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sports drinks

Old 03-22-09, 11:57 PM
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sports drinks

Some sports drinks can be quite expensive, do most of you drink a special sports drink for every ride or only long/intense rides or when you feel particularly bad.... if you do drink a sports drink every ride how much do you spent per week on drinks
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Old 03-23-09, 12:39 PM
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I skip 'em all and make sure that my energy & electrolyte needs are taken care of in other ways.
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Old 03-23-09, 12:54 PM
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I buy Gatorade mix for I think $3.75 a container

then I mix my own water bottles

so yes, I drink watered down Gatorade on every ride. On hot days the preservatives keep my water bottles from getting funky, too.
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Old 03-23-09, 01:24 PM
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I have Gatorade on every ride. Sometimes I drink it, sometimes I don't. I go through an eight pack of 12 fluid ounce botttles in 10 days to 2 weeks, but this includes drinking them at home and in the car, as well as biking.
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Old 03-23-09, 08:21 PM
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What kind of rider are you? Are you or do you want to race? If you are a recreational cyclist, regular powdered Gatorade is very low cost. However, the down side is that it has a large fructose content, so it becomes hard to digest on long rides.
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Old 03-26-09, 09:57 AM
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6 gallon powder mix @ walmart = $8

I dilute mine 50%... so 12 gallons

12 gallons = 1536 oz

1536 / 24 oz (size of my bottles) = 64 bottles of gatorade

64 / 5x per week =

12.8 weeks, approx. 3 months worth of gatorade for $8

I'd say that is cheap.

I bring one water & 1 Gatorade on rides over an hour. The first hour is usually water only unless I am feeling sluggish. Second hour (when my glycogen stores are depleted) I drink the Gatorade. Rides under an hour I bring a bottle of Gatorade diluted to 1/4 of what the can tells me. (1/4 scoop)

Last edited by captnfantastic; 03-26-09 at 10:18 AM.
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Old 03-26-09, 10:23 AM
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I don't use sports drinks EVER.

I have heard of people making their own sports drinks. I think it is something like sugar, the no sodium salt substitute and lemon juice. You can not use normal table salt because any significant amount of sodium in the drink makes it taste nasty or so I understand.

But given the fact that you can buy gatoraide mix inexpensively, why bother with your own concoction? Doing it yourself would probably be more expensive.
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Old 03-26-09, 04:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Pat
I don't use sports drinks EVER.

I have heard of people making their own sports drinks. I think it is something like sugar, the no sodium salt substitute and lemon juice. You can not use normal table salt because any significant amount of sodium in the drink makes it taste nasty or so I understand.

But given the fact that you can buy gatoraide mix inexpensively, why bother with your own concoction? Doing it yourself would probably be more expensive.
Not quite...

You need some subset of the electrolytes that you excrete while sweating if you are going to be sweating a bunch. So you have to use the no sodium salt substitute (potassium chloride) salt (sodium chloride) maybe some other electrolytes, and then you have to figure out how to make it not taste bad.
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Old 03-27-09, 09:38 AM
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Smart Water - just water with electrolytes added. No carbs, so no fuel... but I'd rather burn fat.
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Old 03-27-09, 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by wirehead
Not quite...

You need some subset of the electrolytes that you excrete while sweating if you are going to be sweating a bunch. So you have to use the no sodium salt substitute (potassium chloride) salt (sodium chloride) maybe some other electrolytes, and then you have to figure out how to make it not taste bad.
There is more than one way to skin a cat. You do not have to replace electrolytes in your drinking water. I sweat profusely. On hot days, I will consume table salt. Sodium is the major electrolyte lost and that works pretty well.
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Old 03-27-09, 12:55 PM
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I use sports drink every ride, primarily maltodextrin which I buy in bulk, about $60 for 50#. Electrolyte needs are so small that they can easily and cheaply be satisfied by using Hammer Endurolytes.
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Old 03-27-09, 09:57 PM
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I use accelerade on all of my rides, which start at about 2 hours and go up in length from there. I've noticed a significant difference in my performance on long rides, but it's a personal thing, and I suggest trying different ones to see which ones work for you.

You might also read this:

https://riderx.info/blogs/riderx/arch...ion-drink.aspx

and this:

https://riderx.info/blogs/riderx/arch...ing-salty.aspx
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Old 03-27-09, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by CSS
What kind of rider are you? Are you or do you want to race? If you are a recreational cyclist, regular powdered Gatorade is very low cost. However, the down side is that it has a large fructose content, so it becomes hard to digest on long rides.
Powdered gatorade is sweetened almost entirely with sucrose, so you don't have fructose issues. Premixed normal gatorade is HFCS and can cause issues. Gatorade endurance has sucrose. So you need to read the labels.

But regardless, gatorade is too sweet - you won't drink enough to cover your hydration and carb needs.
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Old 03-27-09, 10:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
I use sports drink every ride, primarily maltodextrin which I buy in bulk, about $60 for 50#. Electrolyte needs are so small that they can easily and cheaply be satisfied by using Hammer Endurolytes.
This is a "it depends" answer. If you are a "salty sweater", you can lose a gram of sodium per liter of sweat, and over 4 or 5 hours that can be substantial. If you look on ultracycling, you'll find that a lot of long distance riders use salt tablets. Endurolytes aren't very good at this.
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Old 03-28-09, 09:25 AM
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I make my own, reusing old Gatorade containers. Like captnfantastic I usually drink it only after the first hour, or on a long ride over 2-3 hours I start drinking at the beginning. I mix 3 scoups into a 24oz bottle, which is about 225 calories, and drink 1 bottle/hour. It's really easy to make and has been a lot cheaper than buying it. Plus you can customize it to get the right balance of flavor and saltyness that work well for you over a long ride. Most of the commercial ones get old quick after about 2 bottles and my system revolts.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/8 cup sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp No Salt (potassium chloride)
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid

Try the Ice Blue Rasperry or Orange flavor - they are pretty easy to drink
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Old 03-28-09, 10:36 AM
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Some sports drinks can be quite expensive, do most of you drink a special sports drink for every ride or only long/intense rides or when you feel particularly bad.... if you do drink a sports drink every ride how much do you spent per week on drinks
What a well reasoned, well though out question.

I guess sports drink are sort of a "fast food" - you pay for convenience and packaging. Some of you have learned that many drinks are cheaper if you buy the "mix it yourself" kind.

I don't have plan for sports drinks every day. But if I am going on a "performance ride" or a race I usually use Cytomax. By the way, did you know that Gatorade and Cytomax are designed for different needs?

I buy my sports supplements from DPS nutrition and spend about $250 per year. ($5 per week) But that amount includes protein formulas as well.

You may want to read more about sports products. The term "sports drink" can mean several things. And I'm pretty sure I don't know what you are talking about. Do you?
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Old 03-28-09, 10:38 AM
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Sucrose is roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, HFCS is around 55%/45%.. so there really isn't much of a difference.
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Old 03-28-09, 01:05 PM
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Originally Posted by ericgu
This is a "it depends" answer. If you are a "salty sweater", you can lose a gram of sodium per liter of sweat, and over 4 or 5 hours that can be substantial. If you look on ultracycling, you'll find that a lot of long distance riders use salt tablets. Endurolytes aren't very good at this.
I assume you've read the material on salt replacement on the Hammer website? With what do you disagree?

I'm a sweater, though I never measured the salt content! My longest ride so far was 18.5 hours in heat up to 104°. Endurolytes were fine on that as well as many other long, hot mountain rides. I often hand them out to riders who are having trouble emptying their stomachs in hot weather. I've seen riders in trouble with salt tablets (upset stomach, vomiting), but never seen anyone in trouble with Endurolytes - anyone who actually took them that is, as opposed to just carrying them . My feeling is that if they work for the 508 and RAAM, they'll work for most folks. I don't know a single ultra rider who takes salt tablets, and I ride with a few, including a couple of champions, though I'm no great shakes myself.

Whatever electrolyte one takes, I do think it's important to separate electrolyte intake from fluid intake, as they are separate issues. Just if one is really going after it, that is. For "normal" riding, almost anything works fine.

In Hughes experiment of one, on the ultracycling.com website, I've always found that a couple of Endurolytes will help the stomach empty, which salt, as Ms. Barr states, will not. But mostly what Hughes did wrong was the 700 cal. drink. Should have been only 300, and also about 48 oz. too much liquid. Duh. The electolyte and fluid replacement article is old. Latest experience and studies contradict the CW that dehydration is really bad and you should eat before hungry and drink before thirsty. Latest practice is to eat to hunger and drink to thirst. And you actually get faster with dehydration, up to about 3%, because you get lighter. The most important thing an ultracyclist can do is to keep the stomach emptying, as rapidly as possible.

Which are the reasons that even though it's impossible to replace fluids or sodium as fast as they are lost, you can keep going just fine anyway. Nothing else makes sense.
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Old 03-29-09, 12:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Pat
But given the fact that you can buy gatoraide mix inexpensively, why bother with your own concoction?

Because gatorade is only good for short rides. After a few hours, gatorade tastes horrible, and brings on mouth sores.
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Old 03-29-09, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
I assume you've read the material on salt replacement on the Hammer website? With what do you disagree?

I'm a sweater, though I never measured the salt content! My longest ride so far was 18.5 hours in heat up to 104°. Endurolytes were fine on that as well as many other long, hot mountain rides. I often hand them out to riders who are having trouble emptying their stomachs in hot weather. I've seen riders in trouble with salt tablets (upset stomach, vomiting), but never seen anyone in trouble with Endurolytes - anyone who actually took them that is, as opposed to just carrying them . My feeling is that if they work for the 508 and RAAM, they'll work for most folks. I don't know a single ultra rider who takes salt tablets, and I ride with a few, including a couple of champions, though I'm no great shakes myself.

Whatever electrolyte one takes, I do think it's important to separate electrolyte intake from fluid intake, as they are separate issues. Just if one is really going after it, that is. For "normal" riding, almost anything works fine.

In Hughes experiment of one, on the ultracycling.com website, I've always found that a couple of Endurolytes will help the stomach empty, which salt, as Ms. Barr states, will not. But mostly what Hughes did wrong was the 700 cal. drink. Should have been only 300, and also about 48 oz. too much liquid. Duh. The electolyte and fluid replacement article is old. Latest experience and studies contradict the CW that dehydration is really bad and you should eat before hungry and drink before thirsty. Latest practice is to eat to hunger and drink to thirst. And you actually get faster with dehydration, up to about 3%, because you get lighter. The most important thing an ultracyclist can do is to keep the stomach emptying, as rapidly as possible.

Which are the reasons that even though it's impossible to replace fluids or sodium as fast as they are lost, you can keep going just fine anyway. Nothing else makes sense.

I didn't think anyone made salt tablets anymore. I use an electrolyte replacement tablet from a local health food store, which I don't have in front of me right now, but it contains a blend of all the electrolytes as well as Vitamin C. I like it ... it goes down well, and seems to serve the purpose.

However, I would be very careful about dehydration. Better to drink too much than to drink too little. I've recently found this out the hard way ......... by developing several kidney stones. The common cause for all the different types of kidney stones is dehydration. The largest of my kidney stones (4 mm x 10 mm) wedged itself in my ureter just before the entrance into the bladder and caused me excruciating agony ... more painful than anything I'd experienced before. I had surgery on Thursday to remove it, and it will be a while before I'm back on the bicycle again.

Drink lots!! Especially if you have any family history of kidney stones.
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Old 03-29-09, 10:03 AM
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Ugh, what was the question - yeah gatorade, cytomax, hammergel - all the same....

Machka, infections cause sores, not sugars. Consider a mouthwash, mouth rinse, flossing etc....
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Old 03-29-09, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
I assume you've read the material on salt replacement on the Hammer website? With what do you disagree?

I'm a sweater, though I never measured the salt content! My longest ride so far was 18.5 hours in heat up to 104°. Endurolytes were fine on that as well as many other long, hot mountain rides. I often hand them out to riders who are having trouble emptying their stomachs in hot weather. I've seen riders in trouble with salt tablets (upset stomach, vomiting), but never seen anyone in trouble with Endurolytes - anyone who actually took them that is, as opposed to just carrying them . My feeling is that if they work for the 508 and RAAM, they'll work for most folks. I don't know a single ultra rider who takes salt tablets, and I ride with a few, including a couple of champions, though I'm no great shakes myself.

Whatever electrolyte one takes, I do think it's important to separate electrolyte intake from fluid intake, as they are separate issues. Just if one is really going after it, that is. For "normal" riding, almost anything works fine.

In Hughes experiment of one, on the ultracycling.com website, I've always found that a couple of Endurolytes will help the stomach empty, which salt, as Ms. Barr states, will not. But mostly what Hughes did wrong was the 700 cal. drink. Should have been only 300, and also about 48 oz. too much liquid. Duh. The electolyte and fluid replacement article is old. Latest experience and studies contradict the CW that dehydration is really bad and you should eat before hungry and drink before thirsty. Latest practice is to eat to hunger and drink to thirst. And you actually get faster with dehydration, up to about 3%, because you get lighter. The most important thing an ultracyclist can do is to keep the stomach emptying, as rapidly as possible.

Which are the reasons that even though it's impossible to replace fluids or sodium as fast as they are lost, you can keep going just fine anyway. Nothing else makes sense.
Hammer's contention is that salt (or sodium, more specifically) isn't that important, and that it's a blend of electrolytes that is needed. That shows up across their product line - not only are endurolytes fairly low in sodium, their hydration drinks are also low in sodium. And the endurolytes have enough of the other electrolytes that you are limited in how many you can take because it's bad to get too much of the others. They are also fairly expensive for the amount of electrolytes you get. Like many of the other supplement companies, Hammer is looking for something that gets you to use their stuff over somebody else's. So take what they say with a grain of salt.

The problem with sodium is that unlike other electrolytes, your body has a small supply and you can easily use it up, especially if it's hot and you are a salty sweater. If you get too low, you become hyponatremic, which can be life-threatening. Interestingly, you can be both hyponatremic and dehydrated at the same time.

Salt tablets are generally well tolerated *if* you take them with enough water to dilute them to a proper concentration. If you don't, you will definitely get nausea or vomiting - it's the same thing that happens if you drink seawater, you feel really sick pretty fast. Or, to put it another way, extra salt isn't hard to deal with as long as you have sufficient water with you. Oh, and as long as you aren't salt-sensitive - if you have sodium-related high blood pressure, you have to be pretty careful about this and should probably seek expert advice.

Endurolytes are more easily tolerated than tablets with more salt likely because they have less in them. Even if you're at the max dose of 6/hour, that's only 240 mg of sodium. That's far less than salty sweaters will sweat out per hour on a hot day.

I've run into a bunch of people over the years who have had a very confusing long-ride experiences. Felt good for 4-6 hours, then all of the sudden they lost energy and felt bad. They were well hydrated and had enough carbs.

I personally had an epicly unpleasent double century a few years ago, where I was sick for 80 miles and the whole night afterwards. After hitting a similar symptom on another ride the year after, I stopped to get some food at a bar, and got french fries with lots of salt. Problem solved.

I have tried endurolytes, but I don't like the fact that it's broad spectrum, because I would have to take too much to keep up with my sodium losses. I do great with Succeed! Ecaps, however.

Some of this is undoubtably my personal physiology, and some of it is that I don't get enough hot-weather training and therefore my sweat is saltier than somebody who does. I have friends who do the same distances and never have problems.

Oh - one more thing - I have tended to eat a fairly low-salt diet, so it's likely that during the times I had issues I may have been a bit salt-depleted when I start.
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