I just started using NUUN - mainly for 50+ mile rides or hot weather (high 80s F and up = hot for me). The lemon lime is decent and the watermelon seems a bit too sweet; neither turns my stomach as much as Gatorade.

My unscientific findings: 1. NUNN vs. plain water seems to keep my system flowing properly - no more four hour rides without a pee break. 2. This stuff has helped stave off the post-ride dehydration headache. If I start to get one after a ride, I use another one and it seems to clear up.

This is great info. Thanks.

I had a friend who tried 5 Hour Energy drink. He said in a perfect deadpan, "It was great. I was wide awake and alert... at 5 AM in the morning."


-Tim-

I was tempted to take Friday off but was anxious to try my luck in the 106F feels-like temperature peak between 10 am and noon. That's the sort of thing that would usually wipe me out for the day.

Small breakfast, yogurt, cereal and half a banana, one cup of coffee.

I dropped a NUUN fresh lime energy tablet (caffeinated) in my smaller water bottle and drank that during the first half of the ride. Plain water the rest of the ride, about 30-40 oz over a 25 mile ride. Wasn't pushing too hard due to slight knee pain, although it was a faster than usual pace for me. I'm gradually getting accustomed to the road bike after two years on a hybrid, and may be getting closer to having the saddle and handlebar height and position dialed in.

Ate a Kind bar (less sweet than Clif and others) and chewed a Glukos tablet at the halfway point when I felt the early warning signs of a bonk. No problems afterward.

Anyway, felt good after the ride. No cramps or exhaustion like the second week of June. Maybe I'm just getting re-acclimated to summer heat, but I'll give some credit to the NUUN stuff. I've tried other sports drinks but usually didn't drink enough because they tasted awful.

Big fan of Nuun tablets here. On longer rides I'll mix one bottle up with the Nuun caffeinated tablets.
My daughter talked me into buying a natural supplement made with seaweed and a bunch of grass. The jar says "lemon-lime flavor," but it tastes like seaweed and grass. Can't wait to finish the stuff and get back to something less natural.

I've been trying the Nunn tablets. So far they have given me some bad stomach cramps on most of the rides I've used them. I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for some help on these brutal FL summer rides.

Since Nuun tablets don't have any sugar, I assume you're talking about another product of theirs.

Not sugar as in white table sugar but as in sweeteners/sugars. Like on a nutrition label. I guess I should have been more clear about that...ah well.

That's okay. I looked for sweeteners in mine and didn't find any. IIRC, it was mostly salts and flavorings.

Odd because looking at the current iterations they all have some form of sweetener. Yes they are mostly other ingredients as was the initial point but they do have some form of sweetener.

Mine are kind of old, and I have a mushy brain these days, so I must be wrong. Regardless, they saved my hide on Saturday. :-)

That is good, I love my hydration stuff. Some people just don't get it..."what do you mean I might not be able to put down plain water?" They don't get you lose other things besides water and sometimes even the taste of water just doesn't do it or the water has a not so pleasant taste. Now if only they could replicate a nice ice cold Topo Chico but in a small tablet you put in water form, we will be golden. I could drink those forever ; )

I'm trying to figure a way to bring Topo Chico on a ride, cold in a glass bottle.

Drinking one now as a matter of fact.


-Tim-

I found this, this, and this. Don't know if any of 'em will fit in a bottle cage, but it might give you some ideas.

EDIT: Ooo, look at this! This is pretty nice too.

Thanks but it is carbonated and so has to stay in the original glass bottle with the cap intact. I don't want to pour it into another bottle but would prefer some kind of cushioning/insulation in the shape of a water bottle.

Man, having a cold one of these about 30 miles in would be a treat.




-Tim-

Ah! Find a crocheter, buy some bulky weight wool yarn, and pay him/her to make you a bottle cozy. Felted wool is quite a good insulator.

You said it, brother!!!!! I bet if we could figure out a carbonation system we could make it happen ; ) Or maybe we can build a Topo Cago...the marketing potential could be awesome.

lol

Just an update after using NUUN tablets and DripDrop hydration powder for a couplafew weeks now.

On the plus side, I'm definitely feeling more energized after rides, even in midday heat, rather than exhausted and needing a nap. Huge improvement over the past couple of summers.

On the downside...

Am I the only one sweating so much salty residue? It's ridiculous. Everything I wear is coated with a frosty white dust and stiffens up like it was starched. I've seen this in other people before, but never experienced it myself. I used to be able to get a couple of rides from a jersey or other shirt but now I have to wash everything after every ride. Right now the jersey I wore for Monday afternoon's ride is standing up by itself in the corner demanding to be washed.

Other than that, these electrolyte supplements are great. Not sure I should have blood lab work done right after taking 'em tho'. Might frighten the lab tech and doctor.

They do, and if you shop carefully (and in bulk) you can save some money. Unfortunately, no deals on this for Prime Day.

Apparently Nuun has changed the formulation recently, which is maybe why I was able to score boxes of 8 tubes for around $30 each a few months back. To my palate, the Tri-Berry I normally use is more tangy.

I'm not a chemist but I believe the Nuun tabs acidify the water slightly, making it much more thirst-quenching, at least for me. I've read all the Osmo/Skratch Labs PR, and while I don't doubt it, personally I dislike sugary stuff when riding. Nuun tabs fit the bill nicely: electrolytes, plus flavoring, and no sugar. I drink a lot more when using these tabs, no question, in comparison to straight-up water.

As an aside, I use them in my Camelbak bladder when riding dirt, and I can clean it by simply rinsing it out. I'm pretty sure that something sugary would leave a residue and would require more extensive cleaning.

I would certainly talk to your primary care physician, and have labs done. Your kidneys and liver might be taking a huge hit from all those electrolytes.

Using the same riding clothing multiple times before washing them???

After reading about it, that type of sweating doesn't seem too unusual. It's just unusual for me. And I've seen other active folks end a ride or run covered in salty crust from perspiring.

I'm using only one or two NUUN tablets or packets of DripDrop per ride. Usually more dilute than they recommend -- one per 24 oz bottle. And I'm trying to drink more water than I usually do to avoid the heat exhaustion of the past couple of summers, and cramps during one ride last month. I used to drink about one 24 oz bottle per 20 miles, but I've been drinking more than that recently. Feeling better after a ride, so it seems to be working.

But the salty residue is weird. I've never even used much salt in food, don't like salty snacks, and I don't take multi-vitamins with minerals. Maybe that's why I've never experienced it before. Might also explain my poor heat adaptation the past couple of summers.

Jerseys, occasionally, sure. Like Kris Kristofferson, some days I'll wear my cleanest dirty shirt on a Sunday morning sidewalk ride.

Shorts, heck no.

In previous summers I could get two rides per jersey. Good tech fabric doesn't usually get gross after one ride. Especially Pearl Izumi's Transfer fabric -- that baselayer is usually good for two or more rides in winter. And I've never been a stinky sweater, according to folks I've asked. I feel like I smell like a goat but other folks say they couldn't tell I've been exercising and sweating.

But with the salty residue from electrolytes, that's out the window. I have to wash everything after every ride or look like Frosty the Snowman.

Phew, had me worried for a minute.

I mostly wear Champion wicking fabric boxer/briefs with baggy shorts. Skin tight, great support for Johnson and the twins, and the fabric transfers moisture as well as any cycling apparel. I seldom need padded shorts -- I wear 'em only on really windy days on rural routes across open prairie to cut down a bit on wind resistance. My Lycra fabric covered saddles are comfortable enough for most rides up to 40-50 miles.

I suppose eventually the saddles will break down from acting as cycling shorts padding that can't be washed effectively. I just use some fabric freshener and laundry prewash in a spray bottle once in awhile. But Serfas Tailbones and similar Lycra covered foam saddles cost only $25 or so, cheap enough to replace every few years. Mine are more than 10 years old and still good. Really comfy, although they probably do cost a bit in pedaling efficiency -- I can feel a little bounciness on chipseal and rough roads.

Oh, and I'm needing to soak my helmet straps about once a week. Just wiping 'em down after every ride doesn't cut it anymore. Since using the electrolyte supplements the helmet straps get so stiff after a few days I need to soak 'em.

I remove the detachable buckles, etc., set the helmet over an oval shaped plastic mop bucket with mild detergent and let the straps dangle for 30-60 minutes, then air dry 'em near a fan. Works well, but I'll need to do this every week while using electrolyte supplements.