Energy Gel Bars for Cycling Review

When I do hard interval sessions or before a race, I like to use liquid energy gel bars. They can be a bit messy in your back pocket, but, they provide the necessary energy quickly and in an easily digestible form. On slower steady rides I will tend to stick to cheaper muesli bars for energy because you don’t need to worry about digesting food so much. The advantage of energy gel bars is that they are more easily digestable because in liquid form.

I advise testing any energy gels in training, don’t wait for an 8 hour cyclo sportive to find your stomach feels sick after eating five power bar energy gels.

For long rides, I recommend taking balance of energy gels and more savoury foods to help protect the stomach. Also people will react differently to different sources of energy so make sure you test. (I know many cyclists who have felt sick after eating many gel bars)

High 5 Energy Gel Bars

One of my favourite energy gel bars is high 5 Gel Bars. They are relatively cheap and have a good concentration of energy. 38grams pure carbohydrate. Not overly sweet.

They are also quite cheap. At Probike Kit you can buy them for 0.80 each, which is good value for energy foods.

High 5 Energy Gel Bars 4 different flavours.

Taste is a personal thing, but, I prefer the Citrus flavour

If you prefer you can choose the energy bars with caffeine.

• High 5 Energy Drinks some with caffeine.

I would not advise using caffeine during training.

Zip Vit Energy Chews

Different to a gel bar, these energy chews are a little more difficult to eat on the move but they have an interesting ‘wine gum’ style consistency. A bit expensive at 2.20 a pack but a nice way to take on energy during a ride.

• Zip Vit Energy Chews Review

Power Bar Gels

These power bar gels have a stronger, thicker consistency. It almost feels like you’re taking on some magic gluey substance. They are easy to carry around in your back pocket, and can give a real shot of energy. Because they are quite concentrated, you need to take with water. Power bar have a huge range of flavours which should appeal to some. I usually end up with chocolate or apple flavour. However, I don’t really eat these because of the taste, but because of the energy source. Useful for during a race as you can put up your time trial suit and eat when needed. They come either caffeinated or non-caffeinated.

Isotonic Gel Satchets

For hot days, I like to also use Isotonic gels. These are gel bars which don’t need to be taken with water because they already have correct isotonic balance. The advantage is that they help rehydrate as well as give energy. Because they have higher water content they tend to be easier to digest and less sweet. The only disadvantage is that they are more bulky for calorie content.

I have tested both High 5 Isotonic gels and Science in Sport both of which I enjoyed.

Related

• Energy Bars at Evans Cycles
• Energy Recovery Gels at Wiggle Cycles

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