Benefits of an Energy Bar over the likes of a Snickers?!

If you’re a mid 30’s STW lurking Audi driving IT professional out for a bike ride of a weekend, then a Snickers is probably fine for that mid-ride snack stop.

IHN – the only thing you got wrong there was the IT Pro bit, I do work heavily with computers though so well done! Can’t wait to hit the Quantocks at the weekend.

I’ll have to have a go at making my own flapjacks I think.

Pork pies for me.

during a ride i like

i mean….

do have to wash them down with some plastic tasting camelback water as they get a bit claggy in the mouth

ime energy bars are disgusting

Fat is long chain molecule & will slow down your uptake of carbs. Avoid anything with more than 6% fat if you want good carb absorption.

carb absorption does not equal energy absorption.

it is a means to it. it is not the only means. it should not be considered as the end goal.

the best way of achieving the end goal depends on the intensity and duration if exercise, hence my request for clarification. On a steady endurance ride you want slow energy release from your food to sustain you instead of hit/crash of simple carbs. (IIRC simple carbs cause insulin spikes that cause you to start creating glycogen instead of using the energy).

carb absorption does not equal energy absorption.

it is a means to it. it is not the only means. it should not be considered as the end goal.

the best way of achieving the end goal depends on the intensity and duration if exercise, hence my request for clarification. On a steady endurance ride you want slow energy release from your food to sustain you instead of hit/crash of simple carbs. (IIRC simple carbs cause insulin spikes that cause you to start creating glycogen instead of using the energy).

See my earlier post with the link to the Torq website & peer reviewed info. Youll find all the answers you want there.

I’m sure gels n’ stuff have got their place – like when you’re putting in an effort like this:

for everything else, there’s:

Am I alone is finding any kind of energy bar (for me SIS/Cliff mainly) very difficult to consume mid event? I mainly do longer endurance events these days and need to be able to eat easily. Energy bars make me gag all the time which is not nice for the runners/riders behind!!!

Nice with a cuppa though!

tut tut… no excuse to litter.

Anyone tried these? Honey Stinger Owned by Lance apparently.

They get OK reviews but pretty sweet (unsurprisingly). For bars I like to vary between Zipvit (more traditional old-school style bar but still easier to eat and better flavour than the original powerbars), Clif bars and muesli bars (the powerbar natural ones are nice but a bit of a rip-off)

If I’m going out for 3-4 hours, decent intensity, and I can’t or won’t take half an hour midway through to rest a bit and eat something substantial (no chippys in the forests) I be sure to try and pack some gels and maybe one energy bar.

I find the gels really hit the spot, work fast and don’t take up much room in my camelback. Zipvit caffine gels pack a massive punch, so make a conscious effort to carry a few. The energy bar I usually carry just so I feel like I am actually eating something substantial, probably more for psychological comfort more than anything, but I also find mars and snickers etc very hard to palette when excercising and much prefer cliff bars.

If I was running a marathon I’d be carrying a fair few gels.

I’m a bit delicate when it comes to eating during a race/long ride and chocolate/fatty stuff gives me really bad stomach cramps.

In a race (say a two hour + enduro) I’ll have a gel or two as a) they’re easy to eat unlike a chewy bar that takes ages to consume and b) they give me a bit of a pick up after an hour or so on energy drink. A caffinated one before a race does wonders too

I only ever use Torq ones, SIS/GO/Zipvit taste rank!

I’m doing the inaugral Tour de Lauder this weekend (86 miles of being a roadie gimp) and will be on Torq energy drink and fig rolls – works for me.
Snickers – too much fat and simple sugars.

Anyone tried these? Honey Stinger Owned by Lance apparently.

Yup, i use honey stinger bars and chews. The chews are great, a real boost both physically and mentally. Can’t wait til they start selling their gels over here again.

I’ve dabbled with energy gels recently for a couple of road races and TTs, after realising everyone else does and I was the only one with sticky Jelly Babies in my jersey pocket.

Not sure if they’ve had a noticeable effect compared to the JBs, but the one thing I do like is that they’re easier to consume when riding at race pace, you can just swallow them. Can’t shake the feeling that its in some way cheating. And it seems ridiculous when people bring them out on chaingangs, but each to their own I guess.

Anything below race pace and I’m sticking with a Jelly Baby/fig roll/Soreen combo. Homemade flapjack chunks if I’ve got the time. Bit of maple syrup in there.

Anyone really traditional and go for Kendal Mint Cake?

KMC is lush

too expensive for me tho. besides i thought that only worked for walkers?

Am I alone is finding any kind of energy bar (for me SIS/Cliff mainly) very difficult to consume mid event?

No. Thats why I’ve stopped using them for longer (>12 hour) rides. Now I eat what my body craves, which is invariably savoury and high protein and/or fat. Tuna or egg mayo, chicken, chorizo, cheese, nuts… Oddest one was yoghurt. I suffer less bloat, less sore mouth (drinking/eating too much sweet stuff destroys the lining, gives me a sore tongue, and kills taste), but best of all less energy peaks/troughs.

To add – check out the diet section in this…

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0941950131

I used to use Torq products myself. The older I get and the more experience I have on endurance rides the more I think that the old way was better.

Caffeine, caffeine, caffeine……!!!

Good job you guys are mentioning it. Caused me to just check the gels CRC has been sticking in parcels and the Orange flavoured one says “with caffeine” on them 🙁 I’m extremely sensitive to it, makes me quite ill, so I’ll be tossing them to someone I ride with instead.

I thought these things were supposed to safe, not say daft stuff on them like “not suitable for under 15’s and pregnant women.”

I’ll stick to high calorie cereal bars from the supermarket and jelly babies then.

mrdestructo

I thought these things were supposed to safe, not say daft stuff on them like “not suitable for under 15’s and pregnant women.”

They are safe. Just not safe for children, pregnant women, and pussies.

Ooh oooh! Wait till you grow up and suddenly develop allergies/intollerances, then you’ll see the other side of the card.

mrdestructo

Ooh oooh! Wait till you grow up and suddenly develop allergies/intollerances, then you’ll see the other side of the card.

I’m nearly 35. At what age do these “suddenly develop”?

I guess it depends on if you are doing a race or a ride. I think they are totally different things.

I eat what my body craves, which is invariably savoury and high protein and/or fat. Tuna or egg mayo, chicken, chorizo, cheese, nuts.

Yes, just sugars is horrible!

My fave combo is oatcakes and cheese, washed down with lucozade, and maybe a chocolate bar after. That is on longer / all day rides, where I’ll have had a massive bowl of ready brek for breakfast, and likely a big bowl of pasta the night before (and beer).

I had to LOL at all the folk with hundreds of tiny gel tubes strapped to their belts at the marathon on Sunday, each one must have contained about 20gm, WTF do those idiots think they do?

I had to LOL at you for saying that.

Lots of riders seem to have delicate stomachs! Me – I can eat at any time! Thanks for all the input chaps. I think I’ll give the bars a miss from now on and stick to sweets and flapjacks! Mmmm.

Heads up…

Mars triple choc bars with 2 days left on the date in the local shop for 16p each.

Thats wreckless indangerment:-)

If you just want choc some petrol stations are doing two for £1.20 on Mars Duo/Snickers Duo/Bounty triple at the moment.

Soobalias

Massive stock up at Aldi today in the KMC. Thanks for posting that. The lady at the checkout was bemused at my arm-fills of KMC packs. Stocked up for the year!!!