Let's talk about cycling foods!

Wot kinda foodz r gud to eat/ drink on biek? I prefer foods that r easy to eat; all I could come up with was Clif bars, soda pop… and? Halp! :bear:

frankstoneline taught me that PB&J sandwiches can be MADE while riding. I am looking forward to trying that out.

bananas, water

no soda

bananas are good, i like pb&j too. peanutbutter and honey is good!

Are we talking about long rides?

I’ve tried a variety of different foods and always find myself coming back to the tried-and-true Clif Bar. Nothing can beat its size to calorie ratio.

Other things I’ve tried with varying success:
Bananas
PBJ
Baked sweet potatoes
Garmin-Chipotle style rice cakes (the way I made them tastes like Chinese takeout, so good)
Reese’s (good comfort food)
Chocolate chip cookies (damn good)
Fudge
Cream cheese-jelly-bacon sandwich (DAMN good)
Salami
Dates
Dried fruit
Gu/gels (overpriced and overrated)
Liquid carbs

im gonna put a bucket of kfc in my handlebar bag

chocolate in winter, candy in summer

I don’t eat on the bike on shorter rides coz fat, but if I bonked I’d have a Gu or a Clif Shot. If it’s hot, and I need calories, I’ll have Gatorade, if no calories are needed, I’ll have Nuun. If I’m riding a century, I take enough gels to finish the ride and lightly graze at the food stops.

ive been using these

cos $2 vs $3.50 for every other energy bar around, plus they taste good and arnt covered in chocolate. and ive been making those garmin rice cakes, theyre good but i keep getting rice down the wrong pipe when ive been riding hard and need to mouth breathe. also gatorade

if anyone has a good energy bar recipe, id love to hear it

On epic trail rides I sometime detour to a Wendy’s for a plain baked potato and a coke.

Oh and Jelly Belly Extreme beans near the end of a long ride to push me up to “11”

i used to swing by a fresh city mid ride. but it usually results in a top tube full of rice and guacamole.



These are pretty awesome for looong rides or verry quick lunch on the go. Are vegan.
Those and wolf’s milk. Not vegan.

Whole Berry Blast FTW!

Like heath, I’m not a big eater while on rides, coz fat. But, on longer rides I’ll take a white chocolate macadamia nut clif bar (SO AMAZING!!!) or clif shots. I’m not too keen on gels, but I’ll use them once in a while. On a ride in the 50+ mile range, I like to stop mid-way and get a coke or gatorade and something like a pack of nutter butters or oreos to snack on.

On the bike I really like Clif Bars (hell I like them off the bike, too, they’re really tasty atmo), or if I can’t find those, I don’t mind a PowerBar, the green ones that taste like apple pie (they definitely need to be kept in a jersey pocket long enough to make them soft enough to eat, though - otherwise almost impossible to chew).

The hardcore randonneurs are really into carrying carbos that can be mixed into their water bottles, I believe Cytomax is a popular one. Basically anything that turns water into “fuel”, so they can carry the least amount of weight possible. Maltodextrin (maybe the same thing?) - I hear some folks buy it by the 20lb sack. That’s serious business atmo.

My philosophy is to train my body to get by on whatever I can most reasonably find anywhere / everywhere, and not to become reliant on specialized foods / powders / whatever. So I do Gatorade, or just plain apple juice (which has everything Gatorade has, and maybe more). I find some kind of sugar drink is really nice on longer rides to help you “MUSH!” up a hill or whatever. And you definitely need some electrolyte replacement too.

My tri-geek friends down in LA are digging a new brand called Bonk Breaker, I tried one and it tasted good, but a little too soft for my taste. Very soft, like a half baked cookie, so if you find Clif Bars or other energy bars hard to chew, then maybe you’ll like the Bonk Breaker.

But - and this is a big BUT (literally and figuratively, I guess) - I really love stopping for real food during rides. Especially for a cafe mocha (with fat milk and whipped cream, in ceramic) and pain aux chocolate. And tacos. Oh how I love tacos.

To me, this is one of the main appeals to randonneuring / cyclotouring. Ride for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours (40-50mi), take a rest and a quick meal, ride another 3 hours, another rest & meal, etc… dawn till dusk and beyond, babby!

i tried some of the ones you sent me. i dig 'em.

On the last 40-60 miles of a big ride, any caffeinated pop + water is great. I just pour half a can of Coke, Irn-Bru or whatever in a full bottle of water (split it with a friend). Every time you start to fade, take another bump. :bear:

QFT.

Although taken out of context… :bear: :bear: :bear:


'sall about teh PB&B fer me. And usually the shop has a good supply of expired powerbars to fill in the gaps between sammiches.

EDIT: I’ll often grab a soda of some sort when I stop at a gas station in the middle of a long ride. Feels good, man.