Multipower Iso mix drink

Some energy products emphasise their all-natural ingredients and present an image of wholesome goodness. Not so Multipower Iso Drink mix. The label looks like something from Bladerunner, and the image is one of no-nonsense scientific precision. Perhaps not surprisingly Multipower is made in Germany.

The main ingredients of Multipower Iso Drink are maltodextrin, dextrose and fructose (various vitamins and minerals are also included), so this is an out-and-out carbohydrate product, with less than 1% protein. The 875g tub of drink powder tested here gives 25 portions of 35g each, which you mix with 500ml of water to give 129 kcal of energy.

As a rough rule of thumb most riders absorb a max of about 50g of carbs per hour (sometime more with products containing fructose) so 35g of drink mix made up with 500ml of water would keep you going for around 30 minutes to an hour. This makes Multipower Iso Drink ideal for shorter training rides or events such as a 25-mile time trial, and possibly for a 10 as well - although most TT-ers wouldn’t use a drink over such a short distance.

Several bottles of Iso Drink will obviously keep you going for longer, but once you get over two hours, most sports scientists agree that you need to take on some protein as well (to put it in layman’s terms protein helps the carbs work better) - usually in the form of an easy-to-digest energy bar, although a ham sandwich does the trick for some riders.

Multipower Iso Drink is available in just one flavour: lemon. It’s refreshing, and slips down easily. I’ve tested it doing short sessions on the turbo trainer, and on a couple of fast 40-mile training rides with my local club, and it powered me along nicely with no ill-effects on the stomach. I also used two bottles of Iso drink on a longer club outing - a tough no-stops-except-for-punctures 95-mile ride in early January - and again it powered me along, although I was also taking on extra carbs and protein via bars and gels as well.

Energy products are personal things; you have to try a few brands and experiment a little to see which ones produce the best results (and agree with your stomach). It’s well worth trying Multipower Iso Drink to see if it works for you.

Iso Drink is available direct from the Multipower website, where it normally costs £15 per tub, so 60p per 35g portion, which compares well with the price of similar stuff. At the time of writing, the it was going for £9 per tub on the Multipower website, and bargains are also likely to be available on other on-line stores.

Verdict

Good-value, high-performing carb-based drink for energy while competing or training.