PowerBar Powergel Shots

PowerBar is a long-standing sports nutrition brand, with a wide range of bars, gels, drinks and other products – including Powergel Shots. These are mini-gels with a firmer consistency than traditional sachet gels, and you get nine in a packet. They're a handy source of energy on long bike rides, although actually getting them out of the packet can be fiddly.

The main ingredients of Powergel Shots include glucose syrup, sugar and water. They come in two flavours, so the orange flavour Shots also includes orange juice concentrate and lemon peel extract, while the cola flavoured also include caffeine and liquorice extract. I'm testing the orange flavour here.

Find your nearest dealer here

Buy these online here

The flavour is undoubtedly orange, and the Powergel Shots are reminiscent of large Fruit Pastels in texture and taste, although not quite as sweet. Each Shot has an outer skin which is a bit chewy, and a very soft – almost liquid – centre.

I've used the Powergel Shots on a couple of long training rides, and they've been great. They definitely provide some energy and they're very tasty as well. In fact they're like sweets, but with the added benefit of providing useful calories rather than a sugar spike.

A packet of nine Shots weighs 60g, so a little over 6g per Shot, and provides just over 200kcal (around 880kJ) in the form of 48g of carb and 4g of protein. There's also a dash of fat and salt.

The only downside with Powergel Shots over normal gels is that the packet is fiddly to open when you're cycling, and popping nine individual mini-gels on the move takes a lot more skill and effort than necking a single gel from a sachet.

On the upside, though, if your stomach or tastebuds can't take a normal gel in one go, having a Shot every five or ten minutes might suit you better. You might also prefer them if you find traditional gels too sloppy, or sports bars or normal food too heavy to consume when you're exerting a lot of energy.

A single packet of nine Powergel Shots officially retails at £1.99, although you can find them a bit cheaper at sports stores or your local bike shop. If you buy in bulk, a box of 16 packets is £32, but you can find them at less than £20 at the usual online retailers.

Powergel Shots are expensive when compared on a blunt carbs-per-quid basis against a single 60g gel providing around 50g of carb (such as a ZipVit 7, about £1.50). When compared against similar products such as Multipower's Multicarbo Jelly (pack of 24 x 50g jellies for around £24) or the even more similar Clif Shot Bloks (pack of 8 x 60g 'sticks' for around £20), the Powergel Shots are fair value.

As with all nutrition products, you should try a packet of Powergel Shots when you're not training hard, and not the day before a big ride, to make sure the ingredients agree with you on a personal basis. If you like them, stick with them. If you don't, try something else.

Verdict

Tasty mini-gels with a firm consistency. A handy source of energy on long bike rides, although can be fiddly to eat on the go