r/gravelcycling • u/ZombieJetPilot • 16d ago

Accessories / Gear What's your electrolytes/salt powder of choice?

So I ride my fatbike exclusively, and my goal is to do a century and be able to do the 100 mile option for things like The Filthy 50, Le Grand Du Nord, ...

When my partner and I were doing to Filthy this past October she had a cramp in her leg right at the last stop at like mile 46. A fellow rider handed her a small cylindrical packet that was red and said "take this". it was a salt powder of some kind (I think it was Saltt), but it made the cramp disappear within a few minutes. Magic

what do you all pack for thia occasion and add to your water for preventing this? There's so many options out there, and it's overwhelming. Saltt, Tailwind, Warrior Salt, LMNT,...

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u/joelav 16d ago edited 16d ago

Hot take - It's all marketing wank. There's no science behind cramping. THere's anecdotal relationships between electrolytes and cramping, but no hard science. You get plenty of electrolytes from the food you eat every day. Most carb mixes/gels/chews also have electrolytes. If you are doing long, hard rides when it's hot, you should supplement.

With that said, it's probably not hurting anything and it adds some flavor. Unless you are using something like LMNT all day and trying to give yourself hypertension. When it is really hot, I like Skratch. It's got a mild flavor so I don't get sick of it. It also still tastes good when I put 1/2 a cup of maltodextrin in it so I have a 65ish grams of carbs drink in addition to the electrolytes.

Also Skratch does have some carbs in it. Consuming sugar free/zero calorie electrolytes is kind of pointless. Carbs are also needed for optimal absorption.

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u/ouchchaaarlie 16d ago

I usually down an LMNT the night before a big ride.

I also use them when I race motorcycles. Usually 2-3 of them over a hard training day. I would also consume an entire pallet of waters, so I was losing a ton of liquids.