A leap in the dark, I bought a large bag of the orange and one of the lemon lime; this on the strength of the reviews. As one of those unfortunate souls that cramp up in the legs and feet after even a 25 or 30 mile ride, I've obviously tried most of the formulas out there that promise to obviate the dreaded stabbing pain. 200 miles over 5 rides and (touch wood) the legs are silent. Oh yes, let this be the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Thank you Lord, for the alchemists at Skratch Labs.
You need to find out where you are with Perpetuem. Maybe a full dose is too much? Maybe too little? I usually use HEED early on and then switch to a HEED-Perpetuem mix later on during a ride. Everybody is different. Find your mix, then enjoy the ride. Ive been using Hammer products, namely HEED and Perpetuem for quite a while (20 years) and Ive found my "mix". Once you find your sweet spot you will be good to go. I like to get my calories and nutrition from a liquid and not a solid as I don't want to have to waste energy digesting solids during a long ride. Hammer is science for endurance athletes. You do the fine tuning.
I've bought various water bottles--plain and tepidly insulated--the latter lasting about twice as long as the plain one. Where I live we have microclimates, when I leave the house it can be 63' and eight miles inland 85'. This mean my ice filled insulated bottle water starting is fully melted at the 1/2 way point and will become rather yucky on the way back (and I still have another 500 feet of elevation to climb coming back. The Camelbak Podium is an excellent way to quench ones thirst on a hot day on my return leg, as it maintains the ice cold temps for two hours easily when kept full and makes the return so much more pleasant. It's a little heavier and rattles in my plastic water bottle cage, but a thin strip of Velcro dampens out the sound.
I follow GU's suggested uses. 1 Gel before ridiing & one at my mid-way turn around place. Between the Gels & an energy bar with a cheese stick. I've never bonked on any ride. Longer or as scheduled. Fast & easy to absorb & tastes great when room temp or out of the back of my jersey pouch. Starting my outdoor riding season. I always have two boxes of mandarin orange,Gels. That way I'm covered for the season & stationary bicycling days during bad weather.
