Four formats, one job
Amacx split their range by how you want to take fuel on, which is a genuinely practical way to organise it.
Drink Gels are the everyday unit — a gel with enough fluid in it that it goes down easily without chasing it with a mouthful of water. Strawberry, orange, and a cola version with caffeine.
Turbo Gels are the harder-hitting option for the sharp end of a ride or race, in citrus and a caffeinated cassis.
Energy bars — the oat bar and the nougat bar — are for the long steady stuff. There is a real difference between four hours on gels alone and four hours where you have actually chewed something, and most riders feel considerably better for the latter.
The 1kg drink tubs are the economical way to fuel if you are riding a lot. Mixing your own bottles works out far cheaper per hour than sachets.
Caffeine, used deliberately
Two of the gels are caffeinated, and the useful discipline is to save them rather than spread them. Caffeine works best when you are already tired — taking it in the first hour spends the effect when you did not need it.
Try caffeinated gels in training before an event. Individual tolerance varies enormously, and hour four of a race is a poor place to discover yours.
Mixing brands is fine
There is no need to be loyal to one brand across a whole ride. Plenty of riders run an Amacx drink in the bottle and reach for something else in the pocket, or alternate flavours specifically to stop palate fatigue.
What matters is total carbohydrate per hour and whether your stomach is happy — not the logo on the wrapper.
See also Maurten, and the full nutrition range. Ask us in Hout Bay if you want a few different ones to test before committing to a box.
