I would prefer water.. or if there's two water bottle mounts on my bike, I'd carry water in one, iso drink in the other. Reason ? Those isotonic drinks tastes good only when they're chilled, once they get to normal temperature, if U only have that iso drink, swallowing it would be quite a chore, plus, it gets sticky if U spill it onto Ur bike or body. I used to carry 2 bottles for rides longer than 100 km & stop for Coke or 100 Plus or whatever (those days Gatorade wasn't in the market yet). Plus, for training rides, weight shouldn't be an issue, we used to make our bikes heavy for training rides, & remove all unnecessary bulk for races. Of course, that's only a recommendation.

If U insist on carrying iso drinks (or any sweet drinks for that matter), there's a trick on how to make it stay chilled for longer time. On the night before the ride, fill half of Ur bottle with, let's say Gatorade. Then store it in the freezer. Before U begin Ur ride in the morning, fill the balance of the Gatorade in to the bottle. The frozen Gatorade will melt slowly & U still can drink from the bottle. Got it ? Try it sometimes. Good luck.

---

Added on November 10, 2010, 8:42 amForgot to mention, the tip above works even on hydration packs (Camelbak, Source, etc). Just make sure the opening is wide enuff la...

This post has been edited by tenno: Nov 10 2010, 08:42 AM