Road Cycling - Clif Shot vs Clif Bar

Usually when I plan to ride over 2 hours, I take at least one Clif Bar. I will stop about half way and consume it because eating a Clif Bar, drinking to wash it down and riding requires more manual dexterity than I possess. By the time I am nearing home, I am just about all in, like 15 minutes to bonking.

When in my LBS yesterday, I saw Clif Shots, so I bought four of them. I had had one after an hour, and another one every 40 minutes thereafter. I was doing my hill climbing tour today, and a few of them are pretty steep and long. I don't know the category, but I call them Cat OH MY GAWD!!! One of them just keeps going up and up and up, then around a corner and up some more. Remember the old Mork and Mindy show? Mork said to get to his home planet, you go to sun and hang an up. That is the middle of these Cat OH MY GAWDs.

Well, with the Clif Shots, I didn't even come close to bonking. The only problem is they are $1.50 each, so I am going to spend $6 every time I ride on the weekends. Maybe I can get a deal by the case.

P.S. Another good thing happened. I was supposed to do "man chores," mainly lawn maintenance, but it started to rain just as I pulled into my driveway. Ah, shucks! :rolleyes:

Clif Shots are a great source of energy while riding! I'll only eat Clif Bars before or after a ride. However, when I go mountain biking I'll eat a couple of Clif Mojo bars during the half-way point. Mojo bars are a little on the salty side which is great during a hot sweaty ride.

By the way, I buy Clif Shots at REI (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=1175577&parent_category_rn=4500606) for $0.80 each. If you buy any 12 full-price performance bars/gels/beverages you save 20%. The regular price for Clif Shots at REI is $1.00.

:)

- Ed

Clif Shots are a great source of energy while riding! I'll only eat Clif Bars before or after a ride. However, when I go mountain biking I'll eat a couple of Clif Mojo bars during the half-way point. Mojo bars are a little on the salty side which is great during a hot sweaty ride.

By the way, I buy Clif Shots at REI (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=1175577&parent_category_rn=4500606) for $0.80 each. If you buy any 12 full-price performance bars/gels/beverages you save 20%. The regular price for Clif Shots at REI is $1.00.

:)

- Ed

Thanks, Ed. I feel a great sense of loyalty to my LBS as they have gone well out of their way to cater to me. For example, last week I saw some scrapes on my bike and needed some touch-up paint. One of the wrenchs handed me a bottle and said "Use what you need and bring back the rest." He also said anytime I need it in the future, to just ask.

Special orders? Most customers have to put 20% down. Not me. I ask, they order. Fixing a broken spoke? They installed the spoke, trued the wheel, and only charged me for the spoke.

So, I will see if they will give me a deal on a case or two. If not, well, I will go to REI.

Thanks again.

The Clif Shots and Gu stuff sure seems like a great thing for an instant energy boost but I just can't get past the feeling of eating paste (didn't they tell you not to do that in gradeschool/kindergarten?) plus they look like... well... I won't go there. :D I guess I've never really needed them bad enough. I only tried it once at a bike shop just to see what they were like.

I don't see that much of a difference between the various brands of bars and shots. The nutritional values seem to be about the same, with the bars offering more quantity, so I eat a half a bar every hour or so along with water and excelerade-type drinks. I've used the gel shots too - both seem to work. I'm guessing the gel shots might work faster though due to the consistency. Maybe you just need to eat the bar sooner?

The Clif Shots and Gu stuff sure seems like a great thing for an instant energy boost but I just can't get past the feeling of eating paste (didn't they tell you not to do that in gradeschool/kindergarten?) plus they look like... well... I won't go there. :D I guess I've never really needed them bad enough. I only tried it once at a bike shop just to see what they were like.

The MMM Chocoloate Clif Shots I had were pretty good. Rich, creamy, and an excellent consistency. I guess it is just personal taste. Oh, and by the way, I didn't like paste all that much!

Clif Bar and Shots use all natural ingredients. I think they are going 100% organic. The mini Clif Bars are perfect

Usually when I plan to ride over 2 hours, I take at least one Clif Bar. I will stop about half way and consume it because eating a Clif Bar, drinking to wash it down and riding requires more manual dexterity than I possess. By the time I am nearing home, I am just about all in, like 15 minutes to bonking.


Are you eating properly prior to riding? Of course, everyone is different but I find one Clif Bar adequate for my 2 hour rides. I carry Clif Shots purely for bonk insurance. They're too expensive (as you've found) and only about 100 kcal... Clif Bars are 200 kcal.

If I haven't been eating right then on a 2 hour ride I'll take the Clif Bar but also some NutraGrain breakfast bars. They're cheap, easy to digest and contain a fair amount of fruity filling. It's similar to carrying Fig Newtons like we did back in the day when PowerBars (ugh) were the only choice.

Are you eating properly prior to riding? Of course, everyone is different but I find one Clif Bar adequate for my 2 hour rides. I carry Clif Shots purely for bonk insurance. They're too expensive (as you've found) and only about 100 kcal... Clif Bars are 200 kcal.

If I haven't been eating right then on a 2 hour ride I'll take the Clif Bar but also some NutraGrain breakfast bars. They're cheap, easy to digest and contain a fair amount of fruity filling. It's similar to carrying Fig Newtons like we did back in the day when PowerBars (ugh) were the only choice.

I usually have a good, hearty breakfast, including at least one banana, before I go out for a long ride. Always accompanied by two cups of coffee.

As to Power Bars, ugh is right. A few weeks ago, I was only going to go for an hour or so, but ended up out for several more. About three hours into the ride, I begin to bonk. There was a convenience store along the trail, so I stopped. The only thing they had were one power bar and one lonely yogurt covered ceral bar. I got the both, ate the yogurt bar and put the Power Bar in my pocket. I still have it on my dresser, awaiting an emergency!

I usually have a good, hearty breakfast, including at least one banana, before I go out for a long ride. Always accompanied by two cups of coffee.


How long before the ride do you eat that?

Try your rides with and without coffee. Coffee is a bit of a diuretic. For whatever reason, I find I ride better in the evenings if I skip my 3PM coffee at work.

Try the little individual sized packets of honey you get at tea shops. Sugar is sugar, and the honey is all natural too! I prefer the gels over bars while riding, just because they are easier to consume. GU makes a little flask with a clip you can attach to your handlebar stem. Holds the equivalent of 5 packets, or about 50¢ worth of honey if you have a jar at home (one of my co-workers raises bees and sells honey at her desk a harvest time!!!). PowerBars taste like OSB, but Clif and Balance are okay. I'll take Figgies over most of the supposed "sports engineered nutrition" bars anyday, especially for the price.

Couple of suggestions from the bonk master:

1) Whatever source of carbs you choose, try to consume smaller quantities more frequently, like every 10 or 15 minutes.
2) Cut Cliff bars in quarters and put the pieces in a zip-lock bag. Makes it much easier to get at while riding.
3) Try a liquid carbohydrate source like Ultrafuel.
4) Look at some reference to see how much carbs you should be taking in per hour. If I recall correctly, it is something like 0.5 grams of carbs per kg of body weight per hour. For me that is a Cliff bar per hour.

The Clif Shots and Gu stuff sure seems like a great thing for an instant energy boost but I just can't get past the feeling of eating paste (didn't they tell you not to do that in gradeschool/kindergarten?) plus they look like... well... I won't go there. :D I guess I've never really needed them bad enough. I only tried it once at a bike shop just to see what they were like.

Think "pudding" and they're a lot more edible.

Not sure about how to get around the appearance though...

I don't see that much of a difference between the various brands of bars and shots.
But Clif Shots have the litter leash! It's a little thing, but it's a nice convenience, IMO.

For me, gels generally "kick in" within minutes. Solids like bars generally take longer, but are still a good idea for rides longer than 2 or 3 hours. For Power/Clif/Nutri-grain/fig bars, I figure the energy will be available ~1 hour after eating them, and schedule eating accordingly.

Get one of those gel flasks that hold 5 ounces of gel, then buy a big bottle of honey and pour it in. It's something like 15-20 cents a serving vs. almost a dollar for the gels.

Get one of those gel flasks that hold 5 ounces of gel
Good point! They're also soooo much easier to use while riding. Instead of fumbling around in your jersey pockets for the right item, the flasks are easy to find. Then, instead of having to use two hands to tear a pouch open, you stick the flask in your mouth, pop the valve open, and squeeze. And there's no sticky, empty pouch to stuff back into your pocket.

plus they look like... well... I won't go there. :D

Oh man I just got the joke. PERVERT!!

Good point! They're also soooo much easier to use while riding. Instead of fumbling around in your jersey pockets for the right item, the flasks are easy to find. Then, instead of having to use two hands to tear a pouch open, you stick the flask in your mouth, pop the valve open, and squeeze. And there's no sticky, empty pouch to stuff back into your pocket.

Plus you can control the amount you take in. Instead of ripping open 1 gel pack every 30 minutes and ending up with a piece of trash, I can take in 1/2 the equivalent every 15 minutes and keep my self steadily supplied for hours.