Replacement for Gatorade G2 powder

[annirak]

Nuun tablets are a waste of money for what they are, far too expensive for a few basic ingredients that you can buy in a supermarket or chemists.

DIY is often cheaper than purchase, but not always worth the effort. I typically only use energy drinks or gels on sportives. Otherwise, I use water. The principle I've heard is that you only need electrolyte drinks for exercise over two hours long and I rarely ride for over 1.5 hours at a time. This means that I generally don't use things like tablets at all.

Given that what I need this week is enough electrolytes and energy to do a 100 mile ride (seems like probably 5-7 hours of actual cycling based on previous experience) and that I probably won't be doing another >2 hour ride until late July, I'm not convinced that the DIY route is for me. I value sachets/tablets because they provide me with a way to mix a new bottle when the first runs out. I'm sure that I could pack some kind of single-measure canister with a DIY brew of electrolytes, but I'm not convinced that the effort is worth the savings for roughly 20 units/year.

 

[zacklaws]

I self pack all my energy drinks for 100+ rides into individual yoghurt bottles with screw tops which you can get from Supermarkets which are just big enough to hold my 54grm Maltodextrin, electrolyte powder, and a flavouring in powder form and sometimes caffeine.

I hate yoghurt but luckily my partner eats it, so I wash the bottles out and dry them well. Everyone who see's me using them on events is impressed with the idea and beats little plastic bags which most riders seem to use.

 

[annirak]

The yogurt bottles are a great idea, even if I stick with pre mixed powder. Thanks!

 

[Travs]

Myprotein Pro:Long has worked well for me. Includes Vit C and some BCAAs too for cell protection and to stop breaking down of muscles mass for energy. I never go out without it now.

 

[windyrider]

bananas in the back pocket or we talking smoothie in the bottle ?? Sorry just how I`m reading it and also interested in fueling for long rides.

Bananas as a side order along with the baby food sachets, a lot of the rehydration drinks with carbs are using corn syrup as their energy source, no my choice.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/6/1716S.full gives a pretty good history on its development and use.

 

[windyrider]

Nuun tablets are a waste of money for what they are, far too expensive for a few basic ingredients that you can buy in a supermarket or chemists.

Sodium Carbonate......Washing Soda
Potassium Bicarbonate...Cheap as chips of Ebay
Calcium Carbonate.........Chalk
Magnesium Sulphate.....Epsom Salts....Bath Salts
Vitamin C............Vitamin Tablet or powder form
Vitamin B2 .........Vitamin Tablets

All of the ingredients are readily sourced of Ebay and for a bit more than the price of what you would pay for a small tube of 12 Nuun tablets you can make up the equivalent of 600 tablets in powder form and still have plenty of ingredients to make lots more. I've mentioned this to other riders and they say it won't be the same because it will no fizz ???????????? but it does its just a reaction with the vitamin C powder and the other ingredients. All you need is a small jewelers weighing scale off Ebay and the formula is on the Nuun website. I must have saved a fortune over the years.

Top idea, which I had not considered. I'm guessing some care needs to be taken with the sourcing of the ingredients, I can see the need for the jewelry scales when I read the list of actual quantities on the Nuun packaging.

So do you make a large batch or on a as needed basis??
Secondly what have you spent the fortune saved over the years on?? ;-)

 

[zacklaws]

Its too time consuming on a "as needed basis" to be weighing out individual ingredients for a ride, far better to make a batch and keep it in a sealed container and weigh out when needed. Usually I make a batch in multiples of 100 as it is easier to calculate the amounts, I did do a couple of "600" amounts a long time ago but just stick to "100" now" as if something goes wrong, theirs less waste.

For 100 tablets:-
Sodium carbonate - 36000mg
Potassium Bicarbonate - 10000mg
Calcium Carbonate - 1250mg
Magnesium Sulphate - 25000mg
Vitamin C - 3750mg

Total 53500mg (53.5grms)

Then when I ride, I weigh out 535mg/500ml bottle or 802mg/750ml bottle. I rarely use 500ml bottles so a 100 batch covers me for just over 60 bottles or thirty rides.

Another alternate is to buy electrolyte powder form myprotein.com which I do on the odd occasion if I'm feeling lazy or its on special offer as is still a far cheaper option than tablets and also a simpler recipe to make yourself.

Oddly enough, I would never buy NUUN tablets because of the high price, but just done some sums and for a batch of 600 homemade based on a rough price of a packet of NUUNS, about £5, its a £250 saving (less materials) so thinking about it now 2 x 600 batches and a few 100 batches, I have saved a bit of a fortune and only had to buy the initial ingredients once and still plenty left. Never realised till now how much money people must be spending on these things.

It may all seem complex but I am lucky in that for years I worked in a laboratory on analysis work so even to this day, its just a simple task for me to do.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Got a wee tip from someone on hydration and cramp . Coke or Pepsi , half and half with water in a bottle and the rennies for cramp! Food I presume is just what you can eat on the bike if not stopping for lunch.

 

[jefmcg]

Maybe you should get one of these, and do it properly?

 

[zacklaws]

Got a wee tip from someone on hydration and cramp . Coke or Pepsi , half and half with water in a bottle and the rennies for cramp!

Coke or Pepsi....SSShhhhh, its been a very closely guarded secret since time began.....and now you have let the cat out of the bag, that is for the very few who did not know about it. And always remember, fizzy drinks even with diluted water, in a water bottle, on a bumpy road do not go well together. Always leave the spout pulled out to let the CO2 out, otherwise they go off like a fire extinguisher in your face when you pull the spout out with your teeth leaving you covered in coke which becomes a sticky mess when it starts to dry out. I learnt from experience. And never add electrolyte powder or even salt to coke, it too goes off like a volcano when mixed, I learnt that lesson in a cafe when I added salt to a tin of coke leaving hardly anything in the tin as it was all over the table and floor.

Rennies......Calcium Carbonate mainly and a bit of Magnesium Carbonate, sadly lacking any elements of Sodium and Potassium so not a complete replacement for electrolyte powder, and once again paying highly for a "lump of Chalk". In fact, your better off probably having a packet of crisps for the Sodium which is what a lot of triathletes I know do to avoid cramp whilst swimming.

 

[windyrider]

Now have this image of a triathlete eating a bag of crisps while swimming