Questions from a first time user:

- Do you make a gel paste or make it liquid?
- If you make a paste, how do you make the paste and have you found a gel flask large enough to carry enough for a century ride? I guess if I were to follow their directions, I would need to make a paste with 15 scoops.
- What kinds of container(s) have worked well for you on long rides (love to see the product link)?

I've used Hammer's Sustained Energy as a drink. 2 scoops in a 24oz bottle. It can be mixed stronger and still used as a drink.

I had the unflavored flavor (seems oxymoronic), which can be mixed with flavored stuff. I just drank it unflavored, or, as I kept saying as I drank it, "wallpaper paste flavored."



I have no desire to try mixing into a gel/paste. But that's just me.

Id mix perpetuem with the contents of my garbage can, then leave it there. Then id mix up my water with Heed for a century. On a century id put 2 scoops per water bottle, then i put a few scoops into a plastic baggy to use when I refill at the halfway point.

I cant handle any of the mix's that have protein in them, especially on a hot ride. So now i use heed which ive never had gastric problems with, and get my protein with food.

I carry two water bottles: one with 750 cal. of something similar to Perpetuem or Sustained Energy, and one with plain water. That will get me 3 hours. I've found that if I mix it any thicker than that, it seems to just sit in my stomach, so I carry more scoops in a Ziploc bag or bags. If it's a long warm ride, I'll use liter bottles instead of the 20 or 24 oz. I also like my Sustained Energy flavored. Hammer Gel works for that. I haven't used Perpetuem, but I understand it's similar.

I'm a big fan of the orange flavored Heed. My advice for the OP would be to try stuff out on shorter training rides -- don't make a long ride your first experience with something (that goes for food or beverages).

You'd hate to find out something gives you a sour stomach part way through a century.

Like Jarery said, the drinks with protein (SE, Accelerade, and others) don't sit well with some people. Experiment, and find what works for you.

Two hour rides I use Heed. Anything over that, I use Perpetuem. By itself, it tastes godawful to me. So I mix it with Apple Cinanmon Gel. Then it taste palatable. Sort of like Apple Pie.

If it's going to be warm, I'll bring extra and mix it w/ fresh H20.

BR