Introduction to Mark
I’m a time trialler/road racer who has moved towards Cyclo cross and mountain bike racing through the years. As a duathlete I have medaled at the British Age Group championships 3 times and have represented GB as an Age group athlete at multiple championships. Currently I am a Zwift racer so hydration has become a crucial part of my racing as I am sat indoors.
Summary of Precision Hydration Product Review
Through all my testing there have been two points of note:
- I have been full of beans for an entire race no matter the distance while consuming either the PH1500 or PH1000 or when I use both in a longer race
- The only thing I found a little off is I drink strong squash and later in the race a little more flavor would have been nice
However I have to say this, flavor (strength) is a personal thing and what flavor there is I find non offensive so I have no problem drinking either the 1500 or 1000 very late in a race and while under a great deal of pressure. My stomach at no point has felt bloated or have a felt sick at the thought of drinking.
To conclude this the best way possible I shall simply say I have just spent my own money buying more of this product as I am racing well and want to carry on using it.
Pros & Cons of Precision Hydration
Pros –
- You always get the volume right as they come in little sachets
- When they mix in the water there are no grains so you can drink to the bottom of the bottle with confidence.
- Different strength mixtures
- Hydration plan/strategy recommendations before you purchase
- Confidence that they are sportsman safe and have been properly tested
Cons –
- Limited flavor options
- Flavor is a little weak for me
- Effervescent tabs like to really fizz and spit the drink at you, however I did find that letting them settle before sealing the lid and not popping the cap down removed this issue
- Salt tablets are big which may put some people off taking them
- The amount of emails I have received since doing the online survery
Assessment of hydration needs
The first thing you do is an online survey to predict your sweat rate. I had been deemed to be a high sweat rate person and as such small box arrived with the PH1500 and PH1000 in small boxes with the sachets inside, a tube of effervescent tablets and the salt tablets. All in order and very organised and easy to use.
I must admit I am not fully convinced by the questions to decide sweat rate, I actually tried a few times and always came out as a high sweater which is not something I think I am. I’m also not known for drinking loads on my rides. Have been referred to as a Camel more than once.
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First test of the Precision Hydration products
I used the effervescent tablets out on a 2 hour easy ride then on a steady turbo ride and apart from the fizz face I got this was good, I was well hydrated throughout and had no dramas at all. For the sake of testing I also did a session on squash using salt tablets, again no issue. They are large tablets but actually very easy to swallow, if I was running or riding a long way these would not be an issue to use either.
Using Precision Hydration for indoors training
Now we move the real reason I wanted to test Precision Hydration. I want to race on ZWIFT and therefore hydration and being fueled to the end of a race is crucial. Over a few weeks used a number of different approaches to using the sachets. I followed the preload instructions and started on the PH1500 early, I couldn’t eat food, drink coffee and do the full bottle but I tried and during my races had no issues. I have also just started my race and used a 1500 from the get go. Finally, for a 72km race this morning I put a bottle of 1500 and 1000 on the bike and drank during my warmup. This was for me the best solution as breakfast had gone down and I wasn’t in need of a last minute bathroom trip.
See Marks video of Precision Hydration Review
Hear direct from Mark as he speaks about his experience using Precision Hydration.
For further nutrition options check out our recent review of Nourished and their 3D personalised nutrition.
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