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review
Energy & recovery bars
Myprotein PURE ENERGY Tropical Fruits barMyprotein PURE ENERGY Tropical Fruits flavour

Myprotein PURE ENERGY Tropical Fruits bar

7
by David Else
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Sep 11, 2013

4
£15.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Very tasty energy bar. Handy as on-the-bike fuel or at-the-desk snack. Fairly priced too.
Weight: 
60g
Contact: 
<a href="http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=3196&id=147582" target="_blank">Myprotein</a>
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Myprotein Pure Energy bars are tasty, decent value and provide handy energy to keep you going on long rides.

Myprotein is a major sports nutrition company (the UK's No 1, according to its website) with a large portfolio of products ranging from fish oil tablets to weight gain powders, and including these Pure Energy bars which are very tasty and handy for keeping you going on a long bike ride.

At first bite, these energy bars (for some reason it's written ENER:GY on the packaging) have a very similar taste and texture to 'normal' cereal bars. That's not surprising, as the ingredients include oats, rice, buckwheat, barley flakes and flax seeds.

The fruity flavour comes from sultanas, blackcurrant flakes, dried cherries and cranberries, made extra tasty by the addition of syrup, honey, cane sugar and coconut oil. Just in case those goodies weren't enough, there's also some additional natural sweeteners and flavourings.

Put all that together and a 60g bar provides 193 kcal, from 25.6g of carbohydrate, 7g of fibre, 5g of fat, and 3.5g of protein. That's enough energy for between 20 and 40 minutes on the bike (after an initial two hours or so, when you don't usually need extra fuel), depending how hard you're riding and other aspects such as physiology.

There are other energy bars available which weigh less overall and/or have a higher carb content, so if that's your main concern then these Pure Energy Bars might not be for you. If taste is what you're looking for, then they're perfect.

When opening up one of these bars, the texture is slightly moist and not crumbly, so it doesn't fall apart and it's easy to take it out the packet (especially handy if you're eating on the go), but it's not too sticky nor too chewy either, so it's easy to munch down. As with many cereal bars though, you definitely need a drink to help it on its way.

A box of 12 bars costs £15.99 from the Myprotein website, so about £1.30 each. That's on a par with similarly sized energy bars, so it's a fair price but not a bargain. Compared to normal cereal bars, it's pricey, but often in those ostensibly healthy mainstream options there's a surprising amount of refined sugars and saturated fats, so you gets what you pays for.

These Pure Energy bars are undeniably more-ish, and go down as easily with a cup of coffee at the desk as they do with a swig from a bottle when out on the bike. If you find other brands of energy bar too chewy, too sticky or too hard to digest, or just want a more healthy alternative to that mid-morning muffin at work, then these Myprotein Pure Energy bars are well worth trying.

Verdict

Very tasty energy bar. Handy as on-the-bike fuel or at-the-desk snack. Fairly priced too.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Myprotein PURE ENERGY Tropical Fruits flavour

Size tested: Tropical Fruits

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

This is an energy bar, designed to provide energy during exercise. The manufacturer's website says:

'Pure ENER:GY is a great tasting, high energy fruit and cereal bar designed to support your exercise through its premium nutritional profile. With over 25g of carbohydrate per 60g bar, Pure ENER:GY combines an optimal blend of fast and slow acting carbohydrates to help fuel activity. The natural and healthy ingredients combine cereals, fruits, honey and coconut oil to give you the best nature can offer in one great tasting bar.'

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The website goes on to say:

'Taken before or during exercise the carbohydrates sourced from the natural ingredients can help fuel exercise by increasing muscle glycogen stores. The inclusion of coconut oil provides a natural supply of medium chain triglycerides which have been shown to be used as a direct and alternative source of energy.

Each great tasting bar is fuelled by natural flavours to give you nutrition that not only tastes amazing but helps drive you through your exercise."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Perfect for an on-the-bike energy bar: the texture is slightly moist and not crumbly, so it doesn't fall apart and it's easy to take it out the packet, but it's not too sticky nor too chewy either, so it's easy to munch down.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

I tested a few during a recent long training ride, and the bar performs well as a source of energy.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

The price is fair, but not a bargain. Each Pure energy bar weighs 60g, with 25g of carb, costing £1.30.

This compares against:

Clif Bar (50g bar, 33g of carb, £1.30)

Mule Bar (65g, 45g of carb, £1.35)

SIS Go Bar (40g bar, 25g of carb, £1)

On those above example, you get more carb for your money, if that's your main aim. However, the Pure Energy bar wins on taste and texture, if that's what you're looking for.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

As a source of energy, the product performed very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Taste and texture.

(This is one of the best-tasting energy bars I've tried.)

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Relatively low carbs-per-gram ratio, but that's a personal preference.

(I will use these bars for audax rides and general touring, and something with a higher carb content for sportives.)

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Overall, the highlight feature of these bars is the excellent taste, and as a source of energy they work very well, so on that basis they would get a score of 9. But the price isn't a bargin, and the carbs-per-gram ratio may be a bit low for some riders, which together knock off a couple of points, giving an overall score of 7.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 51  Height: 5ft 10 / 178cm  Weight: 11 stone / 70kg

I usually ride: an old Marin Alp, or an old steel classic  My best bike is: an old Giant Cadex (can you see a theme here?)

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Myprotein PURE ENERGY Tropical Fruits bar
energy bar

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4 comments

Avatar
davidncohen | 11 years ago
0 likes

Thanks, - got it, much appreciated, David

Avatar
David Else | 11 years ago
0 likes

Here you go:

http://www.myprotein.com/our-range/mp-max-one/energy.list

for some reason, these bars are listed under 'MP Max One' on the 'Our Range' drop-down menu

Avatar
davidncohen | 11 years ago
0 likes

I can't find these anywhere on their website, and the website doesn't have any method of contacting the company by phone, email or e-form. Any help appreciated.

Avatar
ilderracer | 11 years ago
0 likes

I have been a customer of MyProtein for a few years, mostly for protein and fat-loss supplements and I can attest to their quality.

Be careful with some of their flavours though, they have some superb tasting stuff...and some pretty vile stuff too so read the reviews...

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