What do you guys find is the best sunblock for cycling

NONE. Sweat makes me plenty slimy without adding more. I try to burn a little at a time.
I did used to put some on, the first highway ride in spring.
My last tour, some days I had to resort to wrapping the back of my hands with a rag and tying it with a shoe lace. LOL
Gloves make my hands go dumb way faster, too sweaty anyway.
I know UV is way up in this solar minimum. I used to put one arm behind my back some too.

I use the stuff that's 2 for 5 bucks at Walgreen's. I don't sweat a lot.

Neutrogena in 50 or 70 broadband works well for me. I started wearing long sleeve jerseys more often in the summer as well. I wear a neck wrap as well on high burn days. Skin cancer is not worth risking.

This is my choice. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 55. Available at Costco in 2 pack of 3 oz tubes with 3 1 oz tubelets. It is the only sunblock that I have NOT felt like I have basted myself to be BBQed. Stays effective when fishing even when you get your hands wet. I too have moved to long sleeve jerseys for many rides.

I don't buy any sunscreen with avobenzone. It will burn your eyes if sweat runs into them. I also avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate because they bleach coral although I never couple snorkeling and cycling.

That leaves me pretty much at zinc based screens. I primarily use CeraVe Face Lotion Invisible zinc. It isn't really invisible, but can be rubbed in almost to that point. I also have some Banana Boat Kids tear free. I have noticed that I have to read the labels each time I buy it because I have see the exact same label with different ingredients listed.

I buy some spray Neutrogena stuff, 70 SPF, works good. Its like $10 a can but sunburn hurts. Nothing around the face that can get into the eyes, that burns!

Wal-Mart equate spf50. Cheap and highly rated by Consumer Reports.

Coppertone spray.

I'll pick up a small tube of something similar to stick in a saddle bag on the rare occasions these days that I'm going out for long enough to need to reapply.

My wife gets the Neutrogena spray for our kids, but we always have a tube of the cream version for their faces.

Like other have suggested:



On really hot days without breeze and the sweat is dripping, I might have to re-apply, but generally it soaks in and stays put without feeling greasy.
Good stuff!

Realistically, I'd say the best bet is full coverage with clothing since even the best sunblock needs to be reapplied hourly, and most people are not going to stop hourly to reapply.

Otherwise, Blue Lizard stuff is great and tests well in terms of chemicals.

Whatever's on my bathroom shelf.

the oil of ole.
daily face lotion with spf 15.
use daily.
my skin is amazing....

Bullfrog gel. Less sun seems to get through than when I use Neutrogena, Blue Lizard, XMart Cheap Brand, or anything else. It spreads well and the alcohol carrier evaporates, so after 5-10 minutes it's not sitting on top of my (copious) summer sweat.

They seem to make one big batch a year, so if you don't get it by early summer, Walmart and Amazon are out until next year.

Near my eyes, I use Doc Martin's of Maui "NexGen Sunscreen".
Way too expensive to use anywhere else.

Sunbum 70

Make sure to wash the lotion off when you get in from riding. The lotion isn’t that good for you either.

SPF50 arm sleeves, spf 30+ polyester/spandex short sleeve shirt with a collar (fishing shirt), spf skull cap sometimes, Neutrogena 50 or Walmart sunscreen for legs and neck sometimes.

The lightweight poly/spandex/lycra arm sleeves don't make my arms hot, but keep the sun off. A properly-fit short sleeve fishing shirt - un-tucked - allows for lots of air flow up the sleeves, through the collar area and out the back.

I find it much easier and less hassle to wear these spf clothes rather than slathering a bunch of greasy goo all over.

One source for this type of clothing is Sierra Trading Post.

thanks I just order some arm and knee sunstop cover

Coppertone Sport, in the blue bottle. Ive been using that for years, so far so good (i have fair skin so i get a full body scan by a dermatologist every year ). He said stick with it, or try the Bullfrog gel. I did try that, did not like how it was alcohol or whatever it is based. Burns the eyes when you sweat. Went back to Coppertone Sport. Recently tried the Coppertone Sport Clear. Very much like Bullfrog, it burns when you put it on your face, but it seemed to do a decent job. I used to not like the white lotion because you have to rub it in so much for the white to go away. The clear you don’t have that problem, but then again you can’t tell where you’ve actually put it, so between that and the smell, i won’t be buying it again once i run out. Back to the blue bottle.

Bullfrog stick. It's about the only stuff that doesn't end up in my eyes somehow.

a more scientific guide for sunscreens

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

but to surmise:
- basically you'll want to avoid all the ones containing chemicals ending in "-zene".
- use the "oxide" white chalk ones (yes, white chalk can make you look like a clown) as it is a physical barrier. But becareful too, "micronized" ones are not good as small pariticals can be absorbed thru the skin and into the body
- avoid too high SFP (30 is plenty adequate).

People mention skin cancer risk, which is a fair concern. But the sort of skin caner that would arise from sunburn is the easiest kind of cancer to treat completely successfully 99% of the time. This is not to say you should not avoid getting a sunburn. Please avoid sunburns. But a slow, gradual, and mitigated exposure to the sun is not putting you at a high risks of skin cancer; there are many higher "mortality" related risks in life that should be prioritized higher. But if you're the fair complexion type, with freckle face, (ie, you're of Northern European blood), then please do take a little more cautions in terms of protection and duration and time of day of exposure.

Personally, being from Asian, I almost never use sunscreens. I rather use a physical layer of clothing protection, and avoid riding during the hottest times (eg, between 12pm - 3 pm).

I agree with the Neutrogena for the face, and Coppertone Sport for body.
If it is just ot be at the pool or for the kids, I just use the Walmart Equate. In the Old Days, I liked their No-Ad. For the kids, the goal is to get it on them quickly, and so I waste a lot in the process. So, I use the less expensive.

I also have begun a spring cleaning process of throwing out the old sunblocks before summer comes. That way, I do not have 30 half-used expired bottles in my way.

They've found out that some sunscreen seeps into the blood. They haven't found that any of the ingredients in sunscreen poison the blood, but some recommend sunscreens that use inorganic stuff (titanium and zinc) in case the organics turn out toxic.

I treat my shirts and glove liners with Phoenix Brands's Sun Guard, a laundry additive that adds Tinosorb to cotton (but not synthetics); Tinosorb is a version of titanium used to make cotton block sun. It claims 30. There are clothes made with it, but they're expensive. I wear long-sleeve men's white cotton shirts when riding, to block the sun and be visible.