canklecat

The electrolyte powder? Sure it does. I carry DripDrop. It's made to the World Health Organization standard for Oral Rehydration Solutions. There are others, and we can mix our own -- the ingredients are common to many sports drinks, nothing secret or sketchy -- but DripDrop is convenient, palatable and inoffensive tasting (too many electrolyte mixes and sports drinks have unpleasant flavors or are too sweet), readily available and the single serving Mylar packet resists moisture and takes up very little room.

My background is in health care, including emergency medical care and field med in the military. I've seen this stuff before. Heat exhaustion and dehydration can often be remedied with an ORS drink. If the person can drink and hold it down, it'll help.

I've used it twice in summer with cyclists who were suffering heat exhaustion and dehydration exacerbated by poor choices in hydration. In the worst case the cyclist had taken salt tablets (a badly outdated practice that should have been stopped decades ago), then later couldn't hold down plain water. She passed out, fell off her bike (fortunately someone standing nearby caught her and eased her down) and was vomiting plain water. Most people can't absorb water properly with salt tablets, for the same reason we can't drink sea water. When we're dehydrated we need a little sugar to aid with osmolarity so we can absorb and digest water quickly. That's why sugar free electrolyte mixes are a terrible idea for serious use. It just results in bloating with many folks.

Same reason most old folk remedies and recipes for thirst quenchers turned out to be approximations of an oral rehydration solution, ranging from posca through switchel and others, usually containing just a little sugar of some kind because through trial and error people realized they felt better more quickly without bloating when a little honey, fermented fruit, etc., was included.

There are ORS studies published on PubMed, the NCBI/NIH site, but the DripDrop website accurately summarizes the same info.

I do buy a lot of cheaper sugar free electrolyte mixes when they're on sale, but always add a bit of sugar to avoid bloating. Lately I've added a bit of tart cherry concentrate, just because I like the flavor and it adds just enough sugar aid digestion without being too sweet. I do a lot of midday summer walking, jogging and cycling, often in temperatures above 100F, and it works for me. But heat adaptation is a whole nuther challenge in addition to appropriate hydration.

billridesbikes

Stop at red lights, and go through green lights as if they are red.
Don’t trust drivers to obey traffic rules or acknowledge your right of way.
Stay alive, even if it means giving way or even breaking traffic rules.

njkayaker

(Without water, it's useless.)

The WHO stuff appears to mostly focus on dehydration related to diarrhea (like that due to gastroenteritis).

Are there any studies related to showing a real difference versus using just water related to the kinds of cases you are seeing?

This shows no difference between ORS and sports drink (not sure why they didn't look at just-water too).

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wemjournal.org%2Farticle%2FS1080-6032(18)30005-X%2Fpdf&clen=419718

This shows a benefit of ORS over water for cramps (in young men).

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/arti...70-021-00414-8

shelbyfv

Another good ORS choice is Liquid IV. I carry what I expect to use, plus an extra tube to share if needed.

donm1967

I took a bumble bee to the back of the mouth a few weeks ago. Used long tweezers to get the stinger out.

one4smoke

...and for the newbies of clipless, don't forget that you're clipped in.

Atlas Shrugged

Disregard anyone who posts in BF with absolute certainty especially when they refer to 20 year + old technology and beliefs. Quick tell is when they begin to refer to their 3x7 drivetrain and legacy steel frame, rim brake bike as peak bicycle development.

wolfchild

In my 15 years of cycling and riding many 100 mile centuries in very hot humid weather I've never carried electrolyte powders.. I prefer real food, I just stop and eat real food.

wolfchild

Hey I ride fixed gear and singlespeed ....That's a 100 year old technology and it works great, I also don't use energy gels, I prefer real food.

cyclezen

OK, I'll add another one for us roadies...
To really reduce frequency of flats.
Wipe your tires often (while riding), especially when you've just gone thru a section of road crap, grit or intersections with small, even shallow rain/water channels.
The channels collect all sorts of sharp crappage, micro steel belt bits, screws, false teeth... LOL!
Ride On
Yuri

shelbyfv

This does not surprise me....

ofajen

Fig bars are a great choice.

Otto

Rdmonster69

Help out a fellow cyclist when the opportunity presents itself. Clear safety glasses are handy when its buggy and u don't really need shades. Clean your bike often and don't let your chain squeaky.

gringomojado

or don't slow down

GlennR

Best accessory i've purchased.

rsbob 

Shower after your ride - if not for you, for your loved ones, especially if they are a dog.

And, a helmet is cheaper than a neurosurgeon.

canklecat

Yup, some folks can do that. A riding buddy carries only plain water and might drink half on our usual 26 mile weekday rides in summer, and might finish the bottle on a 50 mile summer ride. (Funny thing... in every Facebook announcement of the ride schedules he always recommends participants bring water with electrolytes, even though he doesn't do so himself.)

Meanwhile I'll finish both bottles and be looking for more during a 26 mile ride. Between the club ride and my bike commute to and from those rides, I'll ride 40-45 miles altogether and usually drink four full bottles by the time I get home. I use electrolytes only in the first bottle. That's been enough for me. After that plain cool water is fine.

I've tried hydration techniques recommended by other folks. When I was an amateur boxer most coaches insisted we didn't drink during training, and just rinse and spit. One didn't even like rinsing water -- he wanted us to just dab cold water from the fountain on our wrists. That misguided practice may have cost Jack Johnson in his loss to the younger Jess Willard. Johnson was outboxing Willard early, but faded in the intense heat and visibly slowed until he was caught with a legit punch (despite Johnson's later claims that he took a dive, in good quality films it's obvious he was knocked out by a punch). Same with Ray Robinson's attempt to win the light heavyweight title from Joey Maxim. Robinson faded in the heat. Proper hydration might have changed the outcomes of both fights.

The problem with drinking plain water is it isn't absorbed rapidly enough during the one-minute breaks between rounds. Bloating from water sitting in the stomach makes fighters vulnerable to body punches. But all you need to do is add something to hasten absorption. In the old days some trainers and cornermen brewed up stuff like switchel, weak tea with lemon and a little honey or sugar. They didn't know the science about osmolarity, they just knew it helped avoid bloating. Nowadays most good electrolyte mixes accomplish the same thing more efficiently.

Same with high school football coaches. They'd push that nonsense during summer two-a-days until too many kids died from dehydration and heat stroke. Some of them still do, despite laws and lawsuits over those stupid hydration deprivation techniques. Same with a crusty old Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman when I was assigned to the Marines as a Corpsman. He'd fuss at the younger guys for even sipping water during our 10 mile marches with full packs. And he'd recommend taking salt tablets. The guy was an idiot. We ignored him.

As a young amateur boxer and in occasional cycle races in the 1970s I'd get stomach cramps every time I tried to cut back on my water consumption, or failed to drink at least a little Gatorade. I hated the taste of Gatorade but it did help prevent stomach cramps. Same in 2015-'16 when I resumed cycling after a long hiatus. I'd get stomach cramps on moderately hard rides every spring until I started adding electrolytes to one bottle. No problems since then.

BobbyG

In winter when riding in sub-freezing temperatures don't over-dress. You will warm up after 7-12 minutes...dress for that. Over-dressing causes sweat which will then freeze and make you really cold. (And cover exposed flesh).

Rdmonster69

I can say from experience .....Neurosurgeon's are very very expensive ...... worth every penny tho

kahn

But I only have a $25 co-pay!

friday1970

If you ride roads, ALWAYS wear a mirror. See cars before they see you, and track them as they pass. If anything, I feel much safer by knowing where they are behind and if I need to move over to the right a bit more.

locolobo13 

On the clouds of gnats.. You don't have to close your mouth. Just your teeth. You might catch a few in the grill..

kahn

And then chew carefully! Who needs electrolytes!

charlie_boy

Oh my.

cyclezen

So, maybe add one more idea which works for me (and a few others...)
if you're gonna ride one-handed for any measurable time - road or hardpack
eat a banana, nutrition bar, gel, or some serious nose excavation, whatever...
move the hand on the bar as close to the stem as possible.
most stable steering, least chance of you dumping yourself to the pavement.
bike will do a better job, without your one-handed help...
try it, You'll like it.
ride on
yuri