Multipower Multicarbo Energy+Fruit bar

The Mutlipower Multicarbo Energy+Fruit bar differs from the vast majority of energy bars in that it's based on fruit instead of oats. Each 50g bar contains 34g of carbs, mainly derived from dextrose and maltodextrin, as well as 7g of protein. Studies have shown that ingesting protein as well as carbs during exercise improves performance for longer, endurance efforts. As such, the Energy+Fruit could be your best friend in a sportive.

Taste-wise, I was left feeling a little ambivalent. Whilst it's not unpleasant, the flavour does have a certain artificial quality to it that leaves you feeling like you've just eaten something out of a Petri dish. This was the same for each of the flavours offered: Banana, Apple and Strawberry/Vanilla. Personally, I feel that on-the-bike food should be tasty enough to eat off the bike (with the exception of gels), and I just can't say this about the Energy+Fruit.

All the bars were extremely chewy. It's not one that you can quickly get down the hatch when breathing hard. I found that I had to eat the bar in two instalments if I was going at anywhere near a decent pace. Luckily, the texture means that it is okay to put a half-eaten bar back in your pocket without it disintegrating.

One aspect that I particularly liked was how easy the wrappers were to open using one hand and your teeth. Whether this is by design or luck, it's a characteristic that I found most welcome. There's nothing more irritating that fiddling with a stubborn wrapper when all you want in the world is to access that calorific goodness inside!

A pack of 25 bars will set you back £31.25, which works out at £1.25 per bar. Although not the cheapest, this is certainly at the cheaper end of the energy bar price scale.

Verdict

A welcome change to oat bars or gels on a long ride, but I'd get pretty sick of them if they were all I had