Skratch Labs
Skratch Labs is hydration designed by a sports scientist. Founded in 2012 in Colorado by Allen Lim, who was then working with professional cycling teams, the brand focuses on electrolyte drink mixes with less sugar, flavoured with real fruit. At Bicycles Quilicot: Sport, Super High-Carb, Everyday and Sport Recovery drink mixes, plus energy bars and energy chews. (Read more)
Skratch Labs: hydration built for long rides
Born behind the scenes of the pro peloton
Before founding Skratch Labs, Allen Lim worked as a sports scientist and coach for professional cycling teams, including Garmin and RadioShack. On the road, he watched his riders water down their sports drinks and turn away from store-bought bars that sat heavy on their stomachs. So he started cooking for the team himself and mixing a less sugary drink. Those recipes became the Feed Zone cookbooks, co-written with chef Biju Thomas, and the drink became Skratch Labs in 2012.
What the range covers
The selection carried at Bicycles Quilicot covers the three moments of a ride: hydrating, fuelling during the effort and recovering.
- Sport Hydration Drink Mix: the brand's original drink, high in sodium to replace what you lose in sweat, deliberately light on sugar so it stays easy to drink.
- Super High-Carb: for long rides and races, up to 100 g of carbohydrate per serving from Cluster Dextrin, a complex carbohydrate chosen to be well tolerated at high doses.
- Everyday Drink Mix: a sugar-free electrolyte mix for staying hydrated off the bike.
- Sport Recovery: carbohydrates and protein, chocolate flavour, to take after the ride.
- Energy bars and chews: bars made from simple ingredients and chews to eat in the saddle, in several flavours, including a caffeinated option.
Which product for which ride
A simple rule of thumb: water is enough for a short, easy ride. Beyond an hour, or in hot weather, the Sport mix helps make up for the sodium lost in sweat. For rides of several hours or race days, Super High-Carb delivers the carbohydrates that the Sport mix, light by design, does not. And as with any nutrition product: try it in training before you use it on race day.
Skratch Labs at Bicycles Quilicot
Founded in 1915 in Montreal by Louis Quilicot, Bicycles Quilicot has been advising riders for more than 110 years. Our advisors will help you build your hydration and nutrition strategy around the length of your rides and your goals. Ships across Canada and 6 stores in Quebec.