Threshold Provisions Bar - Review

May 21, 2014 at 10:51
by Mike Levy  
Threshold Provisions is a small business located in Asheville, North Carolina, that cooks up wild pacific salmon jerky and a lineup of four different flavours of energy bars - Cherry Coconut, Blueberry Ginger, Pistachio Chai, and Mango Yerba Mate. All of those products are made by hand rather than pumped out on a conveyer belt, and Threshold puts a large emphasis on using natural ingredients and sustainable food sources. You won't find any gluten, soy or dairy in them, either, in case you're looking to avoid any of those. Individual bars go for $3.00 USD, and $12.00 gets you a four-pack of bars when ordered off of their website. www.thresholdprovisions.com

Threshold Provisions energy bar review test

The Threshold Provisions bars are soft enough to chew up while on the go, and they have a unique taste that sets them apart from the candy-like flavour of other options out there.



Pinkbike's Take:
bigquotesThere's no doubt about it, food is a bit of a funny thing to review. The topic of what should and shouldn't be in the food you eat before, during, or after your ride is one that everyone seems to have an opinion on, and there's certainly loads of different options out there to satisfy most riders. Having said that, the bottom line for me is that it has to taste relatively good and go down easy. If whatever I'm snacking on can check those two boxes, there's a good chance that I'll remember to eat it before its too late and I'm curled on the side of the trail dreaming of Bounty chocolate bars and Red Bulls - that's not a pretty sight. That's the point when I want my energy bar to look more like a McRib, if you know what I'm saying. I sampled all four flavours that Threshold Provisions offers, and while the Pistachio Chai and Mango Yerba Mate tasted a bit "earthy" to me, the Blueberry Ginger bar is one that I could chow down on anytime, anywhere. That's exactly what I'm looking for in my on-trail food, as I don't want to be dreading having to force down whatever food I've brought with me at the top of the big climb. Eat-ability - a word I made up about how much effort it takes to actually open the package and eat it - is impressive, with the Threshold Provisions bar being much softer and easier to chomp up than even the softest of PowerBars. This might not sound important, but wait until you try eating a stiff, cold Powerbar while you're motoring up a steep gravel road climb and trying to suck in air like your scuba tank just hit E, then you'll see the importance of easy to eat food. Would I recommend the Threshold Provisions bars? I'd say that they're worth trying if you're looking for something a bit different than what you can buy at your corner store, especially if the list of ingredients and unique taste works for you. - Mike Levy


Author Info:
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Member since Oct 18, 2005
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94 Comments
  • 87 1
 Wow!!! $3 each or $12 for four! What a great savings.
  • 9 0
 In Germany you may pay 3 each or 13 for four, marketing is not always about savings...
Always check the Kg prise here (must be displayed) !
  • 4 2
 Nothing better than a homemade flapjack or bought from your local shop !
  • 4 0
 I was going to say that it looks like coyote pooh, but I don't want to gross anyone out. So Tasty!
  • 3 0
 www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk/nakd-fruit-and-nut-bars/nakd-cashew-cookie-bar
  • 7 0
 Do you guys realize these are sash compatible? I want to see how you carry a pancake out in the field.
  • 3 0
 @thinkbike: You can eat your pancake before you leave your house.
If you are on a long ride, take some raisin, cut apples in a bag, hard boiled eggs, bread and cheese, M&M's, and many other tasty foods.
If you are on a short ride, eat before or after your ride or both.
  • 4 0
 Looks really appetizing, like some ones taken a shit in a brown bag and stuck a label on it. Ill go for the 4 for $12, im all about saving money. Oh wait........
  • 2 0
 @louiscypher - I was gonna post these, big fan of the nakd bars they all (well, mostly) taste great. Mind you these days I am getting a bit obsessive about not eating shit food and additives etc
  • 1 0
 Energy bars/protein bars a joke so many DIY self stuff what probably taste better and get you just as full and regain all that lost energy.
  • 32 2
 Is there anyway you could review a good after ride beer? Im suspicious of my keystone ice. Iam however hooked because it comes with a 5.9% guarantee on the can
  • 7 1
 Fat Tug IPA from Driftwood Brewery, Victoria, BC. Best beer out there
  • 14 2
 Beer reviews would be awesome. I'm going to work on reviewing lots of beers tonight. Hooray for fridays.
  • 3 0
 fat tug soooo gooood I'm drunk off right now!
  • 2 2
 This is what we drink over here:

ERDINGER Alkoholfrei is a refreshing isotonic drink. It provides the body with essential vitamins such as folic acid and vitamin B12 which help reduce fatigue, promote energy-yielding metabolism and support the immune system, so you can recover from your training whilst enjoying a nice cold beer!

www.erdinger-alkoholfrei.de/de/produkt/erdinger-alkoholfrei.html
  • 4 1
 Alkoholfrei? Are you kidding me?
I'd get a Weihenstephaner Weiss, please!
  • 10 0
 You're asking the wrong man to review beers... He tried to sell us on Bud Light Lime not so long back!
  • 1 0
 Erdinger Weissbier absolutely number one on my beer list!
  • 3 0
 Duvel from Belgium is great. A little pricey but the 8.9% abv will surely light a fire under your ass.
  • 1 0
 Any Founders beer
  • 2 0
 Erdinger Weissbier! Creemore Springs!
  • 13 1
 apparently enduro riders are mostly drinking alcohol free beer. and touching up their make up and hair
  • 1 0
 Beau's brewery Lug Tread.
  • 1 0
 Where is the Shock Top, Redd's and Fireball Whiskey?!?!?
  • 1 0
 I made a pitcher of fireball and angry orchard one time... bad idea
  • 1 0
 Phillips Bottlerocket Red Racer ISA Parallel 49 Tricycle Radler all delicious post ride
  • 1 0
 Heck yeah Bottlerocket is great post-ride. Got a few in the fridge to suck down after tomorrows ride. Slow clap for the guy that remembers to pack beer!
  • 2 0
 As long as beer is in your fridge after a ride...Who cares.
  • 2 0
 German beer all the way. Purity law = less crap in it.
  • 2 0
 ZMC888 You obviously don't know much about craft beer in BC and the Pacific NW. No crap in most of our beers
  • 1 0
 Yeah our brewerys and winerys in BC are top notch.. Lots of care goes into the process too.
  • 2 0
 BC WA OR CA has many fine brews, as does Europe
  • 19 0
 This review is not complete until you tell me how it goes "down".
-Any pain or spicyness while dumping?
-rapid or stable output?
-flushing ease? Does it drift?

Test stuff thoroughly please!
  • 3 0
 ^^...lots of paperwork or clean break, tapered or broken, floater or bowl chiseler, solid or spray? C'mon like badpotato said, complete review.
  • 14 0
 I just ride with a pizza box taped to the top tube.
  • 2 0
 My buddy duct tape a case of beer and bunch of food to bring to a pot luck it was hilariously ghetto and convenient at the sametime.
  • 8 0
 "Individual bars go for $3.00 USD, and $12.00 gets you a four-pack of bars".. so basically you can get four bars for the price of four!
  • 2 0
 4 quarters for a dollar.
  • 4 0
 a few guys complained about the sugar in it. so long as it's natural sugar it's good. when you read "glucose, sucrose, fructose" then you're dealing with a shit bar. another good option is an organic peanut butter and honey (gathered locally if possible) sandwich on 12 grain or whole wheat bread.
  • 1 0
 Have you tried making Stingers wafer yet? So much better fresh and add a bit of jam/honey and you're set!
  • 6 0
 What do you think is in fruit? Answer: glucose and fructose.
  • 1 0
 @lochussie malathion knows something we don't about health.... eating fruit will literally kill you. Think of all the fructose!!!
  • 5 0
 In Canada High Fructose Corn Syrup is labelled as: Sugar-Glucose/Fructose. Pretty deceiving
  • 3 0
 @loch, just wiki frcutose. if you look at a label and it says "fructose.." etc. but doesn't mention fruit/natural ingredients then it's a concentrated, processed sugar which is not metabolized in the body the same way as natural sugar is. have you ever seen kids get fat from eating fruit? also read up on what causes insulin spikes. j-rawk knows what's up.
  • 2 0
 During intense exercise, you eat refined sugar, it quickly goes into your blood and into your muscles. Where's the bad? Also, you big up honey above, that is mainly concentrated fructose and glocose.
  • 6 0
 I'm probably still going to go with my trusty Cliff Bar...I can get them at the local supermarket for a dollar. Tough to beat.
  • 3 0
 Just started seeing cliff bars here at select bike shops. They aren't a dollar though. Was spoiled by the cranberry christmas cliff bars in the States.
  • 1 0
 Yeah, those were delicious. We have something like 10+ varieties here...
  • 6 0
 Mike this is actually a really thorough review! Great info am interested in eating some of these!
  • 2 0
 My pappy always packed eat-mores for mountaineering and stuff. They're still a go to and more affordable than most energy bars. Larabars are another good option but most of them are a little date (fruit) heavy for my liking. These have a solid ingredient list. I'll have to try them if I see them.
  • 1 0
 Same here. Nutritionally lots of these bars aren't THAT different from some candies or granola bars. I like the nature valley roasted nut crunch bars... they're just nuts stuck together by crunchy sugar. Delicious and they cost like $2 for a box of 6. For mountaineering/ski touring I make a lot of "climbing burritos" too: peanut/almond butter, jelly, banana, sometimes dried fruit, wrapped in a tortilla. Tasty, good mix of quick and slow energy, and they can get smashed up in my pack and still be edible. Kinda heavy though.
  • 2 0
 Fig Newtons are great and cheap.
  • 5 0
 And here I am packing a tuna sandwich on my CamelBak
  • 1 0
 And I thought I was the only one bringing tuna on my rides. Good protein and lean with little fat. Just dont eat it everyday and get mercury poisoning like I did.
  • 1 0
 Fats on rides are working well for me. Fats keeps your energy for longer and they are not that bad for the health when you are riding cause you burn most of them. Tuna sandwich is great too, no doubt. I'll always go for a real food on my rides than these strange bars. Maybe I can only bring pure chocolate bar for some sugar, but that's all.
  • 1 0
 Real food over these anyday mentalhead. But if I decide to go with a bar, Quest nutrition is where it's at! Love tuna though, throw some hummus, tuna and spinach on bread and it's gone in a minute!
  • 1 0
 Fats are great when you're out for long days. I've been known to gnaw on a block of cheese while out ski touring or hiking long days. Nice slow burn. Throw in some dried fruit for a quick boost and you're good to go.
  • 2 0
 Jhou....you really did get mercury poisoning?? How much tuna have you eaten? I really enjoy tuna with homade mac n cheese!
  • 1 0
 I did. Ate it pretty much everyday for a whole month. I had enough to make me feel sick and nauseous. Went to the doctor and and did a blood test. Came back with low levels for mercury. Too much of anything can be bad. Except bikes.
  • 1 0
 WOW That is awful! So glad you are better! Bikes rule!
  • 1 0
 Not just pretty faces on these guys - they know how to sell volume. Special deal 4 for the price of 4 is too good to miss.


In all seriousness though, these bars look really, really good. Ingredients are all whole foods and the nutritional info looks pretty good. A nice balance of macronutrients - lots of healthy fats, simple sugars and some protein. All the crazy seeds and nuts and stuff are going to be providing all kinds of vitamins too. $3 seems like a lot, but for a homemade product it's not too bad actually Salute


Do a 4 for $10 though guys, c'mon.
  • 4 0
 Looks like shit.
  • 1 0
 This is the best bar I have ever tasted. It's nice to see a company make a bar out of natural ingredients. 3$ is worth every penny. Clif bars taste like soap
  • 2 0
 Seems a bit expensive to me. But if you get what you pay for, these must be good!
  • 2 0
 Great, another energy bar that looks like poop from a nut/berry eating bear...and for $3 a pop...wow.
  • 1 0
 It wouldnt be that hard to make these on your own... Buy bulk for most of the ingredients and experiment a bit. Heck of a lot cheaper!
  • 1 0
 @BigballmcCall- try using tea tree oil, diluted with water. Put in a spray bottle to apply. Natural and effective solution for most bugissues on the trail.
  • 2 0
 Cliff bars are loaded with soy. Which is good if you want lower testosterone and tits.
  • 1 0
 Am I the only person who brings actual food with me when I ride? Not sure what the craze is all about with all of these overpriced bars.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a shiny turd in a wrapper "and they have a unique taste that sets them apart from the candy-like flavour of other options out there". Wink
  • 2 0
 when i first saw it i thought it was some kind of shit in a package
  • 3 0
 Woohoo... Poo in a bag
  • 2 1
 m.youtube.com/watch?v=g-uLTTT3BPc

How I feel about all food.....especially these delicious bastards.
  • 3 2
 Deodorants would be a nice thing to review as well and some sunscreens too...
  • 1 1
 These plus a decent bug spray. Pulled three ticks from last weeks rides.
  • 2 0
 hair remover and lip balm, too
  • 1 0
 Sugar here, sugar there.. diabetes everywhere. I`m on LCHF because of genetic legacy not reacting to sugar well.
  • 2 0
 It's rare you see ingredients like that in a package. Worth the money.
  • 1 0
 I feel quite confident I could make these myself for much less than $3 a bar.
  • 3 2
 I don't know you can't beat a Cliff bar when it's 3$ a bar
  • 1 0
 Blue berry and ginger... I'm actually drooling
  • 1 0
 The BAR has been raised...
  • 1 0
 That thing looks like something that came out of something else.
  • 1 0
 Anyone who avoids gluten just because is an unredeemable idiot.
  • 1 0
 lol pinkbike getting desperate.
  • 1 2
 I like this kinda review, something loosely involved with the sport - I agree though a beer review would be a belter!
  • 2 5
 yeah but is it enduro specific?
  • 2 1
 Fail. Try asking if it looks like a Trek, that will be original.
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