Product Review: Osmo Nutrition Active Hydration Drink Mix

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

Price: $20

Flavors: Orange, Blackberry, Lemon Lime, Blueberry Pomegranate (tested)

Source: https://osmonutrition.com/product/active-hydration-tub/

Quantity: Approximately 40 servings with 8 ounce bottle

Calories per serving: 35

Recommended dosage: 20 ounces per hour of cycling

How obtained: sample from company

RBR advertiser: No

Ingredients:

Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Trisodium Citrate, Calcium Citrate, Organic Orange Powder, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid, Inositol Hexanicotinate (Vitamin B3), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), D-Calcium Pantothenate (Pantothenic Acid), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), Folic Acid (Folate).

Hot

-pleasant taste – not too sweet

-no after taste

-did not get tired of drinking it

-felt an energy boost 

-stomach felt fine 

Not

-none

I first heard of Osmo Nutrition from Peter Sagan. No, not in person. He was speaking at a press media event on a pre-recorded video. Okay, so I’m easily impressed. But, I did see him win a stage of the Tour of California – and that was in person – and totally amazing. And, he did win three World Championships in a row!

So, I figure if Peter Sagan endorses something as important as a hydration mix, it must be good. Which is why I asked Osmo for a sample of their Active Hydration for men. They also make a mix for women (available flavors, Lemon Lime and Mango). I did not test that one. For more information: https://osmonutrition.com/product/active-hydration-optimized-for-women/.

According to Osmo, their Active Hydration is vegan, non-GMO, gluten- and dairy-free. It does the following:

1. Fights Cramping

Whether you tend to cramp up toward the end of a long ride or days later in the middle of the night, there’s nothing worse than a painful cramp. Osmo Active has the right balance of magnesium, potassium, and sodium to prevent cramping.

2. Delays Bonking

Osmo Active boosts blood circulation and plasma levels. This helps your body function more efficiently, increasing energy levels and delaying the dreaded bonk.

3. Easy on the Stomach

Using hydration with the right osmolality is so important that we’re named for it. The osmolality of Osmo Active is optimized for quick absorption and hydration, so it won’t sit in your stomach and cause bloating or distress.

4. Hyper-hydrates

Drinking Osmo PreLoad the night before or morning of an extra intense or long ride will help you stay hydrated for longer. PreLoad is especially helpful for hot days and can balance fluid lost through sweat. EDITOR’S NOTE: I did not test PreLoad.

5. Faster Recovery

After a long ride, you deserve a good recovery—and your body needs it. Osmo Recovery is made to help sore, tired muscles recover and rebuild faster so you can get back on your bike feeling great.

How did I test it?

I have a lot of trouble with drink mixes. My stomach gets upset so easily that I have been known to drink Pepto Bismol before rides and pop their pills during, too. So, I usually stick with water – no drink mix.

This presented the challenge of how to test the mix and the question of how to know who to blame if the stuff made me sick. But, I knew to test it properly, I had to give it a real try.

Since, due to Covid concerns, I have been mostly riding indoors in the virtual world of Zwift, I decided to mix up some Osmo bottles and attack the daunting Mega Pretzel route, which covers 66.5 miles (107K) with 5,375 feet of climbing (1,642M) https://zwiftinsider.com/route/the-mega-pretzel/. Riding in place on a trainer, you sweat like crazy so it would be the perfect hydration mix test.

But, I took a wrong turn and didn’t actually do the Mega Pretzel route. So, I kept riding to try to at least approximate the route, and finished with 76 miles (123K) and 4,518 feet of elevation (1,377M).

Here’s the deal with Zwift, though. You earn badges for finishing routes. I believe there are 138 available rides in Zwift. I only have a handful to go to get all my badges (remember when we used to collect patches for the century rides we did?). So, I was really frustrated not to complete the Mega Pretzel.

If at first..

There was only one way to fix things – and it would add value to my “great hydration mix test:” I decided to hop back on the trainer and attempt the Mega Pretzel the very next day. And, that’s exactly what I did.

All told, in a little over a day, I covered 143.5 miles (231K) and 9,905 feet of up (3,019M). Over the two rides I burned 4,562 calories and was riding for just over 8 hours. That’s a lot of sweating, let me tell you.

Results

I’m delighted to report (because maybe now I finally have a go-to mix), that the Osmo Active Hydration passed my test with flying colors. My stomach felt fine throughout both rides. The drink was easy to swallow, just the right amount of sweet and there was no after taste.

Best, it felt – especially later in the rides – that it was giving me a noticeable boost. Like a jolt of energy was reaching my legs – and brain. One of the worst things that happens is getting negative in your thinking. You stop enjoying the ride and that little cyclist on your shoulder starts whispering in your ear to quit. It’s not like on a trainer you have to suffer to get home after all. You can climb off anytime you want.

A good energy fuel prevents this. And, in the event you forget to drink enough, it can reset your negativity and get you focused and motivated again if you can start drinking again before you get too depleted.

Overall, I’m very impressed with how Osmo Active Recovery drink mix works and I think you will be, too. Maybe you won’t ride like Sagan, or choose to do back-to-back Zwift sufferfests like me, but I bet it does help you excel however you put it to the test.

Ride total: 9,906