agarose2000

I've been researching cheaper alternatives for liquid fueling on the bike, and I've found one that's dirt-cheap, easy to use, and effective. I'll preface this by saying this is my first ride fueled by maltodextrin, so it was a "test" ride, but it went so well that I'm definitely using it for all my long rides/workouts from now on.

In looking for liquid fuels, I mainly looked initially at commercial products. Hammer's "Perpetuem" fits the bill - provides 250ish calories per serving, and dissolves in a bottle. Unfortunately, it costs $45 for 16 servings. To put it in perspective, I would have used 3-4 servings of this on my ride today, or $9-12 of Perpetuem for this single ride. Ouch.

The main ingredient in Perpetuem, and actually nearly all sports calorie products (gels, etc.) is maltodextrin. I ordered 50 lbs for $57 including shipping from Honeywell (EDIT - HoneyVILLE!) online. It arrived in TWO days via UPS, and I didn't even ask for any special handling. Impressive. It comes it a big brown box, and the malto is in a big brown bag about 2 x 3 feet in dimensions.

The texture of malto is like flour, and it's not really sweet at all. Dissolves fairly well, but to make thick goopy gels, you have to heat it. (I tried that.)

I kept it really simple on my 80 mile bike ride today:
- 3 x 22 oz bottles, each with water + 1 cup of maltodextrin (roughly 300-400 calories per the web, similar to Hammer's Perpetuem.) I combined the water/malto in a pot, and added 1 packet of Sweet n Low just to give it some sweetness. Dissolves pretty easily (stirring required), stays clear and is not messy/viscous.

I took in no solids on this ride. Only used the bottles for hydration + calories. It worked very well, in my opinion. Not a single hiccup. I am normally famished after a 4+ hr bike ride, even with a CLIF bar or sandwich on route, but with the malto, I felt no hunger at all after the ride. I think I got lucky with the amount of calories per bottle I need. I think it's an overall hypotonic solution, so I didn't need any extra pure water to quench thirst. Just drank it as I would water, and I felt fueled for the entire 4+ hr ride.

I don't want to make it sound like a magic bullet (it's not); it won't make you ride any faster unless you're bonking out at the end of your rides. It probably will help you ride longer though, by preventing the bonk. I've only got one test ride so far, but I definitely felt stronger today at the end of the ride than I ever have before - and I just bonked out on a 55 miler last week. I even cranked out an extra 5 mile hill sprint loop at the end just for kicks, and I was averaging 22+ mph on flats in the final 10 miles per my Garmin. (My entire ride was mountain roads in Socal - this was not a dead-flat easy 70 mile course.)

Best part, is that I'm home now, it's lunch time, and I'm not even hungry or dizzy. I actually feel, well, pretty normal. First time that's happened to me after a 4+hr workout.

I do have to add electrolytes, though - I think all that salt loss would become an issue later on, as my homebrewed malto has zero electrolytes added right now.

Last word - I'm going to call myself a "bulk maltodextrin shill" before any of y'all can do so. My post meets nearly all "shill" requirements - first time user, glowingly positive review, no long-term usage data. The only non-shill aspect of my post is that I'm not a complete newbie member. Maybe BikesDirect should sell Malto supplements on their website LOL!

Dubbayoo

You can create your own flavored Perpetuem formula here for about $4-5/lb.

https://www.trueprotein.com

agarose2000

The malto is about $1/lb shipped. That's a LOT cheaper than your option.

Dubbayoo

That's because I added in soy protein, vitamin/mineral mix and flavoring to replicate the Perpetuem formula. I could do maltodextrin, soy protein and flavoring for $2.65/lb. You can't do all that for $1/lb.

merlin55

I vary the calories of maltodexrin per bottle based on the temperature, so that I'm always getting 250 - 300 calories per hour, since I drink much less on cool days than on really hot days...just a thought

MONGO!

You would need to add some protein to make it the same as perpetuum though.

DScott

FWIW, it's the 32 serving size that's $45, not the 16 serving size. It certainly adds up.

A couple of questions: had you not been using any sports drinks before this? A Clif bar is only 250 cal., not enough for 4+ hours that's for sure.

How much does a cup of malto weigh? How many servings per pound is what I'm wondering.

How much time does it take to prepare? Does it spoil?

umd

Well there is a reason maltodextrin is the primary ingredient in most of the drinks/gels...

merlin55

Matodexrin is pure carbohydrate, hence 4 Calories per gram, or about 1800 Calories per pound. I consider 250 calories as one serving, hence 65 grams of powder. It is a very, very fine white powder...perhaps Tom Boonen just got confused....LOL

DScott

I like the Hammer stuff, and just suck up the cost as part of the whole bike/riding budget. Club discounts help a little.

I like how it's a complete fueling system, it's easy to mix, and it's reliable. The wrong food can cause more problems than it's worth sometimes. Some of the organized rides/events around here also use it at rest-stops, making nutrition easier.

I tried a different drink once, and found it had so much sodium (or something that tasted like it), that I ended up feeling more thirsty towards the end of the ride. That's not a good thing.

adriano 

maltodextrin is old news. get on the waxy.

Val23708

malto = 100 calories per 1/4 cup i believe. I fill a bottle 2/3 the way up with malto, add regular strength gatorade powder, then add water till its all dissolved.

agarose2000

For sure, it's old news, but there are almost no dedicate threads on roadbike forums about it.

I'm also really surprised at how many people automatically jump to the commercial stuff, when the bulk malto is so easy to order, mix, and use, and probably costs 1/10th (maybe even 1/20th or less) the commercial product. I was expecting it to be much more complicated since it didn't seem that many folks on here were using it, but it was as easy as mixing any powdered drink.

If you split this with a few riders, you could each have enough fuel for an entire YEAR of hard riding for less than $20 per rider.

I used to use CLIF bars, peanut butter sandwiches, etc., but I definitely prefer the liquid fuel. My annoyance with the solids and the required slowing/stopping to eat them was the main reason I switched. Gels were an option, but they're about $1/100cal. Considering I put 900 calories into 3 bottles today, that would get pricey quick.

Dubbayoo

Much better post workout carb but it clumps up easier; might not be great for water bottles.

agarose2000

I disagree with this. Perpetuem, which uses maltodextrin as the main calorie source, is specifically meant for on-the-go calories. Almost all GUs and gels also use maltodextrin as the main caloric source as well. I'm sure it would be ok for post workout as well though. If you look up malto's absorption as well, it's really good compared to all the other sugars - amongst the best.

I have minimal clumping problems at 1 cup per 22oz bottle. A bit of stirring or shaking of the bottle will get all the clumps in. As I mentioned before as well, it's not viscous at all at this concentration, and pours like water. At this concentration, your water bottles don't require any special care - I rinsed it once, and was done. This is the amount I used today, and I really liked it.

It does clump more at 2 cups per 22oz (it takes up over half the bottle at this amount), and you do need hot water to get 3 cups or more to dissolve. I did make a 4-cup/22oz batch as a trial yesterday, but I had to nearly boil it to get everything to dissolve - that was definitely viscous, and that would require some work if you put it into your water bottle. I don't see a need to make these 2 or more cup bottles though - the 1 cup/bottle was more than adequate for 5+ hrs of riding with 3 total bottles.

DannoXYZ 

The clumping stuff might have protein powders added. There's absolutely no need for protein supplementation on a ride unless you're doing over 100 miles. Even then, it's not that necessary. It's primarily needed only in a 4:1 carb-protein mix for faster glycogen replenishment after a ride.

Yes, a 250-calorie/hr and 500-750ml/hr water mix is optimum for long rides.

wanders

This is fun to experiment with.

50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose.



The best I've come up with is to mix it with chocolate milk for recovery.

Strong Bad

Thanks to Botto, I tried Brown Rice Syrup last weekend in my Gu bottle.
Really great stuff. Way cheaper than gels, and works like magic.

agarose2000

Cool - that's next on my hit list!

SSP

re: the clumping issue - there are different types of malto-dextrin. The powdery types are made more for baking and food prep, so they clump up and don't dissolve very well.

There are other foumlas that are more "agglomerated", and designed for consumers to mix with water. Those are less "dusty", and dissolve much more readily in water.

My typical water bottle prep is:

• Enough malto for 200-250 calories
• 1/8 tsp of Low Salt (for sodium and potassium)
• 1/8 tsp of Magnesium Citrate powder
• 1/8 tsp of Calcium Citrate powder

For post ride/recovery:

• 250 calories of malto
• whey protein powder (about 23 gram of pro)
• 5-19 grams L-Glutamine

The above got me through 76 miles with nearly 5000 feet of climbing this morning, so it must be doing something right.

Dubbayoo

The clumping was in reference to waxy maize; I thought that was clear.

umd

you're doing it wrong

Machka 

I've been using maltodextrin for years. You can buy it inexpensively at your local wine making establishment. Combine it with some other sugars and a bit of "Half Salt" (a salt/potassium combination found in your grocery store), and a bit of flavoring and you've got yourself a "sports drink".

Ritterview

Well, if you provided a link to where you got this maltodextrin, you'd be doing a service, and then we could call you a shill. Good and good.

Here, for example, is a source for 50 lb. maltodextrin for $53.

When I search Honeywell and maltodextrin, all I get is what apparently is your blog, where you also rhapsodize about maltodextrin, and also don't provide a link.

adriano 

i havent heard many complaints, and waxy maize delivers energy much faster than maltodextrin. it sounds like just the ticket.