JLDickmon

So, the last few days and the next few days are tropical here in the Great Lakes.. mid 90's temp and 70+% humidity..
A week ago we had a frost..
My question..
Bottled mineral water (Fiji, Mt. Home, etc), tap water or sports hydration?
My cardiologist and dentist aren't too keen on me drinking sports drinks.. too much salt content maybe?

Rick

More water less sport drinks. You need electrolytes which you can get from food or snacks that are healthy.

guachi

Many sports drinks, like gatorade, just have too much in them. I often water down my powdered mix or I'll ensure that if I have two bottles then one is straight water (tap water. it's cheap) and the other electrolytes and carbohydrates.

For most times riding, it's just water. My ride needs to be nearer to 2 hours or a ridiculously intense ride for me to want food.

Trakhak

Tap water for me for the last 50-plus years of riding.

cyccommute 

It depends. Go with what your doctors say but there are some benefits to moderate consumption of sports drinks. I sweat walking across the street (I’m not out of shape, I just sweat easily). It’s hard for me to keep electrolytes up which leads to cramping. When you helmet and hydration pack look like this






The white stitching on the Camelbak isn’t thread. After rides I have to be careful to keep from wiping my eyes because they will sting from the salt. I’ve even been known to have salt bullseyes on my jerseys from the sweat evaporating. I have much more salt going out than in. So much so that low blood pressure is more of a problem for me than high blood pressure.

I use tap water in the Camelbak but I often carry one bottle of Gatorade on the bike especially on rides of longer lengths.

exercion

I carry tap water in the camelback, and add in POWERade Zero because I don't want all the sugar, when I get home or back to the car. Very occasionally I will stop for one with a snack on a long ride.

Eric

skidder

Tap water. Drink a glass before you go out, take two bottles for the ride (better to have too much than too little), then have some more when you get back. If its so hot that you go through all your water and want more, just stop at a 7-11 or similar and buy one of their generic bottles of water. If you're eating a well-balanced diet you shouldn't have a problem with electrolytes and minerals unless you're riding all day long in very warm temps. If you feel you need electrolytes, minerals, etc, just take a daily multivitamin.

Never could see any advantage in taking specialty 'sports' drinks, and I have to dilute most of them (or use less powder than recommended. And the highly-sugared stuff like Gatorade and Powerade makes me nauseous.

aplcr0331

Depends on how hard you ride. Toodling around? Water. Is it hot; add in some Nuun.

Hard sustained efforts over 2 hours? Take in about 60-90 grams per hour or more.

Carbs are legalized doping.

Never lose weight on the bike, lose weight in the kitchen. Fuel your performance.

My best rides are when I’ve been properly fueled. You need to, at the very least, replace the calories you lose when riding.

None of this matters if you putz around at 14mph having fun. But if you want to perform at a higher level, beat your past times up a climb…then carb the **** up.

Off the bike is when it matters what you put in your mouth…you know that other 95% of the time when we fatties eat poorly.

Good luck!

shelbyfv

I've been using Liquid IV for the past couple of years. I learned the hard way that plain tap water just doesn't work for me when it's really hot and humid. Might be worth a try.

dfritch

Power Aide Zero is a good choice, plus tap water.

Milton Keynes

I agree 100%. Most sports drinks have way too much sugar & salt in them. I've found that Powerade is better than Gatorade, no so strong. But I'll either water them down a bit (usually with lots of ice to keep it cold) in my water bottles, or else I'll put just plain tap water in one bottle and sports drink in the other. That way if I get tired of drinking sports drink I can just switch to water. However, I'm the kind of guy who sweats A LOT out in the heat, so I need sports drink to restore my electrolytes. If I drink too much water I end up washing all the electrolytes out of my system and start getting leg cramps. So a good mixture of water & sports drink works for me.

Milton Keynes

Me too, man. At the end of a 40 mile ride in summer, my face is crusty with salt. So I need sports drinks or else I'll start having cramps.

pdlamb

My cardiologist is also a cyclist, so he understands that I need more salt than many of his patients. I rode 50 miles yesterday and drank over a gallon of fluids -- without some salt I'd be cramping and listless today. Dentist is probably worried about cavities, as usual.

Milton Keynes

I think it varies from person to person and how much you sweat. I sweat a lot in hot temperatures, and learned the hard way that only carrying water on long rides in the heat was washing all the electrolytes out of my system, resulting in leg cramps. Since I started carrying sports drinks on my bike, either liquid in my bottles or powder which I can mix with my water when I refill, I haven't had that problem.

I always have to drink it about half strength or maybe 2/3 strength. Otherwise they are just way too sweet. What I like to do is put sports drink in one bottle and water in the other (or sports drink it both bottles and water in my hydration pack) so I can swap out what I'm drinking. Sometimes on a ride water tastes much better than sports drink, sometimes water isn't enough. I stay hydrated either way but don't get sick of constantly drinking sports drink, even if it's watered down.

zjrog

I had gastric sleeve weight loss surgery almost 3 years ago. Hydration is super important to me, and I cannot gulp or chug water like I used to. I also work in the desert... Here is what I do. At work, for every three bottles of water, one Gatorade Zero or Vitamin Water Zero... Never soda. I do love iced tea, unsweetened (I could not be a good southerner to save my soul...) I live in Utah, 5200' elevation, 20% or less humidity in the summer. For hot rides, I'll drink a Gatorade or Vitamin Water Zero before the ride, and after. Water exclusively on the ride. Either 2 water bottles on the bike or 100 ounce Camelbak with filtered tap water, depends on the ride distance or time out on a ride. I simply use a Brita type water filter pitcher. Wife and I keep 2 full all the time.

JLDickmon

Now why didn't I think of this?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition...in-differences

VTBike

No, you don't need to replace the calories you lose when riding - not unless you want to train your body to be addicted to sugars. Your body has plenty of energy stored in the form of fat. I like to burn fat when I exercise. You have trained your body to avoid burning fat by cramming sugars down your throat that your body does not need.

Your best rides are when you are "properly fueled" (as if the fuel stored in your body is not "proper") because you trained your body that way. But you didn't have to.

This article explains it well.
https://www.nomeatathlete.com/burning-fat-for-fuel/

pdlamb

Pedialyte is a bit too salty for my stomach. I don't care for the flavor if it's watered down 50%, but a bottle of that and a bottle of water, alternating sips, is fine.

The Pedialyte "popsicles" are great for eating after a hot ride, while sitting out on the porch.

Ryno317

I always try to drink Gatorade G2, instead of regular Gatorade after a ride and just water during the ride. But lately I have been drinking Body Armor Lyte and really like the flavors and taste.

stevel610 

I sweat a lot. On a long ride on hot day I will carry 2 bottles on the bike and 2l in a hydration pack. My wife likes a water bottle that she mixes a little fresh lemon juice.

I get my salt/sugar from nutrition bars, fruit or pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Running out of energy s♡cks. Particularly on long rides.

Lambkin55

In my part of farm country...
Any well water I can find on the road.
The COLDER the better.

boozergut

Nuun tablets get dropped into bottles and Camel bak, I get a wicked headache otherwise.....

drlogik 

Filtered tap or straight tap water for me. Always been that way for me, even when I was competing in cross country ski marathons and swimming competitively.