GU Energy Gel - Birthday Cake

Love using GU, and I believe they have loads of history and experience behind their name to make them one of the most trusted names in athlete nutrition. I’ve always enjoyed the large variety of flavors, caffeine amounts, and amino blends in their energy gel lines to give me the flexibility to choose which gels fit my needs. For me, they’ve always been easy to get down, even During hard efforts, and I’ve personally never experienced any discomfort or negative side-effects from using them.I like most of the GU Energy and Roctane gels, but my favorites are Hoppy Trails and Salted Watermelon. Hoppy Trails is surprisingly not “flat beer” flavored at all, as some may think. It has nice, citrus-hoppy-floral notes you might get from a craft IPA. It’s actually really ... MoreLove using GU, and I believe they have loads of history and experience behind their name to make them one of the most trusted names in athlete nutrition. I’ve always enjoyed the large variety of flavors, caffeine amounts, and amino blends in their energy gel lines to give me the flexibility to choose which gels fit my needs. For me, they’ve always been easy to get down, even During hard efforts, and I’ve personally never experienced any discomfort or negative side-effects from using them.I like most of the GU Energy and Roctane gels, but my favorites are Hoppy Trails and Salted Watermelon. Hoppy Trails is surprisingly not “flat beer” flavored at all, as some may think. It has nice, citrus-hoppy-floral notes you might get from a craft IPA. It’s actually really refreshing in flavor, not overly-sweet like some gels can be, and does not leave an aftertaste. It’s a great non-caffeinated option for me. Salted Watermelon is my favorite caffeinated option and again not overly sweet for me.

A Quick Take: The Gu-ey the Bad and The Ugly

I really don't know what to say about this product. It could be stated that it fulfills its intended purpose well. However, I get caught up by the process of ingestion, whenever I go suck out the Gu, I find the corners of my lips a little cut up, meaning I can't properly enjoy the consumption experience. From a Mormon perspective I would like to see non-caffeinated options, maybe something like a Jello substance or perhaps a gummy substitute. All and all I personally can't fully endorse this product, head my lip injury warnings and hopefully this review provides you with a more holistic perspective when it comes to the purchasing of such an item.

Find your flavor that works.

I have been using GU packs for all of my 40 marathons and the training since 2008. I highly recommend. That said, I get stomach issues from any of the fruity flavors, I can only do chocolate, vanilla and caramel. So fo you, you have to see if one type of flavor works best, Roctain or Regular. But they really work for me personally and I have run 10 Bostons, qualified IDK 15 times. 1 before the run or race and then 1 every 5 miles, but I do an EXTRA one at mile 17. No bonking. Whatsoever.

Great for long runs or bike rides!

I am a new cyclist but I adore cycling. I've been a lifelong runner but cycling is a new found joy! Last year I cycled 42 miles as my longest ride. I mix my training with running and hiking mostly in northern Michigan which has a lot of hills. Where are live there are some of the highest hills in the state. With Gu energy gels I can go the extra mile. As a novice cyclist, I've experienced the bonks as it is similar to hitting the wall. With proper planning, nutrition, water, and Gu energy gels I don't hit walls or bonk. I've been able to go on shorter rides from 20-30 miles and feel great! My favorite is Chocolate Outrage! Seriously tasty As someone who is lactose intolerant as well as having a wheat allergy I appreciate these being vegan and gluten free!

I've tried several

Sometimes you need energy, but don't want food. I have a friend who is trying to get into shape and gets exhausted on hikes, but can't handle food and these have been exactly what they need.Here is my opinion on a few flavors:Birthday Cake- It's birthday cake. It delicious and by the second or third taste you realize it's way too sweet... but you keep eating it lol. It's birthday cake.Cola- Its flat Cola. Ever had some leftover coke in a bottle you left capped and hoped it still had gas when you went for a drink only to be disappointed that it was flat and just tossed it out? This is that.Caramel Macchiato- ever had the iced coffee from a place like 7-eleven? Its kind of chemically and you understand what they were going for but its not that. This is that. ... MoreSometimes you need energy, but don't want food. I have a friend who is trying to get into shape and gets exhausted on hikes, but can't handle food and these have been exactly what they need.Here is my opinion on a few flavors:Birthday Cake- It's birthday cake. It delicious and by the second or third taste you realize it's way too sweet... but you keep eating it lol. It's birthday cake.Cola- Its flat Cola. Ever had some leftover coke in a bottle you left capped and hoped it still had gas when you went for a drink only to be disappointed that it was flat and just tossed it out? This is that.Caramel Macchiato- ever had the iced coffee from a place like 7-eleven? Its kind of chemically and you understand what they were going for but its not that. This is that. Maybe you like it. I do not.Chocolate Outrage- Chocolate, not too sweet, but just a tad chemically. Not as bad as Caramel Macchiato, but not my favorite.Espresso Love- Tastes like fudgy pudding. Its delicious and I can't get enough.Vanilla Bean- Sweet, not as sweet as birthday cake, no chemical taste. Very good option.

Life-savers!

These energy gels have proven themselves to be real life-savers... literally. I'm diabetic and don't always realize that my energy is flagging. Fortunately, I keep these on hand - in my pocket and in my backpack - for when I feel that drop in blood sugar. They work faster than eating a piece of candy and the caffeine kick in some of the flavors helps to curb any headache I may have gotten from allowing my sugar to fall. I also use them when hiking in general, to keep up my stamina between meals. They're easy, fact-acting and highly portable, making them perfect for traveling.

My Favourite Race Gels

I'm a trail runner and spend hrs in forests. I have a sensetive stomach + reflux. Many says GU is thick , yes but calms my stomach down. Since you have to drink water during a long race, thickness doesnt really bother me. they are small so makes it easy to carry.Also different flavors really helpful for my stomach&taste ,too. For xmiles, reallly fast shipping! thank you!

Some flavors are good, some are REALLY bad

Ok, so overall I'd say most flavors are quite decent and don't taste awful. But there is one that brings the whole thing down, and that's the Raspberry Lemonade. I figured I'd love it since I like the fruity gels, and I love lemonade. So imagine my surprise when I take one out for some quick fuel 13 miles into an 18 mile hike and about to start on a 3800' elevation gain, and it tastes like neither raspberry or lemonade. The best way to describe the taste would be like how Clorox wipes with Febreze smells. That's what this one tastes like. Or some kind of artificially fruit scented floor cleaner. It is BAD. Like, want to immediately barf bad, gotta drink my entire bladder of water to get this out of my mouth bad. I know taste is subjective, and I'm sure someone out ... MoreOk, so overall I'd say most flavors are quite decent and don't taste awful. But there is one that brings the whole thing down, and that's the Raspberry Lemonade. I figured I'd love it since I like the fruity gels, and I love lemonade. So imagine my surprise when I take one out for some quick fuel 13 miles into an 18 mile hike and about to start on a 3800' elevation gain, and it tastes like neither raspberry or lemonade. The best way to describe the taste would be like how Clorox wipes with Febreze smells. That's what this one tastes like. Or some kind of artificially fruit scented floor cleaner. It is BAD. Like, want to immediately barf bad, gotta drink my entire bladder of water to get this out of my mouth bad. I know taste is subjective, and I'm sure someone out there thinks this flavor is the best of the best, but oooof. No.

The name really captures the texture and flavor...

For the weight/calorie/size ratio, this is one of the more portable foods. I usually carry PBJ/applesauce/fig bars or something I can get from the grocery store but they can take up more space. Replacing some of the calories from the "real" food will help free up some space.I don't like sweets and I think this affects my judgement of the flavors. I just try to gulp it all down in one go and chase with water.

Varied flavours

I’ve tried the salted caramel, salted watermelon and campfire s’mores. My favourite is easily the campfire s’mores, I loved this flavour! I tried two of the salted watermelon and didn’t love it the first time but did love it the second. The salted Carmel’s are also a great choice but couldn’t stomach them after a while. They need water with them, but are good for being a bit different.