Behind the Wrapper: Our Best Value Products
By Matt Johnson
Founder of The Feed.
After seeing an impressive amount of fuel consumed over this weekend's Leadville 100, it got us thinking about which products are the best value. After a deep dive on our products, we found that the value actually lies in the cost per gram of carbohydrates.
After witnessing the renowned Leadville 100 MTB race yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice the staggering amount of nutrition athletes consumed, evidenced by the littered gel wrappers across the feed zones.
It got me thinking of the best “bang for your buck” in fueling choices. My initial instinct was to list our gels and drinks by price, believing that would translate to value.
However, a deeper dive revealed that the true value lies in the cost per gram of carbohydrates.
Surprisingly, some of our top-tier products, which might seem pricier upfront, offer the best value. For example, you might only need one of these nutrient-dense gels an hour, compared to two from other options, leading to both savings and better fueling.
I’ve ranked it all by cost per carbohydrate:
Best Value Gels
1. SiS Beta Fuel Gels - $0.063 per gram
2. SiS Go Isotonic Gels - $0.086 per gram
3. Enervit: C2:1PRO Carbo Gel - $0.088 per gram
4. Powerbar Powergel Hydro - $0.092 per gram
5. Spring Awesomesauce - $0.093 per gram
Best Value High-Carb Hydration
1. Enervit Iso Carb - $0.33 per gram
2. SiS Beta Fuel Drink - $0.041 per gram
3. Maurten Drink 320 - $0.044 per gram
4. Neversecond C90 Drink Mix - $0.053 per gram
5. Skratch Superfuel - $0.065 per gram
Best Value Chews
1. Powerbar Chews - $0.06 per gram
2. SiS Beta Fuel Chews - $0.07 per gram
3. Precision Fuel Chews - $0.08 per gram
4. Xact Fruit Bar - $0.10 per gram
5. Skratch Energy Chews - $0.13 per gram
The products that surprised me the most on this list were Spring Energy Gel (which is amazing) and always seems expensive, but it is such a great value. A new product here is the Xact Fruit Bar, if you haven’t tried it I recommend it. It’s chews made from fruit pulp that you will love.
Enjoy the savings!