Energy bars

£1.67 – £2.99 James Witts rates the best ride-supporting boosts

01 Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar

£29.95 for 12 (£2.50)

HOMEMADE SNACKS often have higher moisture content than commercial offerings, but that’s not an issue in this 50g chocolate chip and almond flavoured bar thanks to the addition of cranberries plus the nut-and-seed butter blend. Calorie content is 220kcals, comprised of 33g carbs, 8g fat and 4g protein. Hence, its ‘anytime’ moniker although it’s digested easily during exercise. It’s tasty enough. Though you can taste the salt from the 125mg of sodium, this salt makes it ideal for big rides in the heat.

02 Tribe Nut Butter Triple Decker

£22 for 12 (£1.83)

THIS NUT-BUTTER bonanza from Tribe has a texture and taste that’s top-notch. It’s billed as the UK’s best-selling plant-protein bar and it’s easy to see why, the crunchy honeycomb base covered in a thick peanutbutter filling and finished off with a veganchocolate topping. The 40g bar comes in at just 184kcals with 8g from pea protein. As it features just 9.6g carbs, plus 12g fat, this is definitely more snack/recovery bar than true energy bar. But it’s good for vegans and coeliacs, too, plus it contains at least 50% less sugar than the competitors here.

03 Torq Explore Flapjack

£37 for 20 (£1.85)

THIS BLACK-FOREST flapjack is free from artificial colours, sweeteners and preservatives. It’s also tasty, its sweetness deriving from organic golden syrup, raisins and brown sugar. That sugar hit (43g carbs) cranks this 65g bar up to 263cals with fat at 8.1g, predominantly down to sunflower oil – high in inflammatory omega-6 but not great when riding hard. Then again, these are designed for lower-intensity outings or as pre-rides snacks. You can consume postride, too, but the protein content is just 3.2g. It’s buttery, bordering on oily.