You’ve most likely heard of, if not used, chamois cream whether you are new to cycling or have been an avid rider for most of your life.
But if you haven’t a clue what chamois cream is, or even how it’s pronounced, fear not, as hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have a clearer understanding of this useful, if a little intimate, product.
Your chamois, or seat pad, comes between you and your saddle. It helps to cushion you from the road, but on longer rides rubbing between your rear end or your groin and the saddle, particularly from pedalling, can become uncomfortable. At worst, it can cause saddle sores or abscesses and the only sure-fire way to sort these is time off the bike.
The best chamois cream helps avoid this by forming a barrier between your skin and your seat pad and acting as an anti-chafing agent where your skin rubs against itself as you pedal. It will often have anti-bacterial and moisturising properties too.
You can read all about the whys and wherefores in our buyer’s guide to chamois cream at the – no pun intended – bottom of the page.
But first, here are our personal favourites.
Best chamois creams recommended by CW testers
Assos chamois cream is renowned among cyclists as being one of the best formulas, and our testers agreed. The cream reduces friction and has antibacterial properties, which help to avoid the dreaded saddle sores.
It’s worth noting that it’s well known for the cooling effect that it gives to the skin – some riders like this, others don’t. One of our testers found that it wasn’t a welcome sensation in the early miles of a chilly ride, but they got on well with it the rest of the time.
The other downside is the pot style. This does encourage the ‘double dip’, but this isn’t a big issue as long as you use one scoop at a time, and don’t share it with your friends!
Read our full review of Assos Chamois Crème here