I bet thats water washing out essential salts (approaching hyponatremia?)..

I can bet huge amounts of money it’s not.

hydration tablets and such may benefit but for average Joe not massive benefit

Right. So Average Joe doesn’t need extra electrolytes, but how do you define average? Most regular MTBers are much fitter than this Mr AJ and do far longer and harder work outs, so would that not put us in the category that does need electrolytes on say 7 hour rides in full hot summer weather?

I know if I do a long ride in the heat I get very thirsty and this doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much water I drink. Only electrolyte drinks work. Is this so unreasonable? Speaking as one who doesn’t eat much processed food…

and why doesn’t a sweaty average person need electrolytes? i would have thought they’d need it even more..

because you get plenty in your normal diet – infact an excess. you have kidneys that are very good at regulating the electrolyte balance of your body.

having said that I do believe you can get a bit low sodium if you have a low salt diet and have sweated a lot. Its however much rarer than folk think

Mark, yesterday i had the following: –

Porridge, cake early on in the ride, tuna mayo at Fairholmes washed down with a can of coke. Plenty of water to drink throughout the ride. Big Mr Whippy ice cream straight after the ride with a bottle of water on the drive home.
Went to “2 for 1” pub for team and had steak and salad and steak and chips (my 2 meals). Was tired last night but fine this morning.

Think you need to eat and drink earlier on in the ride.

Great ride out by the way.

Think you need to eat and drink earlier on in the ride.

Yes, think I ate at 6.40am then again at 12.30(?).

You **** sweat buckets. Everytime you tipped your head/helmet forward it looked like a tarpaulin had been pressed up in a thunderstorm! 😆

Haha!! Thanks for that, forgot my strip of Buff for my headband……but yes i do, just the way i am!!

I know if I do a long ride in the heat I get very thirsty and this doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much water I drink. Only electrolyte drinks work. Is this so unreasonable? Speaking as one who doesn’t eat much processed food..

That was my experience from the weekend, but as well as using hydration tablets I also made a point of eating continually as well, never going for more than an hour without something. That is not something I have done in the past so this too may have explained why I was able to ride nearly twice as far as previously without that thirst at the end that won’t go away. I think for the next long ride I will continue with the eating and carry the Nuun tablets as a back up.

And judging by the straps on my wingnut there was plenty of something washing out of me.

Molgrips and Jeffcakeshop TJ has given you the answer even though it was already answered. It will benefit you but not a huge amount and certainly not on just a jolly ride out. Yes maybe on a big epic big calorie burning day out it’ll much more beneficial.

I know if I do a long ride in the heat I get very thirsty and this doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much water I drink. Only electrolyte drinks work. Is this so unreasonable? Speaking as one who doesn’t eat much processed food.

They help yes but not a massive benefit for most casual riding and foods contain salt anyway just processed they add way more than you would cooking at home.

Where can you find Wingnuts now? Last time I looked the company had gone bust?

Yes maybe on a big epic big calorie burning day out it’ll much more beneficial

Isn’t that what Hora had? If I am out for a 5 hour ride it’s not tea and cakes, it’s 5 hours of riding up big mountains as hard as I can.

Re salty food – if your kidneys filter out all the salt you don’t need, then when it comes to a big ride you won’t have that extra salt available will you? You won’t have stored it..?

Just wondering how the system works that’s all.

And it may well be that the typical western diet has far too much salt, but we’re not all eating like that on here are we? Personal salt intake could vary a lot depending on how conscientious we are about our diets.

Isn’t that what Hora had? If I am out for a 5 hour ride it’s not tea and cakes, it’s 5 hours of riding up big mountains as hard as I can.

You’ve answered that, he was out for a 5 hours which is jolly jaunt.

Re salty food – if your kidneys filter out all the salt you don’t need, then when it comes to a big ride you won’t have that extra salt available will you? You won’t have stored it..?

You can carry food with you.

And it may well be that the typical western diet has far too much salt, but we’re not all eating like that on here are we? Personal salt intake could vary a lot depending on how conscientious we are about our diets.

It’s nice to look at averages.

He stopped for pie. Thus it can’t be an epic ride.

Why would I not sweat alot? What makes people “not sweat”? I rode for 7 hours yesterday and found I wasnt really sweating. I drank about 3 bike bottles full of water though, what else would my body be using it for?

Well true, he did stop for a pie.

Average is no good in this case though – if half the country stuff their face on burgers, fries and pop tarts, and the other half are health food freaks, the average is meaningless.

What makes people “not sweat”?

Dunno, but some do sweat a lot more than others. The larger you are of course the more power you are generating to ride the same pace, and the less surface area you have relative to mass to use for cooling purposes.

Skinnier buggers should sweat less in theory.

5hours is enough. Anymore and it becomes a transporting your body from a to b in a form of willy waiving IMO.

5hours is enough. Anymore and it becomes a transporting your body from a to b in a form of willy waiving IMO.

Or it could be because you want to ride longer.

Average is no good in this case though – if half the country stuff their face on burgers, fries and pop tarts, and the other half are health food freaks, the average is meaningless.

Well it would be if that was the case but I’m sure it’s not as even and as clear cut as that.

Would love to. hora junior is too much of a pull though

Would love to. hora junior is too much of a pull though

Yup kids do that I get out far less because of that but I do get away now, if I do get out for a ride other than evening spins the rule is I’m away as long as want. It’s my escape time from work and kids so I ride as long as I can.

I bet thats water washing out essential salts (approaching hyponatremia?)..

More likely to be Hypokalemia than Hyponatremia, i.e. low potassium rather than low sodium, following excessive stress and exertion in the heat. If you must add salt to your food try going for one which is higher in Potassium and low in Sodium.

I used to suffer from the same symptoms as you for years, until I regularly starting using “re-hydration” salts (that contain a mixture of electrolytes), especially in the heat. Really worked for me. I use a combination of Torq and High Five Zeros, depending on the length of the ride.

Whilst there is a wealth of evidence to support the use of electrolytic supplementation everyone is different and what works for some doesnt for others. Which is really apparent looking at the previous posts on this thread.

Havenot read the thread so apologise if already mentioned, but get a protein powder to have a shake after and before bed, My Protein web site is amongst the best. It will work wonders.

Well it would be if that was the case but I’m sure it’s not as even and as clear cut as that.

Obviously but I was making a point.

FieldMarshall makes a good point – electrolyte mixes are not only sodium of course – calcium and potassium as well which are not delivered in salt-enriched foods necessarily.

It will work wonders

Standard practice is 3:1 carbs/protein, not just protein. That’s why recovery drinks are made this way.

FieldMarshall makes a good point – electrolyte mixes are not only sodium of course – calcium and potassium as well which are not delivered in salt-enriched foods necessarily.

No but they’re found food products too.

So on a hot ride I’m supposed to stop half way and eat what? Pork pies? Salty banana milkshakes? Nuts?

Won’t Torq work just as well and be easier on the stomach? 🙂

Dried fruit is pretty good for electrolytes, Pork pies are ace though and yup nuts are also good. Like I said lots of foods have the required items in.

Again I have only read the first post so apologies if this is a repeat but: Take in plenty of complex carbs before and during the exercise, and a recovery drink as soon as you get back followed as quickly as possible by a carb and protein rich main meal. Sounds to me like you are well hydrated but no more.

If riding for over an hour I tend to use energy drink (exactly that – a compex carb based energy drink not just a rehydration drink) at a varying concentration depending on how much I have eaten – so less for evening rides after dinner, more for weekend morning rides. Then, if it was a hard one, a recovery drink as soon as I return.

I only ride twice a week so could survive without this, but it makes a big difference to how I feel the next day. Without it I’m a moody git, with it I feel fine.

Pork pies are ace though

Yeah I’ll stick with Torq cheers!

If riding for over an hour I tend to use energy drink (exactly that – a compex carb based energy drink not just a rehydration drink)

You mean maltodextrin based? Not really complex carbs at all- it acts like glucose and you don’t know what mix of lengths of glucose polymer chains you are getting.

Drac – people here are convinced a sunday afternoon pootle needs all these fancy products – and having paid for them they convince themselves it works. Its fairly pointless to try to show folk they are wasting their money.

you don’t know what mix of lengths of glucose polymer chains you are getting.

sounds like something read off the internet.
why would you want to know that? my understanding is that during exercise you want simple carbs anyway. complex carbs are required some time before, no?

I know TJ but I do try.

Someone I ride with had a minor heart attack because of potassium deficiency. That was diet related.

I found my general performance on 2+ hour rides was greatly improved by taking on carbs every 45 minutes/hour or so. I also feel alot better after the ride too. Nothing fancy here though. Water in the camelbak and nutrigrain elevenses do the job perfectly well.

people here are convinced a sunday afternoon pootle needs all these fancy products

You talking about me? Are my rides pootles?

Re potassium, could I eat plenty of bananas I.e keep it naturally?

Yup – you get plenty potassium in bananas –

Porridge, posh honey and bananas is lush.

Within 2 hours though I’m shaking with hunger (and this is at work!).

porridge doesn’t work for me either.

if i eat a bucket full of the stuff, i can just about make it out of the door before i collapse with hunger.

maybe you are just a fat greedy bastard?

Yep. I also tried it last weekend. Within an hour I was shaking and had a lovely Porridge poo on the trailside abit later on 😯