Cyclist0084

Just wondering if anyone here uses the NUUN tablets in their water bottles when they ride, and if so, what you're thoughts are?

A buddy of mine swears by them, so I thought I'd give them a try. Tried the lemon-lime flavor, and all I can say is.....



That had to be the nastiest tasting water I've ever drank on a bike ride. Stuff reminded me of the oily tasting crap I had to drink when I had my colonoscopy a few years back.

Guess I'll be sticking to plain water and/or PowerAde Zero.

Looigi

My wife and I liked and used them (some of the flavors anyway). They're OK for electrolytes. I now prefer drinks with some sugar calories so go for fruit juice or Sports drink diluted to 100 cal/24oz. For fruit juice I add 1/8 level tsp of "Lite Salt" for Na and K goodness.

garciawork

I used to use them when it was hot, thought they were good for electrolytes. But they apparently have an artificial sweetener that can mess with some peoples tummies, so keep that in mind.

SpeshulEd 

I've had one of the berry flavored ones and one of the pink grapefruit ones, I usually only put half in my bottle. Didn't mind them all that much.

Bikeforumuser0017

I only tried them because I got them for free. I saw no difference in physical performance.

ZippyThePinhead

I use them, and prefer them over Cytomax or other sugared drinks. They acidify the water slightly, which makes it more refreshing, IMO. When I ride off-road I was using water in my Camelbak, but when I switched to Nuun tablets, I found myself drinking more, because it tastes better than the mineral-rich hard water we get out of the tap around here. Helps me to stay hydrated and avoid cramping.

I also find it is easier to carry a tube of Nuun tabs in my seat bag, so that when I need to refill a bottle on a long ride, I'm not just drinking water.

The water bottles I have leak slightly-- perhaps because of the Nuun tabs, which do offgas a significant amount when dissolving, though I am careful to minimize this-- and I don't want sugary residue all over my frame, rear wheel, pump, cranks, etc.

I like the Kona, Tri-Berry, and Cherry Lemonade flavors.

pdlamb

I use them for times when I need more salt/electrolytes. If possible, fill a bottle with ice and cold water, or just cold water, add the flavor of your choice, wait a couple minutes, and start sipping.

They're convenient, a change from V8, and the taste is not too bad -- way better than Gatorade IMHO.

I would forget about just putting them in a water bottle, though. It's basically a flavored salt pill. If you need salt (and if you've been riding long enough, you'll know what that feels like), it's a great way to get it. If you think you need to flavor your water, and most people don't really, try some lemonade mix.

rdtompki

I drop a Nuun table into my Gatorade-filled water bottles. Actually improves the taste a bit. I also use Nuun in my Camelbak and like having the bit of flavor added to the ice water.

RidingMatthew

I like nuun over gatorade. I recently tried some Cytomax and it is not bad but I feel like the Nuun is pretty refreshing
IMO

areFish

I haven't tried NUUN, but for a refreshing sports drink that's not cloying I like Sctratch Labs. powder. I do go a tad light on the recipe, 1 scoop in a 21 oz bottle.

OldTryGuy

Lemon-Lime today, prefer over Cytomax

Cyclist0084

Hmmmm, Nunn tablet in with Gatorade. That sounds like a good idea. Might have to give that a try with my PowerAde tomorrow.

Mondo734

I ride with two 24oz bottles. In one bottle I keep plain old ice cold water. The second bottle I use one nuun tablet (the triberry and berry flavors are the best ones I've tried so far). I think one tablet is supposed to be used for every 16oz but I prefer it slightly more water down hence the 1 tablet to 24oz of water. I do think it helps on extremely hot days and on longer rides.