cervelo4me

time to do things right .anyone use this and which kind .again during the ride

fishymamba

I tried Heed before. The taste was horrible, and it is pretty expensive.

I like GU Electrolyte Brew much better. It tastes better, it's cheaper, and I don't get cramps anymore.

GP

Unflavored. There's a hint of a taste but not an overpowering or sugary taste like the flavored versions.

cervelo4me

thanks

TJClay

I use the strawberry flavor and it's pretty mild taste. Seems to work good for me. You can try individual packs first till you find a flavor you like.

haaseg

You won't need it. Not on a 15 mile ride - not on a 30 mile ride.

jimxyz

I'd have to agre with this.
I've used it and it is ok - i prefer Cytomax, but it's just a personal preference.

chefxian

Love the old Cytomax. The new stuff tastes like poison the Stevia is awful!!!

haaseg

Keep your hydration separate from your nutrition - eat a banana 30 minutes before you leave. If that doesn't hold you for 30 miles stick a peanut butter and honey sandwich in your jersey pocket. It won't go bad no matter how hot it gets out - since these are pantry foods and don't need to be refrigerated anyway. I've had a PBH w/bacon in my back pocket in the middle of summer and eaten it 50 miles into a ride. The bacon is good for the salt - helps your body retain hydration. It held up fine. In cooler weather I'll put some apple slices in there - it's a nice treat. I cut them up into quarters and stick them in a ziploc and munch on them every hour or so. And... for the price of 10 clif bars you can make like 30 sandwiches or something. It's real economical.

jmX

For the short rides you do and the lower temperatures we're starting to have, I'd just stick with water. In the summer I'll use sports drinks even for shorter rides, but in cool weather <85 degrees I only use sports drinks if I'm gone for 2.5 hours or longer. GU Brew is what I like, at 60% strength or so.

idoru2005

I used HEED for over a year. I've tried all flavors it comes in. Lemon Lime is my favorite. Over the past 6 months, I've tried Hammer Fizz which is the fizzy tablet form of HEED. And I've been using NUUN tablets for most of my recent long rides. I'll be using NUUN tablets (Kola flavor) this weekend. It makes your water taste like coke along with the bubbles. I also use Perpetuem for rides longer than 3-4 hours. For Perpetuem, I mix it up as thick as pancake batter and use it in a flask.

nesdog

I've been using HEED for about 4 or 5 years, mostly Orange flavor. Lemon isn't bad..not a fan of the Strawberry.
I only use it on rides over 2 hours and mostly in the heat of summer. I rarely have much during the cooler months, unless I expect to be gone a few hours.

I found it useful....seems to make a difference for me.

Genaro

I use water on rides <2hrs. And Alternate water / gatorade bottles on rides longer than two hours. That's been working really well for me on rides up to 5-6 hrs. Keep hearing about these nun tablets though and may give them a shot

Jed19

Is that the flavor they call Kona Cola with some caffeine? I have never been able to find that flavor at my two local REIs. Did you have to order it online?

idoru2005

Yeah, that's the one. Not sure how I ended up with it. I think my wife bought it at a local runner's shop.

jimxyz

A good alternative if you want a kick on a long ride is coke that has gone flat. Open it the night before and let the air out. You can take it on a long ride/run and not have the carbonation side effects (this is for centuries and other long events)

haaseg

Seriously? Your body can turn High Fructose Corn Syrup into ready energy that quickly? I would suggest something like Jones Soda that uses real cane sugar instead.

cervelo4me

the thought of that makes we want to puke

weshigh

You are only riding 15-19 miles, I would just use water. No reason to get fancy. I drink water and sometimes eat a Cliff bar 20min or so before I head out in the morning and evening(15miles each way).

chefxian

European Pros have been half cutting Coke and Water forever!

jimxyz

It works - that and extra strength excedrin can get you through some tough spots. But, with regard to the OP, water is all you need for rides less than an hour, especially in this cooler weather.

haaseg

Excedrin has caffeine in it. If caffeine is what you are after - get some penguin caffeine mints or something. Taking pain killers is a short term gain, long term loss. It just allows you to ignore the fact that you are doing serious damage to your body. Sure, you are in a competition you do once a month or so you can get away with it. But I wouldn't recommend dosing the Excedrin for every day riding - especially not the distances the OP is talking about.

mtrider05

I love soda on long rides, Coke or Mountain Dew is a real pick me up. I've also been fond of cookies lately, that's all I ate on a century last Saturday.

fishymamba

If you want caffeine you can always use a tiny bit of 5150 Juice
https://www.energyfiend.com/caffeine-...affeine-liquid

cervelo4me

excedrin?bye bye liver and stomach