genec

Study after study have shown that water is the best liquid for fluid replacement.

KraneXL

Maybe, but the trick to any study results is the question that was asked. Thing is, all things being equal those studies would be true. However, things dealing with the body are rarely that static for long. After a time, water alone just won't be enough.

u235

When all you need is water, water is the logical replacement. Sometimes you need more than water. Is Gatorade or equivalent the extra you need? No idea.

Rollfast

I would suggest bringing a snack or stopping to eat at some point. Fruits and nuts weren't invented for looks. Gatorade is a good idea but it was created from really poor necessity, making young men wearing heavy gear and clothing run around in the scorching heat and then dying from it. Really a ridiculous extreme that isn't found in many other situations. Give it a fake fruit flavor and market it as a health aid and people see it as better than carbonated soda drinks.

A product made for a man-made problem. The word 'hydrated' has the root 'hydra', and that means water. Water has no calories but is the catalyst for all of your body's functions.

redlude97

Uh....https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5334560/

genec

And their conclusion:

Bottom line, water is still the best fluid for hydration... but do not take in more water than was lost in sweat... (do not "gain" weight) and some sodium supplement is recommended for extremely long endurance bouts of exercise.

This basically says... yeah, you CAN even over do it with just water, so moderate.

redlude97

this thread is specifically about hot conditions, where even while losing water weight you are succeptable, water alone is a bad idea

DrIsotope

I actually snorted when I read "LOW SWEAT RATES." Oh god, I wish. On ANY bike ride lasting over 2 hours, I will lose 2 pounds, regardless of intensity. It's generally very dry here-- dry to the point that you often don't even feel the sweat-- it's gone as soon as it comes out of the skin. I've lost eight pounds over the course of a ride, while taking in over 15 pounds of liquid. I've also blown my electrolyte balance by not keeping my salt intake up with my sweat rate. If you've never experienced heat exhaustion, that's great-- I absolutely recommend against it.

Here's the bottom line, in my mind: the negative to taking in too much salt/electrolyte during a ride is some salt deposits on your skin and clothes. The negative to taking in too little salt and overheating could be blacking out and ending up in a ditch.

Oh, and for the people whose tummies can't handle Gatorade: water only for the first hour on the bike. I generally stick to this, unless it's very hot. I also never drink the Gatorade full strength until I'm well into a long ride-- say 3 hours into a 5+ hour ride. By that point, my body doesn't care. No matter how hot it is, or what level of intensity, I've never found the need for Gatorade, or anything other than water on rides of ~2 hours in length. Fueling and hydration strategy gets important when the ride is going to be 4+ hours.

ThermionicScott 

Probably not beer, but it's so nice on a hot day.

redlude97

I just buy the powder and mix it at a lower concentration, or if I know I'm going to be out for awhile mix it at a higher concentration in one bottle with plain water in the other and drink the gatorade sparingly and rinse down with water, and dilute when refilling with plan water as the day goes on. Has worked well for multiple centuries, and also works well when you have to stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and gatorade is your only option for electrolytes.

DrIsotope

I stopped at a little family market in the middle of nowhere one ride, and all they had was Powerade.

I drank a chocolate milk.

5kdad

I use a product distributed my one of my sons-in-law's employer, https://www.hydrationhealth.com. They have 3 products, PrePlay, RePlay, and ProPlay. I prefer the ProPlay. Tastes great, has 3 times the electrolytes of Gatorade, and not as sweet. A lot of people like the RePlay, as it has 10 times the electrolytes of Gatorade and is naturally sweetened, but I don't like the flavor as well.
They will send you free samples. Go to this site, and fill out the request form at the bottom of the page: https://www.hydrationhealth.com/replay/

KraneXL

Water of course. Its the foundation that provides the environment for all the other chemical reactions and transit of nutrients within the body to take place. However, we don't just lose water when we sweat/exercise, we also lose those electrolytes. No you don't need Gatorade/sports drinks (which are essentially water), they just make the re-balancing faster and more convenient.

drewguy

I'm not sure how significantly that differs from young and older men wearing tight gear pedaling around in scorching heat, which is the question here.

OldTryGuy

Preparing now for a 12:01AM departure if rains hold off. Another thru-the-night Midnight Madness ride with temps low 80'sF for start to 90's+F tomorrow at finish time. Smooth sailing should be 126 miles to 150. Water with lemon slices in one bottle and O'Doul's NA BEER with a lemon slice in the other.

SylvainG

Here what I use for my riding long distance and especially if hot:

3 1//2 cup of ice cold water
1/4 cup of maple syrup (real stuff, not Aunt Jemima)
1/4 cup of pure orange juice (not the frozen stuff)
2 table spoon of lime or lemon juice
1/4 tea spoon of salt

Fits in two water bottle, topped with ice.

u235

What's a long distance? On hot days you can burn through 1/2 gallon fluid an hour. Two bottles of anything is gone in the first hour or two max. No way to replenish that on the road/trail. Sounds like a great combination though while it lasts. I typically ride where water is really the only choice to refill but I've found various marshmallow cereal based things like Rice Krispy treats serve me well. Taking 8 oz container of maple syrup with some salt in and mixing in my water might be an option. hmmmm.

KraneXL

Just for the record, sugar is sugar, so how its flavored mostly depends on the individual taste.

canklecat

Besides electrolytes -- a relatively recent bit of knowledge in the long history of thirst quenchers -- it's been known for centuries that a little sugar, honey, etc., aids rapidly digesting/absorbing water. Many traditional thirst quenchers documented back to the ancient Greeks and Romans contained a little honey or slightly sweetened diluted wine, vinegar or brine. Same with ginger and other herbs and additives that were believed to settle the stomach or give energy.

I'm sure it was just based on how people felt when trying to swallow a lot of plain water to rehydrate during high effort -- it feels like the water just sits in the stomach, leaving the person feeling bloated and not better hydrated. They experimented, found something that felt better, and it passed along via word of mouth, perhaps even part of military training regimens.

Incidentally, I didn't realize how much I sweat until Saturday. After a medical appointment I stopped at a friend's home to retrieve a bike I'd left there back in the spring after I was hit by a car. I was wearing cotton/linen blend shorts and a cotton pullover shirt. So I just rode the 12 miles home wearing that. Temp was in the mid to high 90s, dew point near 70, pretty muggy but breezy. By the 10 mile mark I was feeling draggy, saggy and soggy. Soon as I got home I pulled off my clothes -- everything was soaked in sweat and twice as heavy. Felt like at least a quart of sweat just in my shorts and shirt.

Reminds me of why I switched to mostly lightweight poly wicking fabrics, even in casual t-shirts and shorts for cycling. Besides feeling more comfortable I'm lugging less weight after a long ride.

SylvainG

On a 100 km ride, I bring two bottles and a water bottle. I'll take a gulp of the energy bottle every 15 minutes and drink water at rest stops (one stop every 33 km) when I eat something.

Richard Cranium

I'm glad the thread cleared everything up. Now everyone knows exactly how much, how often and most of all - just exactly WHAT mix everyone will drink for optimal performance.

And to think " the perfect drink solution " was all figured out from a keyboard, while sitting at a PC instead of riding miles and miles in hot weather.

Ain't life great......

SylvainG

eh eh, I wrote mine less than 2 hours after a 108 km ride Granted it was just 25C but 35C with heat index.

KraneXL

In other news, did you have anything useful to contribute? For the record, Gatorade already did all those tests. All that I needed to do was to determine if it worked for me better than plain water. It does.

wolfchild

I believe that most people who post here are experienced rider and who have ridden a lot of miles over the years and they have experimented and figured out what works for them as individuals. I don't think anybody claimed to have a perfect drink solution that works for everybody...What is your ideal drink on a long ride ??

Richard Cranium

My previous post, which I admit was snarky and unhelpful was to remind readers that "really useful" advice needs to account for the diversity of cyclists and situations they encounter when riding.

I try to consider these limitations when giving advice and often speak of "theoretical" concepts when giving advice. Typically this means avoiding touting specific products or regimens unless they are in the context of a specific person or specific situation.

For those of us really interested in learning the specifics of their hydration needs - I urge you to read and reread exercise physiology text books - usually in use at their local universities.
However - as an forum user - and in trying to be helpful - the best I can do is tell people to remember their own experiences.......