Performance Science.
Evidence-based articles on sodium bicarbonate, blood pH, hydrogel buffering, and what the research actually says.
The archive.
Written by Paul Wang — founder, cyclist, and the person who weighs every bag. Eight deep dives on the mechanism, the dosing, and the build. No filler, no AI slop — just what the research says and what we learned making the stuff.
Everything you need to know about bicarb supplementation — the mechanism, the dosing, the timing, the GI problem, and how hydrogel solves it. Start here.
→Why does encapsulating bicarb in a hydrogel matter? The GI problem explained — and how xanthan gum changes everything.
→From FTP tests to criteriums — how to use bicarb to boost cycling power output and delay the burn during hard intervals.
→Middle-distance runners stand to gain the most from bicarb. Here's the evidence, the dose, and how to time it around race day.
→GI distress is the #1 reason athletes stop using bicarb. Here's exactly why it happens and three strategies that actually work.
→Both buffer acid — but differently, on different timescales, for different sports. Here's when to use each, and whether stacking them makes sense.
→Same hydrogel encapsulation mechanism. Same dosing. Same science. A breakdown of the Maurten Bicarb System formula and where the price gap comes from.
→Enteric coating, fluid bed coaters, and why a xanthan gum hydrogel achieves the same GI protection without $150,000 of equipment.
→Ready to
buffer up?
Bicarb 2.0 has been cancelled. We had the pellets — then our supplier backed out at the last moment and stole our deposit. bicarb.net is now closed.