# Pre ride munchies...no powerbars/cliffbars etc etc



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

Just curious....what do you guys (those of us who DO NOT eat powerbars/cliffbars/gels) eat before your ride?

Normal foods only please. :thumbsup:

Personally, a Banana and 3-4 Fig newtons..


----------



## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

why do you NOT eat such foods? Are they not "normal" to you? Clif bars seem pretty "normal" to me.


----------



## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

Maybe if you were _actually_ worried about what you put into your body you wouldn't smoke weed.


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

i dont like the taste of them....never been a fan of gels.\

and.........dont judge me monkey


----------



## Flyin_W (Jun 17, 2007)

SpAgetttt said:


> why do you NOT eat such foods? Are they not "normal" to you? Clif bars seem pretty "normal" to me.


---
Do not consider energy bars or gel "normal" food, and only use if on trail & bonking. 
For my pre-ride, it's either yogurt w/ fruit & berries, or a muffin w/ p-butter & banana.


----------



## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

i like earing a really good breakfest before i ride if its in the morning. a big bowel of wheaties, lots of orange juice, 2 slices of 12 grain toast with nothing on it and peach or bananna


----------



## old'skool (Jul 2, 2011)

A pre ride meal ain't gonna help much. Glucose levels should be high already. 

Just maintain a steady diet high in carbs and protein, and stay hydrated. (If I pee clear in the morning, I know I'm hydrated.)


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

ya, i normally carb up the day before a ride...and drink at least 1.5 gallons of water in the day...

Yogurt isnt heavy on your stomach in the morning? Never thought of that.

I was just seeing what other people put in their stomachs before a ride. I have to have something before a ride or a die out at around 15miles. Even in that 15miles, i feel sluggish...almost tired, but not sleepy.


----------



## trailville (Jul 24, 2006)

Some dry roasted peanuts do the trick for me. This is my standard go-to for a mid day/early afternoon ride because I prefer to not eat a meal (lunch) immediately before I ride.


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

trailville said:


> Some dry roasted peanuts do the trick for me. This is my standard go-to for a mid day/early afternoon ride because I prefer to not eat a meal (lunch) immediately before I ride.


Oh man, thats awesome....never thought of peanuts..

Easy to get down, light on the stomach....brilliant.


----------



## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Fig Newtons rule!


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Fig Newtons rule!


Yes sir :thumbsup:...i have been eating them as my preride for a reallllllllly long time. Prob the best thing ive come across so far.


----------



## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

peanut butter and bacon bagel...pretty awesome ride fuel...

or spaghettios...that works well too...


and no - i am not kidding


----------



## Waltah (Aug 5, 2011)

i just eat regular well balanced meals (mid sized) an hour or 2 before a good ride. usually have some simple carbs in there to burn away as energy. nothing fancy.


----------



## old'skool (Jul 2, 2011)

Also, I can't ride on a full stomach, all sorts of bad things happen.

And, physiologically, it's bad too. Blood is diverted to your intestines and stomach to digest food. That blood should be in my LEGS !


----------



## ebineezer (Sep 6, 2007)

Peanut butter & jelly, or Peanut butter and bananas. :thumbsup:


----------



## Waltah (Aug 5, 2011)

old'skool said:


> Also, I can't ride on a full stomach, all sorts of bad things happen.


hence not riding immediatley after


----------



## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

I usually have a bowl of muesli with a sliced banana and some coconut milk 'yogurt' about 2 hours before a ride, then a mix of raw sprouted pumpkin seeds with raisins and whole dates as a snack on the ride. This seems to keep the energy high, and I rarely feel heavy. Sometimes I might get lazy and have an Odwalla banana nut bread bar instead, but I am starting to go off them.


----------



## dirtdan (Jun 27, 2011)

Bacon, egg and cheese and a pastry. Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. Cereal and milk... Espresso. Any combination of those items, but always include the espresso.
PB&J for mid ride snacks and I have no issues with Clif bars and will have one of those too if I feel like it.


----------



## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

I usually just eat a banana... And eat a meal after the ride.

I always feel sluggish if I eat a meal before a ride.


----------



## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

As long as i don;t go out on an empty or full stomach i'm good.


----------



## Guest (Aug 15, 2011)

i usually try to have a home made fruit smoothie and a bran muffin for rides earlier in the day.

for rides later in the day, i like to wait until at least two hours after lunch.

when we used to frequently ride at night, i'd have p&j after work with a few gulps of gatorade.


----------



## Ratt (Dec 22, 2003)

Usually running late to the trail head so its drive thru for me. Morning ride its a Breakfast Jack and large Coke. Afternoon ride its a McChicken and large Coke. I can digest these and ride in a 20 minutes and it cost less than Cliff Blocks. Also bean burritos from Taco Bell or Del taco, 'real' bean and cheese burritos made with lard don't sit so well during a ride.


----------



## crazy03 (Mar 15, 2011)

About 2 cups of greek yogurt mixed with lots of honey, some type of granola and dried cranberries. Mix it all together and im good for about 3 hours or so. Its damn good and doesn't give me that heavy/sluggish feeling.


----------



## boostin (Apr 21, 2008)

when I am camping and riding I usually eat a couple almond butter/honey sandwiches and a cup of camp coffee for breakfast. Plus whatever snack type crap I have laying around


----------



## STT GUY (May 19, 2009)

I eat the "Normal" version of Nature Valley Bars, I save the heroin infused ones for post ride.

Ok..ok.. Banana and oatmeal or cantaloupe if no bananas are around is yummy and easy,


----------



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Nothing special...*

I try and eat on a close to normal schedule, 5 times a day. I don't eat anything special based on my normal riding schedule. I try and eat decent food all the time.

Breakfast is usually steel cut oatmeal w 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries or Greek yogurt w blueberries or some kind of egg (whites or regular eggs) with veggies.

I'll do some sort of protein shake for both my tweener meals.

Lunch is usually lean protein (1/2 a chicken breast mostly) and veggies.

Dinner is also a small amount of lean protein but mostly veggies.

My late night snacks are fruit and nuts (almonds, most of the time).

For epic, all day rides or riding trips, I'll stoke up a little more the day before and at breakfast. Lunch is usually on the trail and consists of peanut butter and apples for the most part. Dinner is protein, complex carbs, fruits and veggies. Usually a beer to two as well.

I use Clif bars (mini's are great for me), Hammer gel and Hammer Perpeteum on epic rides/trips. For regular riding I'll use Clif bars, especially if my meal schedule is wonked that day.


----------



## Metalized (Apr 1, 2009)

Ideally, I will eat lots of meat as well as fruit or yogurt shortly before a ride. Then I'm good for several hours. Those bars and gels are expensive, plus most of them are made of pure chemicals. And they typically taste like ****. Stay away from that **** and eat real food instead.


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

I see a lot of people eat Yogurt before they ride...does this end up feeling heavy in your stomach? 

I saw some nice blueberries on sale, so i bought a bunch...also bought some plain peanuts and trail mix. 

I also agree that energy bars taste awful...its sucks to chew and get down. 

Lots of good info here...thx guys, keep it coming.


----------



## Huck Pitueee (Apr 25, 2009)

I run on fat. Sugars mess me up. Cheeze & crackers, Bacon & eggs work. A friend who did the ironman told me if you eat fat your body goes into fat burning mode. I don't know if that's true but it works for me.


----------



## STT GUY (May 19, 2009)

HighLife420 said:


> I see a lot of people eat Yogurt before they ride...does this end up feeling heavy in your stomach?
> 
> I saw some nice blueberries on sale, so i bought a bunch...also bought some plain peanuts and trail mix.
> 
> ...


Be careful eating a ton of fruit if your system is not use to it... or take plenty of TP along.


----------



## nikojan (Jun 18, 2011)

cliffbar and trail mix and some fruits, maybe a really small bump of cocaine if its a really long ride and I need to start off strong.


----------



## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

All three times I've managed record-crushing times up a favourite semi-technical uphill section, the nutrition theme was _sushi for breakfast_. Yes, I had Safeway sushi (sort of an abomination/oxymoron, yet my nearby Safeway has a particular woman working there in the sushi deli who knows her sh¡t when it comes to making the stuff on the fly, and doing a quality job. I usually get two nigiri orders-sake and maguro, and one order of some sort of roll crap (rainbow rolls generally). Here is the section where the sushi hits the dirt effectively:

http://app.strava.com/segments/628901/embed

My slower times were achieved by only having a bowl of granola cereal for breakfast with ricemilk on it, so much for vegan tactics.  I am sold on the Japanesque breakfast theme.


----------



## PerfectZero (Jul 22, 2010)

preride its time to carbo load


----------



## darzsiklista (Jun 16, 2011)

cup of coffee, 4 slices of bread and an egg..good enough for 100km on the road.


----------



## dirtdan (Jun 27, 2011)

HighLife420 said:


> I see a lot of people eat Yogurt before they ride...does this end up feeling heavy in your stomach?
> 
> I saw some nice blueberries on sale, so i bought a bunch...also bought some plain peanuts and trail mix.
> 
> ...


I eat greek strained yogurt and I don't find it particularly heavy. I also always have a good hour between the meal and any intense riding. If I were racing (which I'm not, but have experience in competitive sports), I'd have a similar meal but I'd have it 3 hours before the race and add a bagel or something. 3 hours was always my rule when playing competitive soccer.

Also, the Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif Bar is awesome.


----------



## Knight511 (Nov 26, 2010)

ebineezer said:


> Peanut butter & jelly, or Peanut butter and bananas. :thumbsup:


This is the best "power bar" for me since I don't like energy bars.... After ride I can even drizzle a little honey over my bananas on the sandwich as a treat


----------



## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

I like Chum’s peanut butter and bacon on a bagel idea, it actually sounds delicious! :eekster:


----------



## Anonymous (Mar 3, 2005)

HighLife420 said:


> Personally, a Banana and 3-4 Fig newtons..


Banana and newtons are a big favorite of mine
If you want to take it to the next level, add a couple of strips of bacon. 
Don't knock it until you try it.


----------



## HighLife420 (Apr 5, 2011)

Anonymous said:


> Banana and newtons are a big favorite of mine
> If you want to take it to the next level, add a couple of strips of bacon.
> Don't knock it until you try it.


ohh man, anytime you can eat bacon its a win win.....:thumbsup:


----------



## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

old'skool said:


> Also, I can't ride on a full stomach, all sorts of bad things happen.
> 
> And, physiologically, it's bad too. *Blood is diverted to your intestines and stomach to digest food. That blood should be in my LEGS !*


Right on!
My preride involves me getting down to optimal riding weight - opposite of eating.

If you're carbing up you should have it all in the day before. Well, 12 hrs. maybe.
Water and electrolytes maybe up 'til ride time, but not a lot.

-F


----------



## jpedders (Jul 7, 2011)

Six slices of bacon and a sweet roll.


----------



## nikojan (Jun 18, 2011)

Has anyone tried an energy bar when you first get it, hate the taste, take it on the trail anyways and actually like it when you're tired as hell? Thats whats happening with these cliffbars I've bought.


----------



## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

I noticed many of you said you don't like energy bars, if that is the case try a Pro Bar. These things are awesome if your in a rush or on the go.


----------



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Sure....*



nikojan said:


> Has anyone tried an energy bar when you first get it, hate the taste, take it on the trail anyways and actually like it when you're tired as hell? Thats whats happening with these cliffbars I've bought.


When you're tired and hungry, a cat turd will taste good. Especially with ketchup.

Seriously though, yes. When you body needs fuel (as opposed to simply eating), it doesn't care so much about taste.


----------



## nikojan (Jun 18, 2011)

Ken in KC said:


> When you're tired and hungry, a cat turd will taste good. Especially with ketchup.
> 
> Seriously though, yes. When you body needs fuel (as opposed to simply eating), it doesn't care so much about taste.


Thanks, I seriously had no idea, thought it was just me.


----------



## monzie (Aug 5, 2009)

I'm a fatty. My weight belies this fact( 145 on a good day). I eat pretty much non- stop throughout the day even when not riding. Before a ride if it's going to be a long one I will eat a bagel sandwich with two eggs a slice of tomato, some avocado and a slice of provolone. Cup of coffee, glass of almond milk and a banana. During the ride it's dried trail mix, two of those tuna sealed pouch things or come veggie protein dogs, lots of water and if I happen to have it lying around a cliff bar, if not then more trail mix. Dinner is usually anything I have at the house that will fill me up.


----------



## masterlucasdude (Jun 5, 2011)

half a bagel w/ peanut butter, a banana, & a Grande quad White chocolate Americano w/ steamed soy.
Yummmmm...


----------



## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I never knew men ate so healthy until I started riding with them. When I was in college, I could eat anything and be fine. Nowadays, it's oatmeal and coffee. I'm going to add yogurt and English muffins with honey to it too. 

145 isn't fatty....unless you're 5'0".


----------



## monzie (Aug 5, 2009)

Close, I'm 5'4". It's muscle mass. I just need to define but I'm lazy.


----------



## Haligan78 (Jun 13, 2011)

I'm not serious enough about my riding to care about my diet. I eat what I eat and don't plan it around upcoming rides.


----------



## mr.bubbles (May 4, 2011)

SpAgetttt said:


> Maybe if you were _actually_ worried about what you put into your body you wouldn't smoke weed.


Now this is just crazy talk! I don't like it one bit.


----------



## electrik (Oct 22, 2009)

lol @ carbo loading... **** yeah.

Why the hell anybody would chose to eat clif bar_ before_ they're riding is beyond me 

BTW, snacking immediately prior can actually lower your performance if you're riding for longer than 90 minutes.


----------



## mr.bubbles (May 4, 2011)

I this why I'm so tired all the time because I pound a huge breakfast an hour before I ride. hahaha 
I notice during the mid and end I have way more energy.


----------



## electrik (Oct 22, 2009)

mr.bubbles said:


> I this why I'm so tired all the time because I pound a huge breakfast an hour before I ride. hahaha
> I notice during the mid and end I have way more energy.


Yah dude, digestion takes blood from the muscle and moves it to the gut... Co-incidentally you will be relieved to know that it might explain why your butt turns into a volcano and you feel like you're going to **** yourself after the ride since body temperature rise and digestive stopping to power muscles leads to putrification of food in your intestine and an explsion.

If you're eating right before and not pooping yourself then you're clearly not going hard enough!!








Winning.


----------



## Guest (Aug 27, 2011)

Metalized said:


> Ideally, I will eat lots of meat as well as fruit or yogurt shortly before a ride. Then I'm good for several hours. Those bars and gels are expensive, plus most of them are made of pure chemicals. And they typically taste like ****. Stay away from that **** and eat real food instead.


"plus most of them are made of pure chemicals."

provide us some examples of what these "chemicals" are...


----------



## Guest (Aug 27, 2011)

"If you're eating right before and not pooping yourself then you're clearly not going hard enough!!"

this is priceless advice...


----------



## Guest (Aug 27, 2011)

mikeb said:


> "plus most of them are made of pure chemicals."
> 
> provide us some examples of what these "chemicals" are...


from wikipedia:

All CLIF BARS do not contain ingredients sourced from GMOs, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.[13] CLIF BARS are also certified kosher and free of animal products.

Clif Bar & Company uses organic ingredients in all their products. CLIF BAR, LUNA, CLIF C, CLIF MOJO and CLIF CRUNCH are made with 70% organic ingredients.[14] CLIF SHOT, CLIF SHOT BLOKS, and CLIF SHOT Electrolyte Drink contain 90% organic ingredients or more.[15]

more:

The Ingredients In Clif Bars | LIVESTRONG.COM

where are the "chemicals"?


----------



## MTBPaesano (Nov 9, 2010)

If I ride in the morning, I just eat a banana and water before I take off. If I'm riding after work, I make sure to have a decent lunch, and then eat an orange or apple while I'm driving to the trailhead.


----------



## boostin (Apr 21, 2008)

electrik said:


> Yah dude, digestion takes blood from the muscle and moves it to the gut.... body temperature rise and digestive stopping to power muscles leads to purification of food in your intestine and an explosion.


That is interesting.

I like to keep a bag of Ginger People Ginger Chews in my backpack on long rides. They taste good and I can suck on them while they dissolve, but they are still soft and pliable. Not too expensive either.

During my last long ride, I found a half eaten Clif Bar in my bag and ate that too.


----------



## electrik (Oct 22, 2009)

boostin said:


> That is interesting.
> 
> I like to keep a bag of Ginger People Ginger Chews in my backpack on long rides. They taste good and I can suck on them while they dissolve, but they are still soft and pliable. Not too expensive either.
> 
> During my last long ride, I found a half eaten Clif Bar in my bag and ate that too.


Careful, eat too many and you might develop a case of gingervitus!


----------



## boostin (Apr 21, 2008)

I didn't know they sold anabolic ginger


----------



## Mr Pink57 (Jul 30, 2009)

chunky peanut butter, grandma's jam, honey, on whole grain bread works everytime.


----------



## scottcan (Sep 12, 2011)

Nutella panini, and gatorade.


----------



## swingset (Oct 14, 2010)

HighLife420 said:


> Yes sir :thumbsup:...i have been eating them as my preride for a reallllllllly long time. Prob the best thing ive come across so far.


Because Fig Newtons are real whereas a Cliff Bar is fake.


----------



## electrik (Oct 22, 2009)

swingset said:


> Because Fig Newtons are real whereas a Cliff Bar is fake.


Ingredient list is about the same length... haha!


----------



## pagey (Sep 26, 2006)

Porrage Oats
Peanut Butter an Honey on toast
Banana & Nutella sandwich


----------



## Surly Gentleman (Aug 9, 2010)

usually 2-3 slices of sprouted grain [no flour] toast with peanut butter, a banana and a cup of coffee with non-dairy creamer...

however, in support of the fella who touted the virtues of pre-ride sushi, a bowl of rice with scrambled egg and tomatoes never fails. throw a little ham in for taste and you're good to go.


----------



## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

Haligan78 said:


> I'm not serious enough about my riding to care about my diet. I eat what I eat and don't plan it around upcoming rides.


Same thing here, the only thing I do is eat more of what I normally eat if I'm doing a ride. I'll have an extra bagel for breakfast if I'm riding in the morning and if I'm riding in the afternoon I'll make an extra large wrap or slap some extra meat & cheese on my sandwich for lunch.


----------



## Tigerider (Oct 20, 2011)

I eat trail mix... call me old fashioned, but I'm about to go ride "trails." Why not eat some "trail" mix?


----------

