what's your favorite gel?? (Page 3)

Jsnowash said

"    . . . But gels are much less convenient than blocks or beans.  If you don't consume the whole thing at once, the rest of the gel comes out of the package leaving a big mess wherever.  And if you DO consume the whole thing, there is still residue that in warmer weather (or warm jersey pockets) softens and slowly oozes out all over the place.  But even if they spill all over, blocks and beans don't leave a sticky mess everywhere, and you can stick them in your jersey pocket or bento box and not worry about them."

I disagree.  Gu makes a very nice gel flask that you can stick in your pocket, in your bento box or affix to your bike if you don't want to eat the whole gel all at once.  This is good if you are butterfingers on the bike or if you want a "hit" of gel every so many minutes.  Here is a photo from one for sale on Powertri.com: http://www.powertri.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=143

I do take the whole Gu, but you can't just mash the envelope in the middle.  I roll up from the bottom like toothpaste (yes, I can do this in aero) and flatten it as I go.  This means (1) I don't miss out on any delicious calories, and (2) there is nothing in the envelope to leak out in my shirt.  And, if you save your Gu envelopes, the Gu Stash-Your-Trash program will make a donation to the charity of your choice (I choose Athletes for a Cure) and send you free stuff.  http://www.guenergy.com/about_us/enviro-community_stash-your-trash

Love GU Chocolate Outrage at 5:30 AM before a swim twice a week! 

GU Strawberry Banana (w/o caffiene) came in handy this afernoon during 2.5 hours of tennis.

+1

Less sugar, more sodium/potassium than most of the other gels out there.

-ak-

Gu.. triberry, orange, or strawberry banana.  I experimented with a lot of stuff and found that I can only handle the fruity flavors once the gels get warm from the sun.  Warmed up chocolate, espresso, and vanilla all make me gag.

LazyMarathoner - 2009-07-06 11:36 AM

thelunchbox - 2009-07-03 8:11 AM

Hammer.  Raspberry is my favorite.

X2, the raspberry is good enough to spread on toast! I prefer Hammer in general, I use the raspberry as my primary fuel in a flask and carry the espresso or tropical for caffeine. The texture is nicer than other gels and the sweetness less cloying, IMO. For those worried about messiness try a flask. It's much nicer than unwrapping anything and allows a lot of nutrition to take up much less space. I'm not sure why anyone would only partially consume a gel though, they are single serving and only 90-100 calories.

I thank K here for introducing me to that good schtuff!!  Thanks, K!