I think I'm a maple syrup convert (instead of gels)

Training
42

Yeah, def going to be trying the splash of coffee in the syrup mix to thin it out instead of water. That’s genius!

43

So what’s a good price for maple syrup on Amazon? I’ve been wanting to give this a try…

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I believe Costco is around $15/quart or liter. That might serve as a point of reference when shopping.

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45

I’ve seen it as low as ~$14/quart on amazon, but it’s been higher lately. Check different brands/sizes, there is some on amazon for ~$17 right now.

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46

All of the maple I’ve bought flows really easy, even near freezing. If you are using “fake” maple syrup, that can be really thick (based on corn syrup and cane syrup). The fake stuff is a fraction of the price of real maple and would probably work well also, I just don’t care for the taste. I’m not sure how different they are from a fructose/sucrose standpoint.

47

We have Sam’s club membership and their house brand at my local Sam’s is $12.68 for 32oz ($0.4/oz)

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48

Just bought 4 today at Costco … $12.99/qt. Is it weird to buy 4 maple syrups and 3 boxes of pancake mix…and nothing else? :thinking::thinking::thinking:

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49

Maple syrup contains mostly all fructose IIRC. Have you thought of adding some maltodextrine (and water if it becomes too thick)?

50

Maple syrup consists of primarily sucrose, with small amounts of glucose and fructose.

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51

Didn’t know that, thanks!

52

Adding Xoz of maple, Xg of glucose/dextrose/maltodextrin, and Xg of electrolytes to each bottle is another way to go if you roll with fuel bottles and want to increase the glucose side of the ratio a little.

Or just add the syrup to the water. I know, sacrilegious.

I also like the Hammer 5oz bottles because it holds an hourly serving of carbs on an intense ride. I can look at it very quickly and see how much I’ve had, knowing I should finish it before the hour is up. The downside to them is carrying more than 2 starts to get a bit much; that’s why I’m a bottle-fuel rider primarily but happy to supplement with pocket maple as conditions (very hot or very cold) see fit.

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53

I’ve been using maple this season too! I make maple gummies too. Have to be careful with these - on a really hot day though… they’ll melt. We even tap our own maple trees so can’t beat the price :joy:. I’ve been pleased so far.

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54

Thank you for the tip to add a little coffee!

Thanks to all for this thread. I just ordered a few Hammer Nutrition flasks to try this out. I have a new smaller bottle of maple syrup that I bought for the TrainerRoad oh-so-recommended Krusteaz pancakes pre-ride, but pancakes aren’t doing it for me. I don’t want to say that they make me ill, but them sitting in my stomach at the beginning of a ride is like a 0.70 out of 10 on the illness/pain scale. It just doesn’t sit as well as instant white rice, so now I have to do something with the syrup.

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55

One more data point on my maple transition - I did Unbound Gravel this year and fueled for 13+ hours on Skratch and Maple. No stomach issues and good power all day. Best I’ve ever felt finishing a long race and it was about 4 hours longer than anything I had done previously. Got hot for a while, but cool/rainy weather late in the day certainly helped.

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56

I’ve been using maple syrup the last few weeks with some pink Himalayan salt added in…a few generous pinches for a 5 oz. collapsible flask.

Been very happy with the results…mostly because I am consuming more calories on the bike. No more fumbling with gel packs, tucking away the torn tops, trying to squeeze every drop out and then trying to stash the empty packet.

Just pull the flask out, twist the nozzle, good solid squeeze, twist the nozzle and replace. Faster and more calories per “serving”.

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57

Are you using a finer grain salt? Most himalayan salt I’ve seen is chunky.

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Yes…it is a pretty fine grind.

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Himalayan-Pink-Salt-Unrefined/dp/B01CSBRK0Q?pd_rd_w=q2fvH&content-id=amzn1.sym.c15e5526-d433-4ac0-a393-a3f3f7218fab&pf_rd_p=c15e5526-d433-4ac0-a393-a3f3f7218fab&pf_rd_r=VVP1A2JAYY7QB7ECJ9T9&pd_rd_wg=6UthH&pd_rd_r=94d3e491-d2cc-4789-ab08-a4b75ef7a0d8&pd_rd_i=B01CSBRK0Q&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_20_t&th=1

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59

Ordered. Thank you, @Power13.

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60

Reviving this thread. Saw this story on untapped’s blog. Just an athlete story but he really put down some maple syrup.

https://untapped.cc/learn/blog/athlete-stories/carbohydrate-revolution/

I really like maple syrup for rides as it’s so quick to consume but I don’t know if I could consume that much. But I’ve never tried.

I do like the idea of adding syrup to their mapleaid drink.

Wondering if anybody here has used mostly syrup for nutrition on a long ride like 5+ or 10+ hours

61

Per my post above, I did unbound last year on just syrup and skratch mix with good results. Was about 13 hours. The skratch was mainly hydration/sodium, so vast majority of calories were maple.

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