You can have the world’s best bike, best kit and best legs, but if you’re not fuelling properly on the bike with carbohydrate sources like energy gels, bars, chews and blocks, then you can say goodbye to reaching your performance potential.
Not only do these sports-specific energy foods deliver a dependable quantity of carbohydrate just when you need it, they are also designed to be lightweight, compact, easy to carry and use, even while you’re still pedalling.
Just like everyday nutrition, sports nutrition can be really quite personal, so what works well for one person may not work well for you. The beauty of having such a great selection of different brands and nutrition types is that you can experiment with many different options to work out what does the job best for you, and when.
Can you handle the intensity of energy gels, or does your stomach prefer it when you mix it up with solid energy bars? Are you happiest consuming your carbohydrates in liquid form mixed into your water or do you crave ‘normal’ food rather than energy supplements?
If you’re curious about the different types of energy products for cycling, this guide is for you. After showcasing some of our favourite options on the market, from all-natural gels to bakes, chews and bars, we delve into why you’d want to consider each of these options, and when is optimum to reach into your jersey pocket for one.
Best bars, gels, blocks and chews for cycling nutrition at a glance
- Clif Bloks Energy Chews
- OTE Anytime Bars
- Precision Fuel 30 Energy Chews
- TORQ 12 Energy Gel Sample Pack
- Veloforte Mixed Energy Gels
- SiS Go Energy Bakes
- Styrkr Bar50 Energy Bars
- High5 Energy Gel Refill
- Maurten Solid 160
Read on for the different types of nutrition for your rides and which might be best for you.
Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our new AI search engine.
Why can you trust our advice?
From fast-paced efforts and the intense demands of racing to fueling all-day feats of endurance, getting your nutrition on the bike right can really make or break your ride. Between us here at Cyclist we’ve covered a huge range of disciplines, tried and tested many different nutrition products and strategies along the way and have been lucky enough to take advice from professional sports nutritionists too.
While nutrition can be very personal, we’ve picked out some of our favourite products from our many years of combined experience which can be used for a range of disciplines.
The best energy gels, bars and chews for cycling
Clif Bloks Energy Chews
£3.19/pack | View offer
- Gummy chews with 76g carbohydrates per 100g
- Six easy to chew individual pieces per packet
- Five fruity flavours to choose from
Some of the first of the gummy ‘block’-style chews on the market, the Clif Bloks energy chews come in a tube-like packet featuring six individual chews. Each chew contains 7.6g carbohydrate, or 45.6g per packet.
The benefit of individual chews is that they allow you to easily drip-feed your nutrition every ten minutes or so, rather than having a larger bar every hour, for example. Clif recommends three pieces per hour and up to two packets per hour, depending on activity intensity.
You can choose from a myriad of flavours when it comes to the Clif Bloks, including strawberry, mountain berry, black cherry, margarita citrus and tropical punch. This means you can either try them all to find your favourite, or keep rotating through the different flavours to help avoid flavour fatigue.
OTE Anytime Bars
£18/10 bars | View offer
- 62g flavoured flapjack bars made with natural ingredients
- No less than 11 flavours to choose from with three vegan options
- Approx 64g carbohydrates per 100g (flavour dependant)
The OTE Anytime bars are a flapjack-based energy bar that provides between 34.8 and 40g carbohydrate, depending on flavour. Choose between banana, blueberry, caramel, lemon drizzle, cherry, mint chocolate, cocoa nibs, chocolate orange, coconut choc chip, raspberry white choc chip, and apple and cinnamon, or opt for OTE’s mixed selection boxes.
The gluten and nut-free bars are designed to be consumed before or during exercise, or as a snack on a busy day.
While OTE also offers a full suite of energy chews, drinks and gels, the Anytime Bars are a good option if you prefer your cycling nutrition a little more like everyday food, which can be kinder on the stomach. The bars can also be good to use in conjunction with gels or energy drinks to provide a more variety in your fuelling strategy.
For a more precise portion of carbs, OTE also offers the Duo Bar, a crisped cereal-based bar that provides 40g carbohydrates in a two-chunk package.
Precision Fuel 30 Energy Chews
£7.99/4 packs | View offer
- Energy chews boasting 30g carbohydrates per two-piece pack
- Natural or mint and lemon flavours
- 88g carbohydrate per 100g
Providing 30g carbohydrate per packet, the Precision Fuel 30 Energy Chews come in a pack of two bitesize square chews that are remarkably like turkish delight, both in texture, sweetness and with a sweet floury coating.
You can choose between the original flavour chews, which have a bit of a citrus tang, or mint and lemon, with each small 34g packet easily stashable in a pocket or bag.
They’re not quite gels and they’re not quite solid food either, but with a very high carbohydrate content for the weight, the chews are designed to provide a good hit of energy without being heavy or bulky.
The packaging is two-part with a plastic wrapper and cardboard inner, both of which are fully recyclable.
- Buy now from Precision Fuel (£7.99)
Torq 12 Energy Gel Sample Pack
£26.50/12 gels | View offer
- Flavoured energy gels with 29g carbohydrate per 45g serving
- 12 different flavours in sample pack with four 89mg caffeine options
- 63-64g carbohydrates per 100g (flavour dependant)
If you’re looking to try a variety of different gel flavours, the Torq 12 Energy Gel Sample Pack certainly delivers. You’ll get eight of their standard flavours (strawberry yoghurt, rhubarb and custard, apple crumble, black cherry yoghurt, raspberry ripple, cherry bakewell, orange and banana and lemon drizzle), plus four flavours with added caffeine (banoffee, caramel latte, cola and forest fruits).
Torq also offers a ‘Naked’ flavourless gel, to help riders overcome flavour fatigue or who prefer to avoid flavoured options.
Each gel contains 29g carbohydrates, so you’d likely need around two to three gels per hour. The caffeine is naturally sourced from the plant guarana, like many energy drinks, and with 89mg per serving these contain the equivalent caffeine to one to two shots of espresso.
Torq claims a rapid delivery of carbohydrate with its maltodextrin/fructose sugar combination, and the vegan-friendly gels are also supplemented with electrolytes to help keep you optimally hydrated.
Cleverly, the Torq gels have been designed so that the top tab stays attached to the main body of the wrapper on opening to avoid any accidental littering. As always, make sure you pocket your used wrappers and dispose of them in a bin or recycle.
Veloforte Mixed Energy Gels
£10.99/5 gels | View offer
- Compact 33g energy gel providing 22g carbohydrates
- Mixed pack of five flavours including two 75mg caffeine gels
- 66-67g carbohydrates per 100g (flavour dependant)
More compact than most other gels on the market, the Veloforte Mixed Energy Gels allow you the chance to try all five sophisticated flavours in their 33g packets. There’s blackcurrant and elderflower, beetroot and lemon, dates, lemon and ginger, as well as two caffeine infused options; tart cherry and guarana and maple, coffee and guarana.
You can expect 22g of carbohydrates per serving from the glucose/fructose mix, as well as 75mg caffeine from the latter two flavours, derived from the guarana plant. The gels also contain electrolytes for optimal hydration.
Veloforte’s gels are made using natural ingredients, are naturally gluten-free and vegan, so should suit most diets.
Veloforte also offers a range of delicious energy bars, electrolyte and energy drink mixes, energy chews and recovery shakes, all in its signature range of flavours from golden apricot and sage to hazelnut, coffee and cocoa.
SiS Go Energy Bakes
£24/12 bakes | View offer
- 50g soft centre chewy bar providing 30g carbohydrate
- Strawberry, lemon, orange and tiramisu flavours
- 60g carbohydrates per 100g
Most comparable to a Nutri-Grain bar, the Science In Sport Go Energy Bakes are a soft, chewy bar with a more liquid filled centre. There’s four flavours to choose from, including fruity strawberry, lemon and orange and the drool-worthy Italian chocolate and coffee combo, tiramisu.
Boasting 30g carbohydrates per bar, you’ll likely need a couple of these an hour to keep you fuelled, though they can be used in combination with other gels, energy drinks and bars. 10g of the carbohydrate is from fructose, a simple sugar that yields rapid energy release.
The concept behind the bake is to produce something that’s appetising to consume on the bike, both in terms of flavour and texture.
Like the rest of Science In Sport’s range, the Go Energy Bakes are tested by Informed Sport, so you can be confident that they don’t contain any substances that have been banned in competition.
Styrkr Bar50 Energy Bars
£29.99/12 bars | View offer
- Crisped rice energy bar offering 50g carbohydrates per serving
- Three flavours on offer with all-natural ingredients
- 71g carbohydrates per 100g
These all-natural energy bars from market newcomer Styrkr are formulated to deliver 50g of quick-release carbohydrates. Good news for riders with specific dietary requirements, as the bars are also gluten free and vegan.
Much like Rice Krispies Squares, the sweet and slightly chewy rice-based bars are fairly chunky in size but lightweight at 70g, and come in three flavours; dark chocolate chip, apple, cinnamon and caramel, and date, almond and sea salt.
In addition to energy, the bars are designed to provide electrolytes, which help maintain salt levels during sweat loss and may reduce muscle cramp.
High5 Energy Gel Refill
£9.99/550ml | View offer
- Bulk energy gel for use with a soft flask yielding 23g carbohydrates per 40g serving
- 57g carbohydrates per 100g
Love energy gels but hate waste? Interestingly a few different nutrition brands including High5 now offer a bulk energy gel bottle, allowing you to decant how much you’ll need into a soft reusable flask.
The High5 gel flask (£7.99) can hold up to 240ml of energy gel, or the equivalent of five servings, and has graduations on the flask to help you portion out your servings on the bike. The soft flask fits easily into a jersey pocket and is arguably easier to open and consume on the go than gel wrappers.
The 550ml bottle contains 13.75 40g servings, meaning that at just 73p per gel sachet equivalent, it’s great value compared to individually-wrapped servings. The bulk bottles are currently available in either orange or berry flavour.
If you prefer the simplicity of ready-portioned energy gels, then it’s good to know that High5 offers a free wrapper recycling service, with a prepaid envelope provided in each order.
Maurten Solid C 160
£29.95/12 bars | View offer
- 55g oat-based cocoa energy bar
- 72.7g carbohydrates per 100g
A new oat-based energy bar from Swedish-born race nutrition brand Maurten, the Solid C 160 bar adds cocoa while the Solid 160 bar retains its natural flavour. The Solid C 160 bar is naturally sweet, though you can also notice the added salt, which will no doubt come in handy for maintaining electrolyte levels.
Each 55g bar contains a serving of 40g carbohydrates, split into two pieces of 20g each to help simplify your fuelling strategy.
The bars are said to complement Maurten’s other energy products, namely their patent pending hydrogel options, Gel 100 and Gel 160, providing 20g and 40g carbohydrates per serving respectively, as well as their drink mixes, Drink Mix 160 and Drink Mix 320, which provide 40g and 80g carbohydrates per 500ml mix.
Maurten recommends the use of its solid bars during longer rides at times when you would usually consume a meal, allowing the body a break from gels and energy drink mixes to ‘limit gastrointestinal stress’.
- Buy now from Maurten (£29.95)
How to fuel for cycling
When should you use energy gels, chews and bars?
Consider using energy gels, bars and chews on rides longer than 90 minutes. You’ll need to start consuming your first bar, gel or chew at 45 minutes into your ride, which is when your body’s energy stores of glycogen start to become depleted. These reserves run out completely after 90 minutes, but you’ll want to avoid going there - as anyone who’s ever experienced ‘the bonk’ or ‘hitting the wall’ will know.
A general rule of thumb on the bike is to eat before you’re hungry, and drink before you’re thirsty. In fact, learning to eat and drink well on the bike is just as important as training your muscles to gain fitness, and it’s something that often takes riders some time to get used to.
So you can start eating at 45 minutes into your ride and keep drip-feeding in the energy until the end of your ride. How many gels, bars and chews you opt for largely depends on how long you’re riding for, your body composition, and exercise intensity, plus the weather conditions.
When should I use energy gels and why?
Energy gels are one of the most compact and efficient ways of delivering energy into the body. They’re small in your pocket, pretty easy to consume with no chewing required, and don’t leave your mouth dry like some bars can do. Having said that, it’s still a good idea to wash them down with a swig of water from your bottle.
Energy gels also deliver carbohydrates in a way that they’re most rapidly digested, so you’ll feel that hit faster.
Some riders really like energy gels for their simplicity, though if you’re planning a long ride, fuelling on gels alone may cause gastrointestinal upset. You could consider alternating between gels and solid energy options like bars, bakes or chews, and the variety may also be more palatable.
My favourite tip for energy gels is to keep one stashed away in a tool roll. You never know when you might need one unexpectedly (ride taking longer than planned, cafe shut, change of conditions etc) but you’ll sure be glad that it’s there when you really need it!
When should I use energy bars and why?
Energy bars and bakes are a solid food alternative to energy gels, usually based on an oat or rice recipe. Some riders prefer to chew their nutrition and find it more satiating, and you can also nibble away at a bar at regular intervals whereas a gel pretty much has to be consumed in one go.
There’s a big range of energy bars on the market with many different sizes and flavours on offer.
What other types of energy products are there?
Alongside energy gels and energy bars, there’s a myriad of other energy products including chews, shots, blocks, and gums. These are often jelly-like carbohydrate sources that require a little chewing and are more solid than gels but not quite the same as bars.
These chews and blocks tend to be portioned into bite-size chunks so you can pop one out of your pocket and into your mouth at regular intervals, for example every 10-15 minutes, which helps you drip-feed in the energy you need to perform your best. Why not set a regular alert on your cycling computer so you don’t forget to eat?
What are the benefits of using an energy drink?
You’ll notice that we haven’t mentioned much about energy powders in this buyer’s guide. These are another great way of increasing your carbohydrate intake, usually through a high-carbohydrate powder that’s mixed into your water bottles.
Using an energy drink can be really handy when you’re struggling to eat (for example during intense racing when unwrapping a bar is impractical), or when you have flavour fatigue from your solid ride foods or gels.
Opting for an energy drink can also be beneficial as it will allow you to drip feed in carbohydrates throughout each hour, rather than one big hit like a gel or bar.
How many grams of carbohydrate do I need to consume on my rides?
How many grams of carbohydrate you should aim to consume per hour on your ride will depend on your body size, riding intensity and environmental conditions.
It’s not rocket science that if you’re pushing harder, you’ll need to take on more energy to fuel that, and if it’s blowing a whoolie and tipping it down then extra energy will certainly help you out. Larger riders will also require a greater carbohydrate intake.
Many nutrition brands offer online advice to help you work out how many grams of carbs you’ll need, such as this one from Precision Fuel and Hydration. Generally speaking, around 60g-90g of carbohydrates per hour is a good benchmark.
Should I opt for products that contain caffeine?
Sugar plus caffeine, what’s not to love? You can get that post-coffee boost with a caffeine gel or other energy products that also contain caffeine.
The good news is that it’ll give you that extra oomph, as caffeine can lower the feeling of perceived exertion, but the bad news is that you can’t rely on these throughout your ride, just like you lose the benefit if you drink coffee all day, every day.
Instead, save your caffeine-enriched options for when you know you’ll need that bit of extra help, for example at the end of a long ride, or before a testing climb.
Don’t be a #gelend
One last thing on nutrition – always make sure you pocket your wrappers and make sure they’re either disposed of or recycled properly. Nothing spoils a ride or a sublime climb like finding another cyclist’s litter tossed carelessly into the road. You’re not a pro, and you don’t have an entourage to clean up after you. In the words of Trash Free Trails, don’t be a gelend.
Keen to check out more on off-the-bike nutrition? Read our favourite replenishing meals to eat like a pro here.
