Good Value Energy Gels and Bars

A freebie at the National 50. Kind of makes it all worth while really….

At the National 50, each rider got a free box of ZipVit energy bars, vitamins and water bottle.

If you want a box for just £3.95 P&P. You can order it here

It includes

  • Energy drink * 2
  • Energy Gel with caffeine – it says on the bar caffeine intake equals 2.5 Red Bulls! Talk about a caffeine injection. Funnily enough on the box it says guaranteed no drugs (Caffeine is not on the band list of UCI drugs, though its use is said to enhance performance, at least in short run.) I didn’t like idea of drinking 2.5 red bulls, so I had about a third of the energy gel before race.
  • Energy bars * 2 (1 with protein)
  • Water Bottle 750ml Cervelo team colour.
  • Cod Liver Oil tablets
  • Multivitamins

Well, it’s probably a clever marketing strategy (e.g. people like me advertise ZipVit for free). But, the water bottle alone is probably worth £3.95. And, I always look out for cheap water bottles. I’ve had some for decades and they really need throwing out because they look a bit manky. But, being a Yorkshireman I’m always reluctant to fork out £4.00 just for  a plastic water bottle.

It’s debatable how necessary energy gels and bars are. You can buy cheaper substitutes from supermarkets. However, for long rides, I think it is nice to have a ‘proper’ energy bar, even it the nutrition content is not that much different from cheaper muesli bars. Energy drinks and electrolytes become very important on hot days. Because it is so rarely hot in the UK, I only use a couple of packets per year.

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7 Responses to Good Value Energy Gels and Bars

  1. Nigel Hunter July 8, 2009 at 11:51 am #

    Have to add that the ZV8 bar is really good tasting and the range of goodies are exceptional. I will definitely be buying more of these along with the other products.

    Thanks for the link Tejvan

  2. Simon Lewis June 26, 2009 at 11:31 am #

    I bought one of these packs. It was such good value and I wanted a second water bottle to match the first so I tried to buy a second pack. I was told NO, only one per household. I thought the bars were good, recovery drink OK but I thought the gel was way too thick.

  3. Noel June 25, 2009 at 7:13 pm #

    Good deal, thx for the heads-up!

  4. Jez June 25, 2009 at 4:41 pm #

    Just to say thanks for the site as a whole, after challenging myself way too much yesterday I realised I should see how the experts do it and your site is the most comprehensive and sensible even for my low ability.

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