Taste Test - Carb BOOM! and Honey Stinger Gels

Even though lately I've gravitated towards eating sandwiches, bananas, and even the occasional breakfast biscuit on the bike, gels often supply some of my fueling needs as well. I've decided to make an ongoing series of gel taste tests, and since this is the first installment I'd like to point out what I've found to be a few of the pros and cons of gels when it comes to eating on the bike.

Pros:

• Gels are easy to carry - I generally pack at least two for any ride of two hours or more and often add another if I'm going to be riding with others (to offer to someone else who may have forgotten or need extra food) and I never notice they're in my pocket
• Gels are easy to eat - for the most part eating a gel takes less than 30 seconds, just rip open, squeeze, swallow, put the wrapper back in your pocket (don't litter), wash it down with a little water and you're done
• Gels generally sit well in your stomach - one of the best things about gels is that you can get a carb and electrolyte hit without making your stomach do too much work, which is important during medium and high intensity activity
• Gel wrappers can make an emergency tire boot - I actually saw a friend's gel wrapper "patch" that stood up to over 50 miles of pretty tough mountain biking

Cons

• Gels a relatively pricey - most run about $1.50 or more per gel - compare that to a banana or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Gels don't give you a "full" feeling - while this is a good thing during an intense workout, during lower intensity activity they do little to satisfy hunger
• Gels can get boring - I don't care how many flavors you have, eventually you'll get bored of the same texture over and over

Once you've figured out when gels do and don't work for you, the question remains: which are the best and tastiest gels around? This is where I, your intrepid reporter, have subjected and will continue to subject my taste buds and digestive tract to various energy gel offerings in the hopes of enlightening the masses. In order to keep things as controlled as possible I consumed these on low-moderate intensity training rides of 2 hours or longer. I've rated each on one a 1-5 scale on taste (1 being "I had to spit it out" and 5 being "I'm going to eat this for breakfast everyday) and "stomachability (1 being "This product gave me gastrointestinal distress" and 5 being "I had no issues whatsoever").

First up is the Carb BOOM! energy gel. Carb BOOM! gels differ from most in that aside from having an awesome name, they contain no artificial flavor, sweetener, or color (not sure why you'd color a gel, if you can see it, you're doing it wrong). The primary carbohydrate source in Carb BOOM! gels is maltodextrin, which I've been told by folks who know way more about that stuff than I do is one of the better carb sources to have.

• Strawberry-Kiwi: I expected this to be my favorite of the Carb BOOM! gels because my favorite gel flavor is PowerBar's Strawberry Banana. I suppose, however, that strawberry and kiwi flavors in their natural state are actually a lot milder than my Americanized taste buds have come to expect, and what I ate tasted to me more like an unripe banana with berry and kiwi overtones. Perhaps the maltodextrin flavor just overpowers this combo, but I would not purchase this gel again. Taste: 1.5, Stomachability: 4.5
• Vanilla-Orange: I didn't know what to expect out of this one but after the Strawberry-Kiwi had some trepidation about trying it. I was pleased to find that although this flavor still had some of that weird maltodextrin taste the orange masked it well without being overpowering. I didn't notice a lot of vanilla flavor, although I do think that hints of it helped take the "edge" off the orange. Taste: 2.5, Stomachability: 5
• Apple-Cinnamon: I bought this flavor as a deviation from my usual routine, and as a rule I don't eat apply-cinnamony things. However, this ended up being my favorite of the Carb BOOM! gels, if for no other reason than it tasted exactly like what I would imagine apples and cinnamon to taste like. Of the three flavors I thought this one was the richest without any of the maltodextrin taste that the others had. Plus with this test happening in December I felt it brought a little holiday flavor to my ride. Taste: 4, Stomachability: 5

I would like to point out that while I didn't always like the flavors, the Carb BOOM! gels always sat well on my stomach. Their product is available in 8 other flavors as well and I will probably feature some of those in an upcoming test.

Next up we have three offerings from Honey Stinger, a Colorado-based outfit that sets itself apart by making nutrition products containing mostly, you guessed it, honey. You can read more about the claimed benefits of using honey as a natural sweetener on their website. The gels also contain maltodextrin as a carb source and a variety of electrolytes. One important note - since they do contain honey, most Honey Stinger products should not be fed to infants under one year of age. Your budding athlete will have to get his/her nutrition elsewhere until their first birthday.

• Chocolate: I admit I have a sweet tooth and I love chocolate, however, even on a slightly chilly, moderate ride this flavor was a bit much for me. The common thread of the three Honey Stinger gels I tried is a syrupy sweetness (which I suppose one would expect from honey) and paired with cocoa it's just a bit much. This particular gel was also fairly thick and I had to resort to folding the packet in half and using my teeth to remove its contents. However, it does deliver exactly what one would expect from honey mixed with chocolate. Taste: 3, Stomachability: 2
• Ginsting: At first I thought this gel might possibly be some sort of piney, gin-flavored gel but was disappointed to learn that it's really just honey, ginseng, and some other crap that you will just gloss over when you read the label. As expected there was a predominant syrupy sweetness from the honey as well as a little bit of spice. Not bad, but still a little overwhelming in the sweetness department. Taste: 3.5, Stomachability: 2
• Gold: As far as I can tell "Gold" flavor just means honey. I thought this gel might contain actual gold flakes (like Goldschlager), however a quick scan of the ingredients reveals no metals whatsoever. It's just as well, Honey Stinger would get crap for including gold anyway because it's obvious that titanium is a much more appropriate choice, followed by 6061 shot-peened aluminum. To be honest, I'd have difficulty distinguishing between "Gold" and "Ginsting" because the flavors are very similar. It seems honey tends to overwhelm whatever you pair it with. Taste: 3.5, Stomachability: 2

I thought I felt a bit of uneasiness in my stomach after I first ingested each of the Honey Stinger gels, however after a few minutes the feeling always passed. Still, I can't help believe that during an intense event these gels would not sit well at all. The other issue I had with the Honey Stinger is the packaging: by combining a thick consistency gel with a relatively thick package they've produced a product which is more difficult to consume on the bike than its competition. Twice I cut the sides of my mouth with the sharp edge of the package whilst trying to extract the contents. And that, dear reader, will make for an unpleasant ride.

Christmas Shopping for the Cyclist on Your List

So it's December 7th and you still don't know what to get for that hard-to-shop for cyclist in your life. Well the Bike Critic is here to help - below you'll find ideas that are sure to please any cyclist and fit any budget. Although I composed this list mostly with roadies in mind I've also included a few ideas for those whose bicycle tastes wander away from the open road. You've only 17 shopping days left as I type this, so get crackin!

$5-20 Range

Nutrition Items: Gels and nutrition bars retails for about $1.50 - $2.00 each and are something that every cyclist will use and can be found at any local bike shop (that's LBS for short) and often at places such as GNC, Whole Foods, Target, etc. The idea here is to get a smattering of flavors so that you turn every ride into a culinary adventure! Popular gel brands include PowerBar, Gu, Accel, and Hammer. For solid foods I recommend Bonk Breaker, Clif Bloks, and PowerBar Bites. Purchase an array of these to make a great stocking stuffer.

Tubes: Every cyclist flats once in a while and although tubes aren't the most exciting thing around they're extremely practical. And at $5 a piece retail you can easily replenish your loved one's stock. Make sure to get the right size - if you don't know what size your cyclist uses then carefully check the tires of their bike, it's printed on the sidewall. Look for a number such as "700cx23" or if they're a mountain biker "26x2.2." If their tire size starts with "650" consider getting them an entirely new bike without ridiculous tiny wheels. Write the number down, also note what kind of valve stem is on the wheel (if it looks like your car valve stem or not) and take that info to your LBS. They'll be able to find the right tube for you. Make sure you get standard tubes, anything fancier is really a waste of money.

Bar Tape: This is another practical item every roadie/triathlete can use that runs from $10-$20 retail. Fancy tapes such as "Stitch Wrap" or "Grippy Tape" are popular, and Specialized makes a kind of textured tape that is great for triathlon bikes. You can color coordinate with their rig or just buy white. Repeat after me: "Black is slow, white is fast. Black is slow..."

Wool Socks: Riding in the cold sucks in general but it sucks a little less when you can actually feel your toes. Wool socks start out at about $15 and will keep your cyclist's tootsies from going numb on those miserable winter training rides. Smartwool, Sockguy, Castelli, and many others make excellent wool socks in a multitude of colorways/designways. Make sure you get ones with tall cuffs.

Coffee: Roadies love their caffiene and there are a surprising number of bike-themed coffees available in the $10-20 range. Jittery Joe's, 53x11, and Phil Liggett's are just a few of those available.

$20-100 Range

Cycling-themed Casual Clothing: Cyclists want the world to know that they ride even when they're off the bike (why do you think we shave our legs?) so it's hard to go wrong with cool cycling-related casual clothing. Twin Six currently makes some of the coolest cycling-themed t-shirts around and their quality is top-notch. You can also find cool tees from Rock Racing or Lance Armstrong's Mellow Johnny's bike shop. If you're a big spender then you can drop around $100 for a track jacket from Castelli (remember, Castelli stuff is made for tiny Italian people so order one size up, unless your cyclist happens to be a tiny Italian) or a wool jersey from Pearl Izumi. Wool jerseys are available from many manufacturers and often look as good off the bike as they do on it.

RoadID: For a little over $20 you can get a laser-engraved ID tag for your loved one to wear whenever they hit the road. RoadID offers multiple models in several colors (the RoadID Elite is particularly cool) and you can add up to six lines of emergency info. What better way to show you care? Order by December 14th for Christmas delivery.

Magazine Subscriptions: Give the gift that gives year round! You can look in your cyclist's bathroom to see what magazines they currently read or use my handy guide below.

Your cyclist is a:

• Roadie - If he's a Europhile who rides a Colnago or Pinarello, try Cycle Sport or ProCycling. If he's a Category 1/2/3/4 racer who spends every weekend at an event, then go for Road or VeloNews.
• Triathlete - Triathlete. Doesn't get easier than that.
• Casual/Recreational cyclist - Bicycling magazine.
• Mountain Biker - assuming they're literate, Dirt Rag or Highlights for Children

Blinky Lights: Keep your cyclist safe as the days get shorter with a set of blinky lights. For the ultimate in compact lighting that will delight the gadget/tech geek, I suggest the Blackburn Flea. They're a available as a front/rear combo for about $50. For the casual cyclist/hipster Knog makes compact lights in multiple colors. For the commuter or just the ultimate in visibility I suggest the $25 Planet Bike Superflash (this same light is also sold under different brand names so ask at your LBS).

Cateye Bike Computer: The Cateye Strada Wireless ($60 retail) is one of the best bike computers for its ease of use and installation. It's also available in a double-wireless version that features cadence (very popular with triathletes) for $100.

$100-$200 Range

Really Sweet Kits: It's hard to go wrong when decking your cyclist out with a full team kit. Mellow Johnny's has some of the best looking outfits around, and teams such as Garmin-Slipstream, Cervelo and Rock Racing seem to have realized they can sell more shorts and jerseys if they look cool. You can go with your cyclist's favorite team or try some of the fashionable jerseys from Twin Six (don't forget matching socks). DO NOT purchase anything from Primal Wear unless your cyclist rides either a) a single-speed mountain bike or b) a recumbent.

Carbon Fiber Bottle Cages: Roadies love lightweight fragile things, so if your cyclist doesn't have carbon bottle cages this will make their rig complete. To find if your cyclist already has carbon cages, wait until they're not around then go up to their bike, look at the bottle cages, and make a mean face. If the cages don't crumble under the oppressing weight of your grimace, they're not carbon. Carbon cages can be found at your LBS for about $50 per and are made by just about every bike manufacturer, so you can match them to your loved one's bike. I prefer the RXL Cage from Bontrager; Arundel, Serfas, and many others make nice carbon cages as well.

A Helmet: If your cyclist does time trials or stage races or if they're a triathlete, they need an aero helmet. These are the kind that make you look like a rocket man from a 60's comic book. Specialized, Giro, and Louis Garneau all make nice ones in multiple colors. Make sure you go whole hog and get the carrying case too, otherwise it will suck when that $200 helmet gets crushed in the trunk.

Suppose your cyclist has an aero helmet or maybe doesn't time trial. If their current helmet is over 3 years old, it's time for a replacement. Helmet foam breaks down chemically over time so that it doesn't protect as well. Get a top-o-the-line model from Giro, Bell, or Specialized and you can't go wrong (you can check their current helmet for brand and size preference). Don't know what color to get? You can match your cyclist's team kit, or remember that white, silver and black go with anything.

The Nuclear Option

If you're a corrupt Wall Street CEO or your coffers are just particularly well-lined this season, here a few show-stopping (albeit spendy) ways to make it a Christmas to remember

Rapha Bike Clothing: If your cyclist has a $9000 Italian superbike but only rides it three times a month then consider some bike clothing from Rapha. I've never seen the stuff but it's incredibly expensive and sure to satisfy the snob in them.

Zipp 404 Wheelset: Zipp wheels are the gold standard in aero and the 404 is the most versatile wheelset of the bunch. At $2300 retail they're not cheap, but if your cyclist doesn't have a set, he wishes he did. If you're feeling particularly generous you can get the PowerTap SLC+ version and let your cyclist monitor their power on their rides. If your cyclist is a triathlete then go for the Zipp 808 wheelset instead. Note: wheelsets are component-specific. If the components on your loved one's bike say "SRAM" or "Shimano" make sure you buy a SRAM/Shimano wheelset. If they say "Campagnolo" then consider buying them a complete SRAM component group as well so they can get rid of that Campy crap. And don't forget the Zipp Tangente tires at $110 a pop.

Cycling Vacation: I've heard these exist but have never been on one. Apparently they include sag-supported rides through various scenic locales and plush accommodations. Trek Travel offers several complete packages as do others. For the ultimate gift, make it a European cycling vacation.

Other Ideas

So you say to me "My cyclist isn't a hard-core roady, what do I do?" Here's a short list of things that are sure to appeal to the other riders out there.

If your cyclist is a:

• Triathlete: Visit your LBS and ask for the most complicated hydration system they have. The more tubes, bottles, and mysterious hardware the better
• Cyclocrosser: Beer. Anything from Belgium in a 750ml bottle
• Mountain biker: Beer. Anything from Wisconsin/Colorado in a 12 oz. can
• Commuter: Home composting starter kit
• Recumbent rider: Personal grooming kit
• Hipster: Carton of Camel Turkish and the new Animal Collective CD
• The Bike Critic: Cannondale Slice Hi-Mod Ultimate size 54cm with SRM cranks, Hed Black Dog aerobar, SRAM R2C shifters and Look Keo 2Max Carbon/Ti pedals

Happy Holidays and happy hunting!