Aptonia Ultra Bars

Though Aptonia doesn't market the Ultra bars as 'organic', 'wholesome' or any other of these in-vogue buzzwords, the ingredients list consists mostly of natural ingredients even if the list itself is a little on the long side (in general, it's easier to hide dodgy ingredients in long lists though that's not the case here). Each of the available flavours is based around rice syrup, oat flakes and date paste, with the differences coming in the fruit concentrates used to give the bars their distinctive tastes.

Coming in at 40g per bar, the Aptonia Ultra bars are on the small side compared to the 50g-60g bars offered by most of the competition. Despite that, they still pack in a reasonable 27g of carbohydrates which equates to roughly 140kcal of energy (individual flavours may differ by a fraction or two of a gram). Unlike some other energy bars which also include some protein, and claim this improves performance over longer durations, each Ultra bar only contains 1.5g of the stuff. These bars then, are intended more to provide the quick hit of energy required for high intensity exercise.

Though the smaller bar mass may seem like poorer value, the reduction in size is actually of benefit in situations when you need to get food down you as quickly as possible; when racing for example. I found that two bites were all that was required to snaffle each bar, making them nearly as quick to consume as a gel.

In addition to size, the texture of the bar is also important for rapid consumption as time taken chewing is precious when you're stuck in the gutter fighting to stay on the wheel in front. On this score, I found the Ultra bars a bit hit and miss. In warmer temperatures (about 14°C and above), the bars where moist and easily swallowed with very little chewing. However, in cold temperatures, they became quite chewy indeed and required much longer to get down the hatch.

Storing them closer to the body, underneath one's outer clothing layer improved their consistency in cold temperatures, but on the flip side it made them harder to access. Ultimately, every energy bar suffers from colder temperatures to some extent, but the dependence of texture on temperature was especially noticeable with the Ultra bars.

One aspect of an energy bar that often goes under the radar is the design of the packaging. Specifically, how easy it is to open when operating under less than perfect conditions – such as with cold fingers or when suffering in a race. I found the plain white Ultra bar packaging to be a bit variable in this regard – sometimes I'd get them open with a quick rip of the teeth, other times I'd be wrestling with them for minutes. The best advice would be to pre-open the packaging if you envisage yourself reaching for the bars in any sort of hurry.

In terms of taste, all of the flavours tested – apple, exotic fruits and red berries – were very palatable and easy to get on with. If I had to pick one out as the best, it would be the apple flavour which reminded me of apple crumble, probably due to the combination of apple concentrate and oats. Perhaps the only downside of having to buy in single-flavour packs of five bars is that it isn't possible to mix and match flavours to keep things interesting on a ride without buying multiple packs. This makes it a bit more of an investment when trying out different flavours, but at £5 per pack, it's not like the expense is prohibitive.

Speaking of expense, the Ultra bars work out at just under £1 per bar which is pretty good value, but perhaps not as impressive as one would expect from a Decathlon product, especially given how the bars are on the small size at 40g.

Verdict

Compact energy bar which scores well on taste and offers reasonable value.