burnthesheep

Folks can do nuun and real food. A lot of riders underestimate how much poor hydration strategies (the electrolytes/salts and the water par) can affect their riding.

For hot weather, a couple turns of the salt grinder into each bottle on top of whatever drink mix I use.........it's made a world of difference. Like, get home and be tired......but not sitting on the floor of the shower in pain kind.

Some folks confuse that pain near the last 1/3 of rides as not being able to go the distance. When in reality, the body doesn't have the salts to get the muscles to work correctly.

Clyde1820

I drink "straight" water.

A good gallon a day, more or less. Don't really think about the taste. Though I do tend to prefer a lime squeezed into ~16-24oz or so, it's usually just the water.

IMO, "straight" and without additives, I generally have found it's the most refreshing.

Over the years, in higher-heat and -performance situations particularly, I've occasionally added electrolytes. After such activities, I generally pay attention to replenishment of electrolytes along with everything else.

Other than that, it's "straight" water for me.

LaurieD

Same here. I always have a bottle of room temperature water on me. I can guzzle those down like nobody’s business LOL. It’s not some “I think it’s the most healthful” thing, either. It’s just my preference. I do not like sodas like Coke, Pepsi, etc. The only soda I like is club soda or seltzer water, which are basically just carbonated water. Gatorade is horrible tasting and too sugary, anyway, for this old insulin resistant girl. That may (hopefully) improve over time, especially with the additional exercise and dietary changes. (I’ve lost 36 lbs over the past 4 months or so with diet change, and it made me want to be more active.)

linnefaulk

Water is cheap.

rumrunn6

I squeeze 1/2 lemon into each bottle

Classtime 

For 25 miles or less, water is fine and cleaning the bottle after a ride is easy. Harder, faster, longer rides require carb/calorie solution. I will eat also but I am convinced that the regular ingestion of carbs while drinking is good. My drink mix is organic, cheap and home made: 2 T tapioca maltodextrin, 1T sugar, 1/2 a lemon or lime, and a pinch of salt. This mix is 150 calories and not too sweet/sticky. On very long all day rides, I bring along a dry mix by substituting "True lemon" in place of the real fruit.

Cyclist03516

Oh my God! My brain would explode! Not high level OCD but this would definitely trigger it!

Plain dihydrogen oxide for me. As a farm boy in New Mexico it was an old Clorox jug full every morning. Room temp too. In the heat cold water tears me up!

Bandera

Plain H2O if I'm going < 50 miles, always in clear or white bottles as a reminder that it's OK to dump the contents over one's head in the heat.
Colored bottles for weak green tea w/ a bit of honey to be re-filled w/ diluted electrolyte drink at a re-provisional stop on long rides, not what I want to wear.

-Bandera

horatio 

BITD when I rode frequently, I'd take two bottles, each filled with half sports drink, half water. Straight sports drinks were too sweet. Now I carry one bottle of straight H2O, which is good for rides of two hours or less. Now I'll have to rethink my hydration strategy for when I ride more than two hours.

I grew up drinking sweet iced tea (southern style) and colas, but I favor water now with meals and drink several glasses per day. I'm sipping ice water at the moment.

Gerry221

Always and only ever, water.

Kabuki12

As a caffeine junkie I like Nuun , the one that has caffeine , I feel much better after a long ride . Depending how I feel I may pop a couple of ibuprofen with at least 12oz of clear water prior to the ride , but not that often. Joe joesvintageroadbikes.wordpress

RH Clark

I drink lots of straight water but I also drink water with lime juice and pink salt mixed in. I just don't want to drink sugar or sugar substitutes. I use to drink Splenda and stevia mixtures until I found out that those artificial sweeteners kill good gut bacteria. I eat too healthy to loose progress drinking something with those sweeteners in it.

wphamilton

I've never carried anything but straight water in my water bottles. I drink only water with meals also - just somehow fell out of the cola/tea/juice habit years ago.

Coffee all day long though, and I do not abstain from beer or bourbon, but otherwise just water.

gnappi

At home I only drink water with either red lime squeezed in it, or with a splash of bottled lemon juice in it. On the bike I drink plain water.

oldgeezerjeff

On the bike I drink water mixed with one scoop of Tailwind. It adds a very light flavor and contains electrolytes, calories and caffeine. Tailwind's claim is "all you need, all day long." Although, that is probably two scoops per 20 oz bottle.
Anyway, I love the flavor and, during my 100 + degree rides home, have not cramped while using it. I used to cramp when all I drank was straight water.

TiHabanero

The water I use comes out of the tap all crooked, so I suppose I use crooked water.