rgconner

Tablespoon of Blue Agave syrup, large pinch of salt in both.
Sometimes I add a sports tab if I want it to taste like something.

Dan333SP

IPA in one, espresso in the other. I thought you people were serious cyclists? Maybe it's just me.

TimothyH

All, please take note.

This is correct.


-Tim-

noodle soup

Gatorade Sucks

memebag

How so?

datlas 

Minor hijack, but I have been using Cytomax and the latest batch I got tastes different (bitter) and is foamy which is also new. I don't know if they changed their formula or I just got a bad batch. Have you noticed??

p.s. sports drink in both bottles for me if ride >2 hours. Water if <2 hours.

dennis336

Interesting, I hadn't noticed any changes in the taste (although, I'm not very discerning!). btw, I'm also experimenting with chocolate milk for post ride recovery (or in yesterday's case, late ride) and pickles (I may look into bringing pickle juice with me as there's not always a deli on my rides to buy a cold pickle). Those two things seem to be helping with my after-ride soreness when i do long rides on hot days.

noodle soup

The 5 major electrolytes used by the body are Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphate. Gatorade only contains sodium and potassium(and 21g of sugar per 12oz.).

Abe_Froman

If i'm not mistaken(and i very well might be...) Sodium and potassium are the only two that an athlete might realistically deplete and suffer symptoms from during exercise...and potassium is a pretty distant 2nd to sodium.

woodcraft

Generally 1 bottle of water. 2 if extra hot or far between water sources.

Hammer powder or whatever they give you on organized DCs, etc..

I regularly see folks carry 2 giant bottles no matter how short the ride, or carry a second full bottle from stop to stop all day.

jitteringjr

memebag

I'm not worried about the sugar. I use it to pedal the bike. The other electrolytes haven't been a problem so far. Gatorade is cheap ($10 for a can that makes 9 gallons) and works better than straight water for me.

MoAlpha

While sports drinks contain potassium, it is tightly regulated by the kidney and there is no need to replace it during exercise. A diet containing good amounts fruits and vegetables will provide enough for any healthy individual. Sodium replacement is important, particularly if water intake is high.

memebag

When I switched from water to Gatorade this last time I immediately noticed salt residue on my clothes.

noodle soup

Nuun or Hammer Fizz

memebag

I've tried Nuun. I couldn't detect any benefit over Gatorade.

Seattle Forrest

I'm going to try this today. Saw your post last night, filled the bottles and left them in the freezer. I've been leaving them in there for an hour before I leave, but even with insulated bottles the cold just doesn't last that long.

jitteringjr

I've used the Nuun. Its ok but haven't noticed less cramping with them. Problem with these electrolyte tablets is they don't have any appreciable amount of carbs so I have to carry additional gels when I use them. If I were to switch from Gatorade to the Hammer Heed sports mix to get the carbs, it costs 5-6 times as much as the Gatorade. Same concept for recovery drinks. I find Chocolate milk works for me just as well but costs a lot less than any 'recovery' drink.

noodle soup

It works well for me.

After an hour or so, in 100+ heat, the frozen bottle is about half melted. By the end of the the second bottle, I'm 35-40 miles into a ride, and will just refill at a convenience store.

Abe_Froman

Yea. I think a lot of sports nutrition is way overthought. All of the things available for purchase, whether meant for on the bike or recovery, whatever, are some combination of water, carbs, salt, protein. None of this stuff is particularly hard to come by in normal non sports laboratory life.

Seattle Forrest

For me, that's the benefit of Nuun over a lot of other ones. A tab is about 5 kcal. I get enough calories from food, I don't need more in my drinks.

Agree about recovery drinks though. Whole milk works great for me.

noodle soup

It's also nice to be able to carry a couple of tablets to use when you refill.

jitteringjr

Are you referring to calories taken in while on the bike or off the bike before the ride?

This is where I do like the Nuun tablets. If I end up having to refill the water bottles where the water doesn't taste as good, they make it easier to stay hydrated because you're not fighting the taste.

Seattle Forrest

A tube fits real well in a jersey pocket, like you can forget they're there. I just washed mine and realized I didn't have any more brawndo about 20 miles in yesterday. Bummer.

redlude97

Agave syrup is almost pure fructose, I'd recommend switching to something with glucose or sucrose as the main sugar. If you want to stay "natural" use honey instead