Energy & recovery gels

Mulebar Kicks are energy gels from the company that produces Mulebar energy bars. Just like the bars, the gels have organic and '100% natural' ingredients. We've reviewed them before on road.cc but 2013 sees a new flavour and a slight change to the packaging, although the main formulas stay the same.

The new flavour is called Cafe Cortado, and not surprisingly the main ingredients include coffee, along with rice syrup, barley syrup, agave syrup, guarana and Himalayan crystal salt.

For cyclists needing to eat during long races or other endurance events, energy food usually means a gel or a bar. These Sponser Red Power Gums fall into a different bracket that can only be described as chewy sweets. They're tasty, easy to eat and deliver a good supply of carbohydrate for energy - plus a dash of caffeine for an extra little boost.

Nectar Sports Fuel Cell Energy Gel Sachets are carbohydrate-based energy gels from the people behind For Goodness Shakes recovery drinks. Like many gels these days, it's a mix of glucose and fructose, designed to deliver as much energy as possible. For some riders, though, it won't last long enough.

Sponser Sport Food is a Swiss brand of nutrition products. We've previously reviewed their Liquid Energy gel on road.cc but this is the 'Long' version, designed for longer endurance events. Despite the name, it isn't really a liquid - it's also a gel - but the thing that makes it totally different from other gels is its flavour.

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.

High5 IsoGel is not really a gel at all. Despite the name, it's a liquid. So it's a carb-based sports drink in a gel-style sachet. Thus, it delivers energy and hydration - unlike normal gels where you need to take on liquid separately - but it's of questionable benefit for most road cyclists.

Each sachet of IsoGel is 60g. According to the packaging, each gel contains 26g of carbohydrate, providing 104 kcal of energy. According to the High5 website, each gel contains 22g of carb, providing 88 kcal.

High5 Energy Gels are smaller than the gels available from some other brands, but they taste good and slip down easily - and certainly deliver the energy you need on a long hard bike ride.

Each sachet contains 38g of gel. According to the packaging, the main ingredients are maltodextrin (which the body breaks down into glucose), water and simple glucose. There's also some salt and flavouring. This mixture provides 20g of carbohydrate and 80 kcal of energy.

Sponser Sport Food is a Swiss brand of nutrition products, now available in the UK. Liquid Energy is a carbohydrate gel served up in a tube with a cap, just like toothpaste, handy for refuelling on the go.

As with gels from some other brands, Sponser Liquid Energy consists of both glucose and fructose. This, claims Sponser, gives a mix of quick-release and slow-release energy, giving immediate an immediate boost followed by a more sustained supply of fuel.

Qimmiq energy gels are one of the most interesting energy products around. A novel package and dispense method combined with a mould-breaking natural ingredients list and a intentionally smaller portion size give these energy gels plenty of genuine USPs. But, lack of bang for your buck makes them a very expensive energy source.

Mulebars are a range of wholesome all-natural energy bars, reviewed on road.cc last year, and more recently joined by energy gels called Mulebar Kicks. With the likes of ZipVit, High 5 and SIS dominating the market, is there room for another gel, and are Muelbar Kicks any different?