Fifty Plus (50+) - Hammer products.........??

Anyone have any experience with Hammer nutrition products......gel, Sustained Energy, etc. I've been using Heed-- which I like because it is not so sweet, tastes fairly OK and seems to help. My steady state rides have begun to nose towards 3 hours....is that the next level for S.E. or Perpetuum? I sometimes carry along more solid fare like grapes, prunes, Clif bar, etc. If I take nothing more than Heed after two hours I'm definitely feeling it.

(I haven't eaten on the bike since days of YooHoo, cookies, flat Coke, etc.)

I use Perpetuem for long rides but also supplement with gel. The problem I have with only using Perpetuem is that I can't seem to find the energy for hard efforts late in the ride. It seems to me that it works best for steady endurance type rides. Unfortunately my rides always include lots of climbing and I need higher output to get over the hills. That's where the gel comes in which seems to supply the fuel for those efforts.

It's going to take some experimentation to find the correct recipe for your body and the type rides you do. Protein based sports drinks become more important as the rides get longer but I find that gels work especially well late in the ride.

I've used lots of Hammer products over the last seven years, particularly on double centuries, which I do fairly often.

I use Sustained Energy and/or Perpetuem, and add Hammer Gel when there is a lot of climbing involved. No stomach problems at all, very even energy flow, so no complaints. I also use Heed and E-Caps from Hammer with good results.

Rick / OCRR

I always take a few Hammer Gels on my rides. They take care of any problems with bonking. :)

Another vote for Hammer Gels, even for max hills.:)

I use Heed mixed with 2 shots of Hammer Gel/bottle for races and rides less than 2.5 hrs. I am not very good at opening up packets of gel while riding and find it much easier to just put the gel into the bottle. For longer rides I use Perpetuem and carry a gel flask in my pocket. I usually fill the flask and bottles with a 50/50 mix of rasberry and chocolate Hammer Gel. On short rides of less than 1.5 hours I might take one bottle of Gatorade and 1 bottle of water since replacing electolites and eating are insignificant.

I tried Perpetuem and it gave me stomach problems. The Heed is OK. But I like their gels the best. I've been using them and Clif Shot Bloks with good success. Oh, and I also use Endurolytes in hot weather, they work for me also.

Hammer gels for me when the ride is up to 50 miles. Over that I alternate the gel with Hammer energy bars (they include protein). I drink only water with Nuun tablets for electrolytes. Like everyone said, you have to experiment to find the combination that is right for you, but I have found all the Hammer nutrition products to be very good.

Not many people mention the energy bars, but I have had great success with them. I often use them as a breakfast bar before a ride.

Mark