DIY Drink Mix?
 

Has anyone tried or considered making their own drink mix for on-the-bike consumption?

I've tried lots of different drink mixes, and for me they tend to be:

1. too sweet
2. don't taste that great
3. expensive for what they're made of

From the ingredient descriptions, these mixes are salts, sugars, flavorings, and maybe some food color.

They can cost upwards of $2 per bottle, for some very basic ingredients. That seems pretty expensive.

I'm going to try to make my own, starting with the World Health Organization's formula for Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS):One ORS packet mixed with a liter/quart, contains:

• Sodium Chloride - 3.5g
• Potassium Chloride - 1.5g
• Trisodium Citrate , dihydrate - 2.9g
• Dextrose Anhydrous - 20.0g

I've ordered the ingredients. The only recipe alteration I'm doing is using maltodextrin in place of the dextrose, as maltodextrin is not as sweet.

I'm not worried about getting nutrition in the drink mix, the ORS formula is optimized for hydration and electrolyte replacement.

What do you think? Anything I'm missing or haven't considered?

Is this for a sip every hour? That's quite a lot of electrolyte.

The thing that worked best for me was a bottle of room temperature water with just a touch of salt thrown in. Gatorade and such things as that often upset my stomach when I drink them due to thirst. It's not to say they don't work, as we know there is science to back it up, my guts just don't dig it. I also cannot drink (chocolate) milk for recovery right after a ride or I puke...
When I was riding enough for things like this to matter I would carry 2 bottles lightly salted water and typically a gel just in case I bonked out somewhere. Later on I just got where I would stop for a snickers if I felt the need.

That formula is for a liter, so roughly 2+ hours of hydration.

Well to me that is a lot. It's one of several reasons I don't use Gatorade. Way too much electrolyte for most, IMHO.

I use Hammer's Heed with Endurolyte Extreme added. At the mild temps lately just using less than half a scoop. But lets use the full scoop which I'll be using when the temps are regularly over 90°F.

This is what 1 fl. oz. of my bottles contain in the stuff that's considered electrolyte:

Sodium 7.7 mg
Calcium 4.1 mg
Potassium 4.4 mg
Magnesium 2.1 mg
Manganese 0.1 mg
Chromium 1.0 mg Total weight 19.4 mg

Yours is this:

Sodium 64.0 mg (Sodium is roughly 40% the weight of sodium chloride and 28% the weight of trisodium citrate)
Potassium 22.9 mg total weight 86.9 mg

And Gatorade Endurance Formula is this

Sodium 41.2 mg
Potassium 11.6 mg total weight 52.8 mg

Electrolytes are necessary, but for a long time they've been thought of as a little is good so a lot must be better. I don't think that's correct as I don't need nearly that much.

In the 95°F temps that'll eventually get to us, the small amount of electrolytes in my bottles still does me well for three hour rides. Long ago when I did try Gatorade for cycling, I felt it was the excessive sodium content that gave me stomach issues while riding. I think Vitamin Water was the next drink I tried for cycling and it was much better with just as many Calories but much less sodium and other electrolytes.

I do agree that a lot of drinks are way too sweet. Hammer even seems to have changed their sweetener profile somewhat. They used to be slightly astringent, my son wouldn't drink it because of that. I was fine with that as they left no sticky sickly after taste. But now they too have a slight sickly sticky after taste. My son now likes it. Not sure where to go next. Maybe make my own too.

Have you tried any meal replacement shake?

I believe in eating on the bike and have found it more successful and easier to drink my food. I use a mix of maltodextrin and whey protein, 7:1 by weight. I put up to 750 calories per bottle, whatever I think I'll need on the ride. My other bottle is plain water. I don't believe in mixing electrolytes into my water. The ratio of electrolyte loss to water loss is not the same in all conditions. I drink to thirst and if necessary, add to my thirst by talking Endurolytes. the standard caps, 1-2/hour, so that's a max of 80mg sodium/hour, even during 105° long climbs.

I should add that I eat a relatively low salt diet. The less salt you eat, the less you need to replace on the bike. I never have white patches on my shorts. Recommended salt intake is between 2500mg and 5000mg total per day.
https://www.hammernutrition.com/knowledge/essential-knowledge/less-is-best
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/health-professional-tools/sodium-and-salt-converter

The newest data is showing athletes can consume up to ~140g/hr of carbohydrates at close to a 1:1 ratio of glucose:fructose. Table sugar is exactly 1:1. I've been doing just straight sugar for training in the 100g/hr range. You can mix it at 2-3x in 1 bottle and rinse with water. Sodium citrate has more sodium per gram so i use that instead of table salt if needed in hot weather.

https://www.scienceinsport.com/us/sh...uel-80-15-pack

50/50 water/fresh apple juice + a pinch of salt. Simple but effective.

Thanks for sharing.