes". I had "donut holes" from some place in the US ... <<shudder>> ... they were little balls of tasteless grease. However there is hope for the masses ... I believe Tim Hortons is making inroads into the US. :)

http://www.cfmarketplaces.com/acb/stores/6/images/K32036790L.jpg

how do you package it for your rides?

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NA-GF.gif

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=105&subcategory=1070&brand=&sku=15166&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Nutritional%20Gels

http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-023997046020000000000.html

fruit roll ups...

In theory, PB&J's are a good idea. In practice, I've found that the bread gets soggy and gross.

Try toasting the bread. I used to make my own ham & cheese sammiches on toasted Martins potato bread, cut them in to quarters and wrap them in wax paper & foil. After about 40 miles they taste great and are quite a nice boost of energy. And on the plus side, they arent as soul crushing to eat as a Powerbar

One good thing about Power Bars is the mylar wrapper - you can use it as a tire boot if you get a cut in the casing. Maybe the ONLY good thing.

Power Bars remind me of Turkish Taffy - remember, from when you were a kid? You'd smack the bar (still in the wrapper) on a hard surface to break it into pieces, and then you'd have to chew it forever? Power Bars are like that, only they taste like wallpaper paste and are harder to chew.

On the original topic, I don't usually need to eat anything until I've been riding for at least 3 hours, if I've had a decent breakfast and drink Cytomax or similar. I tried gels but they're messy and leave the brake levers all sticky.

One good thing about Power Bars is the mylar wrapper - you can use it as a tire boot if you get a cut in the casing. Maybe the ONLY good thing.

Power Bars remind me of Turkish Taffy - remember, from when you were a kid? You'd smack the bar (still in the wrapper) on a hard surface to break it into pieces, and then you'd have to chew it forever? Power Bars are like that, only they taste like wallpaper paste and are harder to chew.

On the original topic, I don't usually need to eat anything until I've been riding for at least 3 hours, if I've had a decent breakfast and drink Cytomax or similar. I tried gels but they're messy and leave the brake levers all sticky.

One of my old training partners used unwrap the Powerbar and wrap it around his stem and break off what he needed as he rode.

Just want some lower cost alternatives to gels, that obviously won't work quite as good but are less expensive.

thanks

Start making priority list and put the gel up there. This might cut into your cable TV budget.

at $1/ea (or more) I can see the OP's point. If you have more than one rider in the family, it adds up pretty quickly.

Honey, depending on the study you read, is as good as Gels.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=40411-honey-boosts-performance

(found via Google:honey performance supplement)

In theory, PB&J's are a good idea. In practice, I've found that the bread gets soggy and gross.


haha, that's funny. I actually like the PB&J's when they get squashed and soggy.

I usually bring 1 PB&J for every 50 miles of the ride. Then for rides over 50 miles, I'll throw in a bar of some sort and a few gels. I rarely even use the gels or the bar. They're mainly just there for that, "oh, no one said this 80 mile ride finished with an 8 mile climb at mile 70" emergency.

I can't stand powerbars and such. So I started eating Odwalla bars, one bar seems to be pretty good. But I don't know if its as good as a gel.

Would sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade diluted) consumed steadily during the whole ride work instead of having to use a gel or solid food source sometime during the ride?

Would sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade diluted) consumed steadily during the whole ride work instead of having to use a gel or solid food source sometime during the ride?

I think it would be hard to get enough calories doing that, unless you were drinking it in copious amounts.

Danno, can I get a ruling?

Would sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade diluted) consumed steadily during the whole ride work instead of having to use a gel or solid food source sometime during the ride?

They likely would, or at least come close.

But, many people have a hard time drinking sports drinks all day long during along ride. Thus the need for gels and/or food.

And there's nothing like a gel for a quick boost...if I'm doing a long ride in the big mountains, I try to throw down a gel about 5 minutes before each major climb. I use PowerGels, with some extra caffeine in them, and that helps give a bit of a mental boost too.

That said, for most everyday rides, gels are not necessary at all.

Oatmeal cookies, bananas, ham and cheese sandwiches, Paydays. All good stuff, all cheap and widely available.

Would sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade diluted) consumed steadily during the whole ride work instead of having to use a gel or solid food source sometime during the ride?

Sure it will, I have done plenty of centuries that way. I don't run out of energy, but I do get hungry sometimes because there is nothing in my stomach. I can keep going and just be hungry, it does not seem to matter.
If I am in no hurry I get some solid food just so I am not hungry. I don't need it to finish the ride. It's
just a little more comfortable. If I'm in a hurry I don't bother.

Would sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade or Powerade diluted) consumed steadily during the whole ride work instead of having to use a gel or solid food source sometime during the ride?Read the label on these drinks. The guidelines for performance cycling is 500-750ml of water per hour and 200-250 calories/hr of carbs and 300-500mg sodium/hr (depending upon how much you sweat).

In order to get this ideal ratio, I had to mix my own Gatorade from the powdered bags. In a 500ml water-bottle, I'd have to add Gatorade powder at 2x concentration in order to get 200 calories. As a result of this alchemy, I'd have a drink that was way too sweet tasting and emptied from my stomach slowly due to the high concentration of sugars.

I ended up going with making my own maltodextrin (dextrose) drinks. This has the advantage of stringing the glucose molecules together in clumps like an ammo-belt. This lets the solution have lower molality and the fastest gastric-emptying possible. The maltodextrin has very weak bonds and it breaks apart completely into individual glucose molecules by the time it reaches the intestines. It then has the highest-GI possible for maximum absorption-rate. :) Add some salt/NoSalt for sodium/potassium and frozen-OJ concentrate or lime-juice for flavoring.

Read the label on these drinks. The guidelines for performance cycling is 500-750ml of water per hour and 200-250 calories/hr of carbs and 300-500mg sodium/hr (depending upon how much you sweat).

In order to get this ideal ratio, I had to mix my own Gatorade from the powdered bags. In a 500ml water-bottle, I'd have to add Gatorade powder at 2x concentration in order to get 200 calories. As a result of this alchemy, I'd have a drink that was way too sweet tasting and emptied from my stomach slowly due to the high concentration of sugars.

I ended up going with making my own maltodextrin (dextrose) drinks. This has the advantage of stringing the glucose molecules together in clumps like an ammo-belt. This lets the solution have lower molality and the fastest gastric-emptying possible. The maltodextrin has very weak bonds and it breaks apart completely into individual glucose molecules by the time it reaches the intestines. It then has the highest-GI possible for maximum absorption-rate. :) Add some salt/NoSalt for sodium/potassium and frozen-OJ concentrate or lime-juice for flavoring.


^^^^^What he said...you guys are soooo stupid...isn't this obvoius!!:D