Since I've started riding/racing two years ago, I've always just used Accelerade and Cliff Bars to keep me going during rides and Endurox R4 for recover. Now, the team that I recently joined is sponsored by Hammer Nutrition and the use of their products seems slightly more complicated.

Anyone that uses there stuff, how do you use it?

I use Heed for any ride over an hour. I mix 2 scoops into a water bottle. It has very little taste, which I like. I can't drink Gatorade or anything like that.

I have used Perpetuem a couple times, but it can be tricky to mix and doesn't have a long "bottle life" after you mix it. Since I always mix my drinks the night before a ride, I just stick with Heed.

I use Hammer Gel every 45 minutes or so when riding hard, and about every 1-1.5 hours when just riding easy.

You may want to go to www.hammernutrition.com and click on Knowledge>Optimum Usage. That will tell you their recommended usage.

Most energy drinks taste too syrupy to me to drink while riding, but I've gotten to be a big fan of Recoverite.
I used to feel a little run down the day after a harder training day, but the stuff helped me noticeably. My can is down to the last scoop and I'm doing a solo-century tomorrow, so I guess on Sunday morning, I'll find out if it's the Recoverite, or just my body getting better at recovering.

I like the gels and Endurolytes; specifically being able to pour gel into a multi serving bottle. There was another drink, which I can't recall, which was essentially a low cal Gatorade. I didn't like it at all. I prefer using Accelerade at half strength much better.

I use Hammer products exclusively, but I must admit that it can be confusing since they have so many products and supplements.
Use Heed when you would Accelerde. Use the Hammer Bars for the Cliff Bars. Use Recoverite for the Endurox R4.

What I've listed above is basically what I use with the addition of Endurolytes and Race Caps.

For longer rides 3+ hours with lower intensity you can swap out Heed for Perpetuem or Sustained.

Hammer says for rides up to 3 hours, use HEED and Hammer Gel. For longer rides, use Sustained Energy or Perpetuem. Use a bar when you want to chew something. Endurolytes are very good.

For long rides, I like SE, with HG added for flavor, mixed at 750 cal/bottle, with plain water in the other bottle.

Are you serious?

I use both the heed powder as well as the Heed Jell that I just pore into the flask that I got with the gel works GREAT I also take Weider Greatine Capsules befor my ride Both work Fairly Well. But I'm very impressed with the Heed Products.

Did I stutter?

Actually HEED is for the first two hours. From the Hammer product page: "HEED may be used as the sole fuel during exercise lasting up to two hours, fulfilling all your calorie and fluid requirements..."

I use Hammer pretty much exclusively. I make one "two hour" bottle of HEED (five scoops / ~500 calories) before I start riding to be consumed over the first two hours. For a longer ride (4-7 hours or a century, etc) I make up one or two "two hour" ziploc bags of Perpetuem (four scoops / ~500 calories) and stuff them in my jersey. When I finish the first bottle just find some water and dump the contents of a baggie into the bottle.

I have my consumption rates pretty wired but this methodology really helps me maintain my hourly caloric intake. I know that every two hours I should have gone through a bottle of mix, HEED or Perpetuem and at least half a bottle of plain water. No thinking required.

I also carry a 5oz gel flask with Hammer Gel (again about 500 calories) for the occasional climbing jolt and as a fallback - if the ride goes much past 6:30 you have two hours of calories in the flask.

What flavor HEED do you use? I've been using Lemon Lime and find that anything over 1.5 scoops/bottle of that flavor is undrinkable.

Marketing, it's the shiznit.

I use the Melon flavor, I actually like it heavier. I have tried the orange flavor as well and I thought that was decent.

Lolz

To solve the Perpetuem storage issue, I mix it with a blender. It gets foamy but it mixes really well. Then I add ice cubes to make it super cold. The foam has to settle and then I add water.

The other thing I do is to use an insulated bottle and refrigerate until ready to roll out. That will keep the Perpetuem from spoiling so fast.

As far as taste, if you add a squirt of fresh lime, it will do wonders. That is, if you need to modify the taste.

Speaking of taste. I have tried the licorice thats sold at Trader Joe's. Its really strong and taste like the licorice I had as a kid, Switzer. Pop one of those in your mouth during a ride and any bad taste in your mouth goes away.

Stories about the fragility of Perpetuem really make me wonder. I use my own mix of maltodextrin and either soy or whey protein. I don't add any funny chemicals. This stuff never spoils. I can take it on a ride, come back, put it in the fridge, and a week later it's still fine. So what the . . .? Some ingredient must be full of bacteria, or?

The hidden premise is that funny chemicals cause food to spoil faster. But in fact, most fresh foods will spoil (bacteria buildup) pretty quick on its own. Maybe what Hammer meant is that on a hot summer day, and on a long ride, that water bottle gets pretty warm on its own.

You know, there's those who just love all kinds of cheese, even the smelly one's. Do you think if I scraped some of that off and tested for bacteria, I would find more than just a little?

The hidden premise is that funny chemicals cause food to spoil faster. But in fact, most fresh foods will spoil (bacteria buildup) pretty quick on its own. Maybe what Hammer meant is that on a hot summer day, and on a long ride, that water bottle gets pretty warm on its own.

You know, there's those who just love all kinds of cheese, even the smelly one's. Do you think if I scraped some of that off and tested for bacteria, I would find more than just a little?

Please accept the very first - for 2010

Silly suggestion - read the directions......

Continue lame thread below.....