Dr. Tim Podlogar (from the TR podcast you linked) has helped create a sports drink which is really good priced, with the argument being that sugar should be cheap (looking at you Maurten…)
Can be found here: https://nduranz.com
Really good tastes, great gels. They also have protein powder with and without carbs for recovery.
Worth looking into considering that the price is like 1/4 of Maurten.
I do the same thing. Works for me. Malto about 4 euro per KG from a body fit online store. Fructose about the same price from a baking online store (a lot cheaper then most body fit webshop).
Super cheap, super effective.
For UK based people I use Bulk (about £10 for 5 Kg) and Holland & Barret (about £4 for 1Kg) so get 90gm (2:1) per bottle mix for 24p or 108gm (1:0.8) per bottle mix for 31p compared to Maurten at £2.71 or Beta Fuel £1.75.
Thanks! Looking forward to trying this. Is this a gel recipe? Wondering why the pectin in a drink?
I’ve been having fun boiling down ActiveRoot energy drink mix and adding pectin to make gummies (trying to make something like clif bloks. If this works I’ll try to adapt it as a gel as well.
Hi,
I am experimenting with 1:0.8 maltodextrin to fructose.
I am ok with 135g/hr (I am a fairly big rider 186cm CR 86kg currently training with 341ftp).
Compared to Maurten I found my mix:
Any tips?
Aside from the extra sweetness of fructose the mix works really well!
Yesterday I tried to make a paste and I ended up with a non Newtonian fluid… So I blended everything.
I did buy a batch of maltodextrin from Amazon to try, next I will get them from a brew shop as well.
Mix it with hot water in a shaker (not boiling) and then let it sit. It will liquify.
Fructose is super sweet. Malto isn’t sweet at all. It’s almost flavorless. Maybe try bumping up the Malto percentage and see how your gut handles it?
Not water works great. Thanks!
I’m curious, has your ratio and proportions changed any? Is this the same formula as Maurten 320 individual servings? I’m about to make a large batch. As part of this I want to add SIS hydration tablets for both additional flavoring, salt, and trace elements.
Hi!
I make my own too now and have used it pretty successfully in training and racing. I too have added SiS hydro tabs to improve the hydration element.
Essentially you just want a roughly 2:1 malto:fructose mix. Atm I’m using 50g malto and 25g fructose per 750ml bottle.
You can add a small amount of sodium alginate (about a gram scoop per 500ml bottle) for the ‘hydrogel’ element if you want. I’ve done it with and without and haven’t really noticed a perceived difference in terms of fuelling. If you do do it then mix it in to the powder rather than adding straight to the bottle.
Then add 1-2 hydro tabs per bottle and you’re sorted! 
Bulk and/ or MyProtein do electrolyte powder, so I add that to my mix. Finding Fructose harder to get post brexit, but am getting it at Holland and Barrett. That’s kinda put me off experimenting further than the 2:1 mix (plus whatever fruit cordial I add for flavour).
I’m in the US and have to keep changing my fructose source here too. My last purchase, I bought a 5lb bag.
Has anyone tried making Maurten’s gels? They include glucose and fructose but not maltodextrine. I am curious why.
Also, I am having trouble finding smaller volumes of fructose in Canada. The smallest amount I can find is 11kg…Anyone have any other sources?
I’ve had pretty good success using a 2/1 malto to fructose with a pinch of sodium alginate and salt (sodium chloride). It works well with just a couple issues:
I’ve got the same two issues. Tried various brands of malto and fructose, but just can’t get that “nothing” taste of Maurten.
Do you refer to gel? If so, how much water did you mix with glucose/fructose? Did you mix it cold or hot?
I‘m also very eager to try home made gel in my Salomon flasks.
I think @Jonathan also intended to try it, but I have never heard of any results.
No, not the gel, the drink mix. That’s what Jonathan talked about.
I’ve been making a gel successfully with pectin for a while. Recipe / instructions here: DIY Endurance Drink and Gel Recipes
I’m going to try to formulate an alginate based gel for next season.
Thanks for this! In reading, I notice you say you’re now putting “~9g/l of sodium citrate (~7g per bottle) which gives me ~1g/l of sodium” - I have sodium citrate (from Modernist Pantry) and its Nutrition Facts panel says it provides 700mg of sodium per 3 grams of powder. If you’re adding 9g/L of sodium citrate, doesn’t that give you 2100mg (2g/L) of sodium, rather than 1000m (1g/L)? I’m probably missing something!
Thanks for the check! I thought I had monosodium citrate, but checking the small print, it turns out to be trisodium citrate, which is 26.5% sodium by weight (based on Amount of sodium in sodium citrate: Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums). So I should be adding 3g as you say! I’ll update the article, thanks!
Jim do you have a video of how this comes together? Very interested in the gels as yeah trying to max out carb intake with pre-made products is likely to get me in trouble with the household CFO