Heed!
 

I have tried many different energy drinks over the years and have not been overly impressed with any of them. I did not like Acelerade - I had a bad digestive reaction to it, and it left a horrible after-taste in my mouth. I am iffy about Cytomax - it's got sort of an odd flavor to it. Gatorade is OK for a little while but I cannot drink it and eat energy bars at the same time - the combination of solid food with Gatorade leaves an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. Powerade is a bit better - milder - but also has fewer calories. My own mix, a recipe I got from a very good friend, is a bit better than all the rest because I can adjust the ingredients, but it still tends to leave that sour taste behind after a while.


And then, a couple months ago, I bought some HEED to use on my long rides. I was very skeptical. I love hammergel, but I'm not so fond of some of the other Hammer Nutrition products. I can only stand Sustained Energy for about 300 kms before I can't stomach it anymore, and I've heard mixed reviews about Perpetuem.

But I've been trying HEED on my last few rides, and it's great!! It's so mild and subtly sweet that it does not leave any sort of bad after-taste ... and I can eat other solid food with it, without a bad reaction!! I lived on it during my 400K this past weekend, and didn't get sick of it the entire time!

I'm impressed!! :) :)

I use HEED and multi hour bottle of Perpeteum for all my long rides and races and I love the stuff. HEED is the best but I usually mix in a scoop of Enduralyte powder then usually bring another plain water filled bottle. Does a great job of washing down the Perpeteum. I really like the Lemon Lime and the orange is also good for a change up for the taste. I have a bottle of plain but haven't used it yet.

whered ya get it Mac?

I also recommend it. I havent used it much but get it free from the team as we are sponsored somehow by Hammergel. (not professionally hehe) Everyone absolutely lives by it. It even helps with hot weather! :)

Thanks for the tip. I have seen that stuff but never tried it; will give it a shot now. Getting tired of Cytomax (it's OK, but there's definitely an aftertaste).

Machka,

Like you, I do not like taste of Gatorade, especially on long rides. Too sweet for me. I have been using Gu2O which, like HEED!, uses maltodextrine as the main carbohydrate source. Maltodextrine is a complex carb and has little sweetness. I noticed from the hammernutrition website that HEED! uses xylitol and stevia for sweetness. I find this curious since these substances provide few calories. They are usually used as low calorie alternatives to sugar substitutes like aspertame. For a sports drink, low calorie generally isn't a concern.

Do you find HEED! hard to dissolve in cold water? Maltodextrine is usually hard to get to dissolve.

HEED dissolves nicely in water warm or cold. For a cold ride I mixed a bottle of it warm which tasted good.

Looks like I the lone dissenter when it comes to Heed. It's the one Hammer product I don't like. I'll stick with Gatorade..

Well, it's a good thing there are different products for different taste buds ... but tell me this ... when you eat an energy bar, especially powerbars, and then try to wash them back with gatorade, doesn't your tongue go all tingly, and feel like it is swelling up, and isn't there the most awful bitter taste left in your mouth?

That only happens to me mildly when I start a ride, but by the time I'm 300K into a ride, the feeling and taste are so horrible that I just simply cannot drink gatorade anymore.

Agreed ... HEED seems to dissolve just fine ... and it tastes good both warm and cold.

I can't get Hammer Nutrition products very easily up here in Canada. Half of them are banned and the other half are just scarce. So it takes some effort to get ahold of them.

I got my HEED at a runner's store. Running Den or something like that. The one and only bicycle shop in town here didn't even know what Hammer Nutrition products were.

Where to get Hammer products
 

You can get all the Hammer products online at their web site, and it's usually cheaper than in the bike shops, even with the shipping, at http://www.e-caps.com/. They give you a price break if you order several items at once.

I swear by the Endurolytes capsules; if I get cramps after a ride, 2 capsules eliminate them immediately. It's great to take them during a long ride. Hammergel is a great pick-me-up; I often take a swig just before a big climb.

I just tried Heed for the first time, and I think I'll take it on a century with me this weekend. I've started getting a little nauseated from GatorAde. At first I was put off because Heed, even the "mandarin orange," doesn't have much flavor at all; but I think for a long endurance ride that's probably a good thing.

I'm hooked on HEED. Love it. Had trouble getting it to dissolve on my 300k when I filled my bottle with ice, but 15 minutes down the road seemed to do the trick.

I've had mixed luck with Perpetuem. Not sure I like the way it sits in my stomach.

I use Gu on the bike as my "food". So far mixing the Gu and the HEED is working. Stomached 14 hours of Gu and HEED on my last Brevet, with some solid food mixed in at the controls.

Want to find something like Perpetuem - but need it to sit a bit better in my stomach....

Off to ride the SS home, then on to the road bike for some hills!

heed + perpetuem + hammergel = good fueling for long distance.

i like it too.

Hmmm, no. Are you sure it was Gatorade and not Anti-Freeze?:D

Anyone using a flask for their gel? Seems like you'd never get it out... but I want to try, as I'm tired of sticky empty packets in my jersey...

Yep - the flask works very well.

I tried using honey in a flask once... that did not work too well!

No, but that is exactly what happened to me when I ate banana, avocado, or kiwi fruit. I was diagnosed as being allergic to them. After about 2-3 years of that, all of the above symptoms would happen plus my airway would begin to close up. Now I can't consume even a small quantity by accident without experiencing those reactions. Same things happen to my housemate who is allergic to tree nuts and shellfish.

Hmmmm ... very interesting. But the thing is ... I can drink Gatorade on its own just fine (for a while - I get sick of it pretty quickly - the flavor gets icky) ... and I can eat energy bars just fine (longer than I can drink Gatorade) ... but the combination of the two is HORRIBLE!! Very nasty experience.

But I don't have the same experience with HEED and energy bars. Maybe its an ingredient in the Gatorade.

Rarely use a flask, but when I do I dilute a little with water so it's easier to drink.

+1 for Cytomax; seems to help me ride hard for longer. Can't stand more than one bottle of gatorade, anymore than that and it feels like I have a sweater growing on my tongue. Heed, never tried it. The cost seems a bit prohibitive. Cytomax is 84 servings for $29.00 from Performance. I once got it for $22.00 on their website. About the best deal out there in my opinion.

calories for the distance
 

I have used heed and perpetuem for several months. They have been part of my routine for two double centuries. I like them because of the lack of simple sugars. I needed something that was simple on my stomach and wasn't just pumping sugars. I have used bottles with thick perpetuem and a camelback with Heed. I often dump the Perpetuem into my drinking waters. With the combination I do not need as many stops.
I also just tried spiz on a century. Worked well.
J

If you want to get the hammer stuff at a discount, I buy from one of there authorized sellers and if you buy more than 50.00 in product the shipping is free.. Machka, you can call them and see if they ship to Canada. They carry much of the Hammer line

Global Nutrition in Irvine, CA.. You can find there phone number through e-caps dealer locator. They have really great prices. Many times they are about $6.00 to $10.00 under the e-caps standard pricing and free shipping..

I have a sensitive stomach and have tried just about every other sports drink out. I love Heed. It never bothers my stomach, tastes relatively good, and seems to do what it's meant to do. I've yet to try the plain but the Lime is good. The orange tastes like a creamcicle(sp?) pop but I prefer the Lime. I've used it for the past 3 years and can't see any reason to switch to another brand.