Chamois Butter - I Love Bicycling

There is a lot of debate about the necessity of chamois butter in the modern cycling world, particular since the introduction of synthetic chamois in cycling shorts. However, even beyond the antibacterial properties, chamois butter is also useful when it comes to comfort as it can reduce the levels of friction between your sensitive regions and the saddle, cutting down on saddle sores in the process. Here we look at ten of the best on the market today.

Chamois Butt’r Original 8oz tube

Price: $13 – $18

Marketed as the original chamois butter, this is used by a host of professional and endurance cyclists and comes with a good pedigree when it comes to performance. It is non-greasy and contains no artificial fragrances of coloring, plus it is exceptionally easy to wash off when you have finished riding.

Chamois Butt’r Her’ 8oz tube

Price: $13 – $18

Designed with the women in mind, this chamois butter utilizes a range of naturally occurring materials, such as aloe vera and tea tree oil, to create a product that feels great and performs excellently. Better yet, it is completely gluten-free, making it ideal for people who suffer from an intolerance.

Chamois Butt’rGoStik Skin Lubricant

Price: $11 – 15

This chamois butter comes in a stick, making it much easier to apply while still maintaining the effectiveness of other butters on this list. It is specially designed to protect against chafing and other skin irritations that are common in the sport of cycling.

Gooch Guard Chamois Cream

Price: $15 – $23

Comedic naming aside, Gooch Guard does exactly what it says on the tub – it protects your more sensitive regions from the rigors of cycling. Made using natural ingredients, it offers a lubricated barrier that cuts down on friction and soothes the skin at all points of the ride.

Chamois Butt’rEurostyle

Price: $17 – 20

Made using menthol and witch hazel, so you can be sure you’ll stay fresh “down there”, this chamois butter can be applied both to your skin and your cycling shorts before a ride to ensure that you reduce friction levels and protect yourself from saddle sores.

Eastern Mountain Sports PACELINE Chamois Butt’r

Price: $13 – $15

As the name implies, this is the perfect chamois butter for people who like to go a little off the beaten track when they ride and is used by both professionals and recreational cyclists alike. It washes off easily and contains no artificial fragrances, making it ideal for people looking for a natural chamois butter.

Chamois Glide Stop Saddle Sores Balm

Price: $8

Easy to apply and completely portable, so you can take it out on the road when you are adventure cycling and use it whenever you need, this chamois butter is dry and long-lasting. It also resists against sweat, so you won’t need to worry about it washing off during the ride. The least expensive, it still does the trick but it feels as if it goes on a bit dry.

DZ Nuts Pro Chamois Cream

Price $17 – $24

The name makes no bones about the area that this butter aims to protect, but it’s one that will resonate quite readily with men. The antibacterial nature of the cream means that you don’t need to worry about inflammation or other skin irritants, plus it ensures your skin heals quickly should you suffer from any chaffing incidents.

Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream

This chamois cream is enriched with Shea butter and has received rave reviews in a number of different cycling publications. It’s as smooth as the name suggests and there are few better for protecting against the hazard of chaffing and other friction-related issues.

Assos Chamois Cream

Price: $23 – $26

This chamois butter offers everything that a chamois needs, allowing the chamois to maintain its supple texture and antibacterial properties while also protecting the rider’s skin at all times. It can be applied directly onto the skin in addition to being rubbed into the chamois itself. This is our my favourite! Assos makes the best quality product on the market.

What Is Chamois?

The chamois is actually a piece of padding that is commonly found in your cycling shorts that has been placed there with the purpose of offering you extra comfort during long bike rides. It is pretty much a must-have feature if you are going to be riding your bike for anything more than an hour a day.

The name stems back to the older days of cycling, where riders would place a chamois cloth in their shorts in an effort to protect their delicates. This was typically made of sheepskin leather, but today’s chamois will usually be made from foam, microfiber cloth or a gel.

What Does Chamois Butter Do?

Back in the days of sheepskin leather chamois, you would need to make sure that you used the appropriate creams or butters to properly condition it so that it would remain usable and also to tackle any bacteria that had built up on the chamois. If you didn’t, the chamois would stiffen, particularly after washing, which would defeat the purpose of having one in the first place.

However, most modern chamois are made using materials that remain soft and supportive on their own accord. Despite this, many people still swear by chamois butter as an essential product and you will find that many professional riders use it to maintain even synthetic chamois.

Essentially, chamois butter is a lube and an antibacterial butter that you rub on your special parts to keep them from getting raw and sore.

So Why Would I Need Chamois Butter?

Technically you don’t need to use chamois butter if you have a modern pair of cycling shorts. Synthetic chamois are developed to stay pliable for many washes and will generally be able to combat the bacteria that older chamois were liable of developing.

However, there is an argument to be made for using chamois butter to increase your comfort levels. After all, applying it to your chamois creates a lubricated layer that helps to reduce friction between your delicate areas and the shorts themselves. This prevents chafing and also leads to a reduction in saddle sores, so if you find that either of these is a regular problem it may be worth investing.

It all comes down to your personal comfort levels, rather than the traditional uses of chamois butter. Check the chamois in your shorts and determine whether or not it is going to remain comfortable for you. If you think there might be an issue, particularly over longer rides, then it is at least worth experimenting with. Every cyclist is different, so you may end up finding that it really works for you.