ChrisM2097

I've been seeing a lot of talk about electrolytes lately - and I know you can get plenty, simply from certain foods, which is what I typically do. I avoid the sports drinks due to the high sugar content, but stumbled upon Hammer - Endurolytes at Amazon.

I see that it has Glycine in it - an amino acid that my wife already takes (for depression).

Anyone have any input or experience with this product? I'm considering buying some to try it out.

fstshrk

I use other Hammer Products and they seem to work for me. I am curious whether this is comparable to NUUN stuff.

ChrisM2097

A quick google search resulted in this:

https://kymballie.blogspot.com/2008/0...ion-socks.html

fstshrk

Since I use a normal water bottle (the large variety), I use about 2 nuun tablets per bottle if it is really hot and I am working hard. I normally don't get cramps with this ratio.

anotherbrian

I think the Endurolytes and NUUN are conveniently packaged to carry for "emergency" use, but I find for my all day bike rides that it is far (far far) cheaper to just make my own with a combination of table salt (sodium chloride) and lite salt (sodium, potassium) and either add it to my (non-electrolyte) drink mix or add it to plain water. The difference in cost is pennies vs. many dollars.

I've never had cramping problems, and I'd attribute that to my typically high salt diet. Even when I lay off the salt, I get crusted with it for any length of ride. During the summer I usually do 300mg (4:1 sodium : potassium)/hour, which is about the same as 1 NUUN or 2.5 Enduroyltes/hour. Off the bike I get lots of calcium and magnesium in my diet, so I haven't worried about supplementing those, however I hear Rolaids are good to have in an emergency.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've been using Endurolytes on bike rides for, I don't know, maybe 15 years? They work great. It's not really about cramping. Most people cramp from lack of training. Cramping from either electrolyte deficiency or dehydration is quite rare. What electrolytes do for you is keep your engine running, and most particularly, keep your stomach emptying. "Sloshy stomach" from lack of electrolytes is a common show-stopper on long difficult rides.

I like to be able to separate food-water-electrolytes into three intake streams so I can vary each one of them at will. What one really wants on a bike is the highest glycemic index food one can get, although getting technical, low stomach osmolality is also a priority. Also what you can put in your mouth for hour after hour without getting tired of it or getting mouth burn is also a priority, as is not barfing it up. One doesn't normally get into any of this until rides get to be over 3 hours. Less than that and any kind of food with adequate water, with or without electrolytes will work fine. Ordinary food is likely to contain adequate electrolytes all by itself.

I put my Endurolytes in one of those plastic coin purses (which Hammer sells) and shove it up my shorts leg. It's easy to tease them out with my tongue. In ordinary summer weather I take 1/hr. If it's hot, I might take 2/hr. Some people take up to 6/hr. when it's hot. I take just enough so that I'm a little thirsty and want to drink regularly.

pdlamb

I'm not a big fan of Endurolytes, because they don't have many electrolytes.

One salt pill has about four times the salt and potassium of an Endurolyte. A Nuun is roughly equivalent to a salt pill and tastes better. One Nuun (or salt pill) per day is usually enough for me.

I can normally skip all of the above unless I've been on a long ride in hot weather, or touring for several days.

ChrisM2097

But do you really need all of the electrolytes in the Nuun, or does Endurolytes provide enough?

Carbonfiberboy 

I like Endurolytes particularly because they have lower quantities of electrolytes in them. That means that I can exactly tailor my intake to present conditions. On cool days with rides under 6 hours I sometimes don't take any. On hard rides on a hot day, I might go through 10 or more. I go through about 2 bottles/year. I think that's an acceptable expense.

pdlamb

I don't even notice the loss of 1-2 Endurolyte's worth. When I come home with a salt ring visible around my belly (on a yellow shirt), though, it's time for some serious electrolytes.

Thulsadoom

What do you mean by that?

Carbonfiberboy 

Many riders find that they eat, but their stomachs don't empty, Usually it's a too-high osmolality or incorrect electrolyte balance in the stomach contents which is preventing it from emptying. It's the same as not eating: one bonks. Taking an Endurolyte or two and drinking plain water for a while will usually fix that.

Thulsadoom

I would send you a private message, but I think this is a common issue for longer distance riders, and will benefit everyone.

I'm assuming what you are saying when you say "stomach emptying" is digesting. In plain language, are you saying that endurolytes help your digestive system continue to work well after the 3 hour wall?

I tried endurolytes years ago but dismissed them for not having enough sodium for me personally. I do experience stomach issues after 3 hours into a ride though.

Carbonfiberboy 

I can only speak to my own experiences and those of riders whom I've helped. It doesn't seem to be the whole digestive system, just getting fluids and food across the stomach wall and into the bloodstream. The problem may also be just getting the pylorus to open. Whatever is happening mechanically, the symptoms are what I call "sloshy stomach." Your stomach feels full and, well, sloshy. It's uncomfortable and it stays that way.

This usually happens on a warm or hot day and on a long ride involving considerable climbing. Thus blood flow in the stomach area may be reduced both by dehydration and by the diversion of blood to the extremities while riding hard. Hammer Nutrition also believes this is a problem of too high stomach osmolality caused especially by the ingestion of pure sugars. I've never seen this in the first three hours of a ride. More typically it's in the 4th or 5th hours. After that, the athlete either has it dialed or is sitting in the shade somewhere. You can read more about stomach osmolality in the Knowledge section of the Hammer website.

My guess as to why Endurolytes help is that they make the inside of your stomach look more like the outside. Hopefully someone here has a more scientific take on that. So the recipe is to take a couple of Endurolytes, stop eating any sort of food or sports drink, and drink frequent small quantities of plain water, like 3 sips every 5 minutes. After about 1/2 hour of this - wham, stomach small and feeling fine again. If it continues, take another Endurolyte every 1/2 hour and keep up with the water. Food won't matter if you can't get it out of your stomach. I've seen people bonk this way. This is why it is so important not to put sports drink in all your bottles or in your Camelbak. If this happens to you, you're screwed.

I've also heard of this happening to people on long rides who simply ate too much at a rest stop. They get back on the bike and a few miles later they're sitting in a ditch, bonked.

Thulsadoom

Follow up on this thread:

This product is great for helping with stomach discomfort on long rides. I took one an hour for the last three hours of a 6 hour ride yesterday and it made a huge difference. Good stuff!

vesteroid

I love the product. I have been using it for four years now and don't hike or bike without it.

However half of what you have read here is crap. For details on what the product is, and how it's designed to be used, go to hammers website and read up. They have a few good articles detailing its uses.

Garfield Cat

The solution to much of this is for the rider to stop riding and take several rests on long rides. Its like being on a well supported century ride and taking advantage of the stops to eat and drink and give your body a rest.

Don't you want to do what's best for your body?

Carbonfiberboy 

OTOH, the way to move the bike up the road is to stay on the bike. "There is no slower speed than stopped." If your whole paceline stops, it's good to stop with them. It's bad to stop while they go on. I don't want to ride with my nose in the wind if I can help it. Much easier to move with the flow of quality, cooperative riders, and their flow will be to get up the road. On long rides, I try to limit my stops to about every 50 miles. Even if you're not fast, if you stay on the bike, maintain a steady pace, and minimize your time at rest stops, the quality of the riders you're with will gradually increase, and your ride will get easier and safer.