# Cliff Bars, Power Bars or something else?



## Guest (Jul 27, 2014)

So which are better, Cliff Bars, Power Bars or Carbon Bars. This post is just for DJ who thinks we always rehash the same stuff.


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## Barman1 (Jan 8, 2014)

Are you limiting the choices to just the three you mentioned?
There are better options.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2014)

Barman, actually just trying to give Dirtjunkie a new topic to debate (besides wheelsize and clipless or platform pedals). But since we're on the topic, what's your favorite bar.


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## mfa81 (Apr 1, 2011)

kind bars + gu gels


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## Barman1 (Jan 8, 2014)

Forster said:


> Barman, actually* just trying to give Dirtjunkie a new topic to debate* (besides wheelsize and clipless or platform pedals). But since we're on the topic, what's your favorite bar.


I figured it might be something like that. 
I'll leave you to it. :thumbsup:


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Ha,ha thanks Forster finally a new debate. I'll sleep better tonight thank-you.


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## IPunchCholla (Dec 8, 2013)

Cliff bats for going downhill, power bars for going up, and carbon when I wasn't something organic. Each had its place, man, so just stfu and get to chewing.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Larabars.


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Nubster said:


> Larabars.


This!!!
Look at the ingredients, usually 4 or 5, actual fruit etc, not a list of crazy things you cannot even pronounce like the other bars.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

I'll chime in and say absolutely NOT clif bars

a) I used to order these by the case

b) one summer, one in three cases had 25% or more bars were moldy

c) things got better, next year still got 1 in 5 cases some bars had mold

these are fresh from factory cases arriving with mold

I wonder how many moldy bars everyone has been eating.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

I always liked Clif bars but since I stopped eating grains I stopped eating clif bars. Now knowing that 25% of the Clif bars I ate were probably moldy is a bit unsettling...lol

And yeah, the Lara bars...all natural, vegan if that's your thing, Paleo for the most part if that's your thing, tasty, kosher, no GMO, gluten free. I take them on my bike all the time. It's a great 200 calorie snack to help keep me going on longer rides.


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## SlimL (Aug 5, 2013)

Don't they make penicillin out of mold? So it must be good for you right? Any ways I still eat the Clif bars because they stay soft and they last. I have never noticed any mold on them. I buy them by the box at Costco; peanut butter crunch and chocolate something or another. My wife likes the Lara bars which also are pretty good. Clif bars, Multigrain Cheerios with blueberries, and Almonds are my standard ride breakfast. Lasts for a couple of hours at least before breaking with something else. Slim


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Yeah...I usually look at what I'm eating. I can't say I've ever noticed any mold or anything out of the ordinary when eating Clif bars. In fact...I have some still in my cupboard that have been there well over a year. I'd bet they would be just fine if I tore into one right now.


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## jeffw-13 (Apr 30, 2008)

I got a 6 pack of the Sierra Trail Mix flavor Clif bars last week. Best flavor Ive had so far.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

Nubster said:


> Yeah...I usually look at what I'm eating. I can't say I've ever noticed any mold or anything out of the ordinary when eating Clif bars. In fact...I have some still in my cupboard that have been there well over a year. I'd bet they would be just fine if I tore into one right now.


well all I can say is don't eat them in the dark.

they may have changed the way they dry them. initially I phoned them up to complain and they said they dry them in the air on racks....I always got money back or free cases but gahhhh I quit.


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## asmolow (Oct 26, 2009)

Amazon has some pretty good options. I prefer to focus on bars that aren't loaded with sugar. Quest is for sugar free and quality protein. There are a whole bunch of others that have a good nutritional profile but aren't candy bars. 

Just search sugar free energy bar and you will see some good options, most of what shows up won't be sugar free.


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## AE Beej (Apr 6, 2012)

carrot cake clif bars are an awesome flavor.

i also like the stinger honey waffles (they are organic) and are extremely tasty!


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## SlimL (Aug 5, 2013)

AE Beej said:


> carrot cake clif bars are an awesome flavor.
> 
> i also like the stinger honey waffles (they are organic) and are extremely tasty!


I heard those waffles were pretty good. Slim


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## BR101 (May 10, 2014)

I like the Met-rx bars. Only 2g of sugar and 32g protein. The only thing I dislike about the Met-rx bars is they melt on rides. So I keep two clif bars in each of my bags since they don't melt.


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

They all taste like old cardboard by the end of the day. Mix them up and take a few of each brand.


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

In the dirt rag #170 on this topic Gary Fisher is quoted saying that he prefers burritos and beef sandwiches.


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## 08FXT (May 3, 2012)

I always have 2 of those nut bars in my pack: Products - Taste of Nature®
I get them at costco and they are all natural, no gluten and taste good.


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## preksutra (May 17, 2013)

Whats wrong with gluten?


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

There must be close to a gazillion recipes for home made bars on the internet.


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## trmn8er (Jun 9, 2011)

I used to be into Bars, but now it's mostly eat good well before the ride, top off glycogen stores with a Gu right before the ride, then a Gu or Honey Stinger once an hr on long rides. Bars often take time to process and breakdown into useful energy, unlike some flash carbs that turn into useful power like right now. 

Sometime I will do a PB&J sandwich in my pack. PB&J is really portable in that it is not nearly as sensitive to time and temperature abuse as meat based items, is loaded with Protein, good fats (mostly), and whole grain wheat bread is a good carb, and taste delicious. Also it is generally easy on most people's stomach. Seriously, try substituting your bar with 1/2 of a PB&J and let me know what you think. Yummy!


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## Moonshine Willie (Oct 21, 2009)

Forster said:


> So which are better, Cliff Bars, Power Bars or Carbon Bars. This post is just for DJ who thinks we always rehash the same stuff.


On shorter rides, I enjoy GU gels or Hammer Gels. On rides that go beyond the several-hour zone, I usually augment my gel intake with a half or a whole Honey Stinger protein bar when I'm about halfway into the ride. Seems to work pretty well for me.


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## bk_mtb (Oct 26, 2014)

trmn8er said:


> I used to be into Bars, but now it's mostly eat good well before the ride, top off glycogen stores with a Gu right before the ride, then a Gu or Honey Stinger once an hr on long rides. Bars often take time to process and breakdown into useful energy, unlike some flash carbs that turn into useful power like right now.
> 
> Sometime I will do a PB&J sandwich in my pack. PB&J is really portable in that it is not nearly as sensitive to time and temperature abuse as meat based items, is loaded with Protein, good fats (mostly), and whole grain wheat bread is a good carb, and taste delicious. Also it is generally easy on most people's stomach. Seriously, try substituting your bar with 1/2 of a PB&J and let me know what you think. Yummy!


Nice! I was thinking about trying this with the PB&J. Clif bars always sit in my stomach like a cinder block. I may look into the Lara bars too. I'm still a fatty still so I need to eat otherwise I bonk really badly on a more strenuous ride.


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## oktoclimb (Jan 8, 2015)

Mojo bars are the best. Remember if taste good you will drink or eat it and thats what it comes down to.


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## MultiRider (Dec 27, 2005)

For rides of less than 3 hours, I don't consume solid food, just Hammer HEED. For rides over 3 hours, I eat Hammer bars. I've tried Powerbars and Cliff Bars and they both gave me a gut ache at anything above a very moderate pedaling intensity. Lara bars worked will for me, but since I order HEED and Sustain and Endurolytes from Hammer periodically, it is easy to add a box of bars to the order and get everything from the same place. PBJs are messy. So I'm pretty much all-Hammer all the time.


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## sgtjim57 (Aug 14, 2009)

The new Clif bars, Nuts and seeds and berry pomegranate are good.


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## BlackCanoeDog (Jul 26, 2003)

Nubster said:


> Larabars.


 ^+1


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## ilikecereal (Jan 8, 2015)

I've been eating Clif bars for a long time and never get tired of them.

Also shot bloks are the best.


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## wideawakejake (Jan 18, 2015)

I throw a couple applepie Larabars or stinger wafers in my backpack while on the trail. when I get back to the truck , I eat people food. chips/salsa, PBJ, and apples are pretty standard. as for energy bar? I eat the Larabars because they are chewy, taste good and filling. the stinger waffers just taste awesome. I could eat a case easily. Those things are dangerous. but for quick acting real energy, the only thing I have tried and liked that works, are the cliff gummy caffine shots.


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## PlutonicPlague (Jan 19, 2014)

As for "energy bars," I prefer the Larabars (Cashew Cookie!). I used to take Clif Bars along with me on rides and paddles, but now I avoid soy, so I don't eat Clif Bars any more. All of the Clif Bars have soy in them. However, I never saw a moldy Clif Bar.

I often make my own "energy" sandwich: Sprouted organic whole grain bread, with organic peanut butter and local honey on one side, organic almond butter covered with a layer of organic raisins on the other side. Slap 'em together, cut the sandwich in two, and each half is good for a power snack. I love these things!

Almost forgot to mention that I bonked before I finished my ride last Sunday. I didn't bring along any energy snacks (just water), but only ate an apple before my 2-hour beach ride. Mistake! Toward the end of my ride, I bonked out, with a good mile to go yet. I walked/pushed my Pugsley through about 1/4 mile of soft, wet sand at the top of the beach at high tide, along the base of the high surf-cut (6' to 8' tall bank) berm, until the beach got wider and flatter, with harder sand, and I could ride again in my low-energy condition. Had I brought along a Larabar, I would have eaten it already by then, and not bonked!


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## Gigantic (Aug 31, 2012)

Shot blocks!


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## GGR Girl Wendy (Mar 19, 2014)

I think the best thing out there are Bonk Breakers. Fig is my favorite


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## despain85 (May 9, 2013)

If you have a Kroger store around you look for their simple truth bars. Way cheaper than anything listed above and they taste better. They make protein bars and energy bars, usually .89$ a bar too. I eat them at work when it gets busy to hold me over for lunch or as a snack.


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## MegaMustang (Sep 12, 2009)

Bought three cases of Lara bars as a result of this thread.
Went on a 60-miler today...
2 eggs, sausage, and oatmeal 2 hours before ride...
One Lara bar per hour during the ride...
Tailwind in the Camalebak bladder... one sip every 5 min...

Feel better than I ever did with any other bar.
Thanks!
_Matt


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## provin1327 (Mar 31, 2013)

Power bars are teeeerrriiibblllee, Clif ftw!!!


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## stew325 (Jan 3, 2011)

Been using clif bars for years. They sit well for me whether I eat them before or during a ride. Never seen mold on them. I do like an almond butter and jam sandwich on a long ride day too.
Just started using the blocks, and love those!


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## Collins (Feb 23, 2013)

Up to 3 hours: Water + Elete electros (+ maybe chew some Cliff blocks)
3 - 5 hours: Same as above + mini Snickers / Cliff bars / peanut m&m + banana
5+ hours: (No ****) Same as above + sweet potatoes (baked the night before) in a ziplock. Sweet potatoes are my PED of choice.


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## stew325 (Jan 3, 2011)

I like mixing real food in for the long rides too. Never thought of sweet potatoes though! I love them though, so I'll try that


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## nemesis256 (Aug 16, 2014)

Hope people don't mind me reviving this.

What about fit crunch bars? They're huge, taste good, OKish ingredients, low sugar, but VERY high in fat. 8g saturated fat in that thing. Good? Bad?


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## SlimL (Aug 5, 2013)

I have never had one of those. Suppose eating it before the big ride wouldn't be too bad. You work it off right?


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