Last year I struggled with cramping legs on a couple of big adventures - The Yorkshire Dales 300 and Cairngorms Loop 300. Both times involved trying to keep up with Whitestone of this forum !

I have tried various things and I came across a firm called Precision Hydration https://www.precisionhydration.com/.

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I won't regurgitate their blurb, but anyway, I ended up purchasing their PH 1500 hydration tabs which are their strongest (I figured if I didn't need them at the recommended concentration, I could dilute them down).

Anyway, I have been using 2 of these tabs in my 950ml water bottle for the last couple of months in training for the HT550. Not only have I not had any leg cramps, I have noticed that my legs do not feel fatigued in the way I have always been used to. - They feel "fresh" even after 75+ MTB miles. (The downside is that I notice the other pains in my body - backache etc but hey ho !).

I find with hydration tabs that once you open the tube and use a couple the rest jiggle around and end up in a powdery mess. What I am doing now is carrying whole tubes, but whenever I open a new tube I transfer the tabs to these little pill pouch bags https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1 - each one can hold 2 of the tabs.

The tabs are not cheap (£6.67 a tube of 10 tabs if you buy in bulk) but so far they seem to have made a startling difference to me.

Anyway, just thought I would post this in case anyone else was interested.

I use the High5 Zero tablets for the same thing. I very rarely cramp now that I chuck one of those in my water bottle...

Thanks for the link. As someone who hates anything synthetic in my water the pill form looks worth a look for me

For me, cramp is more likely caused by pushing a little bit harder than I'm used to - big efforts early season etc - and not dehydration. You mentioned trying to keep up with Bob? Conditioning your muscles for longer anaerobic efforts would help in that case.

I've been using PH for a while now. Mainly for running. But the physiology of sweating is much for much.

The 1500 tastes quite plain, the 1000 even more so. I sweat heavily when running - body is much more adapted to staying cool when riding. I cramp rarely, so won't comment on that,but I do run in to other issues with being able to digest food due to lack of sodium. Gastric emptying for me at higher intensities has always been a problem TBH.

So far, 4 months using it on long runs up to 10 hours, i've had zero issues. No palate fatigue. Folks are also very nice to deal with if you email them.

GregMay wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 1:15 pm I do run in to other issues with being able to digest food due to lack of sodium. Gastric emptying for me at higher intensities has always been a problem TBH.
So far, 4 months using it on long runs up to 10 hours, i've had zero issues. No palate fatigue.

I too have had show-stopping stomach issues in the past. I didn't realise that Sodium was a factor in that aspect too. So far, I have not had any such issues them since using the PH tabs.

Sounds like a similar product to Elete Electolyte add-in which works out way cheaper per litre. I’ve used it for a few years and have found similar advantages as to the PH users.

https://eletewater.co.uk/