Zym Electrolyte Drink Tabs

Whether or not you believe the claims made for them, these Zym Electrolyte tablets are certainly convenient. You get 10 of them in a neat little green tube and all you have to do is pop one or two in a bottle of water and wait for the fizzing to stop.

It certainly beats carrying wraps of white powder around with you as anyone who has crossed a customs border, on tour or on their way to a sportive perhaps, and had to explain themselves to a stern faced man with a rubber glove and a quizzical expression will attest. Whether the customs officers think the tablets are worth the £5.99 you've paid for them is another matter.

These tablets contain various salts (sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium) and claim to "combat fatigue, muscle cramps and lactic acid build-up. This provides athletes with fresh legs, natural energy and higher endurance." I'm no sports scientist and it's hard to test the science without recourse to a fully kitted sports lab but these salts are all present in sweat and will be excreted by the body during exercise, so it seems logical to replenish them. Whether you need these tablets to do that is perhaps a moot point. They don't contain any carbs though, these are designed purely to keep you hydrated, not fuelled.

I tried these during a couple of fairly hilly rides across Devon and would be hard pushed to know if they made any difference or not. I felt less tired and achy after the ride than I might have expected, but again, I couldn't say for sure that this was due to the drink. Having said that, they have a pleasant 'clean' taste and texture, which makes it easier to drink more and that can only be a good thing. They are flavoured with nothing nastier than citric acid and sucrose, so they don't have the chemically aftertaste that some sports drinks have. Dosage is a matter of personal preference. I used two in a 500ml bottle and they dissolved nicely, with no powdery remnants to surprise me at the bottom of the bottle.

Verdict

Very convenient and probably better on long or hard rides than just squash or water. No carbs though, so if you normally use sports drinks to supplement your calorie intake you'll need to use something else besides. Not cheap though.