GamJams Reviews: On-Bike Nutrition - CLIF & Gu

Gamjams is back to reviewing products, and this week it's a tastier topic, quite literally.

On-the-bike nutrition. Yummy.

For me, it's basically all Clif products. Clif sponsors my alma mater's team. Some good friends back at GW Cycling appreciate my support, so they let me add on to the team's disconted order. (Speaking of which, I need to get back to one of them about that...)

I like Clif bars. There are plenty of flavors, so they don't get old. They don't have the tough to chew, leathery texture that powerbars had, and their chocolate flavor doesn't taste like dirt. They're quite good. Clif Bars and their Builders Bars are also part of my regular breakfast routine.

Yes, breakfast routine. For the first time in my life, I'm actually eating breakfast regularly. Thank Clif.

Of the flavors, I especially like the Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bar. It's like a brownie meets thin mints. Delicious. But I'm not a fan of caffeine (which it has), so I also like the chocolate chip flavor and get boxes of a few of the nuttier and fruitier flavors.

One of the best recent discoveries I've made is that Clif sells boxes of "mini" Clif bars. Instead of the full-sized bar (250 calories), these mini bars are only 100 calories, thus significantly smaller. Thus, you can actually eat one on the ride and not have to stuff a sticky, half-eaten clif bar back into your jersey.

Interlude: What's the best thing to happen to cycling nutrition since the PowerBar (which wasn't that good in the first place)?

Clif Bloks.

If you haven't tried Clif Bloks yet, you're missing out. They're like gummy bears for cyclists. Except they're not shaped like gummy bears. I haven't tried a flavor I didn't like.

Best thing about them? When you're eating in the middle of a ride or race and someone starts hammering, you can quickly shove a whole heck of a lot of blocks in your mouth and easily chew 'em down. If you're too busy breathing hard to chew, you can do the "hamster" move and stuff them in your cheeks - without gagging because they're yummy. (Just make sure not to crash while pulling this maneuver or someone's going to think you spit your brains out.)

The only downside about Bloks? They're not cheap. No cycling nutrition is cheap, though. That's why the one non-cycling specific food in my cycling-specific pantry are Quaker chewy Chocolate Chip granola bars. Awesome stuff. You should know, though, that they get messy when it's hot out and hard as wood when it's frigid. Oh well, they're cheap and delicious.

Now, let's cover gels. Gu? Clif shot? PowerGel? They're all the same gooey junk. They take care of business and are convenient, but I can't tell one from the other for the basic flavors, so I'll take what I can get cheap. Those are Gu & Clif.

My team is sponsored by Gu (equally great stuff) but more often I order Clif stuff so I get their Clif Shot. Clif shots also have a tab that doesn't break off from the packet, so you're not littering and it's not going through the washing machine when it gets stuck in your pocket.

The only thing I'm really picky about when it comes to nutrition is raisins. I frikken' hate raisins. I'll pass anything with raisins onto that guy on every ride that forget food. Other than that, I go for what leaves a smaller dent in the wallet that doesn't make me gag. After a long year of riding, it all tastes the same anyways.

Thanks for reading, good riding to you all for the upcoming long weekend, and bon apetit.