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NamedSport HydraFit Electrolyte Drink Powder

8
£5.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Gentle on the stomach with a pleasant taste and much cheaper than a lot of the competitors
Weight: 
400g

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NamedSport HydraFit Electrolyte Drink Powder is a hypotonic drink mix with added carbohydrates, a dose of vitamins and some salts to keep you fuelled, hydrated and refreshed while on the bike. It's palatable, easy on the stomach and quite the bargain against some of its rivals.

  • Pros: Not overly sweet, good price per serving
  • Cons: One flavour only, others have larger carb servings

I tend to avoid a lot of energy drinks purely because I'm not a huge fan of the sweet, manufactured taste, but I quite liked the HydraFit. The Red Orange flavour has a citrusy touch to it with a hint of sweetness from the orange. It mixes well too, so there is none of that powdery taste.

> Buy this online here

It's quite refreshing, especially if you chill your bottles before use and even when getting through the maximum recommended servings of three 500ml bottles in a 24 hour period, I had no issues with stomach cramps or anything. Aside from the flavour, that could also be down to the fact that this is a hypotonic drink first and foremost, designed to keep you hydrated rather than heavily fuelled.

With just 15.3g of carbohydrates per 500ml serving, it's a lot lower than the usual 30g-40g found in a lot of the competition.

When it came to energy though, I had no real issues while riding long over the Christmas period. Two bottles kept me suitably fuelled over a four-hour tough and hilly ride, and as it is so mellow on the stomach I always knew I could take a gel if necessary.

NamedSport says that the HydraFit's hypotonic formula, which includes sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium, provides better hydration alone, plus the whole mixture (you'll find a full ingredients list in the report section below) also replaces electrolytes lost through sweat that can cause cramping.

It's tough to gauge this through the winter months outside, but I did dust off the turbo trainer and manage a 90-minute hard session in the kitchen with no fan to test things out.

Being the day after Boxing Day, let's just say my hydration levels weren't at their best before I started, but by the end and two 500ml bottles I never really felt any issues during or after the session. Not hugely scientific, I know, but my thighs and calves can tend to cramp at night if I've had a hard session earlier in the day.

> What should you eat to recover after cycling?

Price-wise, things are also pretty good. This 400g tub has 20 servings which works out at 30p a throw, which is cheap in comparison to a lot we've tested. You also get a free bottle, but don't get overly excited as the plastic hinge on the lid snapped on mine after a few days' use.

Take the similar Scratch Labs Sports Hydration Drink Mix, which has a similar levels of carbs; it works out at 75p per serving if you buy one of the bigger bags rather than the single shots.

Torq's Hypotonic Tangerine, which has 15g carbs per serving, costs £1.16 a go, which makes the HydraFit look very good value.

The HydraFit is free of gluten, aspartame, lactose and acesulfame, if that is important to you. It is also 100 per cent batch tested, should you need to adhere to any doping controls.

Overall, it's a great tasting product that seems to do the job at a very competitive price.

Verdict

Gentle on the stomach with a pleasant taste and much cheaper than a lot of the competitors

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road.cc test report

Make and model: NamedSport HydraFit Electrolyte Drink Powder

Size tested: 400g tub

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?

NamedSport says, "Hypotonic drink mix with mineral salts, energy giving carbohydrates and 9 vitamins, developed to prepare a hypotonic electrolyte solution (Osmolarity 190 mOsm/l,) HydraFit is extremely useful at rebalancing fluid-electrolyte losses during intense physical activity. The hypotonic formula with sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium provides a better hydration solution than just water alone. The carbohydrate and electrolyte solution helps support resistance performance during prolonged physical training sessions and is a perfect hypotonic drink for endurance athletes. NAMEDSPORT> are the Top Sponsor for Giro d'Italia. Each tub of HydraFit comes with a Free 101 Limited Edition Giro ELITE Sports bottle."

It certainly seems to do everything it claims.

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

From NamedSport:

Ingredients

Dextrose, maltodextrin 25%, acidity regulator: citric acid; Trisodium citrate, aroma: red orange; beet juice powder, trimagnesium citrate 1.56%, dibasic calcium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic potassium phosphate 1.08%, anti-caking agent: silicon dioxide; vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), sweetener: sucralose; niacin (nicotinamide); pantothenic acid (calcium D - pantothenate), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboFLavin), vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride), folic acid (pteroyl- monoglutamic acid), biotin, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). GLUTEN FREE.

100 g % NRV per 60 g (dose max/die) % NRV

Average contents

Sodium 1180 mg 710 mg

Chlorine 746 mg 93 448 mg 56

Calcium 442 mg 55 265 mg 33

Potassium 500 mg 25 300 mg 15

Magnesium 241 mg 64 145 mg 39

Vitamin C 400 mg 500 240 mg 300

Thiamine 3,3 mg 300 2 mg 180

Riboflavin 4,2 mg 300 2,5 mg 180

Niacin 48 mg 300 29 mg 180

Vitamin B6 4,2 mg 300 2,5 mg 180

Folic acid 600 mcg 300 360 mcg 180

Vitamin B12 7,5 mcg 300 4,5 mcg 180

Biotin 150 mcg 300 90 mcg 180

Pantothenic acid 18 mg 300 11 mg 180

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATIONS

100 g % NRV per 60 g (dose max/die) % NRV

Nutritional information

Energy 1312 kJ/309 kcal 787 kJ/185 kcal

Fat 0 g 0 g

of which saturates 0 g 0 g

Carbohydrate 77 g 46 g

of which sugar 53 g 32 g

Fibre 0 g 0 g

Protein 0 g 0 g

Salt 3,0 g 1,8 g

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

No stomach issues.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

It seemed to work when it comes to the hydration, and it is pleasant to drink.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Gentle on the stomach.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It'd be good to get a scoop or suchlike in the tub.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

A lot cheaper per serving than others we've tested recently.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

One of the better tasting and performing hypotonic drinks I've used, and a very good price – which includes a bottle.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

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7 comments

Avatar
Grahamd | 3 years ago
0 likes

I had a tub and thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend, only reason I went back to SIS was availability. Thanks to Tass will be looking at Sigma.

Avatar
srchar | 4 years ago
0 likes

I misread that as "hypnotic" cycling drink, didn't really think much of it and mentally filed it away under "marketing bollocks". I feel that my lack of surprise at the marketing of hypnotism as the latest marginal gain is a reflection on the industry, not on me.

Avatar
StraelGuy | 4 years ago
0 likes

I bought a couple of tubs of this and can honestly say I've not had an 'off' ride since I started using it, it's fantastic. Just don't buy it for the free bidons. They're Fisher Price quality junk and went straight into the recycling.

Avatar
Gus T | 4 years ago
0 likes

It's not that cheap when you factor in £5.00 P&P. I was thinking of trying it but £11.00 for someting I might not even like, no way.

 

Avatar
Tass Whitby replied to Gus T | 4 years ago
1 like
Gus T wrote:

It's not that cheap when you factor in £5.00 P&P. I was thinking of trying it but £11.00 for someting I might not even like, no way.

 

Sigma Sports sells it too, if that helps (£1.99 delivery to your local shop, or free if you spend £30). https://www.sigmasports.com/item/NAMEDSPORT/HydraFit-400g-with-Water-Bot...

Avatar
tommow1 replied to Gus T | 4 years ago
0 likes
Gus T wrote:

It's not that cheap when you factor in £5.00 P&P. I was thinking of trying it but £11.00 for someting I might not even like, no way.

 

 

try going to a local bike shop and asking for it, i know up in cumbria there are at least 2 shops that have it in stock

Avatar
RoubaixCube replied to Gus T | 3 years ago
0 likes
Gus T wrote:

It's not that cheap when you factor in £5.00 P&P. I was thinking of trying it but £11.00 for someting I might not even like, no way.

 

Have a look in your local Tesco supermarkets or Tesco Extra. My local Tesco Extra stocks a lot of the Science In Sport stuff for cycling as well as all the usual stuff like protein powders & the like for weight lifters. They occasionally have some promo offers on so you might get some money off the stuff.

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