[Closed] Cramp prevention, are salt tablets the answer ?

Its a complex area and the science is uncertain. Try it and see.

Personal experience only here. I used to really struggle with cramp after about 2 hours of riding, I tried electrolyte tablets, salts, quinine from tonic water, stretching, you name it.
And the only thing that worked was getting fitter. That simple.
Sorry...

Agree with lunge, used get horrendous cramp during longer rides or in the car home. Getting fitter seems to have completely gotten rid of them!

My experience is that camp always happens when I'm pushing beyond my abilities. So in the latter stages of races, multi day riding trips etc.

However, it is made worse/more likely by environmental factors. So being hot and therefore dehydrated, being cold, being hungry etc.

Dropping an electrolyte tab into a bottle isn't going to stop you cramping but it may help. It is worth a go. Ultimately though it is down to conditioning.

Quads and hamstrings are the two main muscle groups you'd use for riding so I'd say fatigue is likely. You could also try playing with your position (saddle - height and position on the rails). It is less noticeable on the mtb but on the road you can actively engage different muscle groups by sliding forward or backward on the saddle.

I don't know how much riding you are doing but cumulative fatigue and damage can be a problem. Massaging with a foam roller can help reduce tension and knots/tight spots which can be the starting points of cramp issues.

Most of the research and guidance is roadie based. Cyclingtips has some good articles. There are even references in the comments.

https://cyclingtips.com/2011/06/nutrition-and-muscle-cramps-%E2%80%93-what-does-the-science-say/

Get to know your zones either by power or heart rate. Stay within zone 2 for as much of the ride as possible. If you stray into zone 3 you can only sustain that for a limited amount of time and eventually you'll fatigue and cramp. Also hydration. Drinking little and often i find works well.

Of course if you get fitter you'll not cramp as easily...but that's because all you're zones move up so you can put out more power and still stay within zone 2.

As per the general consensus above, I don't think so, no.

I never use electrolytes (gels, energy drinks or adding tablets to my bottle) and I don't get cramps if I'm fit enough for the activity I'm doing.

As far as I'm aware there's no good science behind taking electrolytes, and there are indications that it's not a good idea unless you have a particular deficiency.

Subjectively works for me, and anne-marie as well - startlingly so.

cycling tips link is a good read, ta jonba!

I spent some time looking for good scientific advice / evidence etc. All I could find was stuff that basically said its lack of fitness that gives you cramp.

There were some studies that showed test subjects were given cramp by electrical stimulus and had cramp cured by further electrical stimulus. Leading to support the theory that the pain from cramp is caused by a mis-firing of nerve impulses, not salt loss.

Personally I ignore the marketing hype and try to stay fit, or ride slower in order to avoid cramp.

Water only here don’t see cramps. It’s mainly I think down to fitness and exercise levels. Get fitter. 2 hour point is approximately where the adaptation takes place. I’d suggest rides at lower efforts like zone 2 beyond the 2 hour point.

Most riders don’t train hard enough or recover hard enough. Mix up training distance and effort.

i think there is definitely multiple mechanisms for cramping.

mostly they always come when your pushing above your station - even the top fittest dudes get em - but they get em when they are pushing for performance - whcih is them striving above their station.

Interestingly how much of cramp is psychological - something i certainly had no belief in until recently.

Racing at 10 under the ben soloing getting cramps from about 5hrs on while pushing hard - just pushing harder seemed to ride through them - when i got off the bike of course the legs didnt work at all , id broken them but there definitely was a point where the legs or the head realised i wasn't stopping just because they were uncomfortable.(riding a singlespeed so i didnt just change gear and make it easier. ) and stopped cramping.

when i was doing quite alot of xc riding i used to get cramps alot.

electrolyte tabs helped me reduce the incidence (usually at 2am!). It may have been that i just drank more usign the tabs but either way it definately helped!

My experience is that camp always happens when I’m pushing beyond my abilities.

Anecdotally seemed to help with me. Don't think I was getting fitter at the time, and a recent ride with normal water ended up with cramps hitting at about the four hour mark.

A guy I run with who has just done the Ironman swears by salt tablets for preventing his calves cramping. Not something I suffer from myself but I tried one and they're not as minging as they sound

I don't think I'm that unfit. I've done the Birmingham velo 100 miles in about 5 and half hours. Done marathons in the past and have done about 1500 miles on the bike this year. I have always suffered with cramps despite my fitness levels when they have gone up.
I don't think I go too hard and fast. I went for an average paced 40 miles this week on the road bike and found myself cramping again

I've tried salt tablets and it's totally possible they work but the differences are still within what could be coincidental- after all, it's not really predictable when you're going to cramp. But that's good enough that I'll stick with it on sweaty days.

Seems to work for me, but I have no science to back this up other than my sports physio telling me to! Hydration generally, not drinking too much coffee and stretching seem to help.

(On longer, harder rides in hot weather) I don’t always get cramp/twinges when I’m not using them, but I never get it when I am. Minimal other changes to food etc. Anecdote is not data but it’s good enough for me to pack them for longer rides and keep topped up.

I will also agree with the fitness point- when I started riding more seriously, any ride where I was pushing myself a bit would invariably lead to cramps at 2.5-3 hours. Went away as I got fitter. So I’m going with multiple mechanisms.