Easily and quickly digested muscle fuel. I have never experienced a knot in my gut when dosing on this stuff every 10 mile/30 minute interval. I load up 2 of the 5 dose squeeze bottles before a ride and I have insurance against cramps and the bonk that take up, but only take up a small space in my jersey pocket. I like the convenience of no sticky trash to port and the cost savings of the big bottles. The Espresso is my fave.
Bladder is a bit large for pocket
Not worth the effort to fill ballder
I love buying the gel in this larger container and then using the flask on the bike rides. Much less messy, no stickiness, and environmentally friendly not to have to discard the individual gel packets. No hassle in trying to open the individual package, while I'm riding. I simply pull out the flask, take what I need and slip it back in the pocket.
This and Perpeteum have been my go-to fuels for longer rides and races for twenty years. Goes down easy and is fairly economical when you buy the jugs on sale. Using a flask is far easier than trying to tear open packets in the heat of battle.
Im 72 years old. I train on Zwift nearly daily, amassing 1000+ miles per month. I've ditched the spoon and fork as and energy souce, that's for recovery. I power my rides exclusively with products like Hammer Gel. I can measure more precisley entake and know exactly when to grab my refill pouch. With Hammer Gel I NEVER hit the low-energy wall. I have learned to refuel before the lag and even if I hit a dip, I take a sip and ten
minutes later all cylinders firing.
GU Roctane is good, maybe even very good. Hammer Gel is better. The 25 serving bottles combined with their squeezable flasks is the dialed-in setup. I have a 4 year history with this well sorted, bonk-proof secret sauce. My search for endurance ride nutrition has been met triumphantly!
I use this for any ride over 25 miles. I dilute it a bit with water in the flask. The flask is the way to go cuz there is less trash and the cost per ounce is less and no messy fingers ! Single servings are NOT the way to go folks. Just try it.
Tastes good, doesn't cause me any distress and the reusable gel flask is much easier to deal with than individually wrapped gels. Two flasks is the equivalent of 10 gels and I get home with no sticky pockets.
I pair the Hammer bulk gels with the Hammer carrying flask, primarily because it's far easier to use during races than trying to open individual gels. In this respect it works perfectly, and I can add anywhere from 1-5 gels, mix with a little water/juice, and add a bit of caffeine powder if I choose. The fact that it's cheaper per serving than pre-packaged gels is also a plus. The only point of note I have is with the Montana Huckleberry - the flavor is good, however it's got seeds in it which make squeezing it through the flask nozzle slightly more challenging. Overall a great system that I will continue to use.
A good deal if you grab some hammer gel flasks, and can handle refilling your own flasks. There are rumors that if you are on the trails in forest park, you might see a wild eyed man with very short hair downing a whole bottle of the espresso flavor.
Hammer gel has real flavors. It gives me steady energy rather than the sugar spike followed by a crash that I get from some gels. My favorite is raspberry - real fruit and not too sweet. If you want caffeine, the espresso flavor has a lot, along with serious coffee flavor.
A few months ago, Hammer thinned out their gels, making them easier to use. They increased the size of the bottles to keep the same weight of the contents. Since Hammer changed the consistency, the gels flow much better from the little bottles-even in the cold. I really enjoy using the Hammer gel bottles now. Less waste and lower cost than individual gels. Also, I find the gel bottle easier to use than single gel packs- and I don't get the gel all over my fingers.
I use the flask and add a tiny bit of water to make it less vicious. The flask is the way to go. just make sure you close the top !
I use this when I need a quick energy boost before rides or runs. The espresso flavor is tasty, not overly sweet, and seems less viscous than some other gels (thus, easier to take without water). The espresso flavor has 50mg of caffeine, which is just enough caffeine when I don't have time to slug a real pre-workout espresso. Hammer's big bottles are cheaper on a per serving basis than individual sachets, and let you take as much or little as you want without the fuss and litter of individual sachets.
The flavor is good and it does its job!!!
Vanilla flavor is a little strange tasting, but other flavors are much better. In my opinion, these gels are better than GU.
Very happy with this gel! I got the espresso with caffeine. It tastes like you're drinking Hershey's chocolate syrup which I love. Gives you an almost immediate burst of energy. Would definitely recommend it.
This product works well. You will not feel a rush of energy, but rather a steady, even level of energy.
In addition, Hammer gel flavors, at least the ones I've tried,orange,tropical and raspberry are not terribly sweet. Lastly, even though this is not important to some, it may be to others, these are vegan products.
I really like being able to carry one or two gel-flasks for a long ride and have not have to deal with individual gels and the wrappers.
The consistency isn't too thick and I like most of the flavours.
I use gels for nutrition on longer rides in place of more solids as I have digesting the solids. The Hammer product provides the calories and electrolytes that I need. Buying in bulk and using the hammer reusable bottle saves a great deal of money and helps protect the environment by eliminating the foil packet trash.
The downsides to the combo 1) the bottle has a protective cap and a VERY tight pop top makoing it difficult to use while in motion and 2) the last few servings are a little more difficult to get out of the reuseable bottle. This is overcome by adding a bit of drink from your water bottle prior to starting out making more of a liquidized gel.
I've been using Hammer Nutrition Gel for an energy source for all my rides from a quick hill training ride to 24-hour rides. I use it along with Hammer's Perpetuem and electrolytes in my water as a constant source of energy throughout the ride. It's easy to digest this way. I don't like having to swallow the gel straight and then wash it down, but this approach provides the benefit without the gag. And the variety of flavors keeps things from getting boring.
