PLEASE NOTE: The review below predated the current retail version of the salt stick.
The salt stick reviewed below was a prototype.
An updated version of the current 2006 retail salt stick will be posted when time allows.

October 2005.
What is a Salt stick?
A discovery at Interbike.


Meandering the aisles at the cavernous Interbike convention I ran smack into Jonathan Toker, 
esteemed PhD dude and an awesome Ironman athlete in his own right. (9:13,IM Brazil �04) 
Jonathan was working through a crowd including the likes of Jim Felt, 
Preston from Kestral, and guys from Nuun and Ironman wet-suits.  His product? An innovative idea 
called the Salt Stick. Simply put, the salt stick is capsule dispenser for the athlete apothecary of Enduralytes, 
thermalytes, Sport legs capsules the like. My jaw dropped when I saw his groovy invention. 
I like innovation and especially those gadgets that keep the bike clean. By clean, I don�t mean clean like clean, 
not messy. I mean clean like slick, simple and uncluttered. 

The Salt Stick fits inside the end of your handbars. 
You turn the knob and your capsule pops out. A fancy Pez dispenser. Nice.
Jonathan had 25 prototypes painstakingly produced.  There were a number of us at Kona trying the Salt Stick 
and putting it to the test. The Normanator, Heather Fuhr and yours truly were among those giving it a whirl.

Coach Phil installed the Salt Stick (one into the end of each aerobar stick) a week before Kona. 
While I only did a few short rides of 90 minutes or less, I was impressed.  On one ride, I twisted the knob and expelled a 
thermalyte about half way. I rode the entire ride with half the pill exposed and it never fell out. Pretty cool, considering 
the car eating potholes of the local roads I ride.  On a second ride, I simply practiced twisting the capsules out of the 
salt stick�both sides, since there was a dispenser on the right and the left side. I am not exactly ambidextrous, so this 
was a necessary test. Admittedly I had to keep reminding myself which way to twist the knob. With practice I am sure 
this wouldn�t be an issue, but at first it was a little frustrating.

I also had a few issues with breaking the pills in half when I tried to pull them out of the dispenser. 
However, in contacting Jonathan he made some recommendations to fix this issue. 
This is a minor glitch and no real issue speaking to the practicality or usefulness of the product.   

My short test rides using the Salt Stick, gave me a good feeling for using the product mostly but I was not in a true real 
world situation. The conditions in Hawaii, most notably the winds, would put this ingenious innovation to the test.
The Salt Stick holds a maximum of 6 capsules in each dispenser. So in sum total, I could carry 12 capsules. 
This would likely exceed the number of pills I would need in a half-ironman, but I thought it might be too few for the Hawaii Ironman. 

As it turned out the winds on the Queen K were very kind this year. Nevertheless, winds were still swirling 
and did not disappoint.  I didn�t find them so strong though, as to inhibit my ability to twist out the pills.  
During the course of the race, I successfully emptied the left Salt Stick. No dropped pills, no broken pills, no problem. 
The right salt stick is another story. I was unable to get the dispenser to work. In checking the salt stick after the race, 
I found that the whole cylinder was rotating and not just the knob. This made the issue one linked to installation. 
However, since it worked pre-race, this was a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, the real problem was, no more thermalytes � 
I had used only 2-3 hours worth, and had another 2 plus hours to go. Eeek.
That is what back up plans are for. I used some other products to deliver the electrolytes and no harm done. 
I was a little bummed to have an issue during the race, 
but that is the name of the game in testing a product.

Some final thoughts about the product:

1) Great when you need less than 10-12 capsules during a race.
2) It won�t fit every set-up, so you need to make sure your set-up will work with the Salt Stick.
*Note from J. Toker..."It is true it will not fit every setup perfectly, however it fits about


80% of the setups either: inside the aerobars, inside the drop bars


(mini model), upright inside carbon forks..."
3) If you set your bike up without bento boxes, bags and other luggage, the Salt Stick is the way to go. 
If you do use a pocket, bento box or what not, you may find this product to be unnecessary. 
Again it will depend on what your needs are.
4) The dispenser is light, installed properly it doesn�t rattle and keeps the capsules dry. 
Even with the Profile Design aerodrink splash and the general wet mess of racing, all my capsules were dry and fresh.
5) I will consider using the product for select long course races in 2006.
Visit: www.saltstick.com for more info.