Was using the cheapo Wiggle gels which worked and tasted ok (in strawberry or mocha flavour) Since they became BeElite they are really sickly. What recommendations for a gel that tastes nice but preferably not expensive?
I've always got on well with Torq. I find them both palatable and easy on the guts. TBH I don't use gels often enough that cost is a major consideration.
+1 Torq. Especially the rhubarb & custard variety. Really rather moreish.
Decathlon mixed box. Some aren't great, some are fine, but if you're doing a long race the variety is nice.
+1 for torque
All of them. I've bought a selection pack.
Not cheap but all delicious.
Switched from the torq flavoured ones to precision hydration neutral flavoured ones. Was a bit unsure about them being unflavoured but actually much prefer it, especially for longer stuff
Not a gel but I switched from gels to Luchos. IMHO they’re miles better. Notable difference in energy compared to gels….to the point the comparison is like comparing gels to snake oil. I prefer the taste too. I get the boxes when they come up on Sportpursuit. Often short dated but i just ignore the best before date them. Never had them cause the world to fall out of my bottom yet. Even when months past best before!
If you can taste the gel, do you really need a gel?
But otherwise Torq are nice. I prefer chew - Lucho's, cliff bloks and that type of thing. Find them more pleasant.
Got one of these at the Reiver. Wasn't brave enough to take it on the ride.
Torq black cherry or cherry bakewell for me are my favourite. But I like all of them except apple crumble and recently tried the flavourless gel, which turned out to taste like icing sugar which I enjoyed..
Avoid berry flavours.
Or Lemon
Or Orange.
The block ones taste ok. More like raw jelly you used to eat as a kid.
I use the Torq ones as well, they're nice without being too strong or overpowering.
That said, on a ride in Spain recently, I'd forgotten my Torq stuff so I stopped at a bike shop and bought what they had in stock which was a Powerbar Lemon and Lime gel and it was really nice!
I’ve always got on well with Torq. I find them both palatable and easy on the guts.
Great range of flavours and don't make me feel nauseous. I keep them for emergencies and actually enjoy them, which I can't say about many other gels
But I will say that Veloforte ones are good too - I like their bars and chews as well, though some of the flavours are a bit too "artisan" for my liking
I reckon gels are just a chemical carbohydrate sludge. I much prefer to use Aldi "Mamia" baby food pouches like organic stewed apple or rhubarb. 100% fruit, taste great and easy on the belly. OK so only about half the energy density of a gel so you will need to carry 50 grams instead of 25g.
I find Torq, Hi5 and OTE gels are fine.
I tend to go for orange or Lemon & Lime type flavours.
The OTE ones are a thinner texture and a more subtle flavour.
I like SIS, most of them, to be honest. They are not very viscous and the orange ones very good. I always wash them down with a couple of mouthfuls of water. £5.50 for six in Tesco makes them even more palatable. Took two in a race this morning.
Could wash the beef stew flavour down with some Torq Ghost Ship?
For basic cheap gels, my goto is SiS Go standard. They don't seem to present any after taste and are all the right consistency - apart from Salted Caramel flavour, which is a step too sweet for me.
I don't get on with really thick gloopy gels so the SiS ones work well as they are not too thick and only need the slightest swig of water.
And they are cheap - or used to be through Chiggle!
Another Torq vote, black cherry or raspberry ripple for me
Rawvelo are definitely, for me, the best tasting. Either the blood orange or passion fruit. Not so keen on the caffeine gel. Good texture and super tasty. Well worth a go.
**** me how to make cycling more expensive than driving.
Hi5 for me simply because they are usually cheap on Amazon. The mango one is probably my favourite.
I use some blackcurrant squash, pinch of salt, maltodextrin and water...less packaging waste, cheaper and taste fine. Added benefit is that unlike gels which I carry and avoid using, due to the waste, I actually consume my home brew ones
Torq Apple crumble....Hmmm. Tasty.
Unlike the beer flavoured one they once did. I don't know what possessed me to buy one, I regretted it soon enough.
Bought a few brands recently to compare them and they all (SiS, High5, Endurance) seem fine. I bought them all in Holland and Barrett and one from Applied Nutrition called "Endurance" were nice and cheaper than the others (not sure if they are H&B own-brand).
High5 Aqua are normally my go to, not thick so easy to digest
Klunk
**** me how to make cycling more expensive than driving.
I primarily carry mine as an emergency "oh god, I've run out of energy" type thing. I bought a box of 20 Hi5 before the Dirty Reiver a year ago and still have about 10 left, so not really gonna break the bank for my use case.
anagallis_arvensis
I use some blackcurrant squash, pinch of salt, maltodextrin and water…less packaging waste, cheaper and taste fine. Added benefit is that unlike gels which I carry and avoid using, due to the waste, I actually consume my home brew ones
This is not a bad idea. I have a bag of maltodextrin somewhere from when I was making my own recovery drink and you can get those squeezy dispenser things. Might give that a go.
I use two squeeze runners flask things, about 200ml. You just have to make sure it's not too thick so it flows out ok. I just use water in my bottles now and it feels nicer on my teeth.
@welshfarmer,I tried one of your baby food pouches and it flucking awful.Might risk a baby yogurt pouch later.
it used to be lidl jelly babies but they vanished a couple of years ago, sainsbury or asda own arent bad,
i dont mind high5 but i can see them being sickly i just buy when 20 for £9-11 on amazon
Genuine Q - why do people use energy gels? There are two use cases I can understand [ 1)as an emergency thing, just in case, in which case any flavour will do or 2) if you're racing absolutely on the rivet, and need an energy hit with no time to stop]
But for everything else, there are other ways of getting the energy you need that are much more healthy/tasty/inexpensive/enjoyable etc. I've had, I think, two gels ever, and they were 'emergency' ones.
IHN
Genuine Q – why do people use energy gels?
Convenience.
Emergency back-up.
Psychological boost.
etc.
Mine just sit in a cupboard in the kitchen.
They aren't 'sweets' or other treats so I am unlikely to nibble on them for snacks and eat them all.
I don't have to 'prepare' them.
I can take them with me on a long ride & if I don't use them I can just put them back in the box - they don't get damaged, squished or perished.
Cheap in the scheme of things. I generally get High5 ones when on offer, so say £10 for 20 and a box of 20 will probably last me a couple of years.
If I was using them regularly to supplement a hard training regime, or regularly on longer rides I would probably look for some other solution. But for me, they definitely have a use case, even if that is fairly seldom.
High5 Aqua are normally my go to, not thick so easy to digest
+1
The two boxes of BeElite gels I got in the Wiggle closing sale taste weirdly chemical, like they have caffeine in (when they don't).
But I've replaced a lot of my gel eating with the sour snake sweets from Lidl instead. I'd recommend giving something like that a try.
Torq are too thick and intensely flavoured for my liking. I've been using high 5 orange and they are easy to get down and not too overpowering. Can't comment on the berry or coffee flavours though.
I only use them in running races above half marathon distance. Shorter races don't need the fuel and when cycling I just use food instead.
Veloforte (the orange and ginger chews in particular) or Torq for me.
Genuine Q – why do people use energy gels? There are two use cases I can understand [ 1)as an emergency thing, just in case, in which case any flavour will do or 2) if you’re racing absolutely on the rivet, and need an energy hit with no time to stop]
But for everything else, there are other ways of getting the energy you need that are much more healthy/tasty/inexpensive/enjoyable etc. I’ve had, I think, two gels ever, and they were ’emergency’ ones.
I used to use them for emergencies when on the verge of booking. On group road rides you don't have the option of saying I'm hungry can we just stop here". Having said that as said above I now make my cheaper home made versions with no packaging waste and crucially I am happy to consume it. TBH it has really helped me fuel much better, I can only fit in so much malt loaf or flapjack or bananas and this adds to what I can take in and has had a pretty big impact on my energy levels. I stopped using energy drink a few years ago due too not liking how it feels in my mouth. I take in the same stuff but it doesn't coat my teeth like a drink if I was it down with water.
I used one for the first time today.
I was both very impressed with the effect and very disgusted with the taste (SIS Berry).
Almost instantaneous energy boost which helped me out of the hole I was in.
I’ve found the new Torq jellies pretty good - not too chewy, dissolve fast and the same impact as a gel. The cynic in me shows the same carb grams as the cheaper Jelly Babies, albeit Torq are a Maltro/Fructo combo - fructose seems to work better for me - whereas Jelly Babies are only glucose.
One for variety on long rides and events methinks.
Genuine Q – why do people use energy gels?
A mate who used to win 24-hour solo mtb races and do stupid FKT long-distance route things found they were the only thing his gut would tolerate on a sustained basis. I have vague memories of Rickie Cotter saying she did the same for similar reasons, it sounded less than glamorous.
I occasionally use one as a 'break glass in case of emergency' measure if I've screwed up fuelling on a big day ride.
Fwiw, read the ingredients lists some time, lots of artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, preservatives etc, which may or may not bother you. SIS seems quite bad for this, Torq somewhat better. I get that people's tolerance for such things is variable, particularly in performance mode, but if nothing else, a fair few artificial sweeteners list laxative qualities as side-effects, so smashing a load of them may not be that great an idea, ymmv.
I’ll tell one that isn’t - bacon & maple syrup - I was given that as a sample a long while ago and it’s rattled around in my “goodies” box for longer than necessary. I took it with me on a hill run - got to the top, squeezed the contents in my mouth and it tasted like licking an ashtray!
Another vote here for rhubard and custard Torq
Most definitely NOT Maurten they are rank
Have used Torq in the past and liked them. Tried Veloforte and found them to be good too, more 'natural' tasting. Chews were nice too.
Anyone tried the KMC / Kendal Mint Co gels?
Had adverts for these recently, quite like the look of their 'refillable pouch' system.
Links for the STW kickbacks:
https://www.kendalmint.co.uk/products/kmc-welcome-pack?variant=43291661992135
I'm OK enough with the SIS Variety packs, I can stomach all of the flavours but I prefer the citrusy ones (orang, grapefruit, etc).
Like others I tend not to use them for all day rides and take them only as emergency bonk prevention or for races where I'm piss poor at managing nutrition TBH...
Genuine Q – why do people use energy gels?
Emergency use only, I probably use about 5 in a year. Torq the least worst IME.
For all other times I stop for proper food.
GU Salted Caramel Energy Gel for me has a shot of caffeine too which gives it slightly bitter liquorice taste but I like it. I use sparingly as 20mg is a lot of caffeine plus £2 a pop on their web site (a bit cheaper at GoOutdoors) looks like they have other caffeinated flavours too I will have to try.
They were giving away Precision Fuel gels at the Gritfest foodstop. Absolutely superb, tasted good and worked as described but I'm too tight to pay for them myself now ?