Tried one for the first time, mostly out of curiosity. It was "Sonic Strawberry." Tasted like corn syrup mixed with yeast extract. I guess I might carry one or two as an emergency anti-bonking agent, but it was terrible.

Are there better gels out there?

My rides are starting to get into the 40-60 mile zone, so I should be eating something, but it ain't gonna be Sonic Strawberry.

It's too bad Otter Pops won't last more than 5 minutes into a ride.

Try Car-Boom and compare the ingredients too.

try another flavor...go to a shop and switch flavors...

My favorites are the strawberry banana PowerGels. I also tried a sonic strawberry, I almost hurled. big mistake in the middle of a long ride and low on water.

Stay away from the Cola flavor Clif Shots too. They're the worst gel I've ever tried.

I'm a big fan of Hammer Gel in either Raspberry or Apple Cinnamon and the Espresso Love GU shots.

I like those foot long ice pops that you can get for like $1. They only last 15-20 minutes so you gotta stop at a store to get one and eat it pretty much immediately, but its tasty and it really picks you up.

Just remember to wash off the bike afterwards, unless you like it sticky.

hey you dont need to go to the store just make it yourself. get an ice tray and some koolaid and your on your way but they only last like you said about 15min

Yeah... those are Otter Pops. I picked up a pack of 200 for $5 at Costco.

Raspberry Hammer gels are by far the best I've tried. My experience is limited though.

40-60 miles? Eat something "real" before and after, and drink carbohydrate drinks during the ride and you won't need those silly gels.

The Cliff shots are ok in the Razz Sorbet and Chocolate flavors. Although I'm pretty tolerant of gels in general. I like Gu, HammerGel, Powergel, etc. as long as the flavor is palatable.

Power-gel, Strawberry banana...you can't go wrong with 'em. The only one I've found so far that I can stomach.

I tried those Clif Shots once and found them disgusting. I also couldn't get past the fact that they looked like... well I'd rather not say but I think you can guess.

I must be the outlier, I like Clif Strawberry and raspberry. Hammer chocolate is my fav though.

I've tried chocolate GU, and I just can't understand why anyone would like. Tastes great...off the bike. During a ride, it's like trying to choke down melted chocolate chips. I look like a dog that's been fed peanut butter when I try to get that stuff down.

Anyone else have this problem? Or why do you like chocolate if you do? Something lighter like an orange gel, I can do well with.

I really want to try them. I am going to be buying them for my kili trip. asre there any that dont have caffeine?

Nothin' better than GU in Espresso flavor...

Another vote for Hammer Gel. Apple-cinnamon is yummy. Tastes like mom's homemade apple pie.

I like Hammer gel, Gu, and Power Gel. (my real opinion)

Due to my sponsorship, you should get honey stinger gels.

(actually dont, they taste like poo)

PB sandwich works great for me on long rides. Plus I always carry a Hammer gel or two.

Gu-gels and Clif-shots are really thick, you almost have to chew them.
Powergels, carb-boom, accel gel, and hammer gels are a lot thinner and easier to eat. They have the consistency of a load (sorry, there wasn't any better way of describing it).

I've tried carb-boom, Clif, and GU.

Out of them, I refuse to touch Clif again....how they managed to screw up vanilla is beyond me....it was like downing coagulated vanilla coke syrup...I couldn't look at one without feeling nauseous.

Carb-boom is nice, but when performance dropped the cherry choclolate, I became a sad panda and chose to try the GU tri-berry.

GU tri-berry isn't too bad...it's flavor is acceptable, but the texture is a bit odd...being like eating gel toothpaste.....I was half tempted to try to brush my teeth with a pouch of it, but common sense (and aquafresh) won out in that decision.

I think it is cheaper to use maltodextrin powder and mix it straight into your drink. I add 2 Ts per 24 oz bottle of Cytomax. Rather than get a "shot" of energy, drink it down steadily ... all ride long. Best.

I assume there is no non-processed version of these, or at least one that is clean (no caffeine)?