Hi, I did a century a couple weeks ago and one of the guys I was riding with (the fastest one BTW ) started his ride with a 5 hour Energy drink.
I have no experience with these or any energy drink as I drink a starbucks coffee on the way to most of my rides. BUT I was wondering what results if any from people on this forum that may have tried this product or one like a 5 hour energy before

I've used a similar product. It's like time-release caffeine. Does it work? Yes. Is it a good idea? I have no idea. I've only used it a couple of times. Doesn't seem like the thing to do to make a habit of it.

real athletes don't take shortcuts to nutrition

The OP isn't talking about nutrition. I take it you think you are a Real Athlete and that you don't drink coffee. OTOH, most Real Athletes I know do drink coffee.

I don't think this product would be any good to me as I am a avid coffee drinker and all the other vit. supplements i already get 100% of the daily allowance in my diet (don't need 2000% of B12 etc. ).. Thanks for all your replies ...

It's a way to get a bunch of caffeine, quickly, and without taking in a lot of fluid. Basically your coffee and supplements condensed into a bright red bottle. That has its benefits but alone isn't enough to make you the fastest guy in the group.

5 hours don't have that much caffeine, you can even get it caffeine free. Its all about the b vitamins.

I have never used them pre ride but have post ride if I have a busy day ahead of me. As a pilot, I find them very effective on overnight or lengthy (14 hour) flights. I find them far more effective than coffee without the volume.

From their website:

LOL this one made me laugh. The Troll is strong with you! I carry one as an emergency source of energy for me or people riding with me.

thanks, I try hard. it's been a learning journey.

btw wutz in those things?

I do take B6 & B12 supplemetns some time before intense training of any kind because it helps the blood vessels.

Madonna takes B12 shots before performances.

I have to becareful how much B12 I take or I will get a bloody nose. I've always had thinned walls blood vessels in my nose.

B6 is different, I can take a lot of that. Ask me later what my dosage is, it's in the car.

It works but check the ol' heart rate about 20 minutes into the ride. Adds About 15 bpm to mine. This aint hgood when you ae riding with faster guys and are at 165 bpm without the 5 hour.

There's a much better choice - sportmax energy. Specifically developed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Methylcobalamin B12 is natural and sublingual (same as booster shot), B-Complex, CoQ10, Arginine, Glutamine, plus ... loaded with great stuff. great results - read the supplement list on the site. sportmaxenergy .com

Yes. It's just a lot of caffeine. It has excess B vitamins but they do nothing. I drink a lot of coffee normally. If I'm going on a hard longer ride. I'll dump a 5hr (or cheep knockoff) into one of my water bottles as a surrogate for the coffee I'd otherwise be drinking.

??? My FTP is around 165 and max 183. No way it increases my hear rate 15 bpm, or even noticeably for that matter. If that were true for me, I'd go from riding hard to keeling over and falling off the bike. It might be motivating you to work harder, which might be increasing your HR but by that much?

5 Hour Energy has a ton of fake sugar (I think they use sucralose), which seems like a bad idea before a bike ride. It really only has about as much caffeine as strong cup of coffee.

~200 mg caffeine. I guess it's a matter of personal experience or opinion, but I'm not troubled by the sucralose in 5hr Energy.

Thank you Mr Sportmax Energy.

Funny guy. To everyone else, topic is 5 hour, so I'm sharing that I found a great product ... and yes, very impressed so sound like a commercial. Can't help it when comes to nutrition. SportMax Energy is very different and better in so many ways. You'll eventually hear about it.

I'm 58 years old and I love to drink a Mountain Dew Amp then go hit the mtb trails. Fun fun fun. I have yet to notice any ill effects and it definitely boosts my performance.

Agree Dew is good, but IMO it's mostly the sugar. Only 50gm caffeine, which is inconsequential for a 60 year old coffee junkie like me.

Mtn. Dew Throwback has real sugar, not HFCS and for this 63yo who never drank coffee, it's fine.

Har! HFCS isn't real sugar? I know it has less fructose than many fruits. As a 63 yo geezer, you may remember when fructose was referred to as fruit sugar, because that's where it is preponderant.

Honest to goodness cane sugar not that other imitation stuff.

that stuff does nothing for me

Wait til you get tired, have a Gu, when you get real tired, have a Roctane.

Btw, I am retired, and just happen to like Gu.
About a thousand posts ago, I even wrote a love song to Gu.

It had to be Gu,
I wandered around,
and finally found
etc