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GU Supplement

Old 03-29-20, 03:00 PM
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coffeesnob
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GU Supplement

Is the little pouches of GU ok to take. My friend gave me 2 of them and they really seemed to work just want other opinions. Thanks
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Old 03-29-20, 08:27 PM
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You gotta get carbs from somewhere if you are riding at a fair effort. I prefer to drink mine.

Nothing magical about GU. It's just mostly carbs that can easily be absorbed by your body. Many other things do the same. If I do eat on my bike, I like raisins and other dried fruit. Maybe not quite as fast in the absorption, but I've already got maltodextrin in my bottles.

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Old 03-29-20, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by coffeesnob
Is the little pouches of GU ok to take. My friend gave me 2 of them and they really seemed to work just want other opinions. Thanks
like already stated just another way to get a boost. I use them. I always carry them for emergency energy too. GU is my favorite brand but others are just as good.
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Old 03-30-20, 06:54 AM
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They work amazingly well for me. And I love the flavor selection. Highly recommended!

There are plenty of other energy gels out there, and plenty of energy gel alternatives. So you don't have to take GU, but there's no harm. Just don't make them part of your everyday diet, because then you're just eating expensive candy.
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Old 03-30-20, 09:59 AM
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Originally Posted by BloomBikeShop
................Just don't make them part of your everyday diet, because then you're just eating expensive candy.
Good thought!

Fueling for riding the bicycle is just for when riding the bicycle. And maybe for a short time post ride. It doesn't contribute any major or micro nutrients that we should be consuming when off the bicycle. I certainly don't drink my mix for riding when not riding.
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Old 03-30-20, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by BloomBikeShop
They work amazingly well for me. And I love the flavor selection. Highly recommended!

There are plenty of other energy gels out there, and plenty of energy gel alternatives. So you don't have to take GU, but there's no harm. Just don't make them part of your everyday diet, because then you're just eating expensive candy.
For one I couldn"t afford them for everyday use. I thought the one i took this past sunday worked amazingly well for me too. Plus I didn't get that crash. I used to bring a banana and a protein bar with me. Just about everytime I ate them I got so tired I could hardly move for a while.
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Old 03-30-20, 10:41 AM
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Different types of carbohydrates have different absorption rates. GU and others concentrate on giving you carbs that will absorb fast.

Bananas were my first attempt at fueling while cycling and they did reasonable for me. I cut them in thirds and put them in a plastic bag. Ate one section every 15 minutes. But when my rides got to be two or more hours....... well that just wouldn't work. So 60/40 or 40/60 (depending on ride type) water and fruit juice in the bottles became my norm. Currently I'm using Hammer's HEED in my bottles. But others are likely just as okay. So too are GU gels and other such if you prefer to eat your carbs.

Just remember it's fuel for the bike. If you are having issues off the bike, carbs alone probably won't fix that and actually will contribute to make it worse in the long run.
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