Wired tested nearly 20 electrolyte products and picked 10 powders, tablets, drops, and chews for people who want an easier way to replace minerals after.
Look — ignore the marketing and read the label: you want a decent hit of sodium (that’s usually what you’re actually low on) and not a sugar bomb unless you’re doing long endurance stuff. And if it’s “proprietary blend” with mystery amounts, I skip it.
Yeah the “proprietary blend” thing is an instant nope for me too — if they won’t tell you the sodium per serving, they’re basically selling vibes. i’ve had the best luck just checking sodium first and then making sure the flavoring/sweeteners don’t wreck my stomach when i’m actually using it day to day.
When you say you check sodium first, what range per serving has actually worked for you when you’re sweating a lot (and do you adjust it depending on how long the ride is)? not sure about that detail.
For big sweat days I look for roughly 800–1200mg sodium per serving (closer to the high end if it’s hot/humid), and I’ll usually just take more servings over time on longer rides instead of hunting for a “stronger” mix. I’m not 100% sure it’s the perfect number for everyone, but if a packet’s down in the 200–400mg range it never does anything for me.
Yeah the 200–400mg packets always felt like fancy flavored water to me too. I mostly sanity-check the label for sodium vs sugar because a lot of mixes “work” by dumping carbs in, and that’s a very different problem than replacing what you’re sweating out.
