UKC

I realise it’s very subjective but can you recommend me some different makes of energy gel. I’d like to try a few different ones to select one that agrees with me, doesn’t taste awful, etc. I’ve got a few homemade recipes to try, but want a commercial option for when I can’t be arsed. 

Haven’t found any that taste great, I use SiS lime ones which are okay.

In terms of more food like stuff Veloforte and Torq stuff is the best I have found taste/texture wise.

Tried them all and gone back to real food as they rot your teeth . A hot cross bun with cheese and pickle is my go to . Friends suggest hummus and a bit of salad on wholemeal. 

I buy the selection boxes of mixed flavour SIS ones, mid priced, isotonic so you can still digest them if you are dehydrated. Good mix of flavours. 

I’m a big fan of GU gels. Good flavours and a thick consistency.

I've been using the active root gel mix. It's powder which you mix and decant into a small soft flask. It's not as good as necking a bottle of maple syrup but the cacao one is decent, but doesn't have lots of wrappers left over and is quids cheaper than SIS and other brands

Mountain fuel

Hi George, I'm a big fan of Named Sport Total Energy Fruit Jelly Peach Orange & Lemon. 

Not sickly sweet.

That'll go down a treat in the middle of a 3hr hill race.

Gels aren't a substitute for real food but they have their place. 

Second vote for mountain fuel here, the only thing I can still get down when my whole variety of other snacks fails to tempt me towards the end of an ultra - also they do an electrolyte powder in their 'raw' flavour which is excellent, basically not too sweet and is much easier to keep drinking for a long time.

Most of them make me feel sick. Kendal mint cake ones with caffeine should too, but they don't.  Minty rocket fuel.

Not a big user, but the only ones I've liked have been SiS Cherry. Mainly I use analogue Mint Cake or Scotch Tablet squares.

I like Sponser salty gels. Got me through an olympic traithlon with no issues. They’re not as sweet or acidic as some of the citrus flavoured ones I find. Maurten are objectively good but require you to drink the right amount to be effective. 

Another vote for SIS. Less sickly than others

Getting food down 3 hours into a race has never been a problem IME.

It's later on in longer races that it starts to get tricky.

I've never got on with gels but  Vitaldin power gummies do a great job for me without the sticky mess of empty gel sachets.

I said 'a 3hr hill race' not 3 hrs into a race. I find 3-4hr races tricky nutrition wise. They're long enough that you want something but you're working hard enough that anything that needs chewing can be difficult to get down.

I said "IME" which translated as in my experience last time I checked

If find that most things go down OK in small pieces at any race duration up to the 6 to 8 hour mark.  Things can get trickier beyond that point but If I'm struggling with nutrition gels are rarely the answer.

Another vote for these. Used them deep into ultras when I couldn't face eating anything but desperately needed to get something down me.

Likewise, I will use them in a 15km trail race when I want to carry barely anything, don't want to waste time on food stops but can't make it round on body reserves (at least not at full pace). 

I prefer real food the rest of the time but like others have said, they have their place. 

A biodegradable one - I'm sick to the back teeth picking up discarded plastic gel pouches along popular running and MTB trails...

SIS ones are a particular villain but maybe that's down to popularity or just the day-glo colours or maybe SIS users just think throwing their plastic waste on the ground is ok, dunno, there are just loads of them.

What's analogue mint cake? Is that just a weird autocorrect for Kendal, or is it a thing?

I take it you've converted to Digital Mint Cake then?

Crypto Cake…..it’s the future 

I'm on to quantum mint cake now. The only problem is that you can't tell if there's anything in the packet until you open it up and have a look.

Haha, I replied just after Wainers44 had mentioned Kendal mint cake gels, so thought I'd better indicate old fashioned mint cake bars somehow. The 10g Romney's 'dinner mint' versions are handy, or a paper sweetie poke of pre-broken bits. 

Do Clif 'Shot Bloks' count as gels?  Perhaps not, but I find they're pretty palatable and despite being 'energy chews' rather than gels they're very easy to get down.  They're basically just fancy jelly cubes, with or without caffeine in.

So analogue means old-fashioned now? That is like literally so random! 🙂

I actually Googled analogue mint cake 😂

They cost a ton but the Maurten are good.

When I ran, I used to save those for races.  The rest of the time I'd use the cheaper ones.  The wiggle own brand was fine but I can't find them on the site so perhaps they stopped making it.  KMC gels got high marks - both with and without caffeine but I wish the packets made it more clear which was which!  OTE also were high in rotation with a good mix of flavours and caffeine content.

Only occasionally use them but when I do, sis are the best for flavour as not too sugary. Tried Mountain fuel raw once and nearly gagged as they taste like condom lubricant uggghhhh

You've made my day! 😂

I've seen it (analogue) used this way lightheartedly, referring to paper books, non e-bikes,  and so on. I guess could also have said acoustic mint cake if we were more music oriented. One upshot of Googling it is finding the recipe for making it yourself? 🙂

I try to avoid gels because I generally find them too sweet.

My go to is Tailwind. I generally run with a vest with two soft flasks. I'll have water in one of those and Tailwind in the other, so I can just sip on it when I feel the need for a little energy boost. I'll supplement with trail mix or a granola bar (or, real food if I'm going longer).

In the case where I really feel the need for a gel, I like Clif Shot Bloks. So much less messy than gels!