Skratch Labs Sport Hydration Mix - Box of 20 Servings

The Skratch Labs Sport Hydration Drink Mix has been designed 'to replace the electrolytes lost in sweat and to provide a little bit of energy when working out, without offending your palette or gut'. To achieve this, Skratch Labs uses ingredients you can mostly recognise, but apart from that there isn't much that sets this hydration product apart from what's already out there, and I found the powder didn't dissolve that well in water either.

> Buy now: Skratch Labs Sport Hydration Drink Mix – Box of 20 Servings for £23.76 from Tweeks Cycles

As with every nutrition product, they really only work if you actually enjoy the taste of them and to me, the Lemon+Lime flavour wasn't quite the one. I found the flavour, which comes from real fruit, a little too tangy and almost 'dish soapy'.

I also tasted the orange flavour, another one of the six options available, and I much preferred that, so it might be that I'm just not a fan of the tanginess of the lemon and lime, and tasting the 'fruit punch' mix could've totally been a different experience. On the other hand, if you don't like sweetness, this might be ideal for you.

> Cycling hydration: Is 1 water bottle or 2 best on long rides?

Tastes aside, the Skratch Labs Sport Hydration mix isn't just lemon juice blended with water – it also comes with a 4g per 100ml ratio of sugar (glucose + fructose) and electrolytes mix that should match the sweat you've lost (800mg sodium, 80mg potassium, 100mg calcium and 80mg of magnesium per litre). This means that each sachet contains 20g of carbs, which by modern-day standards isn't a lot if you consider carb mixes – and means you'd be better off complementing that with a carbohydrate mix - but it is more than a regular hydration tablet gives you. 

Value

You're paying £27.95 for 20 servings, which means £1.40 per sachet. In comparison, the Rawvelo Organic Hydration Drink Mix costs you £1.62 per serving, but then again more traditional hydration tabs such as OTE Orange Hydro Tabs only cost less than £40p per tab. 

By contrast, the more carb-filled drinks such as OTE Super Carbs Energy Drink come in at £2.85 per serving, and the SiS Beta Fuel £2.50 per serving. 

But along with electrolytes both of those also provide 80g of carbs per 500ml of liquid you've dissolved the powder into, which is four times more than the Skratch Labs offers.

Conclusion

I'd say this Skratch Labs product is a good option to keep you hydrated on easy rides – if you like the flavour and want a tiny carb boost.

Verdict

A good choice if you like a sachet that provides a mild-tasting sports drink, but it doesn't mix that easily with water