The Healthspan Elite Kick-Start Caffeine Gum is a quick way to give your workout a boost, either before or during the event. Its caffeine is delivered in a smooth way, the packets are easy to carry, and the flavour gives your mouth a fresh-feeling minty blast.
Over the years I’ve always been a caffeine user, either pre-race, or I rarely leave for a ride without having at least a couple of coffees especially if the plan is a pre-breakfast session. Weekday mornings, though, I’ve got the battle of getting three teenage kids out the door to school while getting myself ready to ride before work, which usually results in the whole coffee-drinking scenario being more of a chore than a pleasure – first world problems, I know!
This is where I’ve found the Kick-Start gum to be a real grab’n’go solution.
Each piece of gum contains 100mg of caffeine, slightly less than many sources claim is in a double espresso (around 125mg) so it delivers quite the punch.
I could easily chew a piece of gum while making pack lunches and getting myself ready first thing and then head out of the door with a gentle buzz going.
Healthspan Elite says the benefits of chewing this gum is that the caffeine is absorbed through the lining of the mouth (oral mucosa’) with an 85% absorption rate within 10 to 15 minutes.
How that compares to drinking a shot of espresso away from the lab, I have no idea, but I found the caffeine to take effect quickly without giving me any jittery after-effects or feeling spaced out. Obviously, this will come down to your own tolerance to caffeine.
I’m not a big fueller on the bike, so on longer rides (and runs) of more than a couple of hours I found chewing on a second piece help take the edge off of the effort.
Each piece of gum sits in a blister pack (10 per sheet) so they’re easy to store in your jersey pocket without getting wet, and they are easy to pop out on the fly.
Ingredients-wise they-re fully tested to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substance list and are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and are gelatine free. Plus there is also a smattering of vitamins in each piece of gum too.
I’ve added the full list of ingredients and vitamins to the test report at the bottom of the review.
For flavour Healthspan has gone for a peppermint taste, which is a great choice as it gives a refreshing feel in the mouth and isn’t too overpowering.
Value
The Kick-Start Gum is available in two package sizes of forty pieces (4×10) for £12.99 or 32p per piece, or the pack that we have here which contains 120 pieces for £29.99 (25p each) for a one-off purchase or £26.99 for a subscription set up. That works out at 22p per piece of gum.
Myprotein’s cola-flavoured Pre-Workout Gummies cost £22.99 though they’re presently reduced to £13.49. So, at the reduced rate they are comparable against the Healthspan offering at 22p each but at 38p they’re dearer at full price. While Myprotein does make vegan-friendly caffeine tablets, these gummies contain beef gelatine, so they’re very much not vegan- or vegetarian-friendly.
You do get 120mg of caffeine in each gummie though, and the main benefit I found when using these in the past over the Healthspans is that you can swallow the gummie as opposed to having to dispose of the chewing gum. There is also a lot less packaging.
If you need caffeine but don’t mind waiting for it to be absorbed from tablet form, then there is also the old Pro Plus option available for around £2.50 a pack (10p per pill) from high-street retailers. Each tablet contains 50mg of caffeine, and while vegan-friendly they aren’t tested to WADA standards, so might not be a solution if you compete.
Conclusion
Well, the only downside I can see is the amount of packaging compared to a cup of coffee, but other than that the Kick-Start Gum is tasty, delivers a great shot of caffeine and is a cheap solution overall.
Verdict
Tasty and quick way to get a caffeine hit on or off the bike
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Healthspan Elite KickStart Caffeine Gum
Size tested: 120 pieces
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?
Healthspan Elite says: “Each piece of Kick-Start Gum delivers 100mg of pure caffeine. Caffeine in the form of chewing gum is delivered faster than other forms as it is absorbed through the lining of the mouth (oral mucosa’) with approximately 85% absorption in 10 to 15 minutes, providing the perfect half time or in race boost.”
It’s a quick and convenient way to get a caffeine boost.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ingredients: Bulking Agent: Xylitol, Gum Base, Bulking Agent: Sorbitol, Caffeine, Flavourings, Thickener: Carmellose Sodium, Sweetener: Sucralose, Sweetener: Acesulphame, Niacin, Magnesium Stearate, Vitamin B6, Colourant: Brilliant Blue, Vitamin B12.
Caffeine 100mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2.4mg NE 15% NRV
Vitamin B6 0.22mg 15% NRV
Vitamin B12 0.38mcg 15% NRV
NRV = Nutrient Reference Value NE = Niacin Equivalent mcg = micrograms
Blister pack keeps each piece of gum dry and secure until you need it.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Pleasant flavour and an easy way to get some caffeine when you’re riding.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
A good boost of caffeine.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
More packaging than a cup of coffee.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
For an equivalent caffeine shot they are comparable with over the counter options like Pro Plus, and a fair bit cheaper (at full price) than the Myprotein Gummies that I have also used.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
There are cheaper off-the-shelf options to get a caffeine boost, but these taste great, work quickly and effectively plus if you compete you are safe in the knowledge that you shouldn’t fail a drug test.
About the tester
Age: 46 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 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,
1 thought on “Healthspan Elite Kick-Start Caffeine Gum”
Other than while enjoy an Audax feast on a garage forecourt at 04:30 it’s difficult to imagine really ‘needing’ a product such as this. If one really does ‘need’ a product like this one Pro Plus are going to cost you barely more than 8 pence per tablet this product nearly 25 pence per tablet. Two Pro Plus gives you the same amount of caffeine and would cost a whopping 17 pence while being far more widely available.