TL;DR Maurten 320 is almost a whole cent cheaper per carb.
However, I’d really only use a high carb drink like this if I need to carry a lot of carbs on-board with me which would be for long training rides. Even then, i’d still use my “normal” carb drink for 2 bottles and 1 bottle of the high carb drink (for example) to maximize the cost savings and only carry the actual carbs i’d need. This means that I’d always carry as many bottles as I can then carry less and use a more expensive mix.
With this in mind, to maximize cost savings, I’d use the “normal” Skratch mix as it’s much cheaper than the Mauren 160 and I’d use Maurten 320 as my high carb mix. However, idk if I want to mix drinks like this. I think my palette would prefer to stick with Lemon&Lime Skratch for both high/normal carb mixes when using both on a ride. Hence, even though the high carb mix by Skratch is more expensive than Maurten, it’s cheaper overall if you stick with one brand.
Unrelated, but I mentioned it earlier today and it’s on my mind now: Skratch labs chews are a sleeper product. I like them so much more than Clif Chews. The matcha flavor is heavenly. Appropriately light flavoring for all-day eating, and they’re softer and less sticky-gummy than Bloks; great for eating at higher efforts.
I recently purchased 50lb of maltodextrin and 50lb of fructose for about $200USD delivered. I mix it 2:1 by weight (found a couple old protien powder scoops in a drawer that happened to be the right sizes). Thats 45,300g or 453 100g servings=$0.44. I guess I could add the 400mg of sodium for about $0 but I don’t. I’m not interested in paying $5 for the same thing particularly when it every hour.
Agree - Skratch chews are very tasty. Recently got the new Sour Cherry with Caffeine and they are great too. The only issue is have with them is that the packaging makes them a less convenient compared to Clif Bloks. The Clif Blok Ginger Ale flavor is another sleeper. Very different flavor that adds some variety on long rides.
Agreed on the packaging, I got a couple packs of the chews to try and they were great - on indoor rides. I could not confidently fight with that packaging while riding, so I have stuck with Clif for outdoor rides.
Have they put them into a package that is easy to eat out of mid-ride yet? I love these things but moved away from them because the packaging was so terrible
Anyone know if this is an isotonic mix? A big factor for taking in >80g carbs/hr for more than about 2 hours is making sure enough water gets in to avoid gut rot and keeps stuff absorbing. Seems like a great option for a USWE pack on MTB race days. Plus, Allen Lim is a cool guy, happy to support his company vs others
I’m not sure if it’s isotonic, but I’ve used it a few times now.
Taste wise: it has a salty bordering on slightly sour lemon flavor. If it’s cold and blended with a bit of ice for a hot ride, it taste like a margarita (in a good way). As it gets to room temperature, it starts to taste a bit like a lemon warhead candy (similar to the Beta Fuel). It’s pretty easy on the stomach though and I didn’t have any adverse effects.
Energy wise: it’s very smooth and has a different digestion profile compared to Maurten. Much slower and smoother in my opinion, but it has tended to make me feel “buzzy” for many hours afterwards even in situations where I’m burning 900+kj per hour where I should be working through it all.
After having tried all the superfuel drinks, I’m still back to regular Skratch or even just electrolyte drink. I’d rather just eat the regular food and I feel better and get less palate fatigue when I go this route.
I just ordered some (snagged a 30% off discount thru a Strava challenge). Will try it soon and report my thoughts. Even during my 100k plus rides, I rarely get a sensation of hunger, so I have a hard time forcing down any kinds of foods. Hoping this will help me get some needed calories in during these rides. I usually drink 3 bottles of regular skratch hydration mix, will experiment with replacing one of my bottles with this stuff.
Actually, if you mixed Endurelite sustain elite to get ~100 carbs per bottle (3+ servings), then Endurelite sustain elite ends up being more expensive than Skratch Labs Sport Superfuel.
@airdrummer - would really like to hear what you think of Skratch Labs Sport Superfuel. I got the same 30% off coupon, and thinking of also trying Sport Superfuel
I tried the Skratch Fuel during my 108 mile ride on the Mickelson Trail (gravel) through the Black Hills I’ve been using EndurElite prior. For fuel it’s good. I didn’t have any calorie bonk. Drank about 3/4 of a bottle per hour at full strength. I did drink a bottle of EndurElite Sustain at about the half way point where we stashed a vehicle to restock. I also drank about 20 ozs per hour of Skratch hydration that has some calories. The taste lacks something. I didn’t have troubles drinking it just not a taste I went “damn, that’s good!”
My thought for now if you want to jam a bunch of calories in one bottle it is a solid choice. During the Dakota 5-0, I may carry a bottle of Skratch fuel to keep my load down on the mountain bike, along with a bladder of Skratch hydration. . I’ll bounce back and forth with EndurElite based on ride length, how many bottles I want to carry, and access to restock my fuel.
I’ve even tried beta fuel, and with less than half the carbs somehow I feel like I perform, and am fueled better on endurelite sustain elite for some reason.
Could be hydration. These high carb drinks are energy drinks as you know and not hydration drinks. They are a replacement for gels, not hydration drinks. You should try beta fuel again but match it with enough water to keep the carb concentration the same as your endurelite. What I mean by that is essentially a bottle of beta fuel and another bottle of just water and take turns drinking from each.
I just ordered some of the superfuel to try since I had the 30% coupon. Here in the TX heat right now I need more hydration so I tend to use regular Skratch and Hyper Hydration but I’m headed to CO where I plan to give the superfuel a try on some long climbs. I may try to mix in a bottle of this on long rides here as well when I also have a pack on with a bladder of Skratch.
