Bike Food Pure Energy Gel (25 pack)

The latest addition to the Bikefood range of nutrition products is Pure Energy Gel. The 'pure' tag is there to indicate that this gel is made from all natural ingredients, with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. It's also got a good taste and provides a quick and sustained supply of energy.

The taste comes from the main ingredient, honey, which the Bikefood boffins have mixed with agave syrup and carob to create a carbohydrate mix they call 'Triganic Energy'. The only other ingredient is lemon oil, making this gel gluten and dairy free.

This is a carb-only product. There's virtually no protein, and just a dash of sodium which goes towards replacing minerals you lose through sweat.

Each gel weighs 40g, of which almost 30g is carb, providing 117kcal or around 500kj of energy. This compares against similar products from other brands such as High5 (20g of carb per 38g gel) and ZipVit (51g of carb per 60g gel).

Not surprisingly, given Pure Energy Gel's main ingredients, the overall flavour is a mix of honey and lemon. It's very tasty - sweet, but not sickly - although a bit reminiscent of sore throat medicine.

I've used these gels on a couple of long rides, and find them very good. Tasty flavour, neat size, plus what seems to be a quick and then sustained supply of energy. There was no waiting for the gel to 'kick in'; my legs felt the benefit straight away, and then stayed feeling good for 30 to 45 minutes before I needed another top-up.

Based on my experience, I'd recommend giving Pure Energy a try, especially if you don't get on with larger gels or those with different ingredients.

The gels retail at £1.45 each, which isn't a bargain, but gram-for-gram they're about on a par with similar products. You can save a bit of money by buying in bulk: a box of £25 gels costs £33.75 on the Bikefood website, and further discounts are often available at the usual on-line stores.

Finally, a word about litter and Bikefood's answer to this problem. Many riders in races and sportives seem happy to simply drop wrappers at the side of the road once they've eaten the bar or gel it contains. In an effort to discourage this irresponsible (and frankly unnecessary) behaviour, Bike Food invite customers to keep empty wrappers and then post them back. Each wrapper wins a point, and points win prizes. The scheme applies to any wrapper from any brand. See www.gelwrappers.com.

Verdict

Excellent all-natural gel delivering a quick and sustained supply of energy. Great taste and fair value too.