I’ve always used SIS electrolyte tablets but after starting a diet I’m trying to cut out anything unnecessary. Does anybody drink just water when riding? Of course there are other areas I’m looking at (fruit and nuts instead of cereal bars etc) but wondered if drinking ‘just’ water will be detrimental to me or the way I feel?

Just water for me. A bonus is that bottles and bladders don’t get furry 🙂

I’ve only ever drank water on a ride and like many others, a beer to finish. Never seemed to struggle more or less than those I ride with who drink other things.

just water on MTB, as easy to carry food.

Tend to pop a tab in water bottle on road bike though, mainly to vary the taste !

Depends what I’m doing. In the heat or if I’g going for longer I use something in the water, short stuff unless I’ve missed breakfast etc just water.

If you looking at the diet then look at something like My Fitness Pal and decent activity monitoring to get a handle on the stuff in vs stuff out. It really helps to understand what your actually doing and using.

scotroutes – Member
Just water for me. A bonus is that bottles and bladders don’t get furry

topped off with a dash of petrol ? 🙂

Electrolyte tablets don’t necessarily have to contain sugar, and can therefore be almost free from calories.

I just drink water, though, and carry normal food.

Anything over 4 hours and I might use Torq energy power, otherwise just water and a gel/bar or two if I really need them.

Most people will be fine on just water for normal riding.

Just water here normally, though if it’s a hard ride and/or hot weather I’ll throw half an electrolyte tab in the bottle. I prefer to just use bottles for hydration and keep the calorie intake separate.

I tend not to drink enough if it is just water, also in hot conditions glugging lots of water gives me an upset tummy. There is evidence that suggests that dissolved stuff (electolyte or carbs) helps speed the passage of water from the stomach to the upper intestine. So I tend to put flavoured stuff in, no electrolyte in winter, some electrolyte in summer.

Yup just water here but depending on the sweat levels I drink 500 ml with an electrolyte tab when I get back

When its warm I drop in a High 5 Zero tablet as I find that I ache less the next day.
In the winter (when I don’t sweat so much) I either use just water or put a splash of squash in to flavour it.

I’ve been through the phase of shoving down energy gels, on every ride, but now just eat cheapie flapjacks, midget gems and mini malt loaves.
I find proper gels help on longer rides (ie +5 hours)

I think it depends on the intensity of the exercise both in terms of the stop/start nature and the average power output (relative to your ftp). The harder the work the harder it is to ingest energy in solids. Also anything under a couple of hours I don’t need extra energy unless the intensity is extreme. So for an average hour/hour and half mtb bimble of an evening nothing required. I am partial to a nunn tablet or equivalent though, mainly for the taste – for some reason warm water from a plastic bottle or bladder tastes rank whilst flavoured water from the same place not so much. As it is calorie free is creates less mould issues but I’m not convinced the electrolyte element makes much difference.

Also, and maybe its because I’ve never taken MTBing very seriously, a Marathon bar at the top of a hill taking in the view or chatting to friends (or both) seems part of the deal and a good thing whilst stopping on a road bike is wrong. Marzipan – a ruddy big block of the yellow variety in my back pocket to pull a bit off, or malt loaf are still my favourite on the fly energy sources.

In the winter on the road bike for longer (4+hrs) rides I use this stuff (butterscotch or Belgian chocolate or if feeling devilish and mixture of the two)- http://www.allsports-nutrition.com/preworkout-and-hydration/energy-fuels/winter-training-formula.html

Longer summer rides I like a bit of Torq pink grapefruit -https://www.amazon.co.uk/TORQ-ENERGY-DRINK-1-5KG-GRAPEFRUIT/dp/B00EVSO7CY/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1497341864&sr=1-1&keywords=torq+energy

Just water for me too, I will sometimes add a bottle of high 5 or lucozade sport if I am doing an all day ride and it is hot. Goes without saying about beer after and/or at a lunch stop 😉

If you are stopping these purely from a diet point of view, have you looked at how many calories they have in them first?
Most electrolyte tablets are very low calories – probably something like 10 calories per tablet.

I find electrolyte tablets stop me getting cramp on longer rides. I’m sure there’s a cheaper DIY way of getting the same effect, but they are convenient & taste nice.

You could always just try cutting them out for a few weeks and see what happens.
I could understand cutting them out from a budgetary point of view, but not from a dietary point of view though – 10 calories or so, is just in the noise…..

Water alone doesn’t keep you hydrated as well and any excess will very quickly move to the bladder.
Salt only tabs (not just table salt – there are many salts in them) will help with this while remaining separate from your food intake. This keeps you better hydrated but allows good control so you can drink salted water or fresh water if you like. Pros in the tour have one bottle of each for this reason.
Personally I hate sugar, carbs, protein etc. in the bottle I prefer actual snacks 🙂
In theory you could get the same salts from food but you’d need to do a fair bit of reading to match the tabs.
Berocca and similar own brand ones have almost identical make up to the SIS ones but are cheaper. They also usually have a vitamin C boost 🙂

Only ever drink water here. it gives the added bonus of not needing a clean, so sometimes the water stays on the bike for the next ride (I sometimes forget to top up for a local jaunt)

Most of the time I just drink water. If im doing a big summer all dayer then I’ll take some electrolyte tabs with me and plop them in when I refill.

I go with water in my camelbak, a 500ml bottle on the bike with a SIS tab in it. I normally drink the bottle on the way back from the pub!

When we do weekends away I tend to add SIS Go or similar to my camelbak as we’re usually doing 4+ hours on much harder terrain than normal and by day 3 I really feel it if I just use water.

YMMV

Just water. As said, less cleaning issues. Though don’t let it sit around stagnant at home in the warm to grow bacteria. Chuck in fridge or empty and put in freezer.

I used to fill with high juice and salt, but ran out of juice to fill it once, just did water and being doing that since, not noticed a difference, or if anything seem to feel better.

I don’t buy into tablets and gels. A lot of artificial stuff, and sugar. Stuff especially designed to “hydrate”, which is err, what water does.

Sugar… I’ve mentioned before somewhere about a medical guy interviewed on the radio (runner and maybe cyclist, can’t remember), and he swears he got type 2 diabetes from all the gels and energy drinks/bars he was consuming.

Just water. As said, less cleaning issues. Though don’t let it sit around stagnant at home in the warm to grow bacteria. Chuck in fridge or empty and put in freezer

….or wash bottle, half fill with fresh water and put in freezer. Top up the other half with fresh water before your next ride and you have an hours worth of chilled water as the icy half melts.

Does anybody drink just water when riding?

Yes and No. (Helpful, innit. 😆 )

What riding are you talking about? Pop to the shops? Hour commute? 2 hour interval session? 5 hour off-road?

If I’m commuting, or for something less than 90 minutes, I’ll generally just have water. Longer than that, I’ll have a varying amount of something else depending on the intensity and the temperature.

He was probably following the directions on the packet. No one needs that much sugar. You’d put on half a kilo every time you did an all day ride.

No I usually have a hip flask with me too.

Just a splash of squash for taste

I have used electrolyte tabs in the past for long rides and did find they helped, not with the riding as such but with how thirsty I would feel in the hours after riding. This of course could well be entirely down to drinking more while actually riding due to the improvement in taste.

Water with squash just enough to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Works well for me for younks.

Yes, but SIS tablets won’t make you fat.

Water plus solid food works best for us. I do like the sports drinks but the mess and effort isn’t usually worth it.

Tap water only

Water in the Camelbak but in a bottle a touch of VIMTO.

Like the tabs to take away bottle taste .. the ones with a bit of caffeine are quite handy later in the day too. No calories in them to speak of, so still need to eat after a while but it’s all about the effort level .. just did 70 miles on water and a lunch break as it was very sedate (and on road)

cut out anything unnecessary

NUUN lemon tea or cola tablets, or SIS. You need to put back in the salt that is coming out. If I’m racing I use the energy drink (that comes in a tub because you need a lot of sugar). The tablets are very good.

As for food, normally I don’t eat anything on rides less than 100 km. If I’m racing I eat a packet of bloks an hour and a gel every 35-40 minutes. Double espresso gels are rocket fuel to me.

I have only ever done tap water, and only a couple of times used gels or similar.

Proper diet, homemade snacks and food work just fine.

Stella Artois here or if I’m on a big day ride, Carling.

Thanks all, some very good pointers here so far.

So I tend to put flavoured stuff in, no electrolyte in winter, some electrolyte in summer.

I sweat a lot, more so in the summer (obviously) so perhaps this may be best; a tab for longer rides or when it’s hot and water only for when it’s cooler. Most rides are local for a few hours max so shouldn’t make too much of a difference I guess..

Water only.

Salt/s not necessary unless doing bonkers long repeated riding

Of course the placebo effect is worth the cost of the tab

Just water usually. Racing or long events – then a carb/electrolyte drink. Torq is good, but the own-brand wiggle stuff is pretty good too.

I avoid anything with aspartame eg SIS. Makes me feel sick very quickly.

Stick a pork pie and some water in a Nutribullet and try that.

Of course if you were a real athlete you wouldn’t drink water – you’d ‘take on water’. It makes a biiig difference to your state of mind.

Of course if you were a real athlete you wouldn’t drink water – you’d ‘take on water’. It makes a biiig difference to your state of mind.

And leave a trail of gel wrappers and discarded bottles along the way 😀