RonH

I like PowerBar Gel but at $1.39 each they're a tad expensive.
I did a search but didn't find anything appealing.
Got a good (tasting) recipe?

shaharidan

ive been using striaght honey.
but someone posted a recipe here a while back, it was honey cut with a bit of water, lemon juice and some salt.
the straight honey may be a bit rich or too sweet for a lot of people but it hasnt given may any problems. and its kinda of nice because you can get honey in resealable squeeze bottles.

pointyhead

RonH, If you buy them by the case at Nashbar, they are only .97 per pack.

pointyhead

Here's a deal also.

Case of Power Bar Gel

pointyhead

Or, try something on this page.

Cycling performance tips

shaharidan

Nice link Pointy

uciflylow

This may seem strange, but I can drink gulps of honey and have no problems. If I mix my gatoraid a little strong it gives me heart burn!
I have never tried GU or Power Gel so I don't know if I would get along with these or not.

pointyhead

I've been experimenting with them recently. The vanilla Power Bar gel tasted just like sour cream icing. I kept thinking about cinnimon rolls the remainder of my ride. Maybe I'll get me a cake decorator's tube and carry some icing on my next trip.

RonH

Thanks for the link. Looks like an excellent deal. :thumbup:

foehn

I got the following from RoadBikeRider.com.

And I don't know about where you live, but I can get Koolaid or Flavoraid for 10 packs for a buck.

And, I suppose if you wanted to try the pure honey thing, but don't like the flavor of pure honey, you could ad Koolaid (to taste) to it--but I'd recommend a very mild honey like clover for this. Or use the following recipe with honey instead of rice syrup?

First, purchase unsweetened Kool Aid packets, bargain priced at 4 for $1. The recipe:

1 tbsp hot water
1 Kool Aid flavor packet
1/8 tsp kosher or pickling salt
1 cup rice syrup

Combine hot water, Kool Aid and salt in a measuring cup. Stir to dissolve. Nuke it for 10 seconds if it needs help. Fill the measuring cup to the 1-cup line with the rice syrup and mix well. This fills 2 GU flasks.
This formula is on the tart side, so if you prefer your gel a little sweeter, try this recipe, which fills 4 flasks:

2 tbsp hot water
1 Kool Aid flavor packet
1/4 tsp kosher or pickling salt
2 cups rice syrup

I've estimated I'll get 32 GU flasks for $38. That's $1.18 per flask, and I get all the flavor options Kool Aid has to offer. (The retail cost of 32 flasks of GU would be about $160.) I'm experimenting with adding 1 or 2 tbsp of refined sugar for a quicker initial boost. -- Lee

killerasp

What this "gel" for?

Ritz

Instant energy, to keep the bonk at bay.

RonH

I found this a few weeks ago and tried it. It tasted like crap! Maybe I used the wrong Kool-aid flavor - lemonade.

What flavor did you use?

pointyhead

Hey Ron, I've noticed all the gels taste like cake icing. I'm thinking I'd get a pastry bag and keeping it handy. Or....use it to make some flower decorations all along the handlebars, and then just break off one or two as needed!


Actually, I saw in Bicycling mag once, something very nasty (akin to a popular thread on this board, ...or should I say ...poop-u-lar) stuck atop a triathalon rider's top tube. It was a powerbar that was rolled into a log and stuck on the tube. The rider just had to reach down and pull off a chunk. I guess you''d get some of that salt back, after you sweated over it for a few miles!

foehn

Sorry, I haven't tried it. I think you need to add the koolaid to taste?

What didn't you like about the flavor? Was it the actual flavor or was it too flavored or too tart?

Or didn't you like the rice syrup?

RonH

I think it was the combination of the rice syrup and the lemonade flavor.
I guess I'll keep looking.

foehn

That does sound pretty gruesome. Maybe try a mix of honey and rice syrup, and use a fruit flavor?

Here's some other recipes I found somewhere and I haven't tried these either:




" 7 and 1/3 Tablespoons of Honey
" 3/4 teaspoons of Blackstrap Molasses
"1/10 teaspoons (just shy of 1/8 tsp) of table salt

"Be sure to mix everything together well, and it should make enough to fill a 5 serving GU flask.

"This recipe works nicely. You may see some bubbles on the surface of this stuff, but that is just a natural occurrence of the molasses. One thing really nice is that neither honey nor molasses needs to be refrigerated, so you can keep it in your pocket all day, and even use it the following week. I probably wouldn't go much past a week, but it should still be good.

"The nutritional content approximates 25g carbs, 45mg sodium, 35mg potassium, with plenty of vitamins and minerals that you wouldn't get with the store bought stuff. Another nice thing about the honey recipe is that it is all natural. Honey comes from bees that get nectar from flowers. Maybe you've passed a honeybee hive on a trail, and just maybe there was a bee in there making the honey that you are going to use on your next ride! Ok, that's a stretch. Molasses is not actually any part of the four-legged mammal, but is refined from sugar cane. As Homer Simpson would say: "Mmmmm, suuuugggarrrrrr." Salt comes usually from salt mines, but you could always buy "sea-salt" and use that. I suppose "sea salt" comes from the sea, but with truth in advertising at the current lows, who really knows.

" My experiment did not end at just the plain ol' goop. It was still raining out, so I thought back to something I read somewhere about a 4 to 1 carb to protein ratio. I guess that is supposed to be a good thing (Thanks Martha Stewart), so I made a recipe for that too.

"Honey goop with a protein kick:

"6 Tablespoons of Honey
"5/8 teaspoons of Blackstrap Molasses
"6 and 3/8 teaspoons of Soy Protein Isolate
"1/16 teaspoons of salt
"1-3 Tablespoons of water

"Mix everything together in a cup, add water as needed to develop a nice ‘goopable' consistency. Makes 5 servings."

roadbuzz

I use honey, too. Just honey. Different flavors include clover (the standard), orange blossom, etc. Get one of those Gu flasks (like a miniture waterbottle) but put honey in it. Chase with water, or whatever.

Lost Coyote

Pointyhead had a link but this one is a bit more specific:

make your own gel

I use Hammer Gel (mentioned in the link) and Honey Stingers ( a combo of honey and maltodextrin). Hammer Gel is not nearly as expensive as most others Gels/Gu at about 0.70 a serving. The key is the maltodex. You should go to Hammer's site and read up on it. Hammer gel site

sharoosunidhi2

Hi,
I am newly join in this site This site is very useful to others.Actually, I saw in Bicycling mag once, something very nasty (akin to a popular thread on this board, ...or should I say ...poop-u-lar) stuck atop a triathalon rider's top tube. It was a powerbar that was rolled into a log and stuck on the tube. The rider just had to reach down and pull off a chunk. I guess you''d get some of that salt back, after you sweated over it for a few miles!
=======================
sharoo
Don't over-react emotionally to the Lemonade Diet.
The Lemonade Diet Cleanse Recipe

Duke's Pass

I'm finding myself developing an expensive addiction to Hammer products. The key ingredient - as pointed out above - is maltodextrin. does anyone know where maltodextrin can be bought? I mean, what kind of shop sells bags of maltodextrin?

momof4greatkids

7# for 12.99

https://www.vigorousliving.com/nofoma...FQHHGgodT3YHnA

figuring out how to mix it to make it palatable and portable is the trick

tdreyer1

Sour cream icing?