I’ve seen a mention here and there on the forum about “Pre Workout” supplement such as Cellucor C4 or Nitro Surge.
I’m thinking of using this for 6am rides. Wake up, throw back a scoop and let it do it’s magic. I feel like this is much easier than making a coffee and letting cool off and would also have some extra supllements to help me get out on the road and GO.
Has anybody expirimented with this? Would love any kind of feedback.
Coffee.
Coffee and carbs.
Preworkout is grim. If you want to preload beta alanine then you can but that takes like 6 weeks of high dosing to have an impact. Otherwise if you hate coffee, just buy some caffeine pills for 0.1% of the price of ULTRA MEGA RIPPED GAINER RAW.
Caffeine pill or caffeinated gel works if you don’t have time or don’t want to do coffee.
But - caffeine, and then some sugar 15 minutes before going out the door.
I think the primary benefit would be caffeine, (and maybe Beta-alanine to some extent, but IIRC that requires more chronic dosing) so probably cheaper and easier to go with something like a caffeine pill.
Also may or may not be relevant to your riding, but if you’re racing the other ingredients might be a cause for concern, as pre workouts are the kind of thing that aren’t typically well-regulated with regard to legal supplementation. I’d also want to make sure you’re used to that amount of caffeine beforehand if you choose to go that route, because a single serve of preworkout usually has significantly more than a standard coffee and might not sit especially well on an empty stomach. 
I mix some ON Amino Energy (orange) into most of my bottles assuming it isn’t late afternoon/evening. 2-3 scoops, a serving is 2 scoops. So early morning swim 2 scoops one bottle usually drink some on the drive to the pool. Trainer ride or outside ride still 2-3 scoops but mixed across 2-3 bottles. I do this partially for the caffeine but also just to add some flavor and make it more desirable than straight water or to cover up sweetness or salt if I have that mixed in.
It does have beta alanine but it is not much compared to some others on the market and I have never once had the nose tingles from it.
Wakeups caffeine pills. 200mg and it gets you going! I thought I wouldn’t really notice it as I drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day, but those caffeine pills work really well.
For all those recommending caffeine pills, how long does it take for it to kick in ?
Maybe 15 minutes? You can make it faster if you open up the capsule and dissolve it in a little water first. Caffeinated gels are also quicker acting.
Don’t buy bulk caffeine powder though - there are stories of people inadvertently screwing up the dosing and getting real sick or worse.
Caffeine pills have been a lifestyle change for me. I used to drink a crazy amount of coffee every morning. Four years ago, I switched to 200mg caffeine capsules. My caffeine intake is 20% of what it used to be. Capsules are much more convenient (especially traveling). There’s a massive time savings. And they are so much cheaper than buying coffee. Finally, I don’t have to manage urine output on morning rides anymore.
It’s worth considering waiting until you’ve woken up properly (aka the adenosine has cleared, 30m-1h from waking) before slamming caffeine if you don’t want a midday dip as soon as the caffeine wears off.
Interesting, thanks. I didn’t know that. I usually do wait that long; now I’ll make sure I do.