Cadence Gel vs e-Gel | Which is Better?
e-Gel vs Cadence Gel
HEAD TO HEAD COMPARISON
vs
Cadence Core 24 is an unflavored energy gel that uses 100% simple sugar for its carbohydrate source with no complex carbs at all. Cadence markets “unflavored” as a feature, the idea being that you avoid flavor fatigue during long events. e-Gel takes the opposite approach with 9 flavors, because variety is what actually prevents flavor fatigue. Let’s see how they stack up across the metrics that matter for performance.
calories
e-Gel
150
Cadence
100
Each pack of e-Gel provides 50% more energy than a Cadence gel — two packs of e-Gel delivers as much energy as three Cadence gels. That’s fewer packets to manage during a race and more energy per intake when it counts.
calorie discussion
Energy gels are a recurring cost for any serious endurance athlete. The per-pack price is only part of the picture — what matters is how much performance nutrition you’re getting for that cost. With 50% more calories, 82% complex carbs, 230mg sodium, 85mg potassium, amino acids, and antioxidants, e-Gel packs significantly more into every pack than Cadence.
That adds up over a training season. An athlete using two gels per long run, twice a week, goes through roughly 200 gels a year. When each pack delivers more energy and more complete nutrition, the difference in value compounds — both financially and in what your body is actually getting.
total carbs
e-Gel
37g
Cadence
24g
e-Gel delivers 54% more carbohydrates per pack than Cadence. Carbs are the primary fuel your muscles use during exercise, so more carbs per pack means more energy delivered every time you fuel.
total carbs discussion
Total carbohydrates tell you how much fuel is in each pack, but the type of carbohydrate matters just as much as the amount. e-Gel’s 37 grams are 82% complex carbs (maltodextrin) with a small amount of fructose. Cadence’s 24 grams are 100% simple sugar (D-Glucose and Fructose). So e-Gel delivers more total fuel and delivers it in a form your body can absorb more efficiently — see the complex carbs section below for why that matters.
From a practical standpoint, two packs of e-Gel gives you 74g of carbs — enough to hit the 60–90g/hour targets that sports science recommends for endurance events. Two packs of Cadence gives you 48g, which falls short of that range and would require a third pack to close the gap.
complex carbs
e-Gel
30g
82% of total
Cadence
0g
0% of total
This is the single biggest difference between e-Gel and Cadence. e-Gel’s carbohydrates are 82% complex carbs — large molecules that allow your body to absorb significantly more energy (read why below). Cadence on the other hand is 100% simple sugar (24g) and no complex carbs.
why complex carbs matter
Energy gels are absorbed via osmosis — the process where fluid crosses a membrane. For the gel to be absorbed, it has to be diluted with water until it reaches the same concentration as your cellular fluids (isotonic). You need to drink water and stay hydrated to ensure this happens.
Here’s the key: the concentration of a fluid depends largely on the number of particles, not their size. Complex carbs like maltodextrin have much larger molecules than simple sugars — essentially multiple glucose molecules bonded together. Because it’s the particle count that matters, a fluid with complex carbs can transport nearly twice as much energy at the point of absorption compared to one with simple sugars.
This isn’t something Crank Sports invented — it’s proven sports science, and it’s why many gels use at least some maltodextrin. Where e-Gel sets itself apart is the ratio: 82% complex carbs, with only a small amount of fructose to enable the dual-pathway absorption advantage. Cadence went the other direction entirely — 100% simple sugar (D-Glucose and Fructose), no maltodextrin at all.
Why do some companies skip complex carbs? Simple sugars are sweet and inexpensive. Maltodextrin costs more and doesn’t taste as sweet. If you want to sell a lot of product, you make it sweet. If you want to make the best performing product, you use complex carbs.
cost benefit
There’s an economic reality here too: you’d need three Cadence gels to match the calories in two e-Gels — and Cadence costs more per pack. When you compare what you’re actually getting per dollar — calories, complex carbs, electrolytes, amino acids — e-Gel delivers significantly more nutrition for your money.
value discussion
Energy gels are a recurring cost for any serious endurance athlete. The per-pack price is only part of the picture — what matters is how much performance nutrition you’re getting for that cost. With 50% more calories, 82% complex carbs, 230mg sodium, 85mg potassium, amino acids, and antioxidants, e-Gel packs significantly more into every pack than Cadence.
That adds up over a training season. An athlete using two gels per long run, twice a week, goes through roughly 200 gels a year. When each pack delivers more energy and more complete nutrition, the difference in value compounds — both financially and in what your body is actually getting.
carb sources
e-Gel
maltodextrin
fructose
Cadence
dextrose
fructose
Both e-Gel and Cadence use fructose as a secondary carb source because it enables additional energy uptake through a separate absorption pathway. The critical difference is the primary carbohydrate: e-Gel uses maltodextrin (complex), Cadence uses dextrose (simple). FYI, the Cadence label lists D-Glocose which is the same thing as dextrose. Dextrose is the universally accepted commercial and legal standard here in the United States to avoid consumer confusion.
why fructose?
Your body absorbs fructose through a different transporter than all other carb sources. Glucose (and maltodextrin, which breaks down into glucose) uses the SGLT1 transporter, while fructose uses the GLUT5 transporter. By including both carb types, a gel can push total carbohydrate absorption beyond the ~60g/hour limit of glucose alone — potentially up to 90g/hour or more.
Both e-Gel and Cadence include fructose to take advantage of this dual-pathway effect. The critical difference is the primary carbohydrate: e-Gel uses maltodextrin, so you get the dual-pathway absorption advantage and the energy density advantage of complex carbs. Cadence uses D-Glucose as its primary carb — so it gets the dual-pathway benefit but misses the complex carb advantage entirely.
sodium
e-Gel
230mg
Cadence
200mg
Both e-Gel and Cadence include meaningful sodium — Cadence is one of the few competitors that actually puts electrolytes in the gel. e-Gel provides 15% more sodium per pack.
why electrolyte belong in the gel
Electrolytes are critical to maintain hydration and to avoid cramping and injuries. Many gel companies leave electrolytes out entirely — Styrkr, Precision Fuel’s PF 30, and Enervit’s C2:1PRO all have zero sodium. These companies sell separate electrolyte supplements, which means more products to buy and more to figure out during a race.
There’s a good reason to put electrolytes in the gel rather than in a sports drink: energy gels have to be taken with water to be properly absorbed via osmosis. If you use a sports drink with your gel, the combined solution in your gut becomes too concentrated (hypertonic), slowing absorption and potentially causing stomach discomfort. With e-Gel, you just use water — the electrolytes are already in the gel, calibrated to deliver 500mg of sodium and 200mg of potassium per liter of absorbed fluid, meeting the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendations.
Credit to Cadence for including 200mg of sodium — that’s better than most competitors. But e-Gel’s electrolyte profile is more complete: 230mg sodium plus 85mg potassium, designed as a system rather than an add-on.
potassium
e-Gel
85mg
Cadence
20mg
Potassium works alongside sodium to maintain hydration and prevent cramping. e-Gel provides over 4 times the potassium of Cadence — 85mg vs 20mg.
potassium discussion
Potassium is the other electrolyte that’s critical to replace during training and competition. While sodium gets most of the attention, potassium plays a key role in muscle contraction and fluid balance. Losing too much without replacement can contribute to cramping, fatigue, and decreased performance.
Cadence includes 20mg of potassium via Potassium Citrate — better than nothing, but well below what your body needs during extended exercise. e-Gel’s 85mg per pack is designed to meet the ACSM’s recommendation for potassium replacement during athletic activity, proportional to the water that carries the gel into your system.
amino acids
e-Gel
histidine, leucine,
valine, isoleucine
Cadence
none
e-Gel provides four important amino acids that help reduce lactic acid buildup, reduce soreness, maintain muscle protein, and aid in quicker recovery. Cadence Core 24 does not contain any amino acids.
amino acid discussion
During prolonged exercise, your body begins breaking down muscle protein for energy — a process called catabolism. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, valine, and isoleucine help counteract this by providing an alternative fuel source and signaling your body to preserve muscle tissue.
Histidine plays a different role: it’s a precursor to carnosine, which acts as a buffer against the acid buildup in muscles that contributes to fatigue and that burning sensation during hard efforts. Together, these four amino acids support performance during the effort and faster recovery afterward.
Most energy gels — Cadence included — don’t include amino acids. It’s one more area where e-Gel goes beyond just delivering calories.
antioxidants
e-Gel
vitamin C
vitamin E
Cadence
none
Antioxidant vitamins C and E help protect against tissue damage, reduce soreness, and aid in recovery. Cadence Core 24 does not provide any antioxidants.
antioxidant discussion
Intense exercise increases the production of free radicals — unstable molecules that can damage cells and contribute to inflammation and soreness. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that help neutralize these free radicals, protecting tissue and supporting the recovery process.
During a long race or hard training session using e-Gel, you’re building up meaningful antioxidant protection throughout the effort. It’s another way e-Gel is designed as complete athletic fuel — not just a source of calories.
caffeine
e-Gel
optional
6 uncaffeinated flavors
3 caffeinated “Turbo” flavors
Cadence
none, no option
e-Gel gives you the choice. Six of our nine flavors have zero caffeine. The other three — our caffeinated line, called e-Gel Turbo — deliver 50mg per pack for when you want a boost. Cadence does not offer a caffeinated option at all.
caffeine discussion
Caffeine is one of the most well-researched performance enhancers in sports science. It reduces perceived effort, improves focus, and can delay fatigue — particularly valuable in the later stages of a long race when mental sharpness matters most.
Having the option is key. Most athletes don’t want caffeine on every intake, and many prefer to save it for strategic moments late in a race. e-Gel’s lineup gives you that flexibility: use the regular flavors for your baseline fueling and rotate in a Turbo when you want a caffeine boost. With Cadence, that option simply doesn’t exist — you’d need a separate caffeine product, which means more to carry and more to figure out on race day.
citrates
e-Gel
✓
included
Cadence
✓
included
Both e-Gel and Cadence include citrates, which assist in the carbohydrate-to-energy conversion process and help buffer lactic acid buildup. Many competing gels don’t include citrates at all, so this is one area where both products deliver.
flavors
e-Gel
9
Cadence
1
e-Gel offers nine flavors — six original (e-Gel Endurance) and three caffeinated (e-Gel Turbo) — so you can build a rotation that keeps fueling interesting across a multi-hour race. Cadence offers a single unflavored option.
flavor variety discussion
Cadence markets “unflavored” as a solution to flavor fatigue — the idea that you’ll get sick of the taste during long events. But flavor fatigue comes from monotony, not from flavor itself. An unflavored gel taken every 30–45 minutes for hours is still monotonous — it just tastes worse while being monotonous.
Making nine flavors is expensive. It requires separate production runs, separate packaging, and significantly more complex inventory management. But Crank Sports does it because variety is what actually prevents flavor fatigue — not the absence of flavor. When you can rotate through Cherry Bomb, Tropical Blast, Mountain Rush, and others across a 100-mile race, each intake feels like a reset.
why 9 flavors matters
“Unflavored” doesn’t mean no flavor — it means no flavoring was added. The base ingredients of Cadence (glucose, fructose, sodium citrate) have their own taste profile that most athletes will get tired of after a few packs. And that one unchanging taste is what you get every 30–45 minutes for the entire race.
We take the opposite approach — we put serious work into making nine flavors that athletes actually look forward to taking. When you’re 2 hours into a marathon, enjoying your gel matters. With six original flavors plus three caffeinated Turbo, you can build a rotation that stays interesting from start to finish and never have to eat the same thing twice in a row.
100 world record fueled by e-Gel
Ashley Paulson set the women’s 100-mile world record (12:19:34) fueling with 300+ calories per hour of e-Gel and e-Fuel for over 12 hours — with zero gut issues. When trying a new gel you want to know if it will be easy on the stomach and if it will actually give you the energy you need to perform your best. While every athlete is different, what actually achieved using e-Gel is pretty strong evidence that it will work for you!