[Closed] Alternatives to energy bars of gels.

There is a sweet/savoury bar that one of the energy bar co's make. Little sandwiches good, cut into 1/4trs, so easy to eat on the move. Personally, I like to stop fir a pasty or greasy fry up enroute 😯

Sweet - Malt Loaf, Jelly Babies, Fig rolls, Fruit cake, flap jack are the classics

Savoury - much more difficult as you're looking for low fat, high carb which narrows things down a lot. Much as I crave it I find nearly any savoury stuff repeats badly. Egg sandwiches, Scotch eggs are my choices but neither are great.

Malt loaf and banana, eaten together. Works really well for me and I don't really like banana. Out of date malt loaf is still good many months later. Try it.

Big bag of salt and vinegar flavour peanuts do the job for me when I've had enough of sweet stuff. Savoury, tangy and sour all at once.

flanagaj, i find gels are for getting me home when i have nothing in the tank after a long ride. For during the ride i regularly chomp on trail mix with some chocolate raisins chucked in.

Soreen is rocket fuel as well. Takes up no space and has tons of energy packed in. That along with some fruit juice in my camelbak always gets me through long days.
No need for gels apart from a last gasp effort to get home. Sugar peaking is not good.

Like you say finding low fat savoury is pretty difficult. I was starting to think of grabbing a pork pie at the fuel station, but thought it would not settle too well, so decided against it.

I will try some of the suggestions you mention, but they are still all on the sweet side.

I reckon a ham / pickle roll without butter might work well

I have tried peanuts, but find them really hard to chew and get down. They are usually consumed with a pint of beer so not quite the same

What is trail mix?

Soreen is rocket fuel as well. Takes up no space

Even less if you crush it first. Even better sliced in half with some salty butter in the middle (though not as pure an energy food then)

Squashed marmite sarnie. Delicious anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

white sliced 'bread' with peanut butter - great! some very thinly sliced mature cheddar for extra savoury

trail mix is a mix of nuts, dried fruit, sometimes with cereals/granola etc... mixed in. Sometimes with choc chips etc.. so not what you're after at all!

Jam and peanut butter sarnies, I mix up chocolate covered peanut s, raisins and hazel nuts handful every stop.

Big bag of salt and vinegar flavour peanuts do the job for me when I've had enough of sweet stuff. Savoury, tangy and sour all at once.

Lot of fat there which wont help with carb absorption..

Peanut butter sarnies or cheese & pickle work for me.

[url= http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=biscuits&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=226314 ]Asda also do these which are lovely.[/url]

Edit: linky doesn't work but if you search for savoury slices, you'll find em

I've been sticking a banana, scotch egg and a few mini pork pies in the back pocket. Does me a freat. If I'm on a long road ride I normally stop off at a bakery/deli for a fresh cooked pie or something. Leave the sweeties for the kids. Not quite sure where "high carb low fat" has come from, unless you're riding on the rivet the whole time - and surely if you were you wouldn't have time for anything other than a gel?

Marmite

Soreen

Lot of fat there which wont help with carb absorption..

Possibly not, but when it's a long way into an endurance race, a morale boost can be pretty important. And some variety to wake up the taste buds helps to keep the intake of monotonous energy food going too.

Woah!! 4hrs is now "endurance"? When did that happen? Just have something to eat before you get on your bike.

I-diet? I don't have the need for snacks during long ride. I do carry a "proper" meal for epic days out, but very little bar or gels.

I found this recipe when searching for savoury slices for cycling

Cheese and oat slices

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 16 squares
Ingredients: 100g wholemeal ?our; 150g porridge oats; 50g mixed seeds; 2 medium eggs, beaten; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 50g butter, melted; 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
Recipe: Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and press into a 23cm square tin. Smooth over the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 16 squares.

Think I will give them a try

[quote=flanagaj ]I found this recipe when searching for savoury slices for cycling
Cheese and oat slices
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 16 squares
Ingredients: 100g wholemeal ?our; 150g porridge oats; 50g mixed seeds; 2 medium eggs, beaten; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 50g butter, melted; 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
Recipe: Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and press into a 23cm square tin. Smooth over the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 16 squares.
Think I will give them a try
Stick some marmite in there too.

Pork pies are high in fat and won't be good! You shouldn't need gels or any food on a 4 hour trip if you've eaten well and are fuelled properly. I admit until about 2 yrs back I would always have a little picnic out on my MTB however since I've got into road riding I can do 5-6 hours without food just energy drink.
As mentioned try small pre cut sandwiches, Philadelphia and stuff like that. MAlt loaf is the food of the God's although tried the apple and sultana one this week..ming won't be bothering again! Mind I like the banana one anD Mr MC doesn't

Stop at a pub for pie and mash, washed down with a pint or two of stout.
You big *Jessie. 😛

*Apologies in advance if you are actually a woman. 🙂

[url= http://www.amazon.com/Feed-Zone-Portables-Cookbook--Go/dp/1937715000/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371408675&sr=1-2&keywords=cycling+snacks ]Feed Zone Portables[/url]

Stop at a pub for pie and mash, washed down with a pint or two of stout.
You big *Jessie.

Possibly not, but when it's a long way into an endurance race, a morale boost can be pretty important. And some variety to wake up the taste buds helps to keep the intake of monotonous energy food going too.

Uh? Nuts are typically 40% fat, anything over 10% is reckoned to slow down absorption rates.

Oat cakes are ace (scottish rough)

Feed Zone cookbook is good - recipes for rice bars with egg and bacon in them which come out like savoury flapjacks. I seem to have lent mine out otherwise I'd write it out.

Saw a recipe used bye CycleOps team which I used on the Tour de Ben Nevis last year.

Boil some new potatoes and pick off the skins whilst still warm. Sprinkle them with some olive oil then roll them in grated Parmesan cheese. You can add a little salt if required. Cool them overnight, wrap them in tin foil ad stick them in your bag. Much more satisfying than sickly gels.

I tend to carry a mix of sorreen, wife's chocolate flapjacks, and oatcakes. Gels tend to be carried for emergencies and when I get close to bonking. Only use more than one gel when racing.

Pork pies are high in fat and won't be good! 

If on a long ride some proper food is always nice. ham, cheese and pickel sandwhiches with a bannana is enough to stop the post ride munchies.

Malt loaf when crushed and rolled makes a great fake poo.

Four hours should mean a snack after a couple of hours if you've eaten a good breakfast beforehand. I did four hours today on a granola bar and a cereal bar. Remember you get a couple of hours out of whatever you've eaten beforehand, and only need to start topping up after that.

For longer rides, eating constantly is key but not for shorter durations where it's a lot less important.

Druidh +1. 4 hour ride I don't usually bother.

I wouldnt bother on a four hour ride to be brutally honest, if you are that bothered then concentrate on the preceding days prior to your ride, try carb loading the day / night before.

Porridge and honey the morning of the ride and some brown toist and marmite and a brew en route to riding spot whilst driving ! (Parked in a lay by safely)

followed by post ride Fish 'N" Chips
N.B. If you let me know where you are riding i probably know where the nearest "best" Chip oil is,
Eating shite like pies and white bread whilst excersising increases heart rate and blood pressure as you try and digest fat & Stodge whilst suffering from the effects of a four hour endurance pootle.

flanagaj - Member

That does sound very tempting, but do you not end up belching all of the way home

That's why you drink stout and not some fizzy lager. 😉

I make my own trail mix up in a big tupperware container (it seems to keep pretty well for ages in the cupboard). I like eating it and it seems to work, especially for longer rides (6 or 7 hours). A bit like a healthier pick and mix if you will; may contain the following: dried (but moist) apricots, figs, salted peanuts, honey roast cashew nuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, dried cranberries, raisans and, most importantly, chocolate M&Ms to give it all some colour (and because I like chocolate). It looks a bit wrong on a warm day when the colour leeches from the M&Ms but it tastes divine, sweet and savory, big bits and little bits. Always tend to eat more than I probably need!!

The above receipe for cheesey oatcakey things looks good mind you, I'll be trying that when I get home.