OK,
this thread is really stupid, but the biochemistry PhD in me feels the need to clarify a few things here.

Pure water (H20) does not conduct electricity. It must have dissolved ions (charged particles) to conduct electricity.
This is why the charged ions (usually dissociated ionic salts) are called electrolytes.

Any charged compound dissolved in water is therefore an electrolyte... For example, table salt (sodium chloride) when dissolved into H20 dissociates into Na+ (sodium) and Cl- (chloride)...
Low-sodium salt substitute (a mixture of potassium chloride and Sodium chloride) will produce Na+ and Cl-, as well as K+(potassium) and Cl- in solution...

When you sweat hard, you will lose mostly sodium and chloride, as well as a little bit of potassium. Obviously, this is in addition to the water in your sweat and exhaled breath.
Lick your sweaty arm- tastes salty right?

in theory, you want to replace some of these salts... but really this is only an issue if you are drinking only water all day, sweating very profusely and do not eat anything.

Glucose is not an electrolyte. it does not dissociate into charged (ionic) components when put into solution- it is only there to make the gatorade sweet and to give kids and lazy adults diabetes...

So, like I said upthread, add a bit of table salt and a bit of lemon juice to your water, and voila! electrolyte substitute. Doesnt taste sweet like gatorade, but the sugar is just simple calories anyway...

Alternatively, eat any processed food in America, and you will have more sodium than you need...

The people saying all you need to do is eat food during the day while drinking water are absolutely correct.

EDIT: to clarify, Maltodextrin is also NOT an electrolyte- just easily digested sugar. Again, cheap calories for people who cannot, will not or choose not to stop to eat (racers, randonneurs etc). However, this being the TOURING forum, these categories of competitors are clearly irrelevant.

/thread.