Science In Sport GO Hydro (20 tablets)

Go Hydro is a product from Science in Sport (SiS) designed to help you stay hydrated when exercising. It comes as a tube of tablets consisting of various minerals or electrolytes. You bung a tablet in a bottle of water, wait while it dissolves, then drink it during your ride. As a way to help you avoid dehydration, it definitely does the job.

SiS say that the electrolytes (sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc) in the Go Hydro drink replace those lost from your body via sweat. The sodium content especially encourages you to drink the right amount, which in turn helps performance, as a dehydrated body won't function so well.

I've been testing these Go Hydro tablets for a couple of weeks, and have used them during turbo sessions and training rides, and in one of my bottles on a long sportive. They're available in a range of flavours, including berry, lemon and blackcurrent. The taste and texture is clean and refreshing, not sweet or sticky, and this (or the sodium, or maybe both) definitely encouraged me to drink – especially on colder days.

But do you actually need Go Hydro (or any other similar product), with all these added electrolytes, just to stay hydrated? The answer is not straightforward.

Most sports science studies agree that dehydration can have a negative impact on performance (basically, you get tired sooner), and that drinking the correct amount of water helps avoid this. But after that, there's a divergence regarding electrolytes. Some studies show that replacing the electrolytes lost via sweat helps further improve performance, and avoid cramp. Other studies show that you don't need extra electrolytes, and that drinking water is enough.

The middle way claims that the electrolytes in the fluid, even if not actually needed, still encourage you to drink the correct amount and stay hydrated. The final argument claims that it's the taste of hydration products, rather than the electrolytes, that encourage you to drink - because it's nicer than boring old water.

In the end, it comes down to personal preference. On that basis, and from my own experience, I recommend trying these Go Hydro tablets. If you like the taste, and if you feel it helps you drink a bit more, which in turn helps keep you cycling further or faster (or just helps you enjoy tootling around), then it's well worth dropping a tab in your bottle before you set out.

Hydration tablets are also handy for longer rides, such as sportives. It's easy to keep a few tabs in silver foil in your jersey back pocket and drop them in your bottle at a feed stop.

One final point: Go Hydro is not an energy product. There is no carbohydrate content and virtually no calories. In this respect it's the same as High5's Zero drink and the similarly-titled Nectar Hydro tabs.

A 'tester pot' of 10 Go Hydro tablets costs £2.99 while a 20-tablet tube costs £6.99 (currently reduced to £5.98 on the SiS website). As well as on-line, you can buy SiS products at your local bike shop or sports store, and in a few supermarkets.

Verdict

Good-tasting drink-mix tablets; help you stay hydrated to improve performance when racing, training or cycling long-distance. Fairly priced too.