nuun took a cue from Alka-Seltzer and created a sugar-free, fizzy-dissolving, electrolyte sports drink tablet with just a hint of flavor and easy portability. As compared to bottled sports drink or even the more economical powdered mixes, the nuun tablets are far easier to carry on a long ride and are much more friendly to reusable bottles and hydration packs being that they are sugar-free. Sugar-free means that your bottle will rinse clean and not grow anything funky, which tends to happen pretty fast with traditional powders.
nuun tablets are available in two sizes, one which is made for a 16oz serving, and bigger nuun for a 32oz portion. Each tube has a dozen tablets, do the math and that means the $6.50 tube of smaller tablets makes 192oz of sports drink and the $12.95 tube of larger tablets makes 384oz. Personally, I’d prefer if the tablets were in foil packets for single serve use and overall less waste than that of the recyclable waterproof tube.
Down to the nitty gritty, what’s in the tablets? The usual electrolyte replacement suspects, per 8oz of fluid; 180mg sodium, 50mg potassium, 18.75mg vitamin C, 6.25mg calcium, and 12.5mg magnesium. Pretty well the expected mix for cramp prevention and proper hydration on long, hot rides. The flavor of the tablets is subtle, sweetened with sorbitol and doesn’t leave a syrupy aftertaste even if it does have a bit of that fake-sugar thing going. It can’t be said enough - the flavor is subtle, and is definitely what I prefer on the bike.
Overall, for those who find electrolyte replacement drinks a part of their riding, nuun presents a nice choice with a price competitive with powders and far more economical than individual bottles of sports drink.