Cheshire Celt
Legend
- Location
- Alsager
Tried a gel for the first Time the other day was horrible never again
Gels?
- Thread starter jefmcg
- Start date
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Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Gels do nowt for me. I have had a few and feel no immediate boost. Clever marketing and the placebo effect, imho. Each to their own though. Fig rolls, wine gums or a banana, for me!
black'n'yellow
Guest
They're not supposed to give you a 'boost'. All they are is a quick, convenient calorie replacement product, for use at times when eating 'real' food might not be convenient, like in a race situation.
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
But the majority of people buy them for use in non-race situations, for use in sportives and the like...
I'm not disputing their convenience and they have their place. In the situation the OP described, normal food would be fine.
I'm not disputing their convenience and they have their place. In the situation the OP described, normal food would be fine.
black'n'yellow
Guest
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Yep - like I said... clever marketing
benstewe
New Member
- Location
- westlothian Scotland
everyone hit,s a wall eventually,no your limit,s train your body to go through that wall dont go hurting your body ,you are out to enjoy the ride ,unless its a competition .Sugar is only good for a quick boost train your body to produce that extra energy slowly slowly we are all diffident & what work,s for some wont work for others no your limit,s & build on them most of the hard work should be done to ready you to ride the route you choose before you start your ride ,never feel you should not stop to refuel & hydrate you have nothing to prove only to yourself .
Monsieur Remings
Guru
- Location
- Yatton UK
And this is the sum of it. A good example I can give is this...I did the Etape back in July and whilst there was food at the food stops alongside gels and carb drinks I only really took on bananas, but I took loads of gels. I hit the wall after completing the climbs of the Aubisque and the Tourmalet and starting the Aspin and I firmly believe that if I'd had to arse around taking the kind of food that I'd need to do the same job as energy gels it would have been problematic.
To give a good example, one of the best gels (and one of the best I've ever used) was a French gel - Overstim.s. One of these gels was a magnesium based gel, good for muscle fatigue and it did the trick, end of. Now, I could have taken a tin of Black Beans, a cooked Halibut, some raw broccoli and a bowl of cereal but I figured such things may hinder me a little.
So I opted for a gel which was a damn good substitute.
benstewe
New Member
- Location
- westlothian Scotland
here is my own secret weapon,600g oats,450g peanut butter,200g honey 50g brown sugar 1tin of condensed milk ,mix it in a heated pot leave the oats till last mix it all in ,place in a perspex dish put in oven for 25 min,s take out leave until next day cut into what ever size you want ,i took this & only this on a four day trek spent three nights in the hill,s around carla bothy climbed five Munro,s & walked some 45 mile i never got fed up eating it .I have counted the cal,s in it but al let you work it out ,its easy to carry a few once on a ride & it work,s try it let me no what you think .
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
I used a gel on my one and only FNRttC.
It was horrid. Take cake, flapjacks (and the recipe just that way ^^^ looks feckin awesomely good) or just eat chips, but don't use gels unless there is no conceivable option. They have a revolting texture and they taste awful.
It was horrid. Take cake, flapjacks (and the recipe just that way ^^^ looks feckin awesomely good) or just eat chips, but don't use gels unless there is no conceivable option. They have a revolting texture and they taste awful.
Steve H
Large Member
- Location
- Brighouse in West Yorkshire
Personally I love gels. Like to balance them with real food as well. For short journeys you don't need them. On longer journeys at a steady pace, real food on its own is fine. Where I find gels at their best is longer journeys when you are riding quite hard. I find this is the easiest way to keep energy levels up, and the easiest things to digest when riding hard.
Yes they are sticky, but you soon get used to the texture and flavours
Yes they are sticky, but you soon get used to the texture and flavours
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
I used a gel yesterday on the Manc 100... I was starting to fall off a bit and my granola bars were all mashed up from the rain (and probably a bit of cow shoot from the road spray) and my jellybabies became one large gloopy lump so I was struggling to get real food in so I resorted to an emergency energy gel. Did it help? Yes..... but no more than the food would have, could I have been able to eat it. They have their use.
