One of the nice things about Interbike is the New Products Area which features innovative creations from a number of smaller companies. This year we came across Venture Design Works (VDW) which has come out with the Gel-Bot - an updated design of the traditional cage-bottle that integrates an internal energy-gel reservoir capable of holding two packs worth of gel. Users can select between gel or liquid by positioning the flow-valve in either the open (up) or closed (down) positions. When the flow-valve is closed, squeezing the bottle will force gel up from the flask area. When it’s open, only water will flow through the valve. Positioning the flow-valve somewhere in the middle allows a mixture of gel and water to flow. Several advantages to the system include 1. the ability to consume energy gels more evenly over the course of a workout, 2. reduced mess since gel can’t ooze out of the packs onto fingers, and 3. no wrapper to dispose of during a workout session. The Gel-Bot weighs in at 116g, holds 24oz of water / 3.2 oz of gel, and sells for around $16 on the company’s website – www.gel-bot.com