During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 26 Aug 2026
GU Roctane Energy Gel 10
GU's premium line, built around an amino-acid blend rather than a stated carbohydrate ratio, at 2.3 times the price per gram of the cheapest gel here.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other gel we've reviewed.
10
Weak
Based on 4 of 5 measures ?A dimension a product doesn't declare is left out of its average rather than counted against it -- so this score reflects fewer measures than a product with a full panel.
Carb density ?How much fuel one sachet carries. 90 g is the ceiling here, matching the top of the range cited for multi-transportable-carb intake.23
Sodium ?Sodium carried by the gel itself, on a scale topping out at 1000 mg — the upper end of what's typically lost to sweat in an hour.13
Value (cost/gram) ?Price of one gram of carbohydrate. Not physiological -- a market-based scale from $0.15/g (0) to $0.02/g (100).5
Gut comfort ?A proxy, not a taste or tolerance test: shorter ingredient lists score higher, from 15 ingredients (0) to 1 (100). Nobody has actually run these through anyone's gut for this score.0
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.143/g
Glucose : fructose · not disclosed
n/d
Comparison
6 of 22 gels heldPrices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.
| Measure | GU Energy Labs GU Roctane Energy Gel | Maurten Maurten Gel 100 | Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel Gel | Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel | NEVERSECOND NEVERSECOND C30 Gel | GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarbohydrateHow much fuel one sachet carries. | 21 g | 25 g | 40 g | 30 g | 30 g | 22 g |
| Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling. | n/d | 1 : 0.8 | 1 : 0.77 | 1 : 0.5 | 1 : 0.5 | ~ 1 : 0.47 |
| SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat. | 125 mg | 20 mg | 30 mg | not declared | 200 mg | 60 mg |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Not disclosed | Stated | Derived | Stated | Stated | Estimated |
| Price per sachetWhat one costs. Not comparable across sachet sizes. | $3.00 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.12 | $3.50 | $2.00 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across sachet sizes. | $0.143 | $0.150 | $0.063 | $0.104 | $0.117 | $0.091 |
| Sachets for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target. | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- 125 mg of sodium, meaningfully more than GU Original and most of the field.
- A genuinely wide amino-acid and electrolyte blend, not just carbohydrate.
- Established brand with easy availability and a large flavor range.
What it costs you
- No glucose-to-fructose ratio is stated anywhere on the pack or in GU's own materials.
- $0.143 a gram, more than double SiS Beta Fuel for a ratio you cannot verify.
- The amino-acid dosing is well below what the sports-nutrition literature treats as ergogenic during a single race.
Where to buy
Prices and links as last checked.
Who this is for
the numbers, appliedThe field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.
Worth the money if
- You want more sodium in the gel itself and don't mind paying for it.
- You've used Roctane before and it agrees with you.
Look elsewhere if
- You're optimizing purely for cost per gram of carbohydrate.
- You want a ratio you can point to, not just trust.