jimmuller 

This may not be the best place to ask, but I trust your (plural) judgment. So what the heck.

The few times I've ordered tires from a particular bike store they have always thrown in a little bottle of 5-Hour Energy Drink gratis. Okay, I'm willing to try it, or am I? It looks to be mostly caffeine, niacin, and a few other items but with no calories per se. And the bottle has a little disclaimer about a "niacin response" of feeling flushed, etc. Have any of you ever tried this stuff? The idea of having an emergency energy source seems appealing, but the idea of dilated capillaries and a caffeine boost without real fuel to burn seems a bit scary. Plus I wouldn't want to try something in a tough situation that might have more adverse effects than beneficial ones.

Uncle Randy

Swap it for bottle of beet root juice. I've been involved with clinical studies of this juice and it does work.

Sir_Name 

I don't know - I try to stay away from that kind of thing. May fit into the 'too good to be true' category. No free lunch and all. Granted, I do drink coffee and the occasional red bull. Might be a bit of an extra kick when really needed, but I'd bet most anything it's still better to plan ahead and eat/drink/sleep right. Easier said than done. Interested in hearing from experience.

zukahn1 

There an awfull product IMO that shouldn't be marketed at all. Raw caffine which is just not so good enough sugar to potentialy put alot of dehydrated people into diabetic shock. They add viatmans and formulate so as to be considered a supplement and not a food product or drug, to avoid most regulation. Basically low level dugs uppers in a can.

Sir_Name 

^Interesting. My Lady got me into drinking coconut water when needed. I'll have to give the beet root juice a try as well.

Velocivixen

I believe that if you eat nutritiously, exercise regularly and get enough sleep you will have energy you need. During endurance events fuel accordingly. When I run distances I do use electrolyte tablets in water to replace those lost through perspiration. Shot Blocks or GU with slow release carbs every so many miles. No magic bullet for energy. Caffeine gives a little boost. But nothing beats actually taking care of yourself.

gamby

I drink one around mile 75 of a century. Helps me out a bit, especially since I'm not a coffee drinker, so caffeine actually works like a stimulant for me.

Fahrenheit531 

I've found that 5-hour energy is good for stuff like staying alert during long drives or getting through the last few hours of a double shift at work. I can't imagine trying to use it to power an actual physical activity like biking, and don't expect it'd do a heckofa lot of good.

Those mint chocolate chip Clif bars with caffeine, on the other hand, are a big winner!

xuwol7

Never tried it, I have tried red bull and monster energy drinks which did nothing for me.
Coffee works good but for a real kick when I need it I find that regular Mountain Dew is amazing (I don't drink or even like soda).
Perhaps the sugar and high caffeine is what gives me the energy.

ofgit

Tried 5HE once. Drank about half 'cause I'm sensitive to stuff. Did not like the feeling. But 2 cups of coffee and I get the shakes and sweat beads pop out on my forehead. If I drink a Coke after dark it keeps me up half the night. Never tasted Red Bull but like to watch the Xtreme sports they sponsor.

Michael Angelo 

A friend of mine who happens to be a Cardiac surgeon has told me to stay away from all those high energy drinks, they cause arrhythmia and other heart related problems. Instead, he says just to drink a cup of coffee eat well and exercise.

gomango

Agreed.

I won't touch the stuff.

Chrome Molly

As I anxiously await for my coffee maker to churn out my morning brew...

Two different thoughts about this... Reasonable amounts of caffeine can increase the efficiency of fat metabolism (IIRC the test I read correctly), and quickly digestible carbs help avoid the bonk. But, too much can cause dehydration and associated cramping which is not good. Dehydration can also increase the severity of the bonk and your ability to absorb the carbs needed to get out/avoid it. If you go the caffeinated soft drink route, the sugar swings make things like coke and MD an "extra hour" at best in my personal experience.

5HE, is pretty much just an excessive amount of caffeine. Probably OK when sitting at your desk or for mild activity when you need the mental kick. However, it seems to be well into the "too much" amount for me personally and would cause cramping and stomach upset which is counter to the real want of absorbing carbs quickly to avoid the bonk, and distributing water and electrolytes around my system to ensure energy is usable by non twitchy muscles (non twitchy - for lack of any real medical knowledge).

I have found that drinking a big glass of water before two cups of morning joe, helps to get me up and percolating. From there it's water, salt (to lesser degree), and quickly digested carbs (with increasing emphasis toward sugars as I get to the end of a long activity like a century ride). That and as much sleep as I can reasonably get the couple days before a long tough ride are the recipe for finishing.

jimmuller 

Thanks all. The consensus seems to be about what I expected and not so far from my own not-having-tried-it opinion.

I do like coffee in the morning. I drink coconut water though I confess it is not a magic juice. Beet juice, now there's a thought. I like beets. It'll probably make you pee red. Beets do that to me anyway.

Last year one of the sports radio stations here was running ads that went "One 5-Hour Energy drink lasts for several hours." I always thought shouldn't it last for 5 hours? This year they changed the text to be something like "lasts a long time".

I think those bottles will remain unopened for far longer than just 5 hours. Far, far longer.

randyjawa 

Personally, I cannot believe that that junk is allowed to be sold in corner stores, making it immediately accessible to young(kids) and old people, alike. I can't imagine why any intelligent person would ingest that stuff.

rootboy 

Personally, I prefer cocaine. Baring that, which is always, I'll drink some coffee.

Bikedued

For me it does no more than wake me up, when you have that 2:30 feeling. I can drink a cup of coffee and be yawning 45 minutes later, though.,,,,BD

rootboy 

When riding, I sometimes eat those SHOT BLOKS gel thingies. Basically just a sugar rush.

Pompiere

I work 12 hour shifts and I know a few people who use 5 Hour Energy to get an boost in alertness for the second half. I don't think it will do anything more than that. It seems to be like putting octane booster in an empty gas tank. If your body has already burned up its fuel reserves, the extra caffeine isn't going to help without some carbs and protein to back it up. I have read a few places about drinking a regular cola to get a little kick, but only in the last hour to help finish a ride.

Fred Smedley

I like a cup of Joe and a hand full of dates. I work outside in the heat and it the quick cure for the slugs.

-holiday76

I don't see how that stuff could possibly be good for you.

thinktubes 

That stuff would probably tweak you out pretty good.

Prowler 

As I understand it, caffeine is a diuretic which means it helps our body purge water which is just what I DON'T want when I'm working hard on a long ride, don't want extra stops and want to keep hydrated. No thanks and, at my age, caffeine after about 8 in the morning is a bad idea. I'm also told that several of these energy drinks are acidic (primarily from citric acid for taste) which threatens the teeth and adds to your level of stomach acid. Two more effects i don't need on a long ride. I won't use them for these reasons and for the cost. IOW cost/benefit ratio is way too low.

I drink lots of water and when I think I'll need extra carbs along the way I carry Jelly Beans Sport Beans - carbs and electrolytes. I cannot say if they're any better than any other such things but they are light, compact, long shelf life and my son lives near the factory outlet in Pleasant Prairie, WI so we get em cheap. I also agree that dates are an excellent source of carbs and taste great.

rootboy 

I think they're just trying to get you buzzed, Jim, so you do more internet shopping on their site.

TimmyT 

Indeed.

There have been several investigations into deaths associated it: FDA investigating 13 deaths tied to 5-hour Energy - CBS News

"Records that the New York Times looked into show that since 2009, more than 30 of those cases were deemed serious or life-threatening. Symptoms included heart attacks, convulsion and one case of spontaneous abortion."


Do a search on Google, and you'll find a lot more.