on rides in the 40 to 50mile range, I take a bottle of 24oz water bottle and a 24oz powerade... although I just recently switched to accelerade... it's better for endurance and muscle recovery...

I'm currently torn about Accelerade (NOT mixed full strength, they're terrible tasting at full strength... I mix it at about 3/4th strength... they taste much better and still do the job)... I also like the taste of the Gatorade endurance so I'm going to use both and see how they do.

Accelerade does seem to be popular and has protein, as well as the electrolytes and such... you really need to just buy a few and try them out... check the links others have posted and go to performancebike.com and into their nutrition section for some more help.

there will never be a consensus on the best drinks... just gotta try a few and decide for yourself. BUT, gatorade and water is bettre than water alone, and you can get gatorade pretty much anywhere.

rock