Granola bars, Gu gel, Clif bars....when?

[stygz1]

I have been riding pretty consistant for about a year now and my rides are getting longer. I have been dabbing into energy suppliments such as GU gel and Nature valley granola bars. I have been using GU gel with good results. A few weeks ago I was on about a 3 hour ride covering just over 20 miles. I used a couple of the energy gels and noticed I felt better and my muscles seemed to recover faster. Also the other day I was looking at Clif bars. They seem to be about the same as the nature valley granola bars I had been buying just more expensive.

Can I get some tips on when to use things such as GU energy gels, granola bars, clif / powerbars and gatorade type drinks?

[rangeriderdave]

It depends on how long it was that you last ate. On a less than 2hour ride I don't eat anything.If I know that I'm going be riding longer I start eating about an hour in.I use drinks with with the food. Refueling after the ride has a big effect on how you recover .

[mimi1885]

Best is before you need it, it takes much longer to recover after you bonk. Plus when your energy level drop which would effect your balance of all the thing.

I like blokshot and I usually takes them at the first sign of fatigue YMMV.


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[50calray]

Food with protein can cause GI issues on long rides for some people...happens to me if I try it on 2hr rides. So I stick to gel packs. I also mix electrolytes in my water on riders lasting longer than an hour.

[PdlPwr]

Dried figs, dates and pistachios work pretty good for me and the occasional cliff bar although the cliff bars seem a little slow to metabolize. A big bowl of oatmeal with bananas an hour or so before seems to last a while too.

[jugdish]

1 GU type product as I start, then I eat a pack of the gummie type product throughout the ride. I try and get a Nalgene of Cytomax in before the ride as well. Could be the placebo effect but it works for me.

Of course for night rides I'll also eat some fried chicken, mid ride and was it down with a canned IPA or two. Best of both worlds...

[Berkeley Mike]

Gels act in abou t 10-15 minutes. Clif bars are far superior to granola bars but both act in 15-25 minutes if taken with water. The bars have a bit more staying power.

Note; I have never had a lot of reserves to work from.

Given a 3 hour ride....Use bars early. I start a bar about 45 minutes in, have about 45 minutes, and about 30 minutes, later finish it. That is 2 hours. At 2;20 is I have a gel and I finish strong at 3 hours.

When I trained High school racers 3-4 days per week this was our rough schedule. Big bodies/small bodies only effected amounts, not frequency.

[goodmojo]

I have been riding pretty consistant for about a year now and my rides are getting longer. I have been dabbing into energy suppliments such as GU gel and Nature valley granola bars. I have been using GU gel with good results. A few weeks ago I was on about a 3 hour ride covering just over 20 miles. I used a couple of the energy gels and noticed I felt better and my muscles seemed to recover faster. Also the other day I was looking at Clif bars. They seem to be about the same as the nature valley granola bars I had been buying just more expensive.

Can I get some tips on when to use things such as GU energy gels, granola bars, clif / powerbars and gatorade type drinks?

i dont like bars i find they take too long to digest. When I played ultimate frisbee we played tournaments with 5 games in 100+ degree heat ( about 9 hours or so). I found drinking 64 ounces of gatorade watered down by at least 50% every hour could let me run all day without cramps.

with mtb Im just starting longer rides but it feels like 1 gu gel every hour works well, not sure about the fluid requirements, but texas summers are hot. Drinking straight water I find that I wont drink enough, but watered down gatorade goes down a lot better so i drink more. Pure gatorade is too sweet for me. On my longer rides (3-4 hours) I finding im not drinking enough water because Im still dehydrated the next day

[Bird]

I eat cliff bars,Zone bars and trail mix on every ride.I start eating 30 minutes into a ride and eat every 30 minutes.With the bars you must drink plenty of water.

After a long ride i eat everything in site

[shekky]

Gels act in abou t 10-15 minutes. Clif bars are far superior to granola bars but both act in 15-25 minutes if taken with water. The bars have a bit more staying power.

Note; I have never had a lot of reserves to work from.

Given a 3 hour ride....Use bars early. I start a bar about 45 minutes in, have about 45 minutes, and about 30 minutes, later finish it. That is 2 hours. At 2;20 is I have a gel and I finish strong at 3 hours.

When I trained High school racers 3-4 days per week this was our rough schedule. Big bodies/small bodies only effected amounts, not frequency.

this is about how i fuel myself during rides as well.

there's an old maxim i heard somewhere that goes "eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty".

i might add that i carry gatorade and a bottle of five hour energy on rides, too. whether or not the scientists say that either of these provides a real benefit does not matter to me, the gatorade makes me feel better and i like the caffeine boost from 1/2 of the five hour energy at 2hrs.

[Jayem]

There are simple carbs, and complex carbs. You eat complex carbs a few hours before exercise (like I am doing now) and then simple carbs every 30-45 minutes during exercise for continued energy(blood-sugar level). If you are going on an extremely long ride, it helps to have a little more protein and a small amount of fat mixed into the "food", but it doesn't take much. IF you eat complex carbs while riding, because again it's a very long/endurance ride, you eat a small amount at once, with more simple carbs than the complex ones. The complex carbs take hours to digest, use a lot of blood for digestion, and do not benefit you in the short term. On the other hand, they do provide the energy-base for hours of effort. The simpler the carb or sugar, the quicker the energy, but the faster you'll burn through it. Opposite for complex. Gus and powergels are simple.

You manage this as necessary for the ride. Nuts, energy bars, gels, etc, they all have their place. Granola is likely water intensive for digestion, so you might want to consider that. If you go too long without food, 30-45 min with strenuous effort, you dramatically increase your chances of bonking, where you've exhausted your body's supply of ATP, and you either cramp up with continued effort or just have nothing and can not get out of granny gear even on flat surfaces.

The guys saying they use bars 45 minutes into a ride are spot on the money. Don't eat the whole thing, but nibble on half of it or less. Perfect for keeping the bloodsugar up.

After the ride, within 30-45 minutes (some say hour max, but that's pushing it) you want to get protein and/or fat(body processes it well right after exercise) to help rebuild the muscles, otherwise you wake up sore the next day with little to no benefit from the exercise in terms of increased ability or endurance. This is what all those "protein bars" are for, so if you finish a ride and are hours from home and a restaurant, eat one of these (but most would agree that it's just no fun to eat a bar instead of go to a bar!).

[stygz1]

For example on a 2-3 hr ride

Ride for about 45 min.
Eat 1/3 clif bar
Ride about another 45
Eat remaining 1/3 clif bar
Ride 45
Eat remaining 1/3 of bar
ride 45
Finish ride and eat some sort of protein bar?


This sound similar to GU. They suggest have one packet 15 min then every 45 min there after. But maybe after the ride go for one of those protein powerbar?

[stygz1]

Clif bar calls it a builders bar 20g protein vs the 10g or so on a regular bar. At the end of a ride a protein bar will help with muscle recovery (sore legs the next day)

[stygz1]

The other day I started my ride with nature valley crunchy type granola bar. It was those kind that has 2 bars per pack. They have about 9g of protein. I ran short on water (my own fault). I started the ride with just one bar. Then rode a lap about 45 min and at another bar. I continued that routine for 3 laps on my local trail totaling about 3 hrs / 28 miles. I ate my remaining bar when I was done for the day. That seemed to work well but it sounds like there is more potent energy suppliments such as nibbling on a clif bar or Gu packs using the same routine as I did.....just finish up with a high protein bar when I am done.

On a side note for a ride like I had done I would have used about 1 full clif bar @$1.25 vs 3-4 GU packs @$1.25 each?

So for myself I may have to try the GU program and the Clif bar program and follow up with a high protein at the end of the ride and see how my body reacts?

[Paul.C]

I prefer cliff bars @ 45 mins into my ride. Like stated before 1/3 of a bar or less at a time. For quick energy a gel or energy chew is good but not long term like granola.



I also prefer a chocolate milk right after my ride then a protein shake once I get home @ 1hr later.

[stygz1]

I prefer cliff bars @ 45 mins into my ride. Like stated before 1/3 of a bar or less at a time. For quick energy a gel or energy chew is good but not long term like granola.



I also prefer a chocolate milk right after my ride then a protein shake once I get home @ 1hr later.

^^^true

I will have to give a clif bar a shot. I had one once but ate the whole thing as one serving. I see them at the commissary/grocerie store.

[huffster]

I try to eat before my typical 2.5 - 3 hour ride. I believe in the addage "Eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty". I'm certain that my choice is not ideal, but I like it and it works for me. I tend to ride in the morning and I usually eat a Turkey, egg and cheese on a bagel as a drive to my destination. It gives me a bunch of protein and carbs. I also drink a bottle of water. This combination pretty well ensures I start out powered up and hydrated. I rarely bonk.

From what I have read, other than hydrating, the key thing of value during endurance training is carbs. So, something like a banana is low in fat, low in protein and high in carbs. Based on that a Clif Shot may be more effective during exercise vs. a Clif Bar (which might be better before). There are lots of other brands that may be more available and cheaper.

This is a pretty quick read:
What Should You Eat Before, During, and After Prolonged Training Sessions? - Online Articles: National Council on Strength and Fitness Trainer's Tools

[monzie]

I'm weird, I don't fuel properly. My normal ride is never less than four hours, two trail and two road. I eat a super light breakfast, no food all day on the bike then home for dinner, usually pasta. I suck at fueling myself. I only ever bonked once though. On a rando ride. I rode something like 100+ miles in two days without anything to eat or drink. I bonked ten miles from the end of the ride. I'm awesome.

I would also have posted this in the nutrition/hydration sub-forum.

[ArmySlowRdr]

I do gu blocks half way through a ride but only if I sense I need it. Used to do Cliff Bars but what I've found, especially here in the triple digit heat of Central Texas, is that a Cliff Bar tastes like sawdust and is hard to get down. To be fair that probably means the few times I've noticed that (think fence line climb at Rocky Hill Ranch in 108 degrees) I've also not drank nearly enough and have been borderline heat injured.

[shekky]

out-of-left-field-mini-diatribe:

all clif bars are straight up nasty. luna bars taste much better. i've been using them for years and have yet to sprout hairy tits on any part of my body to date.

[huffster]

out-of-left-field-mini-diatribe:

all clif bars are straight up nasty. luna bars taste much better. i've been using them for years and have yet to sprout hairy tits on any part of my body to date.

True dat! Luna Bars are pretty yummy.

[Jayem]

out-of-left-field-mini-diatribe:

all clif bars are straight up nasty. luna bars taste much better. i've been using them for years and have yet to sprout hairy tits on any part of my body to date.

Same here. They've FINALLY started to get some of the same flavors, but I'll still go for the Lunas depending on the selection.

[Gas]

I like to store up a day or the dinner the night before in advance if your riding before 10AM the next day not to mention a light breakfast. I drink lots of fluids and when it comes time to eat it's usually 3 to 4 hours into the ride. Kate Bars & Cliff Bars for me

[monzie]

^^Reported

Also, try out Coconutz. A dude on here sells them and they taste amazing and work. Plus, they don't turn into rocks in cold weather like Clif Bars.

[guitarjohn21]

3 eggs with red onions, broccoli, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, carrot, mushrooms, cheese, topped with fresh salsa 2 hours before a ride and I'm good for 3-4 hours. Lightly steam the veggies first in water for easier digestion in the a.m. Bring trail mix and powdered gatorade to add to the water bottle just in case. (Don't put the trail mix in the water bottle) Raisins are a good source of potassium to prevent cramping. Protein after the ride within 30 minutes.
Now I'm HUNgry....