On the road Snacks

bananas, flapjacks, dried fruit and for a quick boost jelly babies.

And an (almost) seasonal one is left over Christmas pud - makes my boxing day ride worthwhile!

My new thing is 'Millionaire Shortbread Bites.' I put about 5 in a sandwich bag and eat them every so often, you can get mini flapjacks and stuff as well.

For banana, cut one in half and slit the skin at the top, that way you can jar squeeze the fruit out without properly peeling it.

9 bars as well have done me well over a year or so, two of them per ride.

Nakd bars are OK.

Personally, I think that real food is much better during a ride, gels and stuff are so hyped. The pros eat rice cakes and muffins; not orange flavoured salty syrup.

If you're eat while riding then chewy is not good, especially if you ride hard - makes breathing difficult. For that reason, my favourite is banana & honey sandwich (with butter), cut in quarters and individually wrapped in a bit of foil. Yum yum!

2 thick slices of malt-loaf, spread one thickly with Peanut Butter and the other with any jam (but my home made Damson is best !) - cram together, wrap and enjoy on the road (I think the Yanks call it Peanut Butter Gello).

Does the trick for me !

You can't beat a banana (but be cateful where you toss the skin). Flapjack is great though I'm a bit picky and prefer homemade to most factory ones. In cooler weather a Snickers in your seat pack is tough to beat, especially when the 4-pack is £1.

Cereal, muesli and fruit bars (Eat Natural are nice) but don't take anything less than 40-50g or you'll need two at a time.

One idea I'm keen to try is a croissant with chocolate spread or jam, yummmm! My kids love the chocoate twists that the Co-Op cook in the mornings from part-baked dough, that might be a good alternative. These fat-laden, pastry based foods are fine provided you're not riding hard, as during more intense workouts the blood is diverted from the stomach.

if u dont want to pay a small fortune for a snack, try aldi have blackfriars flapjacks at till only 49p each in a choice of flavours, my personal fav cherry bakewell.

Mmm, malt loaf. Not tried it on the bike, I just love the stuff!

I use a lezyne snack pouch just aft of the stem, no melty chocolate!

There was a recipe on here I think some time ago for chocolate tiffin, that would be well worth trying.

Malt loaf is one of my favorites. Nice and easy to store but packs a big hit IMHO. Bananas are good too.

I often take a Natures Valley cereal bar out with me too but that could be due to getting about 20 free from a rep

Flapjack, banana, cereal bar, snickers, jaffa cakes, apples etc.

Energy gels are useful if you're riding hard for a long time, but they're not always pleasant.

Another thought, if you want savoury rather than cake try tray baking some sausages then when cool, wrap them in clingfilm & stick'em in pocket/saddle bag

I personally use energy gels whilst on the move with the occassional savoury snack at a tea stop. But please if you use energy gels take the wrappers home/dispose of them properly. The way I do it is to fill a "topping" dispenser up at home (see photo) then stick it in the back pocket no mess no fuss approx 4 gels per bottle. There was a sportive/charity ride round my way a few months back you could follow the route not by the signage but by all the wrappers in the hedgerows!

As mpt68 says, make your own, thats the best bet.

Apart from that, I would say to give any one of these three a try. Clif Bar, Powerbar Natural or Mulebar Natural

you can always make your own flapjacks very easy to do. or get some maltloaf(soreen) or fig bicc's.