superslomo

I'm curious, given all the questions about drinks and energy shots and electrolytes and all manner of other madness...

How far/how long do you go before you add something other than just water, and what do you add at what stages?

Out of force of habit, and because it tastes a little nicer, I'll throw a little something electrolyte-ish with perhaps some carbs in it into one of two water bottles for most of what I end up doing these days, for the odd hour or two at a stretch that seems to be just fine. I've been off my former routine of regular riding for the last few years (long commute + parenthood) but have resumed, and am trying to figure out with my schedule how much of a ride I can plan with just water or just water + heed or whatnot.

I can figure out based on my own perceived strength that I definitely don't NEED anything additional as yet, but I'm trying to work my way up to a hopeful solo century this fall before the cold rolls in, and was curious where everyone's dividing line for different "phases" of hydration and fueling kicked in.

StanSeven

Roughly 90 minutes for me. I've gone 3 - 3.5 hours before with just water and felt pretty bad towards the end. The more you sweat the more you need electrolytes but you don't have to get them from drinking either. When it's hot, stopping at a convenience store for something cold is refreshing and the sugar gives a quick boost too.

f4rrest

50 miles if it's an easy ride. 30 miles if tempo or higher. I'm an experienced rider with high weekly miles. Everyone's different.

Start eating or drinking carbs at mile 15 if you know it's going to be needed.

Also if you plan to ride back to back days, taking in carbs will help you recover faster.

K.Katso

Depends on the weather. If it's not too warm I will go at least 2 hours on water alone, then maybe have a few sips of electrolyte drink if I have it with me. Lately I've gotten in the habit of carrying Hammer Endurolytes pills with me, which I find easier to deal with so I don't have to carry that syrupy drink with me.

As for eating, if it's a short ride, less than 2 hours, I generally just use what's in the tank. For longer rides, especially all-day cyclosportives and gran fondo-type rides, I follow the "eat early and often" strategy. I generally start having a gel every 30 minutes or so after the first hour and snack on the occasional bar or banana here and there.

Both of the above strategies appear to work for me, because I haven't died of cramps or bonked in a really long time. YMMV, of course, and everybody is a little different.

nuke_diver

Everyone is going to be different. If you are just talking water only I go 2-1/2 hrs or so on water only. That for me is about a 40-45mile ride with anywhere from 2-3K feet of climbing in weather that is less than 90F. I have gone 4+hrs on water and a cliff bar. But I've not ridden any distance greater than 65miles so I can't say beyond that

Drew Eckhardt 

For adding electrolytes more than a not too hilly century or 90 mile day with a climb up Grand Mesa from the Western Slope in Colorado covering 5700 vertical feet as part of a 418 mile 7-day tour with 28,000 feet of climbing. Read as not yet.

For food I eat one Cliff bar for 3-4 hours but be more proactive on longer rides and polish off one every 1-2 hours.

FIVE ONE SIX

me personally, i stopped using just water cause i'm a big guy and just water doesn't cut it for me now, and i prefer something with some taste. so if i'm going out just for a neighborhood spin or short 1 hour ride, i'll use XXX Vitamin Water. if i'm doing anything 2-hours or longer, i use a scoop and a half of GENR8 Vitargo S2 w/2 scoops of Hammer Endurolytes powder (or 4 scoops, but only if it's going to be in the 90's) and Smartwater in each bottle, and i'll bring 4oz. containers filled with more powder for when i have to fill my bottles. i used to use Heed and Perpetuem, but i go through Heed way too fast at 2 1/2 scoops per bottle and Perpetuem takes like ass when it gets warm from the hot weather. the GENR8 Vitargo S2 doesn't necessarily make me any faster, but it does get me through rides feeling much better than if i didn't use it, and a 235 pounds that's really important...

wallrat

Anything over 70-80 miles I usually bring an electrolyte mix. I use ClifShots. I try not to over think it. If I start cramping I'll drink more. If I feel low on energy I'll drink more. If I feel good, I stick with water.

For 2-3 hour rides I feel I have plenty of salt and calories already in me. Doesn't seem like I need to add more.

Black wallnut 

Unless it is hot outside I'll go sometimes 100 miles without drinking electrolytes. I do get them from snacks. When it is hot it varies. Yesterday it was in the high 90's, I was a bit fatigued, put out an effort and by mile ten with my first water bottle m/t I opened and drank 1/2 of my 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade. Sometimes I will have one bottle of water and one bottle of water with a Nuun tablet.

Bacciagalupe

You can drink water all day long without a problem.

If the ride is long enough, you should be eating. Even the most basic energy bar will have more than enough electrolytes to keep you going.

Sport drinks can be a nice change of pace on a long ride, and getting some extra carbs can be handy. But otherwise, all those powders and tablets and stuff are basically snake oil.

pdedes

anything over three hours, i'll put some sugar and halfsalt in the bottles, squeeze of lime or lemon too.

rms13

My max rides are 40-50 miles but I have never felt the need to drink anything other than water. I usually don't eat before or during rides but recently starting experimenting with gels just for fun. I don't notice a difference. I'm a firm believer that timed nutrition is a myth. Have a dietary plan and stick to eat. Eat according to your plan every day and get your nutrition and electrolytes from real food throughout the day and you're not going to deplete it all on a 2-3 hour ride. If you are doing some extreme distances or racing maybe but I still think you will survive on water alone

fstshrk

I have been riding at 105-110 degrees F lately. For me, I get cramps after an hour while exerting effort (e.g. climbing) if I don't start taking electrolytes.
So I just drop them in my bottle when I leave work and continously sip water until I get home. I have a 14% max climb on my way home so every little bit helps/

fstshrk

I think you are wrong.

Bacciagalupe

Well, that's a comprehensive response

Most people have more than enough sodium in their diet, and you aren't going to lose a lot of potassium via exercise. Energy bars and gels obviously contain sodium, many contain potassium and calcium. All the electrolytes you need will be in the food you need to eat on a longer ride. Read the labels.

No one fully understands what causes or can prevent cramping. But we know electrolytes don't prevent cramps. E.g.:

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/0...muscle-cramps/
Joe Friel's Blog: Electrolytes and Muscle Cramps
Don't Sweat Over Electrolytes

redlude97

I use gatorade mix or accelarade but mostly for the carbs, like stated above electrolytes won't necessarily be beneficial, but on hard rides I need the calories and I simply can't eat ~150-200 calories an hour

seymour1910

I never noticed a difference. I stopped buying gels for that reason. Today I walked into performance and they had door busters going on. They were selling gels really cheap but I still didn't buy. They had great sales on Accelerade as well but I'm not familiar with it at all and didn't know if it was any different than just drinking Gatorade. Is it any good?

Dave Cutter

Water is OK. But my wife and I like green tea. We solar brew the tea although cycling season so I generally take a bottle of tea with me. My cycling routes pass several parks with a means to refill my water bottle. There are also several restaurants I can use (and have) as cooling or warming stations during a long ride. Any ride over 40 miles and I usually stop for coffee.

I eat in the morning, again around noon, then I have the days largest meal early in the evening. Sometimes... I have a snack or treat of some sort between meals. None of that changes because of what activity I am engaged in.

StephenH

I go through lots of fluids, but I've never had any problems drinking water only on 40 mile rides or so.

redlude97

You aren't riding hard enough.

znomit

On a hard ride I'll be craving for sugar within an hour.
On a slow ride I can go many hours on just water, no food either.

noob_rider

This.

hhnngg1

No, it has not as much to do with riding hard enough, but everything to do with how much fitness and training base you have.

A highly trained endurance athlete will preferentially burn fat stores at all intensities, and thus go much, much longer with no food intake. Studies of ultramarathoners who will run 100+ mile races (yes, RUN, not bike) show that people have enough fat stores to go ridiculous distances and hours, well over 8 hours with zero calorie intake, provided they are trained and experienced, and with surprisingly little dropoff in pace.

In contrast, a newbie cyclist who rarely goes over 30 minutes and rides at low intensity 1-2x/week max, will be shaking from sugar lows and hunger within 90 minutes in a lot of cases and will be craving calories and unable to get their speed up just like a real bonk. In them, their bodies are not adapted to burning fat, so they burn out their carb sources very quickly, and have to further reduce intensity to utilize those fat stores which are being converted at a really slow rate to usable energy in their case.

I get this same phenomenon every time I go from being off the bike awhile, back to peak shape. Early on, I get hunger pangs, shakes, and decreased performance on a lot of weirdly short rides, well under 50 miles, but after a few weeks of training, it's much better, and by the time I consider myself in-shape, I can easily do 100 miles with minimal performance dropoff on water alone.(I get really hungry by then end of that, but my power stays up, and I just eat a storm right afterwards.)

This is why you get such a big range of responses. But in general, the riders who do a lot of miles and heavy training regularly, will be much more resistant to calorie bonking, and can go on water alone for much, much longer than newbz.

calgarc

that depends on how far the bar is lol

lol i usually stick to water, then grab a perrier or coffee or something when i stop at a cafe to relax

Garfield Cat

I'm waiting for the day when a company or companies such as Google would find a way to monitor your blood and other vital signs while riding. Those readings will tell you at what rate you are using up your stored energy, electrolytes, whatever. At least it will tell you the changes that are taking place on these signs, even the sweat composition changes.

That just might answer the questions we ask ourselves like: Everybody is different. What you ate last night and just before the ride. What type of nutrition or supplement you should take. Are you under or over hydrating. Am I getting into serious heat exhaustion. Why the cramps now and right there.