Water vs energy stuff in your water bottle

[Louis]

At what length ride (time, not miles) do you put something other than water in your water bottle?

Recently most of my weekday rides have been right at 2 hours long and I'm always torn whether or not to do just water. I doubt it does any good, but these day's I've been taking Cytomax, but I know 2 hours is way too short to bonk. I guess the marketing works and I'm drinking the Kool-Aid.

Any thoughts on this? What works for you?

Louis

[JBone]

If I ride less than 2 hours than I drink water, but anything over I usually use the powder... I use Cytomax as well. I actually can feel the difference, I previously used only water whether 2 hours or 5 hours in the saddle.

Or maybe it's all in my head...

[Blue Jays]

The only liquid that goes in my bottles is plain cold water.
I prefer being able to "balance" whether I'm getting calories with every swig.
A squeeze bottle of gel in my jersey pocket and a splash of water is a wonderful thing.
The extra bonus is that I don't get sticky crap all over the bicycles, either. :beer:

[fierte_poser]

I almost always use drink mix for every ride, regardless of length.

I look at it as prepping my digestive system for longer rides where I will need to take in liquid carbs from the very start.

[Steve in SLO]

Water in the bottles.
Occasionally sticky stuff in there if over 2.5-3 hours
Gel or equivalent if over ~2.5 hours or if I know it's going to be over 2 hours and a race or hammer ride.
If over 3 hours: $$ in the back pocket if riding near a store that sells Coca-Cola, the original energy drink.

[William]

Water only regardless of distance. I carry other things for fuel. Most of those drinks are to sugary for me. I like to chug plain water to refresh and wash the food, gels, water down. I've never had an issue, even under heavy race conditions.





William

[Climb01742]

me too. water for drinking. gels for energy. endurolytes tablets for electrolytes. drinks/powders that try to do it all end up doing each poorly, IMO. and i find plain water is just plain more refreshing, particularly on very hot days.

[Elefantino]

On the 12th, of never.

Water only. Used to put stuff but as I've gotten older it tends to sour my stomach. Now I supplement with other oral things.

[VTCaraco]

I don't often get in the longer rides, but I find that if I haven't hydrated correctly for the day, a water/sports drink mix helps.
If it's marketing, so be it.
I've found it much harder in the last year or so (approaching 40) to keep my HR from spiking if I'm not properly hydrated. And the mix definitely helps.
I can't stand the way any of the sport drinks make my mouth feel at full strength. I find the sweetness to almost coat my mouth in a way that I really don't like. But a 50-50 (or so) mix feels perfect. Enough to give me a little something and enough to make my water bottles and the occasional drip need a good post-ride clean-up...

[ty-ro]

Last summer I used Clif drink. This summer I am going to try plain water and Endurolytes as I did in Hawaii a few weeks ago. It seemed to work very well. The sticky mess of the drink mix gets all over you and your bike. Depending on what is in it, the bees like it too!

[93legendti]

h2o only for me. I stuff Cliff Gel Blocks and bars in my pockets for longer rides.

[RPS]

At what length ride (time, not miles) do you put something other than water in your water bottle?Normally only water if at or under 50 miles, Gatorade in one bottle above that.

For me bonking is so dependent on both time and effort that I can’t answer strictly by time alone. If doing a very easy pace I can ride much longer (time wise) with just water than if pushing a little harder. I take where the energy comes from and also perspiration rate into account.

[CNY rider]

h2o only for me. I stuff Cliff Gel Blocks and bars in my pockets for longer rides.

Agree.
I still haven't found a combination as tasty and cost effective as a bottle full of water and a back pocket with a sleeve of Fig Newtons.

[Ozz]

If I ride less than 2 hours than I drink water, but anything over I usually use the powder...
+1
I'll usually have one bottle plain water and one bottle with some gatorade... ("OMG!! he carries two water bottles, what a dork") throw in some clif bars or gel packs and I'm good.

[RudAwkning]

I stopped doing the powder after my first double last year. I felt that I found myself moderating my fluid intake too much. When it's water, I don't think about it, I just drink it. I'll take my calories via Hammer Gel and Shot Blocks and just do H20 in the bottles. 3 Enduralyties every 45mins-1hour. YMMV.

+ You can throw water over your head during a hot ride. Can't say the same for Cytomax :D

[rugbysecondrow]

If it is just under an hour, I am just carrying water. Anything longer, I take a gel and also mix my second bottle with a Gatoraid/H2O mix. Rarely straight Gatoraid as it is too much for me. Also, sometimes just some Jelly Bellys...my excuse to buy those tasty morsels.

Also, I have recently bought the individual gatoraid packets that I can add to water if desired. I just keep one if my bag.

[jabbahop]

I use Infinit custom mix or Nuun tablets. Used the hammer couldn't handle the taste and the fact that it had trouble desolving.

Infinit stuff tastes great (and you can tune it) - I like mine a bit tart with not a bunch of syrupy feel. It also desolves well and isn't sticky.

[sg8357]

Eload, better than Gatorade in the electrolytes, with very little flavor.
The new clifblok package is good, ProBars for longer rides,
they're low glycemic. A friend said about Probars "These taste like food"

Dried apricots are good on long rides, lots of potassium.

Scott G.

[Bud_E]

Eload, better than Gatorade in the electrolytes, with very little flavor....

+1 over here. Easy on the tum even on long hot rides.

[keevon]

I'm a big fan of the Camelbak Elixir tablets. Drop 'em in water, wait for 'em to fizz up, and you have a not-too-sweet electrolyte drink. Keeps my head straight when I go hard.

[mike p]

Water, gatorade, ice tea, coke, whatever's in the fridge dosen't matter.

Mike

[jlwdm]

Water only up to about three hours. Hammer Heed for the longer rides.

Jeff

[Peter P.]

I'm cheap-water, water, water, regardless of the length of my ride.

I DID, however, deviate from that for D2R2 last year. During a 100k preparation ride is warm temps I developed severe muscle cramps. As a precaution to avoid them for the actual ride only, I used a powdered electrolyte drink in 1/2 of my waterbottles.

[false_Aest]

I seem to start cramping at 2- 2.5 hours. A bottle of gatoraid mixed 2/3 strong helps.

[FL_MarkD]

Water with Nuun electrolyte tablets (adds some good taste too). All energy from gel for 50mi and less, gel plus Hammer energy bars for over 50mi.

I agree with the theory of keeping fluids and energy separate so that I can regulate them as needed.

Mark

[gman]

< 1 hour = water
1 to 2 hours = accelerade
2 to 4 hours = accelerade, then water and gels
4+ hours = "something has to die"

The last was my best friend's way of saying "I need real food that includes meat".

[jblande]

Have tried a number of different things, and have to say that Hammer products are superior. Less than 2 hours: Heed. More than 2 hours, perpetuum. Both are excellent, have mild flavor, and avoid simple sugars. Highly highly recommend.

[dekindy]

I read all the traditional rules about not needing nutrition on 2 hour or less rides and found that it does not work for me. I have found through experimentation, at least for me, that for hard efforts like 2-hour training rides I need Hammer Gel to sustain a hard effort or my performance suffers. Nutrition druring any 2-hour ride keeps me from feeling less drained after the ride so that I have the energy I need to sustain the rest of life's activities like working and spending time with family.

It is just like anything else, you need to try the general rules and then experiment and adjust and find the right formula that works for you personally.

BTW, after I had used Hammer Gel for a couple of rides and performed and felt better, I related this information to a very strong riding buddy. This conversation was at the beginning of a 2-hour training ride. He promptly pulled out his Hammer Gel 5-serving bottle and agreed that the hard effort required nutrition during the ride. This means it works for other riders also and not just for me. If very strong riders take nourishment during a 2-hour or less effort, then it must not be that uncommon.

I noticed that the Giro riders were taking nourishment and carrying gels for their time trial that lasted a little over 2.5 hours. I am not sure where the time guidelines comes from because it seems that how your body feels and performs should dictate refueling requirements.

Would a good analogy be that a car driving 2 hours at 55 mph would require much less energy than a car driving 2 hours at 100 mph? Estimating the point at which the tank is empty is much more complicated than time alone.

[jblande]

Evidently cardiovascular exercise conducted for longer than 2hrs begins to dig into protein resources in the body, if none are ingested. Given that protein is not required for periods less than that, and can unsettle the GI system, Heed or gels with water (which if you look at the nutritional facts amount to the same) are preferable for rides shorter than 2 hrs. Above that, one should begin to ingest small amounts of protein. When I first trained for a triathlon I went to a couple discussions on this stuff--of course, a ton of marketing, but also some useful information. One of the things I learned and found most helpful taught me that I was ingesting far to much liquid in general and far too many calories. I have noticed genuine physical benefits to getting my nutrition straight.

[Velosmith]

Like most -- water up to 2 hours.

Then, juice diluted 3:1 mostly to get me to drink more often. With 2 bottles on a century I can drink both down half and fill at 30 mile stops. The juice gets more diluted as as I go. Seems that sweet stuff is less desirable. On hot days both bottles get downed and I'm back to water.

I've been taking some Cliff Shot Blocks to get the electrolytes back in from time to time as needed.

[Bill D]

I use Infinit custom mix or Nuun tablets. Used the hammer couldn't handle the taste and the fact that it had trouble desolving.

Infinit stuff tastes great (and you can tune it) - I like mine a bit tart with not a bunch of syrupy feel. It also desolves well and isn't sticky.

+1 on InfinIT. I use it on rides of more than about 1.5 hrs. As others have said, it's sometimes hard to find drink that does what you want it to do. InfinIT is great because you can customize its composition (calories, electrolytes, protein, etc.) as well as the flavor and strength of its taste. Very convenient.

[keevon]

FWIW, I also take a magnesium pill before any race or longer ride where I think I'll be sweating a lot. I tend to get cramps in the heat, and the magnesium helps stave those off.

[BengeBoy]

Water only for rides under 60 miles.

I like Nuun tablets for longer rides, right from the start.

I will eat regularly if the ride is longer than 2 or 3 hours, but always "real" food, not gels.

[vqdriver]

gatorade - always. i just don't like the taste of the water bottle plastic and i would end up ignoring hydration altogether.
having said that, on hot days, i like a second bottle with ice water to spray myself down and rinse my mouth with. i usually end up back at home midride to refill on those days which is a drag.

[bmafg]

On longer rides or when it's really hot I'll use Nuun tablets in my water, otherwise it's just water. I never put any energy drinks or protein supplements in my bottles. I eat for energy. It's easier for me to control my blood glucose levels and it's lots more satisfying.

jim

[FMS_rider]

Have tried a number of different things, and have to say that Hammer products are superior. Less than 2 hours: Heed. More than 2 hours, perpetuum. Both are excellent, have mild flavor, and avoid simple sugars. Highly highly recommend.+1, but I also carry a flask of Hammer Expresso gel, some Endurolytes (Hammer electrolyte tablets), and occasionally an energy bar (usually Hammer despite their higher cost--I have tried just about everything and keep coming back).

[bob the nailer]

I use eload plus either 0,1 or 2 eload zone caps per bottle depending on how hot it is going to be. GU in case i feel bonky. Not sure it is a good idea to change to something for really long rides your body isn't used to taking in, for those of you who seem to use just water unless you go really long. Whatever works. Eload is good because it isn't very acid, easy on the stomach and doesn't taste sweet. Gatorade Endurance formula is ok is you only need one or two bottles but for a really long 4-5 bottle ride the sweet taste gets to me. I have just started trying sportlegs, have to say that initially I do think it makes a difference. Anyone else tried it?

[steampunk]

For me, when the distance (>40-50miles) and temps (>80s) are enough to make me carry 2 bottles, one is water, one is gatorade.

The water is good for drinking and pouring on yourself.

[kgrooney]

What about post ride? How many use recovery drinks, such as Endurox?

[Bill D]

What about post ride? How many use recovery drinks, such as Endurox?

Chocolate milk. Yummy and I've read it's also good for recovery (carbs, protein, hydration).

[FMS_rider]

What about post ride? How many use recovery drinks, such as Endurox? I used to use Endurox after long hard rides but recently switched to Hammer Recoverite. Even though I get annoyed at the flood of literature I get from Hammer since I buy their products directly (because it must add substantially to the cost), and despite the hard-sell tone that most of it has, the composition of their basic products (Heed, Perpetuem, Recoverite, and their $$$ but tasty and highly digestible energy bars) does seem to be well reasoned and I have switched to their stuff exclusively, with the exception of their whey that stinks, literally (or did the last time I ordered some ~6 months ago).

I honestly do not know how much benefit I derive from Recoverite etc, and would have never used anything of the like when I was young, but have pulled out all the stops in an attempt to boost my capabilities as much as possible at my current age (64). However, I am quite sure that I can feel a boost the morning after consuming whey protein following exhausting rides --it has minimal calories but insures that the old bod has the raw materials to maintain and possibly even increase my muscle mass as much as possible, but more importantly, can substantially increase the secretion of growth hormone when consumed at bedtime (growth hormone is only secreted at night and promotes both muscle recovery and growth). If I weren't a lazy-ass I would take it every night.

After poking around rather extensively on the internet and some trial and error I discovered what I believe to be a high-quality whey that tastes great when mixed in water alone and costs MUCH less than other brands, in part at least because they are the manufacturer: the chocolate flavored cold-processed isolate from "All the Whey". I order it directly from Canada rather than from their American subsidiary where it costs more. It comes without extra glutamine that all of the expensive, highly advertised brands include; however they sell glutamine separately for peanuts (<$20 for 100 servings), which I add to my 'chocolate shakes' even though from what I have read it may not add much to the benefit (contrary to the claims of the big guys). Anyhow here is what I use:

AWPI02 Whey Isolate 2lb Chocolate flavor $20.70 with free UPS shipping http://www.allthewhey.com/awpi02.html

GL500 Glutamine 500g 500g Powder $18.99 http://www.allthewhey.com/gl500.html

My apologies for the parentheticality --guess I have been listening to Joe Biden too much.

edit: link for code needed for free shipping: http://www.allthewhey.com/whpris.html

edit #2: I want to thank Too Tall for suggesting that I look into Hammer products (basically what I am saying above is that they seem to work for short guys too).

Lew