• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Can a Sports Drink’s Taste Be Predicted?

Question: Is there a way to determine the taste of a sports drink by looking at its list of ingredients? — Simon S.

RBR Replies: I wish! Besides the various ingredients that add flavor, and their proportions, there’s the fact that drinks can taste different depending on whether they contain fructose, maltodextrin or a combination, or something else to sweeten the mix.

In short, it’s impossible to predict the flavor from reading the label.

Also, some drinks taste fine when they’re cold at the start of a ride. Later, when they’re warm and/or might have picked up some plastic undertones from the bottle, they taste awful.

Your changing taste buds play a role, too. The same drink at the same temperature can taste different depending on your situation—fresh, early in a ride, or dehydrated, bonked and grumpy 75 miles later.

The only way to determine which drink tastes (and works) best for you is to try several brands in different riding conditions.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a favorite, try it in different concentrations. This is time-consuming, but it’s better to figure it out in training than to make a mistake during an important event where you want to do well.

Readers, do you have a favorite sports drink?

Learn More

DIY Sports Drink with Maltodextrin

List of Sports Energy Drink Brands

Eating and Drinking Like the Pros

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Newsletter Issue No. 962
  • More on 8 Exercise Mistakes Older Riders Make
  • Aerobic Decoupling
  • Helping Seth Solve his Chain Drop Issue & A Grateful Dead Tribute

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 962

Newsletter Issue No. 960

Newsletter Issue No. 959

Newsletter Issue No. 958

Newsletter Issue No. 957

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in