TBD Team Poll: Our Favorite Chamois Creams

As with many of our best gear content, this one started with a Team Slack poll: What’s your favorite chamois cream? What followed was a wide array of responses based on personal preferences. Not surprising for a product that is applied directly onto our skin and in a rather delicate area. What did surprise me, a dedicated chamois cream user, was how many folks did not use it at all! Here’s a list of our favorite products, and some pointers.

The Basics

First things first. A chamois (pronounced: shammy) is a pad that lines the inside of your bike shorts, and supports your sits bones and other fleshy bits that come in contact with the saddle. When you pedal, your skin may rub against the chamois pad, or whatever fabric you’re wearing, which can lead to chafing, swelling, abcesses, or saddle sores. Chamois cream is placed on the skin (or can be placed on the pad directly), and is meant to prevent chafing. It most often comes in a tub or a tube, and has the consistency of a cream or wax depending on the type. Some have anti-bacterial properties and/or a “cooling” or “tingly” sensation (usually the men’s version, I don’t know why).

Most of us who rode bikes as kids or started out as commuters never wore padded bike shorts. I bought my first pair when I got my first road bike as an adult to start training for a 100 mile charity ride. I didn’t use chamois cream then, even when I rode longer distances. It wasn’t until I started racing bikes, training nearly every day and at higher levels of intensity, that I discovered I needed chamois cream. Nothing like high cadence drills or sweating on a stationary bike to induce chafing. Once you experience painful, sensitive, swollen, chafed skin in the exact area where you need to sit on the saddle, prevention suddenly becomes a huge priority!

The CREAMS

This list is generally in order of popularity amongst those who voted on the team.

1. No Chamois Cream. This is not a brand of chamois cream, but rather most folks on TBD who responded to the poll do not use any chamois cream when they ride. I really envy you all. You must have a perfectly fitting bike, perfectly shaped nether regions, and/or perfectly resilient skin! But in all seriousness, the takeaway here is, if you don’t suffer from chafing or saddle discomfort, then you don’t need to buy chamois cream, unless you just really want that tingly sensation.

2. Assos Chamois Crème. This one is used by the most folks on our team. It has a minty cooling sensation, has anti-bacterial properties, and comes in a tub. They also make a women’s non-cooling “female forumla”.

3. Chamois Butt’r. Another popular brand that does not have a cooling sensation and comes in a tube. You often find these available at bike shops in smaller to go packets that you can conveniently stash in a jersey pocket or handlebar bag. Chamois Butt’r also sponsors a lot of races so I like to grab a handful of free samples for traveling or race weekends. They also make a women’s formulation, though I couldn’t tell them apart, and a tingly Eurostyle version.

4. DZNuts Bliss. This brand was founded by former pro cyclist Dave Zabriskie, has anti-bacterial properties, comes in a tube, and does not have cooling sensations. They also make a version with menthol. I used to use this one until I got decided I didn’t like the name.

5. Mad Alchemy Pure. This is the only one in the lineup that has the consistency of a soft wax that melts on contact with warm skin. It comes in a tub and has no cooling sensation. It’s said to have been developed for “long, hard, wet road, gravel and mountain biking adventures,” but it’s my everyday go to at this point. What I love about it is that you don’t have to use very much at all and it really lasts for a long day on the saddle. Mad Alchemy also makes several other types of chamois creams.

The TakeAway

So, there you have it. The list of chamois creams that we use - those of us who use it at all. The takeaway here is: 1) you likely don’t need chamois cream at all; 2) if you do, try a few and find which you like best; or 3) you are like our one teammate who said, “my problem here is that I actually don't care and it all kind of feels the same to me.” Happy riding!