bikehoco

A friend who goes on long, hot rides says he puts salt in his water bottle.


Questions:
- Is this effective?
- Does the type of salt matter?
- How about salt pills?

DrIsotope

Water + salt + lemon + honey is a rough equivalent of Gatorade. Problem is, it will inevitably cost more than Gatorade. If you don't want to drink salty lemon water and don't care about calories or artificial colors, get some Gatorade. If you do, try tablets like Nuun. If you don't care what it tastes like, there are tons of recipes online for "electrolyte drinks." Just don't overdo the salt. Too much is worse than not enough.

shafter

I have put SMALL amounts of salt in my water bottles in extreme cases and found it effective. The type is not relevant; and Gatorade is preferable.

seedsbelize 

I put a tsp of Himalayan salt in a 32oz water bottle for every ride, here in hot, humid Yucatan. It helps. Not a fan of Gatorade.

canklecat

Yup, it's effective.

Try Propel fitness powder for sodium and potassium. It's the cheapest electrolyte mix I've found that's available in single serving packets. I prefer DripDrop but Propel works too. Both come in little Mylar packets, about the size of a thick cigarette, perfect for stashing in a small saddle bag, jersey pocket, etc. Takes up less space than the tubes of Nuun I used to carry.

Propel costs about $2-$3 a box of 8 packets at the grocery store. DripDrop is more concentrated, costs about $7-$10 per box of 10 at the pharmacy -- often kept in the infant section alongside Pedialyte.

The theory is that adding a bit of sugar -- glucose, sucrose, fructose, probably doesn't matter which -- helps the gut absorb sodium more efficiently with less stomach upset. That's probably how homemade thirst quenchers like switchel and haymaker's punch evolved -- a little trial and error, people who worked in the heat discovered a little honey or sugar helped sooth the stomach while drinking water with vinegar, fermented non-alcoholic beverages, etc., along with ginger and other flavorings.

Since I'm prone to hypoglycemia I also carry a couple of glucose tablets to chew along with drinking electrolytes when I feel a bonk coming on -- unusual dizziness, nausea, headache, vague discomfort, quickly followed by shaking muscles and weakness if I ignore the symptoms.

But some folks find candy works just as well. I buy the inexpensive tubes of flavored glucose tabs sold for diabetics. Handy size, easy to handle one handed while riding, doesn't get sticky.

seypat

SaltStick products products work well. If you are going for cheap, the Sea Salt packs from Wendys have electrolytes in addition to the sodium. If it is cramping you are worried about, pickle juice and mustard(tumeric) will help.

cydewaze

I use this product, mainly because it's available in grape (and it's worked well for me)

prathmann

Regular salt is sodium chloride. If you want to reduce the sodium intake and also get some potassium you could substitute Morton Lite Salt which is a 50/50 mix of sodium- and potassium-chloride.

nycphotography

I mix my bottles w/ powdered gatorade.

3/4 scoop per 24oz in the summer (expecting to drink more sweat more), 1 scoop per 24oz in the winter (expecting to drink less sweat less).

I then add 1/2 scoop (12g) of (unflavored, unsugared, unfatted, basically pure) whey protein

And I add 1/4 tsp of morton lite salt.

I am considering getting my hands on some magnesium powder and see if it helps prevent cramps.

wipekitty

I used to do something like 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 teaspoons sugar for a 16 oz bottle (used sparingly - along with another bottle of plain water). I got turned on to it by a friend who used it to perk me up after I passed out. I used Gatorade in the past, but the sweetness is too much for me during a longer ride.

Nuun is my product of choice now, and has been effective. I will probably experiment with other products that are cheaper/easier to carry once it gets hot again...8 months from now.

I'm one of those people I don't do well with solid foods on rides - but vegan candy generally lacks a lot of the weird ingredients and works really well for me. Current favorites: agave gummy bears, Mamba.

rgconner

Your body has a difficult time getting just plain water into your system. It tends to just sit there and takes time to absorb.

Adding either sugars, salts, or better both, will make it easier to absorb the water.

I like to use High5. $4 for 20 tablets. Comes in different flavors, not overwhelming like gatoraid, comes caffinated too for the same price.

I like the grapefruit flavor, nice and refreshing.

High5 Zero Electrolyte Drink Tablets | Chain Reaction Cycles

seypat

SaltStick even has a dispenser that mounts in your handlebars.

Cycling - SaltStick Electrolytes & Dispensers

Doge

If only water is in the water bottle it can be used to pour over you head, and drink/dilute whatever you eat.

If you have just one bottle, water offers the most options. The rider can take tablets for most the stuff they need and wash with water.
If the bike has 2+ bottles, then having a mix is often done, but what ratios of water to mix is often determined by temperature. So in the end, having water to wash down a food, or salt/electrolyte tablet offers more options.

bobwysiwyg

I used to carry the mix in my bottle(s) also and as you explained, you're committed at that point. Now just carry water and ingest additives separately as needed.

Doge

My son at age 11 or something did very well on chocolate milk. We thought that was the bottle food. Then he did a hot ride. Without thinking poured it over his head. That was the last of that.

Like most things, it depends how stable the conditions and rider are. You can do about anything if reality matches your planning. Just that for some, the surprises are part of the whole cycling adventure. I don't think much anything beats stuff in the pockets and water in the bottles for maximizing your options. I would not argue that at x degrees for y time at z effort the ideal formula would be something mixed into the bottle. Just that x, y and z are rarely what was expected.

Wheever

I've found that putting a *pinch* of salt helps stop cramping on really hot days. Much more and I can taste it, which is ew and probably not good. I mean a *literal* pinch.