Do women use chamois cream?

[Equinox]

I'm trying to get my wife into cycling and I thought tandeming would be fun. I'm concerned about her comfort in the saddle. Do women use chamois cream, and if so, which product would you recommend specifically for women?

[MB1]

Chamois Butter for my wife.

[KirkeIsWaiting]

Yes.
Assos, but (butt) that's the only one I've ever tried. And that's only been on 50+ mile rides for me.

good bike shorts make all the difference though.

[Equinox]

Yes.
Assos, but (butt) that's the only one I've ever tried. And that's only been on 50+ mile rides for me.

good bike shorts make all the difference though.

I use assos, but it produces a shot term burning sensation that I don't think a woman would appreciate. Am i wrong?

[KirkeIsWaiting]

I use assos, but it produces a shot term burning sensation that I don't think a woman would appreciate. Am i wrong?


I find that tingly, menthol thing kind of ... exhilerating:p

[late]

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=87792&catid=93653&aid=337953&aparam=queen_helene_cocoa_butte&CAWELAID=61249589

Cheap, works well, might even find it locally.

[Cheetah]

My wife and I are using Chamoisbutt. http://www.rei.com/product/628122 But only if it is very warm or for a long ride +50 miles. Otherwise just a very good bike short is usually enough. Of course you should not wear underwear (panties) with a bike short. Otherwise you loose the benefit of them.

Michel

[sch]

Chamois lube is way down on the list of what makes stoking comfortable and should be
invoked if the affected skin gets red and abraded looking indicating friction or rub points
inside the shorts. Shorts are perhaps 20-30% of the perceived comfort factor and
saddle all but a few percent of the rest. I had to go through at least a dozen saddles
to find the one I found satisfactory and then had to experiment with saddle position
in a big way, finally switching to a bent forward post to reduce the tendency to slide
forward on the saddle. Of my 10-11 shorts only two are tandem rated for rides longer
than 50-60mi. Somewhat to my surprise there is a justification for spending $95 on
shorts based on experience on three separate weekends riding a century on Sat and
another on Sunday. Try to convince the wife that it is possible to get a comfortable
saddle, but it does take patience and a source of borrow sadddles. (Bikers tend to
have a lot of 'extra saddles' so ask around your club for these to borrow.) Saddles
good on singletons are not necessarily good stoking.

[Litespeed]

I use Chamois Buttr because of irritation, Assos is a little to "Hot & Tingly" for me. Have tried Queen Helene Cocoa Butter and that does okay. Saddles are definitely the main factor for comfort. My Terry Butterfly is falling apart so I think I will get another Koobi Enduro (ladies style), which I have on my single and love it. Everyone will be different on saddles, but I think Performance will let you return a saddle if it does work out (within a certain time limit).

[Cheetah]

Of course saddle is of most importance. The riding position is important too. I had to try 5 different models of saddle before finding the best one for me. My wife was more lucky, she tried the "Selle Italia lady" and that was it. Of course whatever saddle you sit on, you need to stand once every 10-15 minutes for the blood to move around. Even if you ride a mercedes, after 4 hours sitting in the car you butt may feel numb. samething for a bike. Regarding Chamoisbutt, it is not the primary ingredient for saddle comfort but it is the one that can make a difference in certain condition.

Michel

[bikeriderdave]

My wife and I are great believers in non-cycling-specific solutions, which are easier to find and less costly than chamois creams sold in bike shops. She uses Vaseline. I use Noxema (which probably would be a bit too "tingly" :-).

[Cheetah]

Vaseline do well but it have 2 inconvenients. First it prevent the skin to breath/sweat. Second, it make a mess with the chamois of the cycling short because it is very hard to wash/clean vaseline of. If you want to go that way, there is a product call Bag Balm.Bag Balm is a topical balm created in 1899 with a primary objective to sooth cow udders after milking. It is actuallly very good and cheap but has the same inconvenients.

[malkin]

Saddle & good communication.

[motochick]

Chamois butt'r, especially if you shave.

Brenda

[Thigh Master]

My 2 cents worth:
Skin treatments (e.g., Chamois Butter) for skin problems (i.e., "chafing"); otherwise, decent bike shorts, proper saddle, and time on the bike are the path.

[CGinOhio]

if it is very warm or for a long ride +50 milesl
+1. Less skin irritation on those longer, hot, sweaty rides. Also makes next day rides more comfortable.

[zonatandem]

We go back to the old real chamois days and find the synthetic pads to be just fine.
We do not use anything on our butts . . . well, a loving pat on the butt is always appreciated by either party!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[moleman76]

Noxema was the thing with the "real" chamois.

I used a sample package of C Butt'r for a double century but don't think it made much difference.

[PlanetU]

From a female stoker's perspective (and I also do long distance on my single bike):
To be comfortable, the most important thing is the SADDLE; and I won't recommend one since saddles are a very personal thing. Second, good shorts. For me, and many of my friends who've had saddle "issues," we use SheBeest. And the shorts have to be TIGHT. Really. From what I hear, the main problem with butt discomfort relates to chaffing. Chaffing is caused by rubbing - and shorts that are too large move around too much and at the end of a day it's like sandpaper down there... So TIGHT.
As for cream, my personal experience is that new riders should NOT use cream. It makes the skin too soft and that can lead to chaffing more easily - and also to other types of saddle "sores" (which for the most part are simply inflamed hair follicles).
Yes, on multiple days of riding long distances (50+ miles), I sometimes use a "cream" - but generally speaking I use Neosporin (or some lesser expensive generic brand of that); because it has antibacterial properties (and saddle sores are bacteria related in part). The brand SportSlick also has antibacterial stuff in it. As for the creams, I find that they just make my shorts soggy. YUK.
OK - maybe TMI...
but from someone who used to suffer a LOT from chaffing and other types of bumps/sores, I think this information will help.
Best to use NOTHING but a good saddle and shorts, especially when starting out.
My 2 cents.
:-)

[just me]

...I'm concerned about her comfort in the saddle. ...

Frequent "butt" breaks are very important to my stoker. I sometimes have to reminder her to stand. We have gone so far as to set a timer before so we do not forget.

Jack

[evan&sue]

As a stoker, the most important thing for me is saddle and a good chamios in my cycling knicks. The angle of the seat is very important and for women, definitely something with a cut-out. As for chamios cream, I use this on rides of 50km or more. Bacteria loves a warm dark environment so use something with an antibacterial property. Try this website: www.qoleum.be. We use Antifriction 'o'.

[Red Rider]

Like other stokers have posted, shorts and saddles are key to preventing sores and soreness. I haven't had much need for chamois cream but have used Body Glide, Bag Balm, and Aquaphor. The latter out-performed the former two, for the conditions under which I used it. I'd rather spend the money on a pair of shorts with a really great chamois. Sometimes it's worth the money to purchase high-end equipment that works well.

[PlanetU]

The angle of the seat is very important and for women, definitely something with a cut-out

Well... the issue of a cut-out is very personal...
I'm a woman - and I DON'T use a cut-out saddle. I prefer one with a slight groove; as cut-outs can pinch in all the wrong places...

[bikeguy]

we use two things not at the same time

Vannie Cream or Utterly Smooth both are inexepensive and sold at Walmart or many other stores.

we use it on 40 mile plus rides

We used it on last summers cross country ride 3,791 miles and NO Saddle issues

-----------
I agree saddle and shorts are important

[tandem rider]

Bag Balm You can find it at Wal Mart or farm stores. Works great and cheap.

[uspspro]

My stoker uses Assos bibs and chamois cream

[BloomingCyclist]

Long before our tandeming days when the chamois in bike shorts was real chamois leather, we used some vaseline to make it soft. The chamois leather was oh-so-soft when it was new and unused but became stiff and hard after becoming wet and drying. When fabrics replaced the leather, we rode many many miles and years without any creams or salves. When we went across the country in 2005 on singles and we were riding everyday, day after day, we had our first encounter with saddle sores and began using lubricants.

We have used many of the items mentioned in this thread. Our first experience with Bag Balm was out west on the cross country ride. It works but is messy and melts at a low temp and has some anti-biotic properties. A product called Sport Slick has both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal ingredients and lubricates. A product called Body Glide is in a stick like a deoderant. It is solid at room temp (a tri-glyceride / fat base that doesn't melt so easily). We have used this quite a bit because it is easy to use and not messy.

For our recent Colorado tour that we have just finished, my wife is experimenting with Assos cream. She likes it. She feels like it stays effective for the whole day. I think the menthol keeps the cooling feeling going for a long time.

Stopping at a bike shop one day during the trip, we saw Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle. The owner said they were out of Assos and couldn't get any more until August and they are trying this new product.
http://www.velonews.com/article/77020
It has the menthol and the witch hazel that are key ingredients of Assos.

I would second the other opinions that good shorts without seems and rough edges inside are important.

Have fun riding.

Bloomington, IN