Nectar Sports Fuel Cell Energy Gel Sachets

Nectar Sports Fuel Cell Energy Gel Sachets are carbohydrate-based energy gels from the people behind For Goodness Shakes recovery drinks. Like many gels these days, it's a mix of glucose and fructose, designed to deliver as much energy as possible. For some riders, though, it won't last long enough.

Previously on road.cc we've reviewed Nectar Sports Fuel; looking for all the world like a 2 litre can of bike wash, it's a syrup that which you mix with water to create a drink of the required strength.  But the Fuel Cell under review here is a 'ready to go' gel, served up in small sachets to be eaten on the bike.

Each 40g sachet contains 20g of carbohydrate. Most cyclists, after an hour or two of fairly hard riding, need carbs to keep going, but the body can absorb a maximum of around 50g to 90g per hour (depending on exertion levels, body mass and the nature of the carb itself). So the 20g of carb in each Fuel Cell is enough for between about 15 and 30 minutes.

The main ingredients, according to the packaging, are simply water, maltodextrin and fructose. The packaging also highlights the 'dual-carb' formula – the combination of glucose and fructose – which is a more efficient way for the body to take on energy than via glucose alone.

We're testing the orange and lemon-lime flavours. The taste is light and not sticky, but with a bit of zing from the citrus which makes it pleasant on the taste-buds. Compared to gels from some other brands, the consistency is very 'thin' – more like a drink than a gel - which is not surprising, given that about half the content of a Fuel Cell is water. The blurb on the Nectar website dubs it a 'LiquiGel'.

On price, a box of 24 sachets costs £36 at Nectar's own Athlete Store on-line shop, which works out at £1.50 per sachet (although it's currently reduced to £33 with free shipping). On a crude carbs-per-quid basis the Fuel Cell (40g gel delivering 20g of carb for £1.50) does not compare well against similar products such as Bike Food Pure Energy (40g gel delivering almost 30g of carb for about £1.45), ZipVit (60g gel, 51g of carb, £1.50) or Sponser Liquid Energy Long (40g gel, 23g of carb, £1).

As with all energy products, a lot comes down to personal experience and preference. Based on our tests, if you're the type of cyclist that wants more bang for your buck and don't mind a gel that's a bit chewy, then Fuel Cells may not be the product for you. On the other hand, if you're the type of cyclist that finds other gels too 'thick' to stomach in one go, and you're looking for something with a nice non-sticky taste, then we'd recommend giving Fuel Cells a try.

Verdict

Zingy-flavoured energy gel. Easy on the stomach, but not so easy on the wallet.