I am a distance cyclist and usually consume 250 to 300 calories per hour while cycling (and burn around 1,100 calories an hour). The food products I take with me on rides have to be compact and taste good. I also like to have a bit of variety in my food and therefore I use products from several different companies. A few years ago Jelly Belly, the world-famous manufacturer of jelly beans, came out with Jelly Belly Sport Beans, a nutritional product for athletes. When the product was introduced it contained high fructose corn syrup so I didn’t even try it. However, once Jelly Belly switched to all natural ingredients I tried them out and am glad I did! While Jelly Belly Sport Beans will never be the only carbohydrate product I consume, I now take a package with me on just about every ride.
Jelly Belly Sport Beans
If you have never tried Jelly Belly Sport Beans then you are missing a real treat! I rotate through a dozen or so carbohydrate products while cycling (not all at the same time), and I can tell you that Jelly Belly Sport Beans have the most robust flavor of any of the products I use.
Jelly Belly Sport Beans come in six flavors (Orange, Berry, Lemon Lime, Fruit Punch, Watermelon, Cherry). Two of the flavors (Watermelon and Cherry) contain caffeine. Anytime I review nutritional products I like to list the ingredients, and since the Cherry flavor is my favorite I’ll give you the ingredients list for it: Evaporated cane juice, tapioca syrup, and cherry juice from concentrate. It also contains 2% or less of the following ingredients: natural flavor, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacinamide (vitamin B3), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid, citrus pectin, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, sodium lactate, black carrot (color), black currant (color), grape skin extract (color), apple (color), purple carrot (color), hibiscus (color), beeswax, carnauba wax, confectioner’s glaze, salt, and caffeine.
Each one-ounce package of Jelly Belly Sport Beans has 100 calories. Every serving also provides 25 grams of carbohydrates, 80mg of sodium, 40mg of potassium, along with a small dose of vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. This product is also Certified Kosher (Orthodox Union).
At one time Jelly Belly Sport Beans were made with corn syrup, but that has been replaced with evaporated cane juice. For me this is a big deal—I refuse to buy any product that contains high fructose corn syrup. Jelly Belly has also switched to all natural ingredients for the coloring used in these beans. These beans are coated with beeswax and carnauba wax. You might think these waxes are just for making with beans shine (which they do), but the advantage is that your fingers will not get sticky while eating these beans even on a hot day (due to the high melting point of carnauba wax).
The only thing I do not like about Jelly Belly Sport Beans is the packaging—they are very difficult to open while on the bike. These packages come with a resealable top and to me this is totally unnecessary since they only contain 100 calories per package.
Jelly Belly Sport Beans retail for around $1.25 per package, but you can usually save a lot of money by buying them in bulk (24 packages). If your local bike shop does not give you a discount for buying in quantity then you should shop for them on Amazon.com.
Chatter
October 17, 2012 at 8:05 AM
Thank you for the review. I have wanted to try these for while now, but I have been unable to find them in some of my local stores. Now the hunt is definitely on!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 9:12 AM
I buy mine from Dick’s Sporting Goods — but have seen this product at other sporting goods stores as well.
womencyclists
October 17, 2012 at 9:02 AM
Cool review! I also refuse to eat anything made from HFCS, so it’s great to know About products that don’t have it!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 9:13 AM
I gave up HFCS ten years ago and haven’t regretted it at all
Chasing Fifty
October 17, 2012 at 10:20 AM
I’m a huge sport bean fan. Only thing I carry on rides.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 1:22 PM
They do taste great, but I need a bit of variety on my rides.
The Landy
October 17, 2012 at 4:55 PM
I’m all for these!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 5:07 PM
I’m with you on that!
deepsspace
October 17, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Thanks! I tried some gel thing and it was awful! I almost choked on it because it was so thick
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 5:09 PM
You are right — some gels are horrible. However, Honey Stinger makes an awesome gel — not to thick, not too sweet and it tastes great as well. I have a review of them at:
http://allseasonscyclist.com/2012/07/11/honey-stinger-organic-energy-gels/
ichoosetotri
October 17, 2012 at 7:03 PM
Nice review! I really enjoy these jelly beans and these are about the only energy supplement my wife will eat. She despises gels.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 9:49 PM
Thank you! I really like Honey Stinger gels, but the PowerBar Energy Gels ought to be banned by International Law — they taste like a high school chemistry experiment that went terribly wrong.
bgddyjim
October 17, 2012 at 7:26 PM
Couldn’t agree more with your review. Spot on. They rock, but the bag is impossible one handed.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 9:51 PM
I’ve even tried cutting the top off the package before leaving home and closing it with the resealable top — but they are still hard to open — I usually have to stop my bike to get into them — and I hate it when I have to stop!
bgddyjim
October 18, 2012 at 6:14 AM
I’ve got the answer… Just thought of it sitting here at my desk… Rip the top off as is usual, then snip the sides of the package to some arbitrary distance below the seal, then seal the close the seal. They won’t be sweat proof in the back pocket, but they shouldn’t get too soggy either. Another good idea would be to cut the extra packaging above the seal off leaving a flap on one side so you can open the seal with one hand and your teeth. Cutting the sides of the package will also help with the task of extricating the beans from the package whilst riding as well.
I think we solved this problem my friend.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 18, 2012 at 8:40 AM
Sounds good — I’ll have to try it on a ride later today.
kandjcoloradoliving
October 17, 2012 at 8:51 PM
I like the Sport Beans and they don’t bother my tummy. Score!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 9:44 PM
That is always a winning combination!
sarahsdoodles
October 17, 2012 at 10:45 PM
Thanks for the review! I’ve been thinking these would be great to eat during a long run. With the marathon just days away, no sense in switching now, but I’d love to try in the future!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 17, 2012 at 10:48 PM
It’s never a good idea to try new carb products before a race — hopefully you will get a chance real soon.
dorseyml
October 17, 2012 at 11:31 PM
I love these! I don’t do a race or long run with out them! I totally agree about the packaging. I also try to avoid the ones with caffeine.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 18, 2012 at 8:46 AM
I try to avoid caffeine while off the bike, but by the second or third hour on the bike I really need it.
dorseyml
October 18, 2012 at 9:09 AM
Oh… I’m the opposite. I drink caffeine when I’m not working out. But when I am running… It dehydrates me and causes stomach issues. Maybe it is different for cyclists. I have a nice road bike but have only gone as far as 40 miles on it.
draconianstylist
October 18, 2012 at 12:25 AM
I’m curious how do you calculate how many calories you burn per hour riding?
All Seasons Cyclist
October 18, 2012 at 8:44 AM
I use two easy methods. First, my Garmin GPS calculates it based on my speed, weight, distance and elevation. Second, I use the Cyclemeter app on my iPhone and it also uses weight, speed, and distance to calculate the calories burned. These two methods are usually with 2% of each other at the end of a ride, so I split the difference and record that in the books.
draconianstylist
October 18, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Thank you I was curious about that.
Charles Huss
October 18, 2012 at 5:19 AM
I agree with you about the high fructose corn syrup. I have also never thought of Jelly Belly and nutrition at the same time. Looks like they are worth a try.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 18, 2012 at 8:39 AM
It does sound strange doesn’t it? However, Jelly Belly also sponsors a pro cycling team — their Sport Beans are a lot different from their regular product.
treesreincarnate
October 18, 2012 at 10:38 AM
I had never heard of these before today! Thank you!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 18, 2012 at 11:30 AM
You should be able to find them at most sporting goods stores — I hope you like them.
TdF
October 18, 2012 at 12:22 PM
ooohhh! i adore the sport beans, together with clif is for me the number one! i discovered the importance of the electrolytes, i can ride for 3 hrs only with half a pocket(the black one is so fashion!). i open the pocket before leaving home so i have no problem during the ride. the only problem is the export strategy of the company, they could sell more and more, but maybe are not interested in EU market. however super product!
irishkatie
October 20, 2012 at 10:56 PM
Ack…knowing me, I would eat the ENTIRE bag in one sitting. LOL. I had better stick to the energy bars…by the way, i have yet to find the other ones you recently did a review for.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 20, 2012 at 11:23 PM
The bags are small and only 100 calories — but the flavor is AWESOME!
dorseyml
October 27, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Hey! I mentioned your blog in my last post… just making sure you don’t mind.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 27, 2012 at 7:50 PM
Thank you so very much!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 27, 2012 at 10:12 PM
Meg,
Thank you very much for the link! I saw that you don’t like Gu — it reminds me of a high school chemistry experiment that went terribly wrong. Have you tried Honey Stinger Energy Gels? I love them! I posted a review of them at:
http://allseasonscyclist.com/2012/07/11/honey-stinger-organic-energy-gels/
Run safely, David
dorseyml
October 28, 2012 at 8:06 AM
I just read your review on the Honey Stinger Energy Gels… They sound really good. I will have to give them a try during my next long run! Thanks for the suggestion!
myoutdoorexplorations
December 9, 2012 at 2:52 AM
Thanks for visiting my blog, and thanks for providing info on these beans . I’ll give them a try. I tend to eat so little when I’m out cycling and suffer so much for it – sometimes on the day, but especially the day after.
All Seasons Cyclist
December 9, 2012 at 8:25 AM
Glad you made it here. Bad things happen when you blood sugar drops (been there, done that, nearly passed out).