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"Your
Complete Guide to Open Water Swimming"
DVD On Sale Now
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Gel-Bot
As sure as the odds against you in the slots, every year there are some
new, cool, if not bizarre products at Interbike. Some useless, some
useful. A product that
caught my eye in the potentially �useful� category is the �Gel �Bot�,
an innovation in hydration and fueling by Venture Design Works, based in
Menlo Park.
The
Gel Bot is not your average water bottle.
Featuring a patented �energy core,� which serves as a
receptacle for energy gel, the Gel Bot combines your hydration and fuel
in one place. No more
wrappers, loose gel flasks or flubbing with fuel.
The Gel Bot energy core is removable for filling. It fits into the
center of the bottle and the bottle top screws shut, like your basic
screw top water bottle. To extract water or liquid only, simply squeeze
with the valve open. To extract gel, squeeze with the valve close.
At approximately $15 retail cost per bottle you probably wouldn�t want
to toss these babies during a race when empty. Moreover, if you are
carefully measuring calories, the gel core dispenser may not be exact
enough for you. However,
for sprint and Olympic triathlons, the Gel Bot may find a cozy home in
your bottle cage. If you prefer to skip bento boxes, only take in a few
gels and don�t like wrappers, or flasks liberating themselves from
frame attached holders, this may be the way to go. Combining the gel and
sports drink and/or water, in one place, is a simplification that I can
appreciate.
There may be a place for this product in long course racing, but
carrying $30-40 worth of bottles on your bike (and tossing them along
the way), might not be practical. (not for me anyway!)
Also, the core is going to displace some amount of actual fluid, a
factor to calculate into your hydration equation.
I have yet to test the Gel Bot, but hope to do so in the coming months.
With some testing done, I�ll have a better idea of how this bottle
works in day to day training and will share my thoughts on whether this
�Easy to fill, Easy to eat. Easy to clean� product is worth your
time and your money.
To take a peak at the product, visit http://www.gel-bot.com
or the Venture Design Works web site at: www.venturedesignworks.com.
*update:
-the
energy core holds 6-ml of gel...approximately 2.5 gel packets
-a larger version (high energy core) will hold approximately 6 gel
packets
-the larger core will be able to purchased separately and will fit into
any Gel Bot cap |
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