Power Bar Energize Review
From CRCycling
Over the years, I've learned that I have about 2,000 calories available to burn while I'm riding. If I don't ingest some go juice during a ride, I end up as a tax paying citizen of bonk city. It takes about 2000 calories for me to ride a fast pace from Chardon to Chagrin Falls and back to Bass Lake Road and Butternut (7 miles from home). Once I get there, if I didn't eat, or have an energy drink, I end up riding 10-12 mph all the way home while my brain activity dwindles to frog level. So when I saw the PowerBar ENERGIZE Fruit C2 MAX, which is supposed to offer "More Sustained Energy to Muscles", I thought I'd give them a try.
Flavah and Consistency
The fruit flavor PowerBars are yummy compared to the first generation of PowerBars, which have the taste and consistency of cardboard. The PowerBar label says there are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. That's good to know.
The Energize PowerBars get very soft while sitting in a back pocket in 90 degree weather, but there are little chewy bits in there that give the soylent orange substance a little more "body". But, I don't think it's people.
Effectiveness
Is the "More Sustained Energy to Muscles" claim true? According to the PowerBar web site, the bar is supposed to be consumed before exercise. (Food requires instructions?) The bars pack 210 Calories, with 30 from fat into a shiny wrapper that's easy to open, and that doesn't stick to the bar, even at its most gooey. But if anything, the bars felt like they sapped my strength whether I ate them before or during a ride.
I've had these bars on a few rides where I was well under 2,000 calories, but each time the bars made me feel hungry, and feel like I was bonking even though I had plenty of energy left to complete the ride. I got that rubbery leg feeling about 10 minutes after pushing the bar down my pie hole. I've had the same reaction to the Vitamin Water "Energize" drink. Maybe the "B" vitamins that are packed into the bar cause my blood sugar to crash.
Rating
Using the "Gong Show" rating system (0-500), I give these lousy bars a 20!
