Replace Sustained Release Electrolyte Tablets
For the past couple of months I have been using ReplaceSR (Sustained Release) Electrolyte Tablets on my bike rides. I haven’t taken a bike ride in over twelve years without consuming some form of added electrolytes—usually in the carbohydrate drink mix I use (I make my own). However, having the electrolytes in a sustained release tablet opens up a whole new world! The folks at Endurance Products sent me a rather large supply of their new product, ReplaceSR, for me to sample and I still have six unopened bottles of the tablets I am going to give away to some lucky reader (see the details at the end of this article).
ReplaceSR is a 4 to 6 hour sustained release electrolyte tablet designed for cyclists, triathletes and other endurance athletes. If your normal bike ride is under 90 minutes you don’t need this product. Each tablet contains five active ingredients: Sodium (175mg), Potassium (65 mg), Chloride (211 mg), Phosphorus (103 mg), and Magnesium (10 mg). The ReplaceSR tablets are about the size of a regular Tylenol tablet.
The manufacturer suggests that you take one to three ReplaceSR tablets with a full glass of water thirty minutes before beginning to exercise. I realize those directions are not too precise, so I just took one tablet for a short ride (two to three hours), two tablets for a medium ride (three to four hours), and three tablets for a longer rides (four to six hours). If you are interested is a detailed study of the science behind ReplaceSR, I would strongly suggest you read this article on boosting performance in endurance athletes.
Separating my electrolytes from my liquid intake was rather liberating. For years I’ve timed my liquid intake to match my presumed electrolyte losses during a bike ride. In my case that meant 20-ounces of a carb drink for every hour on the bike. Unfortunately, that meant that sometimes I was drinking when I wasn’t thirsty and on really hot days I was so thirsty that I was consuming far more electrolytes than needed. With ReplaceSR I was able to drink plain water when I wanted and get my carbohydrates from my gels. For distance cyclists like myself, you know it is a lot easier to find a bottle of water on the road than a decent carb drink!
While most people associate electrolyte loss with sweating on hot and humid day days, winter sports have the same effect. I live between Chicago and Milwaukee and normally ride all winter long. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit I switch from my normal carb drinks to hot tea and honey. I pour boiling hot tea into a Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated Water Bottle and then add a generous amount of honey for my carbohydrates. While this process keeps my drinks from freezing, hot tea and honey offer no electrolytes! Now with ReplaceSR I will be able ride all winter without worrying about electrolyte loss! By the way, I only ride in temperatures down to -20 Fahrenheit (-29 Celsius). I am not like those crazy folks up in Minnesota who will ride in temps down to -50 Fahrenheit (-45 Celsius).
ReplaceSR tablets come in three package sizes. The cheapest way to buy them is in a bottle of 90 tablets for only $20. However, they also come in a 20 tablet bottle for $10. They also have a new 3-tablet convenience packet—it is 72 tablets but they are packaged in sets of 3, and this package retails for for $24. You can order this product directly from the Endurance Products Company website.
To enter the contest for six free bottles of ReplaceSR (20 tablets per bottle) all you have to do is pick a number between 500 and 1,000 and enter it in the comment section below (you don’t actually have to make a comment). The contest ends at midnight (CST) on Friday, October 30, 2015. After the contest closes I will use a random number generator to pick the winning number. If no one guesses the exact number the person with the number closest to, but not over, the winning number will get the six bottles of ReplaceSR. In case two or more people chose the same number the first person to pick the number will be the winner. This contest is for U.S. residents only and only one entry per household allowed. When the contest is over I will publish the results in the comments section of this article. I will send this product to the winner via U.S. Mail.
zoeforman
October 22, 2015 at 2:17 AM
673
bgddyjim
October 22, 2015 at 3:58 AM
I’ll pick 777
Mark Turner
October 22, 2015 at 4:19 AM
422
the drunken cyclist
October 23, 2015 at 3:11 PM
Me doesn’t read two good.
Robert
October 22, 2015 at 5:55 AM
796
andyblau
October 22, 2015 at 6:12 AM
647
Robert joly
October 22, 2015 at 6:30 AM
520
lectrichead
October 22, 2015 at 6:46 AM
You always have some great articles!
I just got a three tablet sample of Replace in the mail yesterday, they must be really marketing it. Have yet to try it.
My number is 874, picked randomly by having one of my chickens sit on one of my bike’s seat while I hold the keyboard up for them to peck numbers out on the keyboard (no, not really but that would be cool).
All Seasons Cyclist
October 22, 2015 at 8:50 PM
Thank you very kindly! Let’s hope your chickens hit the right keys!
Rob
October 22, 2015 at 7:19 AM
I pick 217
OmniRunner
October 22, 2015 at 7:20 AM
I’ll pick 567
Mike
October 22, 2015 at 7:40 AM
Sounds like an interesting product that fits with the kind of riding I like to do.
747
All Seasons Cyclist
October 22, 2015 at 8:51 PM
If you are an endurance athlete this is a great product!
secondratecyclist
October 22, 2015 at 8:03 AM
I’ll take 524 😀
PedalWORKS
October 22, 2015 at 8:09 AM
618
Shonnie
October 22, 2015 at 9:07 AM
I love the sound of these. Thanks for sharing. I loose my electrolytes fast–so I think this would be good for me almost all the time. I have used their other products. Do you know if they are easy to get at this point?
Shonnie
October 22, 2015 at 9:08 AM
Obviously … I need to re-learn english. I meant locally or if they were only available online.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 22, 2015 at 8:55 PM
Follow the link below — unfortunately, none of the REI stores in my area carry this product, so I will have to order online in the future.
Daniel Terry
October 22, 2015 at 12:45 PM
ReplaceSR are available on the website and at select REI locations. Here is the link to the store locator. http://electrolytereplacementtablets.com/store-locator-replacesr/
Kate
October 22, 2015 at 9:49 AM
336
Peter Hru
October 22, 2015 at 10:02 AM
927
bribikes
October 22, 2015 at 11:10 AM
I would love to drink only water on rides no matter how long they are! I may have to buy this regardless 🙂 889
All Seasons Cyclist
October 22, 2015 at 8:56 PM
Sounds like this is the perfect product for you! Bottled water is a lot easier to find in convenience stores than a decent carbohydrate drink.
fatbeardedandtattooedcyclist
October 22, 2015 at 3:34 PM
843 I’ve used si-caps for a while now I’m always looking for new products
Dan
October 22, 2015 at 6:31 PM
674
Mike Bockserman
October 23, 2015 at 3:03 PM
850
the drunken cyclist
October 23, 2015 at 3:13 PM
Given some of the previous responses, I had to reread the post about three times, where it clearly says a number between 500 and 1000, right?
979.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 23, 2015 at 8:19 PM
Apparently a lot of folks are bad at math!
Quinn Taw
October 25, 2015 at 5:19 AM
600
mtxdoc
October 25, 2015 at 9:39 AM
637
Amanda
October 25, 2015 at 8:00 PM
516
Tracy
October 27, 2015 at 7:19 PM
821
All Seasons Cyclist
October 31, 2015 at 7:28 PM
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. The winning number was 876. I will announce the winner in the next article.