StevenAkaProek

The main key ingredient in all these cycling energies gels, drinks etc is Maltodextrin, which is a complex carb

I bought 7 pounds for $20 shipped @ Nutrabio

https://nutrabio.com/Products/carbomax_maltodextrin.htm

I mix it with gatorade and it gets me going strong. It's a great way to save money and drink healthier drinks with out all those simple carbs


I hope this thread helps you guys sorry if old

wanlogan

Question: Do you mix with Gatorade mix or the bottled stuff?

Machka 

I have used maltodextrin as a the base for my own drink mix. Rowan has a good recipe, and I sort of mix it up loosely based on that. We get our maltodextrin from local wine-making establishments. In Canada, I'd pay $1 for about 2 cups of it which would last me for quite a lengthy time.

My most common recipe when I was just throwing something together was a bunch of maltodextrin, and a bit of table sugar, with a dash of "half-salt" (half salt/half potassium), and a few shakes of powdered drink mix ... done to taste.

corbett1010

i make my own gel with maltodextrin and i also make a 4:1 carb/protein mix for really long rides and recovery drinks

bismillah

Im thinking about making my own powder.

Ingredients:
Salt
Argininine
B12
B16
Maltodextrin
Some other stuff.

botto 

i used to mix barley malt syrup in a bottle, every now and then.

Phil85207

And I just got another large jug of Hammer Heed and Recoverite. I should have started this thread and would have saved some money.

corbett1010

there is nothing wrong with the hammer stuff, i still use it all the time, its nice cause you dont have to experiment in your kitchen and its always ready, sometimes i just dont have the time to make my own stuff, besides hammer tastes much better

skol

Tang

Terex

Cows.

Brightwork

Half Tropicana / half water for me.

SillyRabbit

Black Tea + Pinch of Salt + Honey

San Rensho 

Very sweet, salted Koolade.

agarose2000

Malto online sells for $55 for 50lbs - way cheaper than what you bought it for.

cwk132

I don't necessarily make my own, but I use gatorade powder and usually water it down to only 1/2 to 2/3 strength. If it's a longer ride and I need a second bottle, the second will just be water.

SethOK

I still recall the first time I ordered some Maltodextrin off the internets. I opened the box, which contained a clear bag full of 5lbs of Maltodextrin. I showed her and she was all WTFing about me getting into the drug biz. I lol'd.

Basil Moss

Yep. 2 parts maltodextrin, 1 part Fructose. Unrefined sea salt. When I mix it I sometimes add the juice of half a lime per bottle. I add whey protein if necessary. I make my own gels too- maltodextrin, salt and caffeine powder, mixed to slime with whatever delicious fruit juice I like. So much cheaper, and tastes so much better.

shouldberiding

Tried HEED the other day and found it too sweet at full strength. Still got another single serving packet, might try it at half strength this time.

Been thinking about making my own drinks lately though.

ptle

Water + <2 tablespoons of sugar + dash of salt + very little Zizzaz

texascyclist

Keep in mind guys that not all Maltodextrin is the same. They have different sweetnesses (if that matters to you) and different absorption (osmolality).

Osomolality and a significant portion of fructose are key ideas here. Osomolality will regulate the absoption rate in your gut. Basically, the higher the number of particles (molecules) per unit of water, the slower the absorption into your system. A good idea is to start with half maltodextrin, one quarter dextrose and the other quarter sugar. Sugar is half glucose and half fructose. This gives you 1/8th fructose. Fructose has a different transport system than glucose, so you maximize your energy delivery by maximizing the amount of fructose. There is a limit that you can handle before it just hangs out and has a party in your intestines. If the fructose is more than you can bear, add less sugar and more dextrose or maltodextrin.

FYI, if you are not familiar with it, dextrose is pure glucose and maltodextrin is long chain molecules of glucose. The body sees both as the same, pure energy, but absorption initially affected by how big the molecules are before the chains are broken down.

StevenAkaProek

yea however I trust nutrabio, their products are the best quality


great replies, going to add some ideas to my drinks

Machka 

The nice thing about maltodextrin is that it isn't particularly sweet. It's quite bland. That way a person can add whatever flavour they prefer to it.

Val23708

you can load a bottle with ~400-500 calories of malto and it'll dissolve all the way. I usually mix a regular serving of gatorade powder (costco) in with about a cup of malto (1/4c = 100 kcal).

10 lbs of malto is huge. I got it for $1/lb and it was over cubic ft in volume.

whatever you do, always flavor your malto, otherwise you will choke on it

Nachoman

Is this a cost saving thing or are you all just unhappy with the current products on the market?

Basil Moss

So you'd think, but maltodextrin and glucose have an identical GI, suggesting that in real life, both are absorbed at the same rate. If you want something that absorbs slower than sugar, try starch, preferably with lots of fibre included. But slow absorbing sugar isn't really the aim of the game in a bike race- you are trying to maximise your absorbtion of sugars because whatever happens, you can't replace it as quick as you are burning through it.