[Closed] Substitutes for Energy Gels

Shot Blocks from Cliff are quite good, somebody will be along to tell you to take a picnic hamper with you 😉

Something like Torq drinks are good for fuelling on the go.

Bars are also a good one to add in, after that take a read of the intro to Feed Zones Portables for alternatives you can cook yourself and some good explanations of fuelling strategies

I think the answer is to try different ones and see what work for you - it may be that gels in general are no good for you.

You can replace them with anything really - they're not magical they're just convenient. Nobody is paying you to cycle so don't eat something you don't like - the point is to enjoy yourself. Just use something calorific that you like eating and is easy to carry with you. Graham Obree would recommend marmalade sandwiches.

When I first started out cycling longer distances I found it really difficult to get food and hydration right and I'd usually eat/drink too little  so I had to make myself drink a certain amount of water per hour (which is easy to measure) and eat a certain amount of energy - which is a bit more difficult, to get into better habits. My solution at the time was packets of marzipan 🙂 - cheap, compact, bit of a mix of quick and slow release - surprisingly easy to buy in cornershops en-route and easy to give yourself a target to eat X amount per hour to make sure you are eating enough.

Now it eat carrot, humous and bacon rolls.

I just use plain unflavoured maltodextrin powder in my drink, and I put squash in it.  I mix it about half to 2/3 of the usual recommended strength.  Very cheap from bulkpowders.co.uk - cheaper than food in fact.  Most 'products' are sickly sweet and the directions tell you to take the maximum dose, however maltodextrin itself is almost flavourless.

the only downside is that these dont seem to agree with my stomach. I have been using the SIS Go Isotonic Energy Gels.

There's your problem right there - SIS gels seem to give more people problems than anything other i've heard of. One of the lads in my club nearly shat himself a couple of weeks ago due to one of them 🙂

Im not a big fan of SIS - it is worth giving High 5 a go - you can pick up a cycle pack with a water bottle for about £9 on Amazon which has lots of different stuff to try. There recovery milkshake is pretty nice too - even the mrs liked it!

just take proper food with you, the cycling world wasn't fainting by the side of the road with hunger for the 100 years or so before gels turned up, they're just a over-priced and convenient way of getting a fluid and energy mix inside you whilst making you feel like you're a proper athlete

energy/muesli bars fit easily into a back pocket (pick any one that you like the look/taste/dietary quirk/ethics of), make a sandwich, take a pork pie, or a banana, some trail mix, a bag of peanuts and M&Ms, if you're feeling creative look at sites like Feed Zone Portables. it's all just calories and energy in differing formats, find the one that suits you and crack on.

a bowl of porridge before hand is always good, bananas,

i quite like the powerbar powergel that are on offer CRC at the moment 24 for £16 st&ban and vanilla are lovely and  like treacle..

the cycling world wasn’t fainting by the side of the road with hunger for the 100 years or so before gels turned up,

Indeed - all you need is a nice Drum-up spot

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/75549

the cycling world wasn’t fainting by the side of the road with hunger for the 100 years or so before gels turned up

No, but I nearly did once, and mate actually did.

Gels aren't special, they are just food - but in an easily digestible (for most people) form that you can eat whilst riding and don't get squashed.  Simple really.  Either take gels, drink carbs, bring other food or stop and buy it.  Your choice.

I find a lot of real food takes too much digestion effort. If I'm going as fast as I can then I can end up with indigestion.

I've been using the High 5 gels recently after acquiring what must be a couple of hundred of them for nothing. They are out of date but haven't caused me any issues yet!

I have had the issue of not eating enough and they certainly are one way of helping with that. Sliced malt loaf is another really good option.

Malt loaf nom nom and jelly cubes for sugar hit

I can't imagine malt loaf, it'd sit like lead in my stomach!

What they said. I find energy drinks give me almost enough energy (SIS) but I bought them cost price/bulk and wouln't pay full whack.

Shot Blocks from Cliff are quite good

And you can stick them to your stem if you're of a mind to if you're expecting to race or not be able to take something out of your pockets whilst riding. That said, I saw a bloke lose half a pack this way; riding sportive and the first big bump he hit, off they went.

Im not a big fan of SIS – it is worth giving High 5 a go

High 5 gives me explosive diarrhoea within about 15 mins of consuming it both the tablets and the gels. Haven't tried them in a number of years but not in a hurry to try another picolax-lite sachet during a ride.

Active Root is a sports drink that works well for me.

https://cycletechreview.com/2018/reviews/active-root-sports-drink-review/

Pre-buttered Soreen slices are another favourite

https://www.soreen.com/products/pre-buttered-slices/

I do a lot of 200/300 km audax rides and do find it harder to digest stuff as the rides goes on which conversely is when I need the energy hit so Clif Blocs are my  "last stage" scoff of choice.

As well as foods mentioned above, anything longer than 2 hours I'll use an 'endurance drink'  I get big 2kg bags of Decathlon's Energy Endurance Drink. The recipe has been improved and it's not super sweet, and it doesn't leave a fuzz on your teeth. Just two scoops per 500ml works out really cheap. Long MTB rides I'll usually go out with 1.5 to 2l of 'fluid' in the camelbak.

Have loads of gels from cheap offers but really just keep a couple in the bag for emergencies.

Pretty much always ride with some sort of 'energy' drink both for energy and hydration/salt replacement.  Messed with raw maltodextrin years ago but just buy SIS, Bulk Powders, Zipvit (whatevers cheap when I need it).  Torq is by far the best tasting but it's expensive (their Gels are the only ones I've ever had that are actually nice rather than, at best, OK).  Never mix up full strength - usually about half.

For energy usually just carry jelly babies at  £1 a pack.  Long rides with no cafe stops a Soreen is the bargain answer.

Jelly babies and / or Harribo. Plus flat coke

OP, are you talking mtb or road here? Makes a bit of a difference as you're more likely to have to eat on the hoof if the latter, which changes suggestions a bit.

Sushi rice cakes with blueberries and dark chocolate or peanut butter and jam filling. Or smaller rice balls with apple and cinnamon. They're amazing, easy to make and cheap. Worth getting hold of the Feed Zone Portables cookbook (written by the chaps who set up Skratch labs) as it's full of quick, easy and tasty recipes.

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OP, are you talking mtb or road here? Makes a bit of a difference as you’re more likely to have to eat on the hoof if the latter, which changes suggestions a bit.

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i eat exactly the same things whether i'm on or off road, i know you're *supposed* to scoff a handful of Haribo every time you stop for a gate when mountainbiking though 🙂

As above, find what works for you. Personally, it's bags of Haribo, eaten in handfuls every 20-30 minutes or so. A family member runs ultra marathons, and she points out that beyond a certain time - say, 3 hours or so - sweet stuff just gets to be too much, and she loves a marmalade sandwich. Admittedly, she's happy to sit down for 10 minutes to eat it though. You never know, you might find it's pork pies that work for you...

walnuts pecans almonds bananas

You never know, you might find it’s pork pies that work for you…

True but the body finds things like protien harder to digest and uses more energy to deal with it than other foods

Jordan's multigrain bars, banana and some energy drink (I use Torq) if riding for more than 2 or 3 hours. Often have an energy bar or gel in a pocket that has been with me for months...tbh they are not really any better than real food. As said above use energy powder in water at about half strength and also if its hot I like to have a plain water bottle to wash food down with and pour over head if needed.

Oh and rides over 3 hours have a cafe stop....obviously!!!

You never know, you might find it’s pork pies that work for you…

Last 3 hours of Sleepless in the Saddle 1066 at Trentham Gardens, which I did solo, were fueled by Dr Pepper, Pork Pies and a few roll ups!!!

Really don't buy energy drink if you aren't racing. Maltodextrin is fine, and it'll taste better flavoured with your choice of squash. The Torq stuff is probably a bit better for racing but waaay too expensive for normal use.

I also only use enrgy gels for racing when you need something that can be ingested quickly and works quickly. A lot of gels do work like super laxatives on me too so I won't be using them for a 24hr race! But I have recently started using  the Cliff shots without any issues. If I'm just doing a training ride on the road I'll eat Cliff bars or some other supermarket version but I find bits stick in my throat after eating them starting me to gag/choke, which is not ideal in a race situation. If on my MTB with a pack then normal food like bread rolls and fruit.

Honey Stinger or OTE bars are an easy to eat alternatives to gels. How long have you upped your rides to? You should be OK with just drinks for rides up to around 2-3 hours. You could be feeling a lack of energy because you're riding for longer / not fully recovering between rides?

OP, are you talking mtb or road here? Makes a bit of a difference as you’re more likely to have to eat on the hoof if the latter, which changes suggestions a bit.

Mostly road cycling at the moment.

Honey Stinger or OTE bars are an easy to eat alternatives to gels. How long have you upped your rides to? You should be OK with just drinks for rides up to around 2-3 hours. You could be feeling a lack of energy because you’re riding for longer / not fully recovering between rides?

At the moment I am not interested in going faster, but riding longer and in the past I just wasn’t eating enough and what I was eating didn’t seem to help.

Because I am getting more and more into a routine, may be I am not resting enough in between all the riding?

Haribo.

If you are not racing, I wouldn't worry too much about energy drinks, water will be OK, as long as you are eating enough. If you do want to get a bit of energy in your liquid, the easy solution is just to buy cheap fruit juice and dilute it.

Gels may be handy if you are racing and want to get an energy hit quickly, but they are an expensive solution for general riding, and I would rather eat real food wherever possible. Have a look in the snacks aisle of the supermarket. There are loads of variants of the "cereal bar" snack with different ingredients and consistencies, and there's a good chance you'll find something that you enjoy and is easy to eat. Bananas, fig rolls, jelly babies, dried fruit are other options.

There are loads of variants of the “cereal bar” snack with different ingredients and consistencies, and there’s a good chance you’ll find something that you enjoy and is easy to eat.

Problem with a lot of them is that they're remarkably light in calories - most people are trying to fill themselve up without loads of energy.  our needs are slightly different

Bananas, fig rolls, jelly babies, dried fruit are other options.

yum to all of those

If you are after gels, Huma are good for the fussy of stomach.

https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/nutty_oat_energy_bars_48616

Made these the other day and they're fantastic. Cut into 15 pieces they're about 180 calories each according to Myfitnesspal. They're small too so quite a lot of punch for the size of them. High in fat so not great for that instant hit, but for longer rides they're grand.

fat 8.5g sat 1.8g carbs 20.6g protein 5.2g

Problem with a lot of them is that they’re remarkably light in calories – most people are trying to fill themselve up without loads of energy.  our needs are slightly different

I don't know what products you're looking at, but I'm talking about bog standard cereal bars, which are generally made of energy dense ingredients: sugar, fat and carbs!

E.g. a Kellogg's Breakfast Bake gives you 716kJ in 37g, which in energy/weight terms actually beats a Power Bar Energize bar, but by my reckoning works out at much less than half the cost, weight for weight.

E.g. a Kellogg’s Breakfast Bake gives you 716kJ in 37g, which in energy/weight terms actually beats a Power Bar Energize bar

How much fat though?  Energy from carbs is what you want in riding energy, you don't want fat in them.  Just makes it slower and harder to digest, and unless you're a polar explorer or a TdF rider you probably have enough fat stores.

If you are not racing, I wouldn’t worry too much about energy drinks

You don't have to be racing to be working hard.

You don’t have to be racing to be working hard

Course not. "Racing" is shorthand for "very high intensity exercise that requires you to ingest lots of high carb calories in a hurry". If you are doing endurance work, but perhaps not riding flat out (which is the sort of riding a lot of people do) and actually have the time to eat some solid food as you ride, you can probably get away with just drinking water.

How much fat though?  Energy from carbs is what you want in riding energy, you don’t want fat in them.  Just makes it slower and harder to digest, and unless you’re a polar explorer or a TdF rider you probably have enough fat stores.

Sure, the cereal bars are generally higher fat. Breakfast Bake is 8.8% vs Energize Bar 3.7%, but the Bake is still 69% carbs, almost exactly the same as the Power Bar (in fact it beats the carb content of some of the Power Bar flavours!). You can still get useful energy from a little bit of fat when you are riding, especially if you are not doing very high intensity efforts. It's a myth that it's going to go into your "fat stores". It's just energy, and your body will use it if it needs it. You might even find that food with a bit of fat in it is easier to digest. I find an unrelenting diet of sugary "energy products" can be difficult to eat after a while

kcr, I think you may have misunderstood why fat is considered a “bad” source of carbs whilst exercising.

Its nothing to do with “fat stores” (quite what that is?), it’s more to do with fat being difficult & slow to digest particularly when your gut is under stress & your body working hard. Ingesting fat whilst exercising can lead to an upset stomach & we all know how that can suck the joy out of anything!

Fat won’t be easier to digest - in fact, it’s quite the opposite......it’s why energy products have such low fat content.

I mean that a bit of fat in the food may make it more palatable and improve the texture and mouth feel, so it is actually tastier and easier to chew and swallow. What happens in your stomach is one part of eating and digestion, but you need to get it there first, so something that is easy to munch is a bonus. I've had some cycling specific energy bars that were barely chewable bricks.

Eating a block of lard while cycling might well give you an upset stomach, but the limited amounts of fat in a cereal bar is unlikely to be a problem. As pointed out above, there is still the same amount of high quality carbohydrate energy in a typical cereal bar as there is in a cycling specific energy bar.

I don't think there is anything wrong with energy bars, and if that's what works for someone, I'd say crack on. I just don't think they are really significantly better than more ordinary supermarket alternatives which will give you a lot more bang for your buck. I've raced on cereal bars, and they did the job fine.

A friend of mine who works for one of the more widely liked sports nutrition companies reckons anything more than 10% fat content is a no-no....& it’s not hard to achieve that if you’re not careful. Ideally less than 6% IIRC..

As for fat making food more digestible? Yes, that’s true because fat tastes good. Think bacon!

 I’ve raced on cereal bars, and they did the job fine.

I've raced on smoked meat, paella, and a keg of cider, they worked or maybe they didn't but hey lets get on with it....

Energy gels are fantastic source for energy in case of emergency, they can be stored for years in the Camelbak and the vile taste ensures that they are used only when really needed. Same goes with original Powerbars and similar energy bars - especially when the best before date is worn off.

I have forgotten anything I knew about racing but for normal riding I see little use for gels as normal food, muesli bars and even some energy bars are better option.

Eating a block of lard while cycling might well give you an upset stomach, but the limited amounts of fat in a cereal bar is unlikely to be a problem.

I took Tan y Castell welshcakes with me on a road ride, thinking I'd try normal food instead of energy products on a stiff 4 hour road ride.  They are mostly white flour, so should be good simple carbs I thought.  With 15g fat per 100g, I thought not too fatty.  I still had terrible indigestion and could only eat a couple which left me feeling pretty miserable at the end.

Should have tried some cereal bars instead!

My stash of cycling food got hammered this afternoon, fatally brought ~half a pack of Sainsburys Jelly Babies through to the mancave and they were like Pringles... Just couldn't stop and I've done a massive ~1 mile of cycling today! 😳

Haribo jelly babies

Four jelly babies equal 21grms carb which is about the same as an energy gel.

Which sugar is providing those carbs - you can absorb some a lot faster than others apparently?  I believe fructose, a common sugar in sweets, is absorbed relatively slowly compared to say, maltodextrin.  So you could be eating your 4 jelly babies instead of a gel but failing to replace the energy loss quick enough.

Plus, a lot of gels would include fructose as well as it's absorbed via a different mechanism so you'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone - maltodextrin for the majority of the carb intake relatively quickly and fructose for a slower acting but still significant amount of carbs.

I think, I'm not a nutritionist!

I think, I’m not a nutritionist!

That's fine you can still call yourself one, no official accreditation, training or knowledge are required to be a nutritionist.

I find a lot of real food takes too much digestion effort. If I’m going as fast as I can

This is the key point.  If you're not going as fast as you can, you can take a moment to chew some food.  Sarnies, nuts and raisins, all of the above.  If I'm out for a long ride and get started on sugary stuff, I have to keep eating sugary stuff regularly to ride the sugar rush/crash wave.  Half a ham and cheese sarnie with loads of mayo, good again for ages.