You gotta get carbs from somewhere if you are riding at a fair effort. I prefer to drink mine.
Nothing magical about GU. It's just mostly carbs that can easily be absorbed by your body. Many other things do the same. If I do eat on my bike, I like raisins and other dried fruit. Maybe not quite as fast in the absorption, but I've already got maltodextrin in my bottles.
Last edited by Iride01; 03-29-20 at 08:32 PM.