My normal race/training nutrition for the last few years has been the Gu chocolate gels with caffeine. I ran out and was unable to order them from Amazon so I decided to try the same flavor from SIS. I was used to the thick, sweet gel of the Gu being almost like a treat. I took my first SIS today during a training session and it was lumpy, runny, and bitter. Is this normal or did I get a bad one?
Normal. After I started using Gatorade gels then sis I can’t take a normal gel anymore. The texture gets me with sis but now the thickness of GU makes me sick. Weird how that works!
Thank you for the reply. I don’t feel the same way about the texture.
Knowing now that it’s normal for SIS, is there a gel more similar to Gu that anyone can recommend? I like the chocolate with caffeine.
Hammer, Huma, Clif or Stinger? Gu is so thick to me. Sis can be yucky but your body is supposed to absorb Sis style gel faster since it has more liquid. I’ve seen several pros holding Sis gel and running. It’s a good size pack to hold and run.
Are you speaking Nutritionally or from a flavor/consistency standpoint? Gu gels are pretty similar to other traditional gels. I would give SIS another chance, some of their flavors are a little weird (black current), others are pretty palatable. The consistency is different from flavor to flavor to some degree. Some are a little runnier and some are a more creamy consistency. None are as sticky and viscous as traditional gels, which is their main claimed advantage. I like cutting them open, dumping them in a bottle and then you’ve got a few hours of nutrition without the garbage. You can just drink it straight, no extra water needed.
I’m looking for something with better consistency. The SIS I had was lumpy. Very liquid with chunks of goo in it. It reminded me of a snotty booger. I did try to mix it up first by squeezing the package but it was very full and didn’t have a lot of air space to move the gel around. I also shook it a bit.
I’m looking for something with better consistency. The SIS I had was lumpy. Very liquid with chunks of goo in it. It reminded me of a snotty booger. I did try to mix it up first by squeezing the package but it was very full and didn’t have a lot of air space to move the gel around. I also shook it a bit.
This is shocking to me. I’ve been using SIS gels exclusively for 4 years now. I’ve probably eaten well over 300-400 of them. never have I gotten one that is chunky. They’re a nice consistency and go down super easy. It’s almost like a liquid. If anything the only complaint I’ve ever seen about them is bc they are so liquidy they take up a larger space/volume in your kit.
Are we talking about the same sis isotonic gels?
SIS gels are more comparable to the GU Liquid Energy gels instead of the GU or Roctane. Thinner, and actually quite good. Once I tried them I found them to be better than SIS. My go to is still the Roctane as why carry more volume of water, but individual tastes vary. I think you’d enjoy the Liquid Energy line as now that I’ve tried a number of them, the SIS are not the best for flavor except the Salted Strawberry, which they discontinued. Also, no real difference in makeup…try the GU LE.
Yes, the isotonic ones. So maybe I did get a bad one. I’ll try another tomorrow during my workout. I was ready to just throw the whole box away.
SIS gels are the only ones I’ve had that are palatable and not sickly sweet. Maybe you got an unusual flavour, but all of the ones I’ve had have been pretty good, easy to get down. And the fact they are runnier makes it easier to swallow.
A little bit runny would be fine, but this had chunks of snot in it.
There should not be chunks in SIS; you got a bad or expired batch. The flavors are quite mild, and the consistency is fairly…consistent.
As far as GU; the consistency varies quite a bit by flavor. Chocolate Outrage is the thickness of hot fudge, while Strawberry/Banana is runny.
A little bit runny would be fine, but this had chunks of snot in it.
Ah shit, that’s no good.
Try mixing a gel in water bottle with hydration drink. I use their orange flavor non-caffeine gels and hydration mix, they taste good together. And I agree, their gels alone take some getting used to.
Anyone else notice that SIS is going through The Feed now for North America, no more USA Tri discount.
I haven’t found a gel that is as thick as GU. I’m not sure it exists. Personally I don’t like them when they are that thick.
If you are looking for more options to try, I mostly use Powerbar gels and Precision hydration. They haven’t been mentioned in this thread yet.
Same here. I’ve has SIS gels from.more than one source and over time. Almost every one was … nasty. Cliff gels.are.most like GU, I think. Hammer gels pretty similar.
Anyone else notice that SIS is going through The Feed now for North America, no more USA Tri discount.
Yeah I’m not happy about this. Not only that but they don’t go on fire sale every so often anymore. I would always wait for the 50% off sales and buy like $150 worth for cheap.
I like the consistency of SIS, but find they all have a chemical taste. Never had a lumpy one…
I’ve been on the SIS train for probably 5 years now. 99% of the time no issues; that said, I know what you are talking about as I have gotten a few before that seem to have a lumpy texture. I had actually been attributing it to storing in a very cold pantry during the winter. The caffeine gels are quite bitter. The electrolyte gels are much smoother & have a more liquid texture. Orange flavor normal gel is my go to.
Well dang. Seems that I got a “bad†batch. Seemed a bit lumpy but wasn’t terrible but also know that not all of them have been. I just assumed it was just the flavor I got. Learn something new everyday!