For an easy ride when you mainly want flavoured water, squash diluted as directed can fit. If you need your drink to contribute carbohydrate and sodium during a prolonged ride, compare labelled sports drinks instead: Tesco lists Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits at 5 kcal and 0 g sugars per 250 ml diluted serving. Check the pack format too, because the reviewed Tesco listings place bottled squash and canned soft-drink multipacks in different categories.
Choose by what the drink needs to contribute during the ride, rather than by whether it comes in a multipack.
For a short or easy ride where carbohydrate from the drink is not the aim, squash diluted according to its label offers a flavoured-water option. Check the prepared drink’s nutrition if you expect it to provide fuel: Tesco lists 0 g sugars per 250 ml diluted serving for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits.
If the drink needs to contribute carbohydrate as well as fluid, compare its prepared-drink label and plan what food you will carry. The Australian Institute of Sport describes sports drinks formulated to deliver carbohydrate and fluid together; the amount and your tolerance still matter.
If cans are the priority, check what is actually in the pack. The reviewed Tesco listings show squash as bottled concentrate and canned multipacks under soft drinks. A ready-to-drink can should not be treated as squash or as a sports drink on the strength of its format.
Decide whether the drink is for flavour, ride-time fuel or a convenient pack, then compare the nutrition of the drink as you will consume it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid and flavour | Check whether the product is concentrate or ready to drink. For squash, follow the stated dilution; nutrition figures may apply to the prepared drink. | I mainly want a flavour I will drink on an easy ride, without relying on that drink for carbohydrate. |
| Carbohydrate | Compare carbohydrate per 100 ml of the prepared drink and the amount you plan to drink. The Australian Institute of Sport describes 4–8% carbohydrate as a sports-drink formulation range; it is not a specification for every drink. | On a prolonged ride, I want to know how much fuel comes from my drink and what I will carry as food. Tesco lists 0 g sugars per 250 ml diluted serving for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits. |
| Sodium and tolerance | Read sodium per serving or litre and consider the ride conditions. The Australian Institute of Sport describes 10–30 mmol/L sodium in a sports-drink formulation and cautions that excessive carbohydrate intake can cause gut discomfort. | For a long or demanding ride, particularly when I expect to sweat, I want to check what the drink contributes and try my plan in training. |
| Pack format | Check the container, pack count and whether preparation is required. Tesco’s reviewed categories list bottled squash separately from canned soft-drink multipacks. | I want a pack that is convenient to buy or carry, but I need to know whether it contains concentrate or a ready-to-drink product. |
The reviewed Tesco, Waitrose and M&S categories distinguish dilutable squash from canned soft-drink multipacks. A familiar flavour or multipack size does not tell you how the drink is prepared.
Read the product description for “concentrate” or “ready to drink” before comparing packs.
Tesco lists 5 kcal and 0 g sugars per 250 ml diluted serving for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits. That serving should not be counted on to provide the carbohydrate you intend to take on a long ride.
If you need carbohydrate during the ride, check the amount supplied by your food and drinks rather than judging by flavour.
British Cycling discusses steady fluid and nutrient intake on longer rides, while the Australian Institute of Sport includes sodium in its description of sports-drink formulation. Ordinary squash should not be assumed to have the same composition.
When sodium is part of your ride plan, compare the actual label and serving size.
Changing the dilution also changes the amount of the concentrate’s ingredients in each bottle. Tesco’s nutrition figures for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits apply to the stated one-part-concentrate to nine-parts-water dilution.
Follow the concentrate’s instructions, and try any sports-drink preparation during training before using it on an event ride.
These references help distinguish squash from canned soft drinks; they do not establish that every drink in a retailer’s range has the same nutrition.
The reviewed Tesco and Asda Double Strength Summer Fruits products are dilutable concentrates, not ready-to-drink cans.
The reviewed grocery listings place bottled squash in a squash category and canned multipacks among soft drinks.
The reviewed squash category lists bottled concentrates, while cans and bottles multipacks have a separate category.
M&S describes squash as diluting juice mixed with cold water and points to sparkling cans separately.
These are multipacks of bottled sports drinks to consider if you want a ready-to-drink option for a ride. They are not squash or canned multipacks; check each drink’s nutrition label against your carbohydrate and sodium plans.
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A bottled multipack to compare when you want a ready-to-drink option for a longer ride. It is not squash or a can multipack; check the label’s carbohydrate and sodium figures against what you plan to drink.
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A bottled multipack to compare if you want drinks ready to take on a ride. It is not squash or a can multipack; use the product label to check carbohydrate and sodium per serving for your plan.
Do not count on the reviewed Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits as your main carbohydrate source: Tesco lists 5 kcal and 0 g sugars per 250 ml diluted serving. If you need ride-time carbohydrate, account for it through your wider food-and-drink plan or compare a labelled carbohydrate drink.
Not in the reviewed Tesco and Waitrose categories: they list bottled squash separately from canned soft-drink multipacks. Check the actual product description to see whether you are buying concentrate to dilute or a ready-to-drink can.
Compare them when you want the drink itself to contribute carbohydrate and sodium as well as fluid on a prolonged or demanding ride. The Australian Institute of Sport describes those components in sports-drink formulations; check the specific label, serving size and how you tolerate the drink in training.
Yes, if it is a concentrate: follow that product’s preparation instructions. Tesco specifies one part Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits concentrate to nine parts water, and its listed nutrition is for the diluted serving.