Originally Posted by
bautieri
I too echo that they will not give a huge energy boost right away, however, they do give decent energy over time in a nice neat wrapper. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches work best for me, however they get messy in a jersey pocket. The cliff bar has the edge in ease of consumption, if you practice a bit you don’t even have to slow down to eat one. The sandwich rout you have to stop to eat unless you don’t mind a sticky mess.
Taste wise, I like them, particularly the chocolate mint ones. Then again, my palate is not difficult to please.
Oh yeah: Cliff Bar farts.
Addressing my young and scatalogical friend's final comment:
Most energy bars use soy (AKA soybeans) as a protein source, and may combine that with maltodextrin, which is so strong a laxative that Australia requires products containing it to carry a warning label. (Some American bakers, such as Philadelphia's Tastykake, have started including warnings as well on their products with maltodextrin.) Like Bautieri I enjoy the chocolate mint bars, but I can't consume more than one a ride without discomfort. I won't even look at Powerbars.
On a long ride, I'm likely to carry trail mix (peanuts, raisins, M & Ms, and other goodies) and a turkey or peanut better sandwich. On tour I emulate Sherman's march through Georgia and live off the land, stopping for snacks and meals as I need to - or want to. For example, to carry me the 30 some miles from Cambridge to Delmar, MD, I had a deli turkey sub in my panniers, some snacks, and a ton of drinks (it was a hot day.) I had the first half of the sub just outside Cambridge, and the rest 20 miles in, at Vienna.