electrolyte tablet in your water or plain water?

Either. Depending on distance, intensity, and what I feel like.

I haven't tried it yet due to injury, but you might also look at skim milk. Around 90% water and has a superb electrolyte profile.

Water for rides under 100km...I add Nuun tablets to the odd bottle if I'm going over the 100km mark...I used to get headaches on pure water for the long rides. Nuun seems to work like a charm (1 tablet/20oz).

+1 on the long distance for NUUN tablets. Doesn't ruin the flavor (hopefully none) of your water bottle. Mostly though, just plain water

I add Gatoraid to my water. Green Apple works great and tastes tolerable.

Whats the deal with the tablets? Whats wrong with a pinch of salt and sugar in water?

Tablets (nuun) if you sweat.

I like Ultima. No calories, plenty of electrolytes and vitamins and whatnot. Nice taste if you're cool with Stevia.

Plus I can get it in a color that matches my bike. VERY IMPORTANT, as you know.

I know this is not a racing thread - but it applies.
We now just use water, then packet GU/food for electrolyte.

On a hot day the option to squirt water on head/back is nice. We remember the chocolate milk mistake.

The ideal concentration of a mix/water varies with temperature. Having a pack and washing it down lets the ratio be controlled on the bike.

You can share in picking up bottles for others. If they are all water, anyone can take any and use their sauce and wash it down.

+1,

Water and real food, ie. potato chips, dried apricots, fresh bananas, etc. do the job for me. No need to pay high prices for stuff I can find in a kitchen cabinet. For long rides in the heat, I'll sometimes add potassium capsules, on the off chance that I'm not replenishing that fast enough. Not sure it makes a difference, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

I squeeze a lime into my water bottle, and add some simple syrup and a pinnchnof salt. Super tasty and should give you everything you need....you can always add a bit of KCL as well if you're worried about potassium.

And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...

I've been using Gookinaid aka ERG aka Hydrolylte aka Vitalyte (its current name) for 40 years. The stuff is simply good. The electrolyte balance and sugar both amount and type are right to optimize water take up, electrolyte take up and not make you sick. (The only times I've thrown it up is when I have the flu or a stomach bug. What does stay down helps a lot and what comes up tastes good.)

The stuff is cheap (~$18 for 40 WBs). I find it better than water to drink when I am riding and after. (I didn't use it for ~10 years when I couldn't find it. Started back up when REI started carrying it 15 years ago and my riding life was instantly better.

All Vitalyte does is hydrate and facilitate absorption. It does not contain significant amounts of carbohydrates, any protein, make promises or perform miracles. I love the stuff.

Edit: Vitalyte is an excellent source for potassium. Sodium is there but not in huge amounts. I make it a point not to eat a lot of salt and the sodium levels in Vitalyte work just fine for me. If you have very salty sweat, you may need to supplement the sodium.

Ben

... and a rib of lamb in the middle jersey pocket.

I don't add anything to my water for the simple reason that I use it for things besides drinking. I might dampen a bit of cloth to wipe salt from around the eyes, pour some over my head, or splash some on my face for an instant cool, or use it for emergency 1st aid.

So, other than actually finding plain water to be more thirst quenching than flavored water, I still have reasons to keep the water and electrolytes separate until consumed.

But, I don't claim that my approach is somehow better or smarter, just that it's my preference, and invite anyone to do whatever works for them EXCEPT, that if you come upon me cut and bleeding in the road, please don't wash my injuries with your adulterated water.

usually, half the water bottle will eventually be poured over my head. so i don't really want anything but water in it.

Plain water in the bottle. Electrolyte tablet in the handlebar bag.

Packets of salt taken from the condiment stand at the fast food joint.

I'm going to try Nuun tablets this summer. I was really miserable last summer. However, I'm going to keep one bottle for water and the other for Nuun.

It doesn't matter whether you use pills or solution, but water alone is a VERY bad idea. Even on short (<2hr) rides if you sweat a lot you need electrolytes.

The loss of electrolytes through sweating will cause muscle fatigue (often misinterpreted as low energy) and possibly cramping.

You also need to think about electrolyte replacement after a long hot ride.

One good source of electrolytes is potato chips. We will often pick up a small bag of them along the way.

An excellent source of electrolytes is salted almonds ... on really long rides, I'll have a small baggie of them on board.

Beef jerky washed down with orange juice is another decent source.

Italian sausage and cole slaw here. The sausage slides into pockets better. Ribs are too curvy.

I rarely use anything other than water except on long rides.

I wish it were possible to stave off muscle fatigue with a pill!

Our bodies are quite efficient at regulating sodium in the blood. Hyponatremia is a rare condition requiring drinking copious amounts of water while exercising.

I think I learned my lesson last year.

Went on a 85mi round trip ride to Three Floyds brewery when it was around 90 degrees F and full sun. I was really hurting the last 15 miles coming back through the city. Still felt fairly strong riding...but was woozy and getting a pretty bad headache. I thought I might have been severely dehydrated...but I had been drinking a lot of water, and actually weighed myself and had only lost maybe half a pound from the morning. Spent about 2 hrs of moping around the house feeling weak, woozy, before I realized I might have hyponatremia. Had a bunch of salty peanuts and pretzels, and felt better about 30 minutes later.

Yep. This is why the electrolyte stuff only goes into one bottle. Water is important, useful stuff.

On long rides, or away from services, I bring a 2 oz filter so I can drink from creeks, too.