Honey works great, actually. GU pretty much tries to copy the glucose/fructose ratio to get a good absorbtion rate. There is a brand, honey stingers, I think that sells endurance nutrition that is pretty much honey.

Get a gel flask at the bike store. I just put one in the back of my bike jersey. You can also mount it right on your bike if youwant. That would give you five or so shots and should keep you from getting too sticky.

The only drawback for me is that it is quite a bit sweeter than maltodextrin. I know that might sound strange to anyone who knows what kind of a sweet tooth I have, but sometimes it gives me this weird itch in my throat because it is so sweet.

haven't tried it...but you may want to check on how you're getting your other gel essentials too, like sodium? it doesn't seem like a straight swap

I do a rough mix of honey, sea salt and protein powder.

I knew Whataburger had to be good for something.

Braden

For individual packets, gels are, at best, $1 per oz. You can get a big jar of honey for $3-4.