Jelly belly Sports beans

[curlymcbird]

I have heard alot of different opinions on these, Some say that they are just as useful as gels, others say they are no more useful than normal jelly beans, i love the taste, but am not willing to spend the amount of money on them if they are not having a beneficial effect.

What do u guys think/know?

Joe

[stumpytrunks]

I have no idea but compare the nutrition panels of normal jelly beans and the sport beans and see how they go. I realise that its not this simple generally but have a look at sodium and carbs. If relatively the same go for the cheaper one, simple.

[dbecks7]

as a mattr of fact i was at my friends house, and he had jelley beans on his counter so i ate some obviosuly figuring they were regular jelley beans. The taste was exactly the same. Well after abouting eating the whole jar he told me they were the sport jelley beans. I didnt really feel an effect from eating all of them though.

[rockymtnway]

I took advantage of free samples at the Sea Otter this year. They taste just like the real thing, but have a bit of vitimin and sodium. Really not enough to make it worth the extra money. It's purely marketing IMHO. I'd opt for the real thing or something like the Clif Shot Bloks, which are at least a good blend of simple and complex carbs with a fair share of both sodium and potassium (made primarily from brown rice syrup). If your only desire is reasonably priced good calories, look at raisins, licorice, and fruit leathers. All provide a blend of fast burn and slow burn carbs with at least some sodium and/or potassium.

[mises]

I prefer hot tamales candy. They are my standard emergency food. Not good enough that I eat them when I don't need them, but very palatable and fast when needed and they don't melt in a jersey pocket in hot weather.

[BBAGDAN]

the sport beans seemed like a good idea until i saw the price. come on jelly belly, triple the price for some beans with a little salt mixed in? ridiculous.

buy some normal jelly beans and toss them in some powdered sea salt.

[Bruiser]

I wonder how good the placebo effect is.

[Skillgannon]

Anything has a good placebo effect if you et oyour mind to it...though I dont fancy the melted bean effect in your back pocket. Would like to try something like that though, but my improvised riding food seems to be working fairly well

[BBAGDAN]

i just ate my last powerbar. i just eat pbjco sandwiches, and they work just as well.

soft bread, thin layer of peanut butter on one piece, thin layer of coconut oil on other piece, jam in between. cut in half or quarters, wrap each piece with just enough plastic wrap to enclose.

why coconut oil? coconut oil is rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCT), which have been shown conclusively to increase endurance performance. coconut oil is incredibly easy to digest, and converts immediately into fuel. it increases performance because the body prefers to burn MCT over glycogen, thus sparing your glycogen stores for when you need them.

peanut butter for some protein (long endurance). jam for some short-chain carbs for explosive efforts, and bread for the long-chain carbs for long endurance.

cost: $0.25 per sandwich, versus $1.80 for an energy bar.

i make my own gatorade too: Per water bottle: 7 teaspoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, splash lemon juice or a little kool aid powder, and 1 teaspoon MCT.

cost: maybe 10 cents.

[stumpytrunks]

Did a bit of research and at $3 for 28g they're definitely tugging it a bit! Must back up skillgannon on this one, the back pocket effect is quite spectacular with beans, especailly on a white jersey!

For the last year I've really just been using an isotonic powder in my bottles. Gives me my carbs and salt. Banana or uncle tobys bar with the fruit mush inside for if the gut thinks it needs it.

[pritchet74]

I did a ride with a 2 hour climb last weekend & had a package of the Sport Beans at the top - HORRIBLE! When just sitting around they taste good, but to have them in the middle of a ride is just nasty. They taste way too sweet & I mean WAY too sweet. Also, they just don't go down easily. I will stick to gels.

By the way, has anyone tried the Carb Boom emergy gels? They are AWESOME! They taste great when riding & go down super sweet. They have a very good consistancy too - not gritty like some other gels.