Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi I'm hoping I can be schooled in the art of chamois creams.

I'm sitting here until to ride hopefully just for a short while taking some antibiotics waiting for a saddle sore to disappear.
But then for a while but has attacked with great force over the weekend and is now totally painful to sit on the bike.

I have been reading about chamois creams and seem to get mixed reports, some swear by them some say only if you have cheap knicks others say it was a thing of the past from where a chamois was actually a leather chamois. I have not read anything about how much to apply i.e is it a little application like you would with sunscreen, do you grab a handful and slap it on like some $5 hooker probably would, do you rub it in?

any help will be apreciated

Curious myself. I think you apply to the chamois...chamois cream...

Old boy I met who used to do big miles (200 mile days) said back in his day they used to apply METHO to the gooch every morning to toughen the skin up!
Hard nut indeed.
I've also heard that nappy rash zinc based preparations (sudocream) are the go.

ratter wrote:Hi I'm hoping I can be schooled in the art of chamois creams.

I'm sitting here until to ride hopefully just for a short while taking some antibiotics waiting for a saddle sore to disappear.
But then for a while but has attacked with great force over the weekend and is now totally painful to sit on the bike.

I have been reading about chamois creams and seem to get mixed reports, some swear by them some say only if you have cheap knicks others say it was a thing of the past from where a chamois was actually a leather chamois. I have not read anything about how much to apply i.e is it a little application like you would with sunscreen, do you grab a handful and slap it on like some $5 hooker probably would, do you rub it in?

any help will be apreciated

I always use chamois cream, and have done for many, many years. If I didn't use it, then I'd have saddle sores constantly. Some people may have a cast iron a**e, but I'm not one of them.

I don't bother with the expensive chamois creams sold in bike shops (many contain lanolin which is an irritant to some anyway). Just go to chemist and get a 500gm tub of QV cream or generic sorbolene cream. It's cheaper and washes out out easily in the laundry.

Apply a liberal layer of the cream to the chamois in the area of the main pressure points, really slather it on, and any that remains on your hand you can apply to your body.

For an insight into how a pro cyclist uses it, get a copy of the DVD "Hell on Wheels", which follows Eric Zabel and Rolf Aldag of Team Telekom on the 100th edition of the TDF in 2003. It gives an interesting insight into the world of pro racing, particularly in the light of recent events, and is a great watch.

There is an intimate scene in the riders hotel room as they are preparing to race, where the Team Telekom soigneur applies chamois cream to Eric Zabel's knicks. I though it quite astonishing how he applied it.

hey Mick

I use it to mainly reduce the friction and heat that builds up down there. Stops chaffing and general discomfort. Works a treat for me and is natural and antibacterial. I paid $12-15 a tube for the Aussie Butt cream from Cell bikes. I apply it by hand to the clean chamois in the knicks in the areas you find the most uncomfortable, NOT to yourself. That way you don't contaminate the tube when you reapply for next time.

+1 for general Sorbolene cream.

I've tried Sudocreme and whilst it works OK it is a bit chalky and I prefer the Sorbolene cream.
When I return home and have a shower I reapply a small amount to the sore areas to help ease the soreness.

Dave

love this http://sportiquebodycare.com/century-ri ... eam-detail" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Medi Quattro cream from the supermarket - antiseptic, anaesthetic, anti-inflammatory and lubricant all in one.

In the worst case (e.g. 200+ km, hot day), I put a thin smear of Betadine antiseptic on the areas of skin prone to saddle sores and spread about two dessert spoons of Medi Quattro over most of the padded lining in my shorts.

I'm still trying to find some Creme Randonneur, the ads say:

"Finally, the cream you have been waiting for. Used since 1891 in Europe,
this cream is specifically designed for the randonneur cyclist. No longer will
you have the need to carry several lotions for different applications.
Fits into your jersey pocket.

Need sunscreen? - Apply every 4 hours (SPF .
Bad breath at the control? Add some to your toothbrush (contains mint)
Saddle sores? Apply liberally to the effected area.
Bicycle chain dry or squeaking? Use sparingly on any chain.
Dirty hands after a tyre change? Wash with Creme Randonneur and water.
Stopping at the control for a shower? Massage into scalp and rinse.
Supermarket closed? Spread thinly on a baguette and enjoy the taste.
Run out of energy drink? Squirt 30g into your bidon and shake
Fancy that other randonneur? Use liberally."

I have tried many varieties and keep coming back to Assos chamois cream. I get it cheap from the uk websites when I order other stuff.
As others have said, put it on the chamois on the parts that correspond with your sore bits. Over the years I have used less and less and am now at (maybe) a level desert spoon quantity.
If I am doing something extreme, I use more but this amount will do for up to 120kms.
The amount used by Zabel in that movie and the amount used by LA in something I saw once are both ridiculous... Your backside would slip off the saddle!!
Andrew

gabrielle260 wrote:I have tried many varieties and keep coming back to Assos chamois cream. I get it cheap from the uk websites when I order other stuff.
As others have said, put it on the chamois on the parts that correspond with your sore bits. Over the years I have used less and less and am now at (maybe) a level desert spoon quantity.
If I am doing something extreme, I use more but this amount will do for up to 120kms.
The amount used by Zabel in that movie and the amount used by LA in something I saw once are both ridiculous... Your backside would slip off the saddle!!
Andrew

+ 1. A little thing of it lasts a couple of thousand k's. Aussie butt cream is good too but a much thinner consistency. Neither take very much and I'll second the insanity of that scene in the movie. It's like someone preparing to swim across the English Channel!

Assos for me also a fan of the Rapha one.

"Aussie Butt Cream" is the stuff ,never had a sore!!!

gabrielle260 wrote:The amount used by Zabel in that movie and the amount used by LA in something I saw once are both ridiculous... Your backside would slip off the saddle!

Yeah, and anyway - who is Eric Zabel and what would he know about it?

Good quality knicks, I personally use Vermarc but also have some Santini ones & one really nice pair of Bicycle Line ones (the only pair I've ever found), will lesson saddle sores, I also use Lucas' Paw Paw ointment as a chamois cream, just enough to make everything lightly lubricated (you're only trying to stop friction between your knicks & your skin), good fitting knicks help, a nicely worn in saddle also helps.

Avoid cheap asian 'knock off' knicks for anything over about 20-25kms, they always seem to be cut wrong & end up chaffing you quite badly, better off having 2 pair of quality knicks that half a dozen cheap ones.

I used cream when chamois was made from leather. After a wash, it was like a sand paper. Now though, with synthetic chamois, I can't see the point. Most saddle sores are caused by either wrong saddle position/wrong saddle or failing to follow simple hygiene (shower as soon as possible after the ride, which is why sitting in a coffee shop for too long is a bad idea). Those that are caused by something else can't be helped by the cream.

Nikolai wrote:Most saddle sores are caused by either wrong saddle position/wrong saddle or failing to follow simple hygiene (shower as soon as possible after the ride, which is why sitting in a coffee shop for too long is a bad idea). Those that are caused by something else can't be helped by the cream.

This always makes me smile. So if you ride for four hours and then sit in a coffee shop without having a shower it is a bad thing.

But if you ride for four hours and then ride for another four hours in the same knicks no-one would bat an eyelid or suggest you should shower or change your knicks halfway through (except your mates maybe)

Back on topic, a vote for cream here, even with synthetic chamois I find it helps, but I don't think it matters any what brand you use.

This is what I use, liked it so much we started selling it.

scirocco wrote:

Nikolai wrote:Most saddle sores are caused by either wrong saddle position/wrong saddle or failing to follow simple hygiene (shower as soon as possible after the ride, which is why sitting in a coffee shop for too long is a bad idea). Those that are caused by something else can't be helped by the cream.

This always makes me smile. So if you ride for four hours and then sit in a coffee shop without having a shower it is a bad thing.

But if you ride for four hours and then ride for another four hours in the same knicks no-one would bat an eyelid or suggest you should shower or change your knicks halfway through (except your mates maybe)

Yeah I know it's funny. The reason why delaying showering is a bad idea, is because the sweat, as it evaporates, leaves tiny pieces of salt on your skin in crystal form that, in turn, cause skin micro cuts. Saddle sores usually follow.

I use chamois cream to prevent my skin rubbing against the saddle, as I have had bruises previously.

kunalraiker wrote:I use chamois cream to prevent my skin rubbing against the saddle, as I have had bruises previously.

Man I don't wann get stuck behind you on a long climb

You can pick up cheap chamois cream from wiggle atm with free delivery

jimsheedy wrote:

kunalraiker wrote:I use chamois cream to prevent my skin rubbing against the saddle, as I have had bruises previously.

Man I don't wann get stuck behind you on a long climb

Why not

jimsheedy wrote:

kunalraiker wrote:I use chamois cream to prevent my skin rubbing against the saddle, as I have had bruises previously.

Man I don't wann get stuck behind you on a long climb

kunalraiker wrote:[snip] to prevent my skin rubbing against the saddle...

+1. Iv'e heard of going commando but riding sans shorts-how much SPF 30+ would you need?

This stuff has similar ingredients to the Assos cream http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/prod ... tter+200mL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I use Sorbolene but I put some tea tree oil in it to give it some anti-bacterial effect.

I use Assos cream but have used others andmost will do the trick.

It is about reducing the friction between perspiration on the chamios and your butt skin.

You don't need much but if you are new to riding then the skin needs to adapt overtime.

PCH