Taste & texture

The ‘Classico’ bar is surprisingly sweet, which isn’t exactly expected when described as a mix of fruits, nuts and spices.

These tastes are still noticeable within the make-up of the bar but are not overpowering.

They also have two additional flavours ‘The Di Bosco’ – a forest fruits-themed bar and ‘The Ciocco’, which will be a favourite with chocolate lovers.

>>> Best cycling energy bars

Nutrition

There’s a whopping 50 grams of carbohydrates per bar but a large percentage of these are sugar-based. Its nutty foundation also results in higher fat levels than other bars as well.

Practicality

The cool retro packaging apes hand-made soigneur-wrapped food but can be a bit of a faff to get open. These bars are expensive as well, but buying in bulk will cut costs.

Taste & texture

The first thing you notice when you take a bite of a TORQ Bar is the incredible flavours that shine through.

With a vast assortment to choose from, it’s unlikely you will get bored of trying just one of the five different flavours.

These include such delights as tangy apricot, organic mango and pineapple and ginger.

>>> Best cycling energy bars

Nutrition

Perhaps not surprisingly due to it being the smallest bar on the test, it does have the lowest carbohydrate content of all five bars being tested, with just over 32 grams per bar.

This isn’t too much of an issue as long as you are aware of your carbohydrate intake and don’t overindulge in multiple bars to make up for it.

Practicality

At just 45 grams in weight it is the smallest bar in the test, which means it is barely noticeable in your back pocket, weighing less than most energy gels.

This can sometimes make it tricky to find in your jersey pocket, which isn’t ideal if you’re looking for a bar in a rush, or riding along in difficult weather conditions.

Taste & texture

ZipVit gives the option of two different types of energy bars.

Two of its flavours are coated with a layer of chocolate or yoghurt-based topping — yoghurt peach apricot and chocolate-coated strawberry.

They also have three bars that are uncoated, which include the orange chocolate and banana bars.

Regardless of the flavour you choose, they all excel, with a soft texture and satisfying taste.

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Nutrition

With just less than seven grams of fat per bar, it is perhaps towards the higher end in comparison to the others but it certainly hits the mark when it comes to carbohydrate content, without being overly dense at just 55 grams per bar.

Practicality

Quick and effortless to open, the ZipVit ZV8 has a soft and consistency that allows for speedy consumption on the bike. All this results in the ZV8 Energy Bar being the must-have bar on the test.

Taste & texture

PowerBar’s extensive and flavoursome range of products always hit the mark in terms of nutrition and flavour but this Energize bar just loses a few points for its consistency.

The four flavours — banana punch, berry, chocolate and cookies and cream — are nice enough, keeping you coming back for more, but it is very chewy and hard to break down, especiallly if you’ve got a dry mouth.

>>> Best cycling energy bars

Nutrition

Containing 39 grams of carbohydrates and just two grams of fat, it hits the mark in terms of nutrition, with a blend of glucose and fructose carbohydrate sources that have been scientifically formulated for faster absorption.

Practicality

The bar does have a tendency to stick to the wrapper so we’d advise opening the packet along the seam before you head out for your ride.

The Mornflake Go! high protein porridge is aimed at the physically active who want to get a protein boost with their breakfast porridge. It’s made of oat flakes supplemented with 12% soya protein. This ups its protein content to 21% from around 12% for standard porridge oats. So when made up with milk a serving gives you 14 grams of protein along with 26g of carbs – almost as much as many recovery bars and around 30% of the reference protein intake for an average adult. Being made with soya protein, Go! Is suitable for vegetarians too.

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The Mornflake Go! high protein porridge is available is available in two forms. First up you have single serving pots to which you just add boiling water. These cost £1.39 each. It’s also available as boxes of eight single serving sachets, priced at £2.39. You empty one of these into a bowl, add milk and microwave for two-and-a-half minutes or cook on the hob. I went for the latter as the microwave option tended to end up with the mixture boiling over and too hot to eat for some time after cooking.

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Watch: five breakfasts before you ride

Mornflake Go! high protein porridge is available in plain or chocolate varieties. The former just contains oats and soya, whereas the latter adds sugar, cocoa powder, natural flavouring and salt. It’s not chocolaty enough to satisfy the chocoholic, but makes a change from the usual porridge.

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As with any instant porridge pot, you lose a bit of texture in order to get a product which cooks quickly, but the end result tastes nice enough. Mornflake also suggests using the sachets in a post-workout smoothie and there’s a recipe on the side of the boxes of sachets.

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You can buy Mornflake Go! high protein porridge singly or by the case from Mornflake and they are also available from some Sainsbury’s stores.

For more details visit the Mornflake website.

Post workout recovery is crucial if you want to improve.  Protein is essential for repairing and rebuilding your body, and protein bars in general offer a fast and convenient source of protein that is easily consumed post-workout, to maximise your recovery window.

If you are a fan of mint chocolate, you will like these bars. To someone who hasn't tried the SiS Rego Protein Mint Chocolate Bar it is best described as an Aero Mint Chocolate bar that has somehow had all the air sucked out of it, causing it to lose all the bubbles and have a rather dense texture.

The comparison ends there though, as the nutritional content is hugely different.  A 40g Aero contains 2.1g of protein 12.3g of fat, with the SiS bar containing 20g of protein and 6.5g of fat. Sports nutrition naysayers often champion the Snickers as comparable alternative, but a 55g Snickers bar contains only 4g of protein, and 12g of fat.

With an RRP of £1.99 each these bars are not cheap, but you are paying for the post-ride convenience and you could bring the cost down slightly by purchasing a box of 20 for £35.99.

 For more information head over to SiS.

This 55g bar delivers 37.2g of super-sweet carbs with a mix of fast-digesting maltodextrin and glucose as the main carbohydrate providers.

Fortified with vitamins too, supposedly to help with energy delivery, these may help if your diet is under-delivering but offer no benefit otherwise.

Mule Bars were developed by a guy who wasn’t impressed with the selection of energy bars available. He started making his own in the kitchen and after feedback from friends has now got what is probably the tastiest bar on the market.

Mule now has a selection of six different flavours. The bars are wrapped in a loose package that is easy to open and get the bar out of while on the move.

The consistency of the Mule Bar is neither too hard to bite off or too soft that they break and fall apart. Even in sub-zero temperatures the bars were easily chewable.

Mule flavours are distinctive yet not overpowering and do not have any aftertaste.