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review
Energy & recovery drinks
Myprotein Pre:PareMyprotein PrePare

Myprotein Pre:Pare

6
by Stu Kerton
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Feb 13, 2015

2
£29.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Decent taste and easily mixable, but doesn't provide enough of a boost to justify its cost
Weight: 
1,500g
Contact: 
www.myprotein.com
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Myprotein's Pre:Pare as the name suggests is for use pre ride, preparing you for the workout ahead. A mixture of carbohydrates, protein and a shot of caffeine means it can be ideal for those early morning rides.

I normally struggle to eat much before 8am so for early morning rides the Pre:Pare became a good way to get a some calories in before setting off. From a 50g serving (mixed with 500ml water) you'll get 251Kcal of energy with 13.6g of protein and 26.0g of fast and slow release carbohydrates in the form of maltodextrin, isomaltulose and fructose, enough to keep you going for a bit. The added 80mg of caffeine is enough to give you a little boost unless you're already a full on addict.

The Myprotein came in for review after my race season had ended but this is where the Pre:Pare can come in to use while heading to (stupidly) early time trials and the like; a bit of extra hydration and carb loading isn't going to harm.

The Mixed Berry flavour is the only option but I found it reasonably palatable especially when chilled. It's easy to mix with no lumps of powder sitting in the bottom of the bottle. It's very gentle on the stomach as well.

Pre:Pare comes in a 1.5kg pouch option only and that'll set you back thirty quid for thirty servings. I used it alongside some other Myprotein products but if I had to shell out my own money I don't think I'd bother considering the price in relation to the very minimal benefit I received from drinking it. A cup of coffee and a pint of water had much the same effect on me.

So overall then, I can see the thinking behind it and as I've mentioned the Pre:Pare makes a good top up to a full nutrition package but as a standalone product I think a pound a shot is too much to pay for so little return. On the plus side it is easily drinkable and tasty and above all else easy on an empty stomach.

Verdict

Decent taste and easily mixable, but doesn't provide enough of a boost to justify its cost

road.cc test report

Make and model: Myprotein Pre:Pare

Size tested: Berry

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Pre:Pare is part of Myprotein's endurance range to help prepare you nutritionally for your high intensity exercise" according to Myprotein, I can see where they are coming from but I didn't really notice that much of a benefit from it. It's expensive too for what it is.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Per 50g Serving:

Energy (kJ): 1052

Energy (kcal): 251

Protein (g): 13.6

Carbohydrate (g): 26.0

Fat (g): 4.1

Each 50g Serving also contains:

Medium Chain Trigylcerides (g): 5

Caffeine (mg): 80

Per 100g Serving:

Energy (kJ): 2104

Energy (kcal): 502

Protein (g): 27.2

Carbohydrate (g): 52

Fat (g): 8.2

Each 100g Serving also contains:

Medium Chain Trigylcerides (g): 10

Caffeine (mg): 160

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

A decent taste and mixes well.

Rate the product for performance:
 
5/10

I don't really think its needed.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Easy on the stomach.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Expensive for what it does, I think a carb drink would suffice.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The Tricarb makes sense for early morning races or training rides where eating breakfast isn't an option, for any other time of day though I think it's overkill.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The flavour is nice.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Didn't really feel any benefit.

Did you enjoy using the product? Could take it or leave it.

Would you consider buying the product? No.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

I can see where the Pre:Pare is intended to work and it makes sense as part of a Myprotein scheme with the recovery drinks etc. but I feel its a bit unnecessary for the majority of applications.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

Myprotein Pre:Pare
Myprotein
Stu Kerton

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

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2 comments

Avatar
seanaldo | 9 years ago
0 likes

It's not a recovery drink this one. It's for taking pre activity. Though the amount of caffeine in this wouldn't touch the sides for me!

Avatar
Yorky-M | 9 years ago
0 likes

Not sure why you need a kick of caffeine in a recovery drink..........................but it was that or carbon.

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