I've been mixing my own sports drinks and it seems to work well enough (no bonking). For an hour ride, I skip the sugar all together, but for 2 hours I'll add 2 tablespoons to a 24oz bottle (think that's like 30grams or something close). For a 3 hour ride/hard workout or 2 hour hammerfest ride, I'll put three tablespoons. I'll also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a squirt of pure lemon juice for flavor.

I bonked once on a hard ride and was afraid to let it happen again. It hasn't happened since I've started mixing my own drinks, but one thing I've noticed is that my gel packets only have 10 grams of sugar even though they have 28 grams of carbs. What's the difference? Carbs are carbs right? This sugar mixture is less expensive, but I also worry about my teeth (hah).

Does anyone else do this? Are there reasons not to do this?