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Precision Hydration PF 30 Energy Gel (4 gels)

9
£8.99

VERDICT:

9
10
High carb, subtle tasting energy gels that are very easy to get down
Subtle taste
Great consistency
High in carbs
All natural ingredients
Vegan friendly
Tab stays attached after use
Expensive
Only one flavour
Weight: 
204g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Precision Hydration PF 30 Energy Gels are quite expensive but pack in a lot of energy per gel, have a simple yet effective ingredients list, and are easy to get down – and keep there – thanks to good consistency and being less sweet than competitors.

Each of these contains 30g of carbohydrate, which is impressive – a 'standard' gel, such as the OTE Sports Blackcurrant or the SIS GO Energy Electrolyte for example, contain 20g and 22g respectively.

More carbs means more energy to keep you fuelled on those long or intense efforts, and the higher energy density means less pocket space is needed for the same level of bonk prevention. You can make your own jokes about saggy Y-Fronts providing the same thing cheaper here.

> Buy this online here

It's even more impressive when you consider that it's only a 51g gel, while many are 60g. The size means you can fit plenty into even small jersey pockets without shirking on energy.

Utterly fruct

As we've seen with many energy drinks recently, the PF 30 gels have a 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin to fructose. The idea is the fructose allows you to digest and use more carbohydrates. Out on the road I found them easy on the stomach, and also easy to get down, thanks to a mild taste and thinnish consistency (unlike some other high-carb gels, such as Maurten Gel100).

The PF 30s are not overly sweet, so I wasn't reaching for a water bottle after each one. I could happily consume a few of these per hour, although they are only available in this one 'original' flavour.

> How to get into racing – 3 steps from sportives to real competition

Once opened, the tear off stays attached to the packet, which is neat – it's less likely to end up littering a hedge.

Mmm, potassium sorbet?

Vegans can also partake, which isn't the case with all gels, and these gels are made with natural (and refreshingly few) ingredients: maltodextrin, water, fructose, pectin, citric acid and a couple of preservatives (potassium sorbate and calcium lactate). These things are also certified by Informed Sport.

Handily, Precision Hydration has a nice simple carb calculator that's genuinely useful for choosing fuelling strategies according to duration and intensity.

Value

This box of four costs £8.99, which works out at £2.25 per gel, though they are also available in packs of 15 or 30 – though even the biggest box, at £67.43, only reduces the unit cost to £2.23. Then again, if the offers of 10 and 20 percent off the two bigger boxes are permanent, prices fall to £2 and £1.80 each respectively.

That makes 30 of these the same price as 30 Beta Fuel gels, but as those are also available at £2 a pop for six, they're cheaper if you don't want loads.

Beta Fuel also contains more carbs (40g), but they're stronger tasting.

Overall

For me, gels of this cost are best saved for racing; when the tempo is lower and there's more time for fuelling, I'll stick with something cheaper. But in the heat of a race or when pocket space is low – and where the carb concentration is key – these are great. There is no funny consistency, they're easy to eat and the flavour is subtle – they're not so sickly they require washing down.

Verdict

High carb, subtle tasting energy gels that are very easy to get down

road.cc test report

Make and model: Precision Hydration PF 30 Energy Gel (4 gels)

Size tested: 51g

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?

Precision Hydration says, "The most efficient way to get 30g of carbohydrate into your system fast. Our gels have a very mild, neutral taste reducing flavour fatigue during longer efforts. The texture is designed to reduce stickiness in the mouth and minimise the need to wash them down with fluid immediately."

I agree with all that; the energy per gel is good, and they're easy to get down.

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

Vegan-friendly

Informed Sport certified

All natural ingredients

2:1 glucose to fructose ratio

Energy: 120 Kcal / 512 Kj per 51g gel (236 Kcal / 1003 Kj per 100g)

Protein: < 0.1g per 51g gel (< 0.1g per 100g)

Fats: < 0.1g per 51g gel (< 0.1g per 100g)

Carbohydrates: 30g per 51g gel (59g per 100g)

Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Water, Fructose, Pectin, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Lactate).

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Nicely thought out packaging; gel tear-offs can be hard to keep track of, and I often see them littering the roadside after races. This design stays attached.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

No stomach issues.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

Expensive per gel (especially as a four-pack), but against the typical 20g-of-carbs options the PF30s work out alright. For me the price pins these as good for races, but not training.

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

Very well: good energy per gel, and small enough to fit plenty in to my relatively small skinsuit pockets.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The taste and consistency.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Quite expensive.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

They're expensive – a similar price to the bigger and carbier SIS Beta Fuel gels, and more than most others (if packing more energy).

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

Great taste and consistency, impressive energy content and cleverly functional packaging. It's nice to see a simple ingredients list that works. They're expensive, but if you're racing they're worth it.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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1 comments

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jaymack | 2 years ago
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Spending £9.99 in a copy of 'Good to Go' by Christie Aschwanden would be money better spent. It's a terrific book for anyone remotely athletic. It remains a mystery why its never been reviewed in road.cc

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