I have tried many different energy drinks over the years and have not been overly impressed with any of them. I did not like Acelerade - I had a bad digestive reaction to it, and it left a horrible after-taste in my mouth. I am iffy about Cytomax - it's got sort of an odd flavor to it. Gatorade is OK for a little while but I cannot drink it and eat energy bars at the same time - the combination of solid food with Gatorade leaves an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. Powerade is a bit better - milder - but also has fewer calories. My own mix, a recipe I got from a very good friend, is a bit better than all the rest because I can adjust the ingredients, but it still tends to leave that sour taste behind after a while.
And then, a couple months ago, I bought some HEED to use on my long rides. I was very skeptical. I love hammergel, but I'm not so fond of some of the other Hammer Nutrition products. I can only stand Sustained Energy for about 300 kms before I can't stomach it anymore, and I've heard mixed reviews about Perpetuem.
But I've been trying HEED on my last few rides, and it's great!! It's so mild and subtly sweet that it does not leave any sort of bad after-taste ... and I can eat other solid food with it, without a bad reaction!! I lived on it during my 400K this past weekend, and didn't get sick of it the entire time!
I'm impressed!!
