What the heck happened to Powerbar?

[Dave Wages]

I remember stashing a couple Banana flavored ones in my pack when I went rock climbing and hiking in the Adirondacks. Thankfully I was never desperate enough to break them out (banana was an especially vile flavor), I wonder if they're still sitting in the side pocket of that pack?

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Around '93 near the end of an epic and hot group ride we stopped at a Ralph's in Mission Viejo to re-fuel, Gatorade and a Powerbar for me. Opened the bar and it was covered with maggots.

Needless to say I haven't wanted one since.

I once opened a Clif Bar that was crawling with maggots. It must have been long past the expiration date.

Nevertheless I still buy Clif bars. Their quality has improved over the years, in my opinion.

[pdmtong]

Powerbar was the first and was a local company so of course I ate them a lot. Best with water. Miserable or impossible to eat when cold. A sticky mess when hot. When Clif (another local company) showed up it was easy to make the switch. Better temp range and more flavors.

for most people, I would think eating anything is more key than reading the fine print to choose a brand. buy based on taste, format (bar, block, gel, gummy) and price and make sure you eat.

[54ny77]

This bums me out. I've always liked Powerbars, easy to digest. Mixed berry, malt and Vanilla are my favorites. I have literally one bar left from what used to be several case stash, and after reading this thread I went online to order some and yessir the OP is correct, can't be found anywhere.

Any other energy bar recommendations?

By the way I remember when Powerbars first came out, the company came to a local race I was in up in the Bay Area and handed out free samples. This was in the late 80's.

Sounds like they had a good run. Definitely pioneers, if not literally the category creators.

[benb]

Oh I also wouldn't eat them now because they have some ingredients that are a no-go for me...

I don't eat Gluten-Free but they tend to have Gluten as an actual added ingredient. (Not whole grain, straight up added gluten)

They tend to add lactose to a lot of their bars too, which is definitely not something I need... cramps & gas suck on a ride.

Just pretty low quality at this point compared to other products, they pretty much max out allergens & processed ingredients that people have intolerances for at a point when a lot of these bars are really good about it.

[dziekiel]

they are down in the bomb shelter with the tiger milk bars...

[makoti]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

once you go black, you'll never go back.

and by black i mean stroopwaffles.

Can't carry them in a pocket jammed with other crap, as tasty as they are.

[Waldo62]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Actually it is owned by Bell Ring brands which is a subsidiary of Post Holdings. And from what I understand it is doing just fine, like a legacy brand.

My friend is in the GC office at Premier Nutrition, of which Powerbar is a part. Powerbar is a tiny and basically unprofitable part of the business. If that's "doing just fine," OK.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by Mike V

I remember seeing someone in a crit with with two bars cut into fourths stuck along his top tube. As the race went along 7, 6, 5, 4........

I raced Tri's, and this practice was common. Pieces stuck to top tubes for easy access.

Ok, so if they are impossible to locate, alternatives of the same ilk? Easy to carry, don't end up as a bag full of crumbs, and KIND OF easy to access? Maybe not top tube easy, but...

[jpritchet74]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

once you go black, you'll never go back.

and by black i mean stroopwaffles.

By far my favorite ride food right there!

[PacNW2Ford]

What? You can EAT Powerbars? I thought you were supposed to mold them into boomerangs and hunt for food...

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by makoti

Can't carry them in a pocket jammed with other crap, as tasty as they are.

My preference is to store food somewhere other than my pocket, but I've taken stroop waffles on bike trips and rides that don't come individually wrapped by doing it myself and wrapping them in cellophane or butcher paper.

[parris]

The company was bought by Phil Swift and rebranded as Flex Seal products!

[RFC]

My choice. 130 calories each.

https://www.costco.com/universal-bak...100371264.html

[gasman]

Originally Posted by mistermo

Ahh memories....Back before there were other options, Id take them on climbing trips. The frigid alpine conditions made them impossible to eat. Banana and malt nut were favorites. Found them impossible to eat on other activities requiring cardio effort. The vigor of chewing prevented strenuous breathing. Best use was in car snack food. Heat them up on the dash, then feast. In a retro kind of way, I miss them.

Ahh-I had the same experience. Frozen solid when you needed some calories so you'd have to warm them up enough to somehow gnaw off a piece, that's when I learned to carry them in a pocket that kept them warm--but not too warm. Like others said they'd otherwise be a gooey mess.
Best between 72 and 75 degrees F was ideal.

Rock climbing they were usually okay

I don't miss them at all.