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Nice Cream
By Max Shute, Ph.D., CTS Coach
Jun 27, 2006, 14:33
To non-cyclists, cycling
culture can sometimes be quite perplexing, if not all out
shocking. Men shaving their legs! Men wearing shiny and tight
Lycra shorts!
Some
of our quirks are admittedly
unnecessary— like our need to
always take scenic and lightly-traveled back roads to get anywhere — but some
do have merit. Case in point: chamois
cream for cycling shorts. I use it because it provides lubrication to a
part of the body that can, at times, become quite sore and raw after several hours in the saddle. And let me tell you, that’s the
last place on your body you want feeling like that.
Today, chamois cream is
a bit of a misnomer because advances in fabrics and padding have led to much
better synthetic, anti-bacterial alternatives to the stiffening leather patches
of yore. Way back in the day, up
until about the 1980s, chamois cream was used to soften the leather after it had
dried from a
washing.
As it happened, one
side-benefit to spreading cream all over your shorts before a ride was that it
also lubricated your hide and thus kept chafing at bay. Some old-schoolers will
tell you that using
chamois cream now is silly, and to an
extent they are correct; we certainly don’t need to soften
up today’s synthetic
chamois pads. But it’s the
skin-saving, anti-chafing properties that keep chamois creams in use
today.
If you spend significant time in the saddle
you most likely suffer at
some level due to the
friction of a cycling pad on your skin, and you should
consider trying out a cream. Choose something thick that contains a low water content —
charmois creams with higher water content are simply absorbed by the chamois.
You don’t want that. You want it to stay between your skin and the pad and act
as a lubricant. Also, go with a product containing a blend of silicone and
anti-bacterial agents. Friction Zone from Brave Soldier is a good example of a cream with all three
properties.
How much
do you apply and when? Each brand will recommend that you
basically slather your behind and crotch wherever your pad touches your skin.
That’s a good starting point, but you may find you don’t need to go quite that
far. As long as the major friction
points—sit bones, inner thighs, and crotch—are well lubed you’re getting all the protection you need. That said,
you can only go wrong by
applying too little. And don’t forget that you have to put the
cream on before you ride (Seriously, it needs to be said). as these
products won’t heal saddle sores and irritations. They do, however, help
tremendously in preventing them
from occurring in the first place.
Two final words: Bike
Fit. No chamois cream in the world will take the place of proper
bike fit. Many of us ride racing
bikes which are meant to
go fast first and be comfy second. It is this choice in bikes that can
render our posteriors, as well as many other body
parts, sore during and after a ride.
If you seem prone to saddle soreness or saddle sores, get your bike fitted first
before you open a tube of chamois cream. Once that fit’s dialed you should experience less soreness down in
those nether regions. Then apply chamois cream to your hide as an extra
insurance policy against saddle sores and discomfort.
Max Shute, Ph.D., is a Senior Coach
for Carmichael Training Systems, who lives in Valdosta, Georgia. He coaches
athletes training for competition in road cycling, mountain biking, triathlon,
and marathon..To find out what CTS
can do for you, visit http://www.trainright.com/.
