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Bike Energy Gel Holder

I have just purchased a gel bottle for my bike. Having only done super sprint & sprint distance tri's to date I'm doing my first OD next month and therefore looking for the best way to carry gels with me on the bike. I haven't got to grips with taping them to my top tube yet and don't really like the idea of sticking anything to my shiny new(ish) bike anyway. Besides I can already feel a speed wobble coming on while trying to detach them...

I found this from Harris Active and thought it was worth a try.

http://www.energy4sport.com/acatalog/New_Range_of_Energy_Gel_Products.html

It holds 125ml of gel and attaches to the top tube with a bottle holder. I haven't tried the gel it is supplied with yet, but as it's refillable you can use any gel you like with it. It also means no inadvertant dropping of gel wrappers in the countryside!

Has anyone tried this out yet? I will be using it this weekend and let you know whether it lives up to my expectations or not.

Comments

  • BmanBman Posts: 442
    I think conehead once suggested something which I tried for London OD and it worked a charm. Using electrical insulation tape (which is stronger than normal stuff, and comes off so easily), you just tape the top end of the gels on the top tube. So you tape across the bit that you would rip off, so you just pull the gel and it rips off the top and is open, ready for guzzling. The gel that you would have last is closest to the stem and the preceding ones are taped under that one in a row along the toptube. I'd recommend that over the faff of using storage during a race (up to OD) anyday.
  • I also use the gels in a bottle approach, but go for the slightly low tech option of just filling a standard waterbottle with gel, and it works like a dream! I don't know about shorter races like sprint and OD but I can't think of anything worse than having to fight with opening gels every half hour of a long ride! Some advantages that spring immediately to mind:

    Less clutter on the frame: 750ml bottle Vs 12+ gels strapped all along the top tube (as seemed popular at IMUK)
    No faff with the sachet not opening properly, and either covering you with gel or just not opening at all... you deal with all that at home the night before!
    No litter
    In my oppinion much more faff involved in opening gels than just reahing for and having a swig from a bottle.

    Incidentally I use the SIS gels because they are isotonic, reasonably liquid and taste OK
  • p.s. I also got my bottle advice from Conehead... A fount of practical tips!
  • Ran across this new product that is an alternative to using electrical tape. Order one and have been happy with the results so far.

    http://www.gelrillagrip.com
  • I do like that gellrilla grip... looks great. Saves sticky fingers which drive me mental
  • My trisuit has two little pockets in the back, I think a few have? Anway, before I put on the wet suit I put 2 in each pocket, so 4 in total. They stay nice and safe during the swim, so no faffing about loading them up in transition and then on the bike, just reach round, pull one out, rip it and down it. No bother. I then, like others have mentioned, stuff the empty packets down my front ready to unload before the run. Simples!

    Each to their own I guess though,
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