I have gotten a lot of good and helpful info from Paleo Diet for Athletes book by Joe Friel....
My go-to right before a ride is raisins, during a ride I add a couple scoops of Tailwind to my water bottles, and after I go with more raisins, a banana, and some kind of Clif Bar or Energy Bar. No gels or goos for me - the Clif Bar is as processed as I get. If I'm going more than 4-5 hours, I'll have a few ounces of de-fizzed Coca-Cola (put it in a jar and stir, stir, stir until all the fizz is out), then put it in a separate bottle. I haven't had a soda in 20+ years, but a couple ounces of that stuff - while disgusting to my taste buds these days - is like a bit of magic on those really long rides.