Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Best/favourite snaks for on the bike

I'm setting off on a longish tour of the Netherlands in a week or so..

i just wondered what is everybody's preference or experiences with snack food to eat on the bike ?

i have suffered the dreaded bonk a few times on long runs and i have read its a good idea to eat at least once every hour (as well as keep rehydrated, which i am better at).

does anybody have any tips - popular foods ?

(i will probably be using a small top bar bag and usually carry a banana)  1

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
Paultheagle | 9 years ago
0 likes

hi everyone

a big thank you to all your replies.

i thought long about the responses and went for some granola bars (almond/chocolate) that were on sale at my local waitrose. i chose them because i could pack a few into the sides of my seat bag as well as my bar bag (they got a bit squashed but perfectly edible) - these and my 1.5 litre water bottle (along with the odd espresso and banana stop) kept me "bonk" free  4

5 days and 250 + miles later, i'm back from the Netherlands and had a lovely time on my first euro trip.

Avatar
Kapelmuur | 9 years ago
0 likes

Home Bargains chewy muesli bars. £0.79 for a pack of 8 (individually wrapped), each bar 91 cal.

Avatar
Quince | 9 years ago
0 likes

On the sugary side, bananas and dried apricots are both pretty good sources of potassium as well as sugar, and are also pretty cheap (un-sulphurised apricots are less sickly in my experience). Dates are good as a dense sugar-hit too, and a little less guilty than throwing pure caster sugar/honey/glucose syrup/etc. down your neck.

The complex carbs are a little harder, because they either require manual labour to turn them into something palatable, or need to be bought in some sort of expensive pre-packaged form. If you fancy/have the equipment for the former, there's a video on rice-cakes here (www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG7bWKK9G7E), and flapjacks here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMJEIiWV3VQ). You could also made savoury rice-cakes to provide a brief respite from all the cloying sweetness.

Throwing in a few nuts on a long ride shouldn't hurt either. Dates and walnuts form a pleasant and delicious goop.

Avatar
bashthebox | 9 years ago
0 likes

I need to try making rice cakes. If they're good enough for Wiggo, Froome & co, they're good enough for me.

As an aside, who else follows the Pro team chefs on twitter? Amazing culinary inspiration there. You might think athletes have a somewhat joyless existence with their food, but you'd be an awfully long way from the truth.

Avatar
S13SFC | 9 years ago
0 likes

For long rides I usually have with me a couple of hot cross buns, with butter and jam, 2 bananas, at least 3 gels (1 as an emergency) and a big bag of jelly babies. Mince pies or fruitcake will sometimes find their way into my pockets.

Jelly babies are munched as I go along and "solids" scoffed after around 50km and 100km.

I also make sure I have a decent breakfast before I head out.

Gets me through 150+km no problem.

Avatar
Muzza62 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Gran Fondo Conwy sportive were giving out Full of Beans snacks - slow release carbs, fruit, nuts, seeds etc.... recently on their feedstations and goody bags.... very nice and not too sickly..
You can buy them on Amazon...
Recently bonked on a long ride, dived into a pub and scoffed a load of nuts, crisps and Coke - Did the trick but not recommended....

Avatar
John_the_Monkey | 9 years ago
0 likes

Percy Pigs, Jelly Babies or Co-Op wine gums.

Avatar
Scrufftie | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm one of those who swear by fig rolls. They are pretty cheap, if that's a consideration, and readily available, at least in the UK. They're are a great size and I eat one every 30mins for a bonk-free ride. I empty a packet into my pocket before I set out and they make very little mess. Highly recommended

Avatar
Raleigh | 9 years ago
0 likes

Bagels

Avatar
Paultheagle | 9 years ago
0 likes

Thanks to everybody for the great advice !

Avatar
severs1966 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Bananas.

or

A dense fruit cake, preferably a moist one (the weight doesn't matter in the Netherlands), pre-sliced… wrapped in greaseproof paper. The rectangular type is most convenient. In my tours of the Netherlands, the bottom of one low-rider pannier has always been the home of the fruit cake.

Avatar
Shep73 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Malt loaf and Ride Peanut Power Bar. If I'm doing a long MTB ride, I take small part bake baggets with dairylea in. Individually wrapped in foil for ease of eating on the go.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

+1 for rice cakes.

If you're doing the ride in Holland, all you need is a pack of "stroopwaffel" waffle biscuits. Just make sure you have a toothbrush handy or you'll need some dental work done by the end of the ride.

Also... A double sausage and egg mcmuffin to start the day. Gets your digestive tract working (hard).

Avatar
glynr36 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Get a copy of the feed zone, and feedzone portabales.
Worth the cash easily!
I swear by the rice cakes now, sweet and savoury variations, and easy to make.
If you can boil rice, you can make them.

Avatar
Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes

Torq mango bars are my favourite, but they are expensive.

Banana, dried apricots and a bag of raisins (though the raisins are fiddly if you don't want to stop). Homemade flapjacks, Nak'd, Eat Natural, NutriGrain bars. Or maybe look for a shop selling belgian waffles.

Some people swear by fig rolls or malt loaf.

I would avoid too much processed food and never eat processed meat, especially pork, while riding.

Have you considered a weak energy drink mix as well? I wouldn't rely on it alone but it would mean you have to carry less solid food during the ride.

Avatar
BigglesMeister | 9 years ago
0 likes

Stop in a pub, eat peanuts, drink beer.

Avatar
pirnie replied to BigglesMeister | 9 years ago
0 likes
BigglesMeister wrote:

Stop in a pub, eat peanuts, drink beer.

Cafe legs go away after about 15 minutes. Pub legs never do  19

Latest Comments