Theoretically a huge difference in what youre consuming, whether its a huge difference in practice would be up to you. CarboPro (straight maltodextrin) is just a "normal" polymerized glucose source - just straight glucose but absorbs somewhat quickly. UCAN is super-condensed starch that has a much higher molecular weight. The purported benefit of UCAN is that is absorbs so slowly so as to not impact blood sugar (I'm too lazy to search for the scientific literature right now, but that is a reality rather than marketing hype).

I made the switch from malto to UCAN and felt much better (mostly mentally) during long workouts and races. But UCAN is expensive and a little tough to consume by itself all day. Now i mix it with Gatorade Endurance 50/50 or so and still feel better late in workouts/races than I used to. Just my two cents. I'd find a sample if you can and do a long ride with nothing but UCAN and see what you think.

EDIT: I'd recommend against CarboPro if you do go the malto route. You can buy malto from a brewing company for pennies on the dollar for the same exact product

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QUOTE: "The purported benefit of UCAN is that is absorbs so slowly so as to not impact blood sugar" END QUOTE

If the above is true, then doesn't mixing UCAN with a product like Gatorade (or Gatorade Endurance in your case) completely defeat the purpose of using UCAN in the first place?

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Yeah theoretically anyway. Personally at least I still feel much more steady (for lack of a better word) mixing UCAN in than going with just Gatorade/malto/sugar. I’d have also thought that would be a rather worthless idea before experimenting though so...

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Great comments. Birdmantris, you can use UCAN and other products together. The steadiness you feel might not be quite as steady, but there are other benefits to using other products as well. We like to be "real" about it and not just say UCAN is the only way. Taking in multiple forms of carbohydrate can be helpful to some, in particular late in the race or during high intensity sessions when your brain craves something sugary and high glycemic. My own experience and what I recommend to others is...

UCAN for training as pre-load, during and post-workout (protein-enhanced versions mixed with milk are amazing)
During simulation days or race day - take UCAN pre-race, during the bike, and the early stages of the run, then switch to high glycemic carbohydrate.

The reason for the switch is because a.) the risk of GI distress is low at that point since you've been using UCAN all day. A little high glycemic shouldn't hurt you b.) there are studies showing that even swilling and spitting high glycemic carbs, particularly when then going gets tough, can trigger reward centers in the brain and reduce PE, improve performance and c.) it's more convenient! The course has all sorts of high glycemic carbs so I tend to reach for flat coke, Red Bull or gels at that point in the race.

Tim O'Donnell uses UCAN in much the same way.

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

I've used both. I've used nearly every product out there as I was searching for something that would work to solve my GI distress and bonking issues in IRONMAN racing. In fact, I was using CarboPro (and EFS) right before I made the switch to UCAN. UCAN was the key for me! Finally found the solution and I no longer have nutritional issues.

As mentioned in other comments, CarboPro is maltodextrin based so you will have a spike and crash effect in your energy levels if not perfectly managed. UCAN does some of that work for you because it's underlying carbohydrate source is SuperStarch. You get steadier energy and no spike and crash. It's osmolality is extraordinarily low so it clears the stomach quickly relieving you of bloating, stomachaches, sloshing, etc. Give it a try. Black Friday sale is going on right now! www.generationucan.com
It's our biggest of the year at 30% off and free shipping

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

Lots of great comments and suggestions Birdmantris. Thanks for that! Regarding price - I like to this about it this way...a little bit goes a long way with UCAN. You've probably found that you don't need as much of it as compared to simple sugars and malto. For example, I was told I needed ~300 c/hr during racing with sugary sports nutrition, and to train my gut during training by doing the same. With UCAN, I had 94c/hr at Ironman Maryland in 2014 and had massive success without any nutritional issues. At Kona 2015, I had 68c/hr and was 72nd overall (turns out that was a bit too low given the heat and intensity of the race). During training, I typically have 40-100c/hr unless it's sustained high intensity (like a race simulation).

Since you're not using as much per hour, the cost per hour of training is actually less than other sports nutrition, even though the sticker price is higher. Attached is a little table I threw together illustrating cost comparisons of several products

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

Great question, japarker and one that gets asked somewhat frequently - the short answer is no. Mixing in high glycemic carbs with UCAN will partially defeat the steady energy that you're getting from the SuperStarch, but it will still be better than taking Gatorade/malto/sugar by itself. It'll also help reduce the chances of GI distress by mixing rather than taking pure high glycemic carbs.

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

Maybe I'm an outlier, but I purchased a tub of ucan (orange flavor), and have used it, mixed as per instructions, about 5 times on trainer rides of 2 plus hours. That was spread over roughly a 4 week period.
Every time I used it, I felt fine during the ride, but shortly after, like 1 - 2 hours after the ride, I ended up with the runs pretty bad for the rest of the day. Its odd, because its pretty much the only product that has done this to me.
What I've used the past couple seasons is regular EFS mixed with a little waxy maze, probably stick with that for now..

First time I've heard this one. I wonder if it could be the natural sweetener (monkfruit extract) that is causing it. Other flavors in our lineup use stevia extract which might work better with your system. If it continues, then I would imagine it might be the fact that it's corn-based and you might have a sensitive or mild allergy to corn?

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

No allergy that I'm aware of. First time I've ever experienced this, and I've used a ton of different drink/gel products.. I'm going to try it a few more times just in case. The tub was $80 Canadian + tax, don't really want to spend more on it to experiment with other flavors.

Hear you. You can try smartperformancenutrition.ca for ordering (not sure if that's what you did before). I think they offer it cheaper, and they have their own Black Friday deal going on right now (20% off). I believe they sell packets which will be a smaller cash outlay to test the theory

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

Yup, thats where I got it. If I do decide to try a different flavor, I'll go with one of the small packets. Should have done that in the first place.

Ucan is based on corn starch. Has anyone tried just cooking and flavoring corn starch?

I love UCAN and think you are very helpful with product information, but am troubled when there is no line between that and personalized nutrition counseling.

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http://www.extramilenutrition.com

I would view this as troubleshooting with UCAN usage, but I appreciate the concern

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

So far I’ve tried UCan, Tailwind and Maurten. I have no GI issue with any product. UCan works great but when I make concentrate for a long distances race, it gets really thick and won’t come out of the bottle. On the other hand, other two products work well. Maurten is my favorite so far. I have all three products in my pantry and pick depending on the distance, intensity and duration. Tailwind and Maurten are more like water no matter how much you put in.

Lol, I didn't view it as nutritional counseling. :)
Anyway, everyone is different, not all products will work for everyone, no big deal.
With regards to the thickness, I had no issue with that, I just gave my bottle a good shake before drinking from it. Maybe would be a bigger issue for folks drinking via a straw from a fixed bottle.

Ah, I thought you were suggesting I was oversteppin!

Spot on - I don’t recommend using UCAN in BTA bottles since you can’t give them a shake. I’ve gone as thick as 4 servings in one bottle and have heard of others doing as much as 7 in their sludge bottles. If you put 2/3 water, then UCAN, then shake, top off and shake again, then it tends to come out smoother. Especially if you mix the night before and stick it in the fridge. For some reason, it dissolves nicely that way and becomes smoother.

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com

It can help to put 2/3 water, then UCAN, then shake, then top off and shake again. Try mixing the night before and sticking it in the fridge. Tends to dissolve nicely and be smoother. One thing you might try, particularly in racing, is to use UCAN for the first ~2/3 and then switching to something high glycemic towards the end. Many folks find that to work well for minimizing potential GI distress, then chance of bonking, and maximizing performance.

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Matthew J Bach
Director - Triathlon Business
The UCAN Company
matthew.bach@ucanco.com