Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
axel_knutt
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by axel_knutt »

I don't let myself get dependent on any specialist foodstuff, as it has to be available at corner shops out in the sticks. I eat a lot of fruit at home, but I don't bother with it whilst touring because it's far too big and heavy for the few calories it contains. It's messy if it gets squashed, too.

Once the sandwiches are used up I eat mainly biscuits or nuts & raisins, but occasionally I'll have a pasty/sausage roll/pork pie for a change.
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lisap
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by lisap »

Many of you have recommended a balanced diet with breakfast, fruit, veg and oat bars and the like which is fine but I find that on my tours which are always between 4 to 6 weeks long I just go off food altogether.

I cannot eat breakfast even at home and on tour it makes me feel physically sick so I stop 10 miles or an hour into my day and have said Almond Snickers bar. I know it isn't the healthiest thing in the world but Powerbars and Cliff bars on tour are pretty unpalatable. I only eat fruit if I buy it from a roadside stand and can eat it straight away.

I then find a Subway and buy a foot long turkey and tomato with nothing else on a brown sub. I eat half then and save the other half for when I arrive in camp.

Dinner is always a proper meal with plenty of protein as I have eaten carbs during the day. I love sardines and salmon which the Americans do very conveniently in sachets and they form a large part of my diet. They also do sachets of Idahoian potato as an alternative carb to pasta or rice.

My body acts differently when doing a long distance day ride to when I am on tour and I certainly feel that on the latter I can go further on less fuel. No idea why but I assume it is something to do with the metabolism.

By the end of the tour my body craves two things, milk and steak and I am not a big meat eater and I am thoroughly fed up with Almond Snicker (until the next tour :lol:)
jags
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by jags »

yeah i'm another that cant get a brekki down.
banana and raisins are great for quick energy.
quality fruit cake life saver
tuna fish sambo delicious
energy drink/half water rest coke :wink:
if your touring then make a pot of tea/coffee and munch until your as happy as larry :)
Mpolo
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by Mpolo »

we had dates and almonds in a bag during a recent Morocco trip cheap and good but was a rather sticky mess after a few days although still tasted great
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Mick F
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by Mick F »

A decent protein loaded breakfast. Full English is good, with lots of buttered toast and a large pot of tea.
Forget the porridge and cereal, get stuck into some good solid food.

This will keep you going for most of the day and all you will need are nibbles. I like peanuts and raisins or a chunk of malt loaf. Water of course.

Get a move on during the morning, and aim to finish mid afternoon and relax. Don't stop for a heavy lunch, you'l have difficulty getting going after it.

Eat well early in the evening. A good balanced dinner, lots of carbs and protein, veg and starch. Don't scrimp on the meat or fish. Get it down you. :D

Bed early, get a good night's sleep, and get up with the lark.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by al_yrpal »

For a days ride a full english to start the day cannot be beaten. A baguette type lunch, not too heavy and a good 3 course meal in the evening. I dont snack I have never found I need it, 3 square meals and a few beers suffices. Six hours riding at touring pace is approx 3600 calories + about 1700 calories that you need to exist adds up to 5300 calories, so you can fill your boots. High calorie snacks do nothing for your health and are unecessary if you eat properly at mealtimes. Drink at least 2 litres of water during the day to avoid dehydration.

Al
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Tigerbiten
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by Tigerbiten »

I find it depends on which country I'm in as to what type of snack is available.
I like fig rolls but outside of the UK, the only other place I've found them is Iceland ...... :D
Jaffa cakes are common but you get a lot more flavours in Hungary.
For an evening meal, I like the packets of pasta and sauce. They make a quick one pan meal. But I cannot find them in Romania.
My bog standard snack is a quick cheese and ham sandwich, but again it changes as you change countries as you get different types of breads, cheeses and ham.
But then again half the fun of travelling is trying out different foods.
Slowroad
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by Slowroad »

They do lovely sausage rolls and ice cream in the Netherlands! My main food during the day on my tour last year, with a coffee and pastry or apple cake in the morning. I usually have a pretty healthy diet but I reckon 2 weeks with a higher-fat diet won't be a problem, I do try to eat a vegetable and couscous or pasta meal in the evening, and I lost several pounds in weight.
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paultheagle
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by paultheagle »

Thanks to everybody for the great advice !
The Mechanic
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by The Mechanic »

I would be interested to see some facts and figures on the full English v a more healthy breakfast. I like a FE on tour too but I know it is not a healthy option by any means. The question is; what is that gives you similar calories?
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jezer
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by jezer »

I'm not entirely convinced that a FEB is good for cycling. I really love one occasionally, and we have a canal side cafe near me that does a Boatman's Breakfast all day. It is a feast to behold, you name it, it's in there. It's a twice a year treat, but I've never had one when cycling, only when walking. After one of those you'd be struggling on the steep hill out of town :shock:
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Farawayvisions
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by Farawayvisions »

Home made flap jacks, bananas, boiled eggs, Fizz bombs plus dried fruit and nuts are my favourite. I usually have a massive breakfast and snack on the aforementioned goodies between lunch and dinner.

Hunger does weird things to me.
LollyKat
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by LollyKat »

I've never been able to eat a full English breakfast. At home I always have grapefruit juice, unsweetened muesli with added oatflakes and plain yoghurt, homemade wholemeal toast, and coffee. More than that and I feel very uncomfortable. On tour in B&Bs I make do with juice, muesli and/or weetabix, plain croissant (no butter) or toast, and coffee.

Instead I try and eat a lot for my evening meal, adding flapjacks and/or tinned rice pudding as I feel like. With the above breakfast plus nibbles through the day (even when I don't feel hungry) I can keep up 60 - 70 mpd, at a touring / enjoy the view / smell the flowers pace. :)
cooper_coleraine
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by cooper_coleraine »

Before every cycle ride of 30 miles or more I have a large bowl of porridge. On the bike I favour treacle sandwiches.When I did triathlons with a 56 mile cycle segment I Carried and consumed two water bottles filled with Ambrosia rice pudding.In 60 years of cycling I've had the bonk twice, each time a few chocolate digestive biscuits got me going again.
b1galus
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Re: Best/favourite snacks for on the bike

Post by b1galus »

i always carry a few portions of honey in the little plastic pots just in case of the "bonk" but never needed them . but then as a fatboy i have a large tank which does diminish on tour
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