After I experienced my first bonk (aka hitting a wall while riding and feeling like you can’t go a step further), I did a little research into the best electrolyte supplement for on the bike. Quite a few people are fans of the liquid gels but I really, REALLY dislike the texture of those; plus, they’re messy. Others like the new jelly bean style supplements (I find them too sweet), but my first and only electrolyte love is the Clif Shot Blok. They are portable, taste good, work wonders and are easy to use with portion control.

We’ve actually had a cyclist on our meetup lock up so hard, he couldn’t bend his knees. Now this isn’t the normal bonk, but after a protein bar and a few shot bloks, he had feeling back in his legs within minutes. His ride was pretty much over for the day but he did feel quick relief. And in cases where I feel a bit wobbly, a few bloks and I’m back to normal. Love them!

The texture is very similar to a gummy candy and in fact, the black cherry flavor (with caffeine) that we prefer tastes pretty much like candy (orange and strawberry are also really tasty). The gummy “bar” is segmented into cubes and comes in a plastic wrapper so you can rip it open, bite off one or two bloks (or pull them off with your fingers) and then wrap it back up and stick it in your bag. They even seem to be pretty cold/heat resistant…which is nice.

And while this isn’t really what they’re FOR…I’ve used them when I was super dehydrated from a bad flu and all I could keep down was a shot blok and ice. Also good for recovering from hangovers.

These are sometimes available at local bike shops or grocery stores. We just order a case from Amazon and it keeps us going for months. Also, keep in mind that an electrolyte supplement should only be PART of your tool kit for long or hard rides. You also need to have protein sources, like an energy bar or peanut butter sandwich.

**This review was NOT endorsed by Clif Bar **