I can't stand gu. Hammer gels work much better for me.

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Team Zoot
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Loved Hammer when they were thinner. I've switched to Accel or Honey Stinger.

I cannot stand any of the high viscosity products. Gu is one of the worst to me. Hammer's flavors make me want to gag. My favorite all around is Accel Gel also.

Those who cannot stand Gu gels, have you tried vanilla? I thought I couldn't eat gels until I had the Gu Vanilla Bean during a ride where I was starting to bonk and the gel (given to me by a friend) brought me back to life. Since then I make sure to have a couple with me on long rides. My wife is fine w/ the flavor/texture but she says for some reason looking at the gel really grosses her out. Something about it being transparent, I guess. The good news is that you shouldn't ever have to actually see the gel haha.
tl;dr - Try vanilla bean if you havent :-)

I have tried a bunch and ended up with e-Gel by Crank Sports. The flavors are really good and they are full of complex carbs as well. You have to order them online but if you want to try one, I will send you one.

"Untapped" brand maple syrup is good. Just straight maple syrup, but quite watery and does not stick to your mouth like GU & some others do. It's a good option in very cold weather, when other brands firm up too much. Also good when you're not near a water station, b/c you don't need a liquid to clear it out of your mouth.

I also like Honey Stinger.

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<The Dew Abides>

vfuel i have liked, used my friends code today actually- its below if want. They taste good, not thick, NO Fructose which is important if follow any research on GI distress and has other fun stuff hhaha. But I use gels very little. I stick to a simple sports drink like Skratch and real food.

matt20%

I thought of another one that I totally love: EFS Gel Shots. They come in 5 oz. little squeeze bottles that are excellent for long rides. They taste good, are very easy to take in, and one of the bottles has 400 calories with a crapton of electrolytes.

I'm with you on the Gu stuff - delighted to see that Carb Boom is back in the market - love these- Hope this helps

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Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

I've tried several, Hammer is by far the best for me. Apple cinnamon is my go to.

Interesting that so many dislike GU...

Personally I can't stand Hammer, Accell, Crank, Powergel. About the only ones I can stomach are GU, Carboom and Cliff.

To each their own I guess.

Powerbar gels for me. I don't like thick gels and the Powerbar ones are very thin with great flavors.

PowerBar has a product called Simple Fruit. It's applesauce basically. I've used the product and really liked it. It doesn't have the super-sweet taste that can gag a person late in a hot race. The packets are a bit larger in size than a regular GU gel packet. Not a lot bigger, but keep that in mind for space if you are carrying 5.

I can't do corn products so I use Huma gels.

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

x2 on the maple syrup. Have been doing all my long rides with maple syrup in a gel flask. Can fit up to 5 servings at about 26 grams of carbs per serving. As fatigue sets in, I start to gag when I take any gels but I actually look forward to the next maple syrup shot.

I like the cliff shots. They've recently made some kind of recipe change to make them thinner. At the same time, I don't mind GUs, but it definitely depends on the flavor. There are some (black berry or orange) where I can't stand them but others (chocolate, vanilla, tri-berry, lemon sublime) that I do like.

Huma is the best, in my opinion.

V-fuel. Similar to hammer but taste much better.

Apple cinnamon is ridiculously good.
For those who haven't tried it...it tastes like the gooey stuff in apple pie.

Have you considered Honey? Same concept as the maple syrup. I get mine from a local Bee Keeper. I haven't bought a gel in years.

I just switched to crank brothers e-gel from Hammer (huckleberry). I'm loving them so far - especially the raspberry and the watermelon. Cherry not so much. Thinner than Hammer and, this might sound funny, just seems 'cleaner' to me.

Gu and Hammer Gel both got a bit thick for me. I like the ones made by Powerbar, called Powergel MUCH better. They're way less viscous... even a bit watery.

Clif shots are pretty good even when warm. I am particular to chocolate. I like the "litter leash" too to keep the tops from littering.

I agree on Powergels. They mix easily with water too which is a nice way to make a caffeinated bike bottle. My go to is Strawberry Banana. Major bummer that they no longer make Green Apple flavor.