Maurten vs SIS Gels

Nutrition
5

The consistency of the Maurten Gels is weird at first, but I love it.

I like SIS gels a lot, and consider them to be a big step above traditional gels. They digest quickly and easily and the gel doesn’t give me dry mouth like traditional gels.

That said, even though the watery nature of SIS is nice in some respects, it makes it a pain to squeeze it all out of the packaging. Making it worse, the gels are long, so taking in a gel mid-ride is a lot like taking in an otter pop – a bit clumsy when riding at 250w. Also akin to an otter pop, the packaging seemed to cut the corners of my mouth, or at least rub them raw by the end of a long ride. Super uncomfortable.

In transparency, Maurten sent me a package of their gels. From talking to some of my friends, it sounds like it is something they are doing with folks on Instagram that fit a specific profile. That said, here’s my honest feedback:

  1. The packaging is much better than SIS. Small, easy to tear and not sharp on your mouth.

  2. The texture is weird at first. Like somebody said above, it’s like thick Jello. I actually grew to really like it. The thicker consistency and it’s tendency to bond like Jello made it slide out of the packaging easily and made it much easier to take in.

  3. If SIS leave less residue, these leave none. No dry mouth at all with them.

  4. The energy I get from them seems a bit slower/less potent than SIS, so I’d anticipate having to take in/pack more. Not ideal, but I feel like Maurten sticks with you a bit longer, maybe? Hard to say, really.

  5. The flavor of the gels is just like their drink mix. I really like the flavor. It’s like water with a subtle hint of real vanilla (no chemical taste at all). What I didn’t like about the SIS gels, or at least found strange, was that the tropical, berry and chocolate all seemed to taste the same, and it had a bit of a chemical taste to it. Nothing to keep you from taking them in, but it wasn’t pleasant. Maurten’s flavor really is pleasant, but it would be really easy to get sick of it.

For longer rides, I plan to take in Maurten gels and Skratch in my bottles. For shorter races, I plan to just take in Maurten in my bottles.

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