# Lucozade energy drink



## Bigtallfatbloke (2 Aug 2007)

I have bought a bottle twice when bonked and each time it has made no positive difference at all...in fact I felt worse...it's also very sweet and sticky...

...anybody else have a view?....Maybe there is something else I can get easily on the road that is better?


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## Keith Oates (2 Aug 2007)

I find Gatorade is the one that helps me on longer rides, there are also many flavours so one or more of them should be good for your taste!!!!!!!!!!


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## Yorkshireman (2 Aug 2007)

I work on the theory that it's better not to tempt 'The Bonk Monkey'. Suitable food/drink before and during (small amounts) the ride works for me.


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## Steve Austin (2 Aug 2007)

Isn't Lucozade just fizzy sugary water?

A Banana milkshake is quite nice after i get back from riding.


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## chris42 (2 Aug 2007)

I have found the best bonk repair is, full fat coke and a mars bar.
Obviously only if you are near a shop but it does work if you haven't brought enough food.


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## Fab Foodie (2 Aug 2007)

Yorkshireman said:


> I work on the theory that it's better not to tempt 'The Bonk Monkey'. Suitable food/drink before and during (small amounts) the ride works for me.



Absolutely!
Lucozade is OK, but a bit acidic, but made from powder it's pretty yummy. Other powder sports drinks are OK too, SIS prods etc. Easy to carry pre-weighed quantities to top-up as you go.

Otherwise, drink water and keep a regular stream of jelly babies, apricots etc. going down the hatch. If you start bonking you've really got it wrong.
Distance cycling is ALL about fuel.


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## beanzontoast (4 Aug 2007)

Only time I drink Lucozade is when I'm ill! A bonk doesn't count as ill to me - it's a self-inflicted injury!


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## giant man (7 Aug 2007)

I totally agree I only drink it when I'm ill. Just sugary water to me. How can that be a recovery drink?


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## wafflycat (7 Aug 2007)

Traditional Lucozade energy drink is very different from Lucozade Sport. Which one is being referred to by the OP? Traditional Lucozade is *very* sweet whereas the Lucozade Sport is isotonic (less sweet than normal Lucozade) so it has the additional electrolytes in it. Trad Lucozade would be useful if you've bonked and require energy *now* whereas Lucozade Sport is one to be drinking little and often during a long ride to keep you properly hydrated and help with keeping energy levels maintained. Personally I find trad Lucozade far too sweet, but the isontonic stuff (in its various flavours) is something I can tolerate on a long ride. There's even an isotonic one with added caffeine now.


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## Big Bren (7 Aug 2007)

Lucozade sport is good stuff - I use it during all forms of exercise, and get good results. Important to heed the advice though that you shouldn't wait until you're thirsty to start drinking it - I usually start about 20 mins before the ride/run etc starts, then keep topping up. Works for me.

Bren


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## andy_wrx (7 Aug 2007)

Nah, Lucozade Sport is disgusting !

Or at any rate the 'orange' (I think it means colour rather than taste) stuff is, but the wild berry or whatever it's called is quite good.

After a couple of London Marathons, being handed the orange stuff every 5 miles, I'll never choose to drink it.

SIS PSP22 or Go are much more palatable.


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## wafflycat (7 Aug 2007)

I can't stomach PSP22. Instant nausea. On the other hand, the citrus and the raspberry Lucozade Sport I like. The lemon with added caffeine is good too. SiS Go is okay, but still haven't found a flavour I really like with it.


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## Membrane (7 Aug 2007)

Bigtallfatbloke said:


> I have bought a bottle twice when bonked and each time it has made no positive difference at all...in fact I felt worse...it's also very sweet and sticky...
> 
> ...anybody else have a view?....Maybe there is something else I can get easily on the road that is better?



If you bonked as a result of dehydration then downing a single bottle won't suficiently rehydrate you.

How much to drink when on the bike varies depending on how hard you work and temperature. The rule of thumb I use is that ideally you should pass water every 2 hours or so, if you don't then you are not taking in enough fluid.

Vigorous cycling can use 600kcal per hour. The body typically stores 1500 - 2000 kcal that can be output, so you should eat on ~2.5h+ rides as well as drink.


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## Bigtallfatbloke (7 Aug 2007)

I didnt know that...ta.

I was looking for an instant fix...having died a death or two already! I should have bought the normal stuff then. How can anything be sweeter than the LA Sport though????!!! That stuff is seriously sickly, I have to dilute it with at least 75% water.

I think I will try to keep one bottle of the sports stuff (diluted) and one plain water on my bike from now on & see if regular intake will prevent the dreaded bonks I've experienced.
Thanks for the info.


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## Membrane (7 Aug 2007)

Bigtallfatbloke said:


> I didnt know that...ta.
> 
> I was looking for an instant fix...having died a death or two already! I should have bought the normal stuff then. How can anything be sweeter than the LA Sport though????!!! That stuff is seriously sickly, I have to dilute it with at least 75% water.



I don't recognize that at all. Regular Lucozade Energy is probably sickly sweet (only tried Red Bull myself once, found it disgusting), Lucozade Sport is about as sweet as normal orange juice.



> I think I will try to keep one bottle of the sports stuff (diluted)



Diluting sports drinks will hinder absorbtion by the body, it can also result in a sodium deficiency.


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## wafflycat (7 Aug 2007)

You *need* to drink little and often as well as eat little & often when out on a long ride. That helps keep your energy levels up and means you are less likely to 'bonk' or run out of energy and electrolytes. I find a combination of isotonic drinks with the odd energy gel and energy bar being nibbled on can keep me cycling for hours and hours and I don't get cramps (cramp being a sign of electrolyte depletion). Very useful in hot weather where you sweat a lot and when in touring mode, hauling a loaded bike as opposed to the road bike.

Try out a few different types of isotonic drinks to see which suits you in terms of flavour and digesting well. Example: husband prefers SiS GO, offspring swears by High5 4:1 and I'm happy with Lucozade Sport. 

Also ensure that at the end of a long ride you take in some protein *quickly* to aid recovery for the next day of cycling. Chocolate milk is good in terms of a non 'scientific' drink. Offspring likes the High5 recovery stuff.


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## Big Bren (7 Aug 2007)

wafflycat said:


> Chocolate milk is good in terms of a non 'scientific' drink. Offspring likes the High5 recovery stuff.



Seconded - I use Frij chocolate milk as a recovery drink, within 30 mins of finishing my ride/run/class. As well as containing all the appropriate protein and carbs, it's bloody lovely!

Bren


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## Twenty Inch (10 Aug 2007)

You can make all these drinks very easily and cheaply with fruit juice, water and a pinch of salt.

For hypotonic rehydration drinks, take 1 part juice, 2 parts water and a pinch of salt. This will be absorbed quickly to rehydrate you and has some energy.

For isotonic energy drink, 1:1 juice:water and a pinch of salt. This will be absorbed quickly and contains more energy.

For hypertonic drink 2:1 juice:water and a pinch of salt. This is best for slow endurance (walking, or long slow rides).

You shouldn't get to the stage when you bonk - it's too late, the damage is done. Drink isotonic little and often, and make sure you have enough complex carbohydrate fuel on board. BTFB, I know you are trying to lose weight - proper nutrition will enable you train for longer. You're not helping yourself by skimping on meals (if that's what you're doing - I don't know).

The fruit juice recipes are kinder to your teeth than Lucozade too - your dentist will be disappointed.


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## laurence (10 Aug 2007)

if you found Lucozade Sport too sweet then you may have been quite dehydrated.... the idea behind sports drinks is that your taste buds are heightened by exercise, so they tune down the sweetness, which is why powerbars, etc taste of nothing when eaten before exercise, but are stronger in taste when eaten on a ride.

if you need instant energy, then coke would be better as it's got sugar and caffeine... lucozade has glucose, which (if i can remember) has a slower release, so you don't get such a sugar rush and, subsequent, crash.

i once drank Lucozade Sport when i had a serious stomach bug and NHS direct reckoned it had saved me from hospitalisation, but also advised me to try Dioralyte as it has less sugar. i've since used that stuff as an 'isotonic' drink supplement!

L


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