Review: High5 Energy Bar Comparison

High5 Bars
Energy bars are finding their way into my jersey pockets more and more as the racing season comes to a close. Gels and sugary sports drinks are replaced by bars and 4:1 mixes, as the longer endurance rides start again.  Now seems a good time to report back on a few of my favourites then, from the UK based High5 brand.

High5 isn't a new brand to the blog; I've previously written on their endurance orientated 4:1 products and their caffeine based range. It's now time to look at what they can provide in terms of solid food in the form of their Sports Bar products and Energy Bars.


High5 Sports Bar - Berry Yoghurt
The High5 Sports Bars are without doubt one of the tastiest energy bars on the market. This one is a particular favourite of mine in the summer months; it features a fruity berry and cereal centre, with an outer coating of yoghurt. Imagine those yoghurt coated raisins, but with Special K in the middle rather than raisins. Pretty darn tasty, and an ideal pre-race snack.
High5 Sports Bar - Chocolate Caramel
If you like chocolate (most people do!), then this is a great choice. It has a cereal and caramel middle, with a chocolate outer coating. To be honest, it doesn't really taste much like a traditional energy bar at all; it tastes too good! It seems to work though, and gives you a good sugar boost and a prolonged energy hit from the cereal filling. The only thing to note is that it's not great for hot summer days; it tends to melt a bit in your jersey pocket.

High5 Energy Bar - Banana
The High5 Energy bar range are a little smaller in size than the Sports Bars, but they still pack a great carbohydrate punch, and they are ideal for being eaten on the move.

The banana flavour one is very good: I tend to shy away from banana flavoured products a bit; (probably too many of those banana sweets when I was younger) but this is really very nice. It's moist, tastes like real banana and provides a great sustained energy boost.

High5 Energy Bar - Berry
A tasty berry flavoured snack. It is actually more a forest fruits flavour; a mix of berries and apple. Like the banana flavour it is nice and moist, which makes it very easy to eat even in the summer months.

These 50 gram bars seem to be the ideal size to wolf down even on a hard training ride. They're easy on the stomach and provide a good slow-release source of energy.

High5 Energy Bar - Chocolate Orange
The Chocolate Orange Energy Bar is a Wiggle exclusive; developed in conjunction with the Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling team. It is a bit like a Terry's Chocolate Orange melted over a cereal bar. The good thing is that if you're a chocolate addict, you can have this one in the summer months, because it doesn't seem to melt, even in a hot jersey pocket. A great tasty choice if you can't do without a chocolate kick.

High5 4:1 Training Bar - Cranberry
I've talked through the benefits of High5's 4:1 Training range in my blog 'Nutrition for Multi-day events' (Link); in essence, taking on a small amount of protein on longer events will help to reduce the damage and fatigue caused to muscles by exertion, as the protein will help to kick-start the repair process.

This cranberry bar tastes just like a nice moist cereal bar, and is not dissimilar to the berry flavoured Energy Bar, but it has the added benefit of protein for recovery. Great for long winter training rides and multiple day training blocks.


All the High5 Energy Bars and Sports Bars are good to be honest; it largely comes down to personal preference which one you would prefer to snack on whilst out on the bike. The benefit of them all tasting good is that you can have some variety in your choice!

Energy bars need to be moist, easy to eat, easy on the stomach and effective at giving you a boost; all these bars do these things very well, and are well worth stocking up on to keep you fuelled throughout your long winter training efforts.

High5 Energy Bars are available from Wiggle (Link)



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