FrenchFit 

Yeah, but I'm talking about the "endurance fuel", https://www.tailwindnutrition.com/

I have been using this stuff for 6 months or so, mostly running but some long rides as well. It's has a few good selling points: a) the "naked" version has no flavor, it is just a slightly sweet/salty experience on the tongue, and no lingering aftertaste, and b) it does not clog/build up in hydro mouthpieces or water bottles, (I was too often forgetting to wash out my bottles after a long run, and the mess was a mess, so)... c) the micro granular fully dissolves..never a gritty experience and super easy to clean out even a day or two later.

The con is the price. At the recommended teaspoons it's about a $1 a waterbottle. As I've been using it, I guess my cost might be running $.50 a use, over $1 in a hydro pack.

It does the job. Not the sugar pump that I used to get with Cytomax, but a nice hydration with some energy replenishment with a neutral flavor, I don't need a Tangerine Burst or Strawberry Explosion in my mouth when working out - thank you..

SethAZ 

Looks interesting, though "gimmick!" is the first thing I thought of when I saw that a large part of their marketing spiel is that they write your name on the bag with a Sharpie before shipping it out. I guess hydration/energy products are so common they gotta have something to stand out in your mind, but seriously, I want to buy this because someone scribbled my name on it?

I might have to try it sometime, though. I like trying new things. If I do I'll make sure to put my name down as "OhMyGodTheWorldIsEnding!!!1!" and see if the bag shows up with that on it. Nothing like a little perspective to help me get through the ride, eh?

canklecat

Could be useful for folks who are uncomfortable with conventional food and energy bars during hard exertion in hot weather. There have been times when I had no appetite working or exercising in hot weather, and things tend to deteriorate into exhaustion pretty quickly from there. Years ago, working on a freight dock, I'd get exhausted during the first half of the shift in summer, couldn't eat at the lunch break and had no energy for the second half of the shift. And I was much younger then.

Now, at age 60, I took a methodical approach to heat conditioning this summer and got through every hot ride with a good appetite -- sometimes too good. I finished a few long rides sluggish, foamy and burpy from eating huge meals and drinking too much carbonated beverage.

So, one problem solved. Now I can eat even with hard workouts in hot weather.

But energy bars are expensive and mostly taste like chocolate covered dog food. Gels are expensive and taste like baby food. And regular food makes me sluggish and burpy.

I even tried actual baby food in those Mylar squeeze packets, but they taste even more like baby food than gel packs, although the actual baby food in Mylar packets may be the cheapest portable food. And the fruit and yogurt packets aren't bad.

I can see the market for Tailwind but it's pricey for my budget. I might try the stick pack bundle sampler. But I might get the same benefit from the electrolyte powders I already carry, with some added sugar.

I've noticed many "sports drinks" omit sugars now. I'm not sure that's the best solution. Sugar may help with absorption of water and electrolytes, besides the energy boosts. Occasionally I'll mix my own switchel, a traditional mildly fermented thirst quencher that adds sugar or honey. I used regular black tea, a bit of cider vinegar, fresh ginger paste (in tubes at the grocery store), a bit of bread yeast and some sugar and/or honey. Let it ferment overnight at room temperature or in the window, then refrigerate. Add some electrolyte powders if desired for the potassium and magnesium (besides just salt). Tasty, easy to make and cheap. I brewed it up in a big sun tea jug, until I cracked that jug a couple of months ago.

FrenchFit 

I buy it on Amazon, no personalized label. That's something new...

This summer I was often running on 90 degree plus days, 5-15 miles. The Tailwind product worked pretty well, and as said the stomach acts finicky when over heated..

SethAZ 

I keep reading about people having troubles eating various things at various times. I guess I have a cast-iron stomach, because I can eat anything I want at any time with no troubles whatsoever. On the flipside, that's probably how I got to be a clydesdale in the first place, ya think?

I couldn't complain about the price for this stuff. $1.00 a water bottle sounds bad compared to just plain water, but I've commonly bought bottles of gatorade at a gas station during rest stops on longer group rides without batting and eye, and that's more expensive, and probably less effective, than this stuff.

Carbonfiberboy 

I use maltodextrin, bought by the 50# bag for about $70. Using Tailwind's 27g serving size, that works out to ~$.08/serving. Also no stomach issues going hard in the heat. Tailwind touts no benefit to protein during exercise. This is true. Adding protein during a race will not decrease your finish time. However it will preserve protein (muscle mass) for your next training or race. So I add ~15% flavored whey protein, by weight. This has worked well for me for ~20 years.

27g/bottle is a good recipe to prevent digestive issues. That's about 100 cal./bottle. However, whether or not that's adequate depends on your level of effort and the length of your ride. For example, last summer I did a hard 4-3/4 hour ride in the mountains during which I burned about 2500 calories. I replaced enough of them during the ride so that I didn't bonk, which was ~1100 calories, or 11 bottles of Tailwind. Except that I only needed to drink 3 liters during the whole ride. On long rides, I use 750 calorie food bottles and a separate plain water bottle or Camelbak.

Just things to think about.