rsbob 

Yeah, I have heard of and experienced brain cramps too. The ones that really get me out of bed in a nanosecond are of the hamstring variety.

seypat

Mustard contains tumeric.That's supposidly the magic ingredient. Tumeric is in the Ginger family. Isn't Ginger used to calm an upset stomach?

KerryIrons

They are both simply a good source of electrolytes. Table salt works wonders as well. Good hydration is not really possible in hot, humid conditions without a good dose of electrolytes to keep your water balance. Being in shape, hydration, and electrolytes are what work for me.

unterhausen

Ginger might work. I have my doubts about tumeric.

I thought the magic ingredient was the vinegar.

genejockey 

Why not eat a pickle instead? It's a lot better than drinking the brine.

Ttom

Muscle cramps are a sign of mineral deficiencies.

jaxgtr

So my wife is a crafter and she gets these horrible muscle spasms in her hands, and I mentioned pickle juice to her before. She looked at me like WTF..... Then I bought her a package of the pickle pops. It is almost instant relief and she keeps them in the refrig. Now , knowing this, do you think she uses one before she starts these all day crafting things, no, but I am not one to say, I told you to take one before you started, ..... ok I do, but that is what you do when you try and teach advanced crafting prep. I am not a fan of pickles, so pickle juice would have to be an avenue of last resort.

RoulezTandem

Regular calf cramps for 50 years.
Taking calcium with magnesium daily has vastly reduced cramps frequency and duration.
A winter bout of alarming escalating 20 minute long cramps eventually linked to new use of an unregulated testosterone supplement. Stopped use and deescalated the new cramps.

Rarely cramp after biking on our Bafang assisted tandem, as i dont strain as much. More often cramp riding solo on regular bike.

rsbob 

Thanks for the reminder. Have a long ride planned today so I baggied a pickle for insurance.

Chuckles1

If you can tolerate the foul taste. If I cycle and golf the same day, I get restless legs and can't sleep. The when I do finally sleep, I wake to cramped calves, painful as heck.

Bought an 8 pack of coconut water, 10 ounce cans recently. Drank a can in the evening after cycling and golf, with good results. Don't know if I can bring myself to try it again. No nausea or I'll effects; just a remarkably foul taste. And that's a refrigerated can poured into a beer mug fresh from the freezer. Best to get it down as quick as possible.

I'm going back to tonic water when the coconut water is used up, or before...

rm -rf

The linked story in the Wash Post isn't about pickle juice as a preventative. It's a "short circuit the cramp by taking a tablespoon of pickle juice".

excerpts:

• Experimental data in healthy college-aged men suggests that pickle juice inhibits muscle cramps through a reflex involving a nerve in our throats. It’s why a tablespoon of pickle brine hitting the back of the throat seemed to bring relief within seconds.

and

• Pickle juice may also work for cramps that aren’t induced by exercise.A randomized controlled trial published last year found that a sip of pickle juice reducedmusclecramp intensity in patients with cirrhosis.

I'm guessing it's the acid, not the salts and minerals.
A post in a previous thread mentioned trying packets of pickle relish, carried on the ride.

I used to get painful random leg cramps in bed, and now I have a tiny squeeze bottle of wine vinegar standing by. No cramps for a couple of months lately though, so it's not been tested.

rsbob 

I am trying to do the math and all I can get is 45%.

IcySwan1 

My father regularly took quine pills for cramps, which ties in the the tonic water suggestions above. I have used lemons fairly successfully to help with cramps in the calves. But generally cramping has not been a problem until about 2 weeks ago. Although I am retired I occasionally fill in for folks when needed. It is a relatively specialized field and I don't mind helping. I am now in the 5th week of stint away from home which impacted my ability to ride regularly [5-6 days a week, 20-40 miles]. I did manage to get home 2 weeks ago for a few days. I rode an easy 30 miles with no problem. That evening I suffered the worst cramp I ever had on my inner thigh, along the gracilis muscle of all things [that muscle is usually not an issue in men except for hockey players. I did play hockey, but that was 50-60 years ago]. In any event, it contracted so hard that I ended up with a huge bruise on the inner thigh. The bruise was very, very large and I still have remnants now. The best I can figure it that the cramp was so violent that caused some blood vessels to break and hence the contusion. Very odd. I did take an easy ride after that and everything seemed fine except for the wicked bruising.

The ride that day was easy, the weather not hot, and I was hydrated and fueled. It truly seems ideopathic. I sure didn't expect it.

Mike

PeteHski

Even though the specific causes of cramp are still unknown, muscle fatigue appears to be a major factor when cramping during a ride. The only times I’ve suffered cramp during a ride is when I’ve over-reached significantly beyond my conditioning at the time. I have never cramped on a ride that I was adequately conditioned for. Neither have I ever cramped in the early part of a ride. So for me it is down to fatigue and conditioning.

I would rather suffer cramp than pickle juice!

bwilli88 

Bananas, pickles, and fresh coconut juice with a spritz of lemon.

downtube42

Back when 40 miles was a pretty long ride for me, and a century was a once a year deal, I would cramp frequently both during and after rides. Sometimes debilitating cramps would lock up my legs after a ride.

Then I discovered randonneuring, and now do a 200km or longer every month. Sometimes much much longer.

Now I experience two types of cramps: inner thigh, and calf. The inner thigh ones I call climbing cramps, because they only occur after a bit of low cadence high effort climbs. They hurt like hell, then go away and don't come back no matter how many more miles i ride that day. Weird. Tucking my knees in while pedaling seems to help, but i don't treat then in any way. Profanity also seems to help. Occasionally I'll get calf cramps at night, after a hard (not necessarily long) ride. Maybe I'll throw some of those pickle juice packs on my kit to try. I'm just not sure i want another thing to deal with, whilst already in a situation on the road.