Someone on here once posted a few cheaper, skin creams to use in place of specific Chamois butter. I can't remember which ones exactly, anyone know?

I have had really good results after switching to BagBalm for use on longer rides. The extra thick viscosity really holds up on 10+ hour rides. I hear A&D ointment also works well. It's nice and thick too. Also hear ointment with zinc is great for after rides. Look at your drug store in the baby area. You basically need to prevent diaper rash.

Lanolin

Some people have used a cocoa butter cream in a tub. I think the brand was Queen Helenes and Walmart carries it. Supposedly it is cheap. I have not tired it.

I also tried Bag Balm, but I still find that Balmex, A&D and Desitin work best for me -and if you get a sore they work amazingly fast -I second the thought that you are looking at curing diaper rash. Then again, I tend to use it after I get a rash, so perhaps Bag Balm is really good at prevention rather than cure.

I don't use any preventative either, but agree that Balmex, A&D and Desitin work to fix things after there is a problem. Putting one of them on overnight generally cured any heat rash issues we had during a very hot tour. I never had any saddle sore issues on the tour even though it was 73 days though. I just generally don't have saddle sore problems.

Bacon grease does the job for me. Seal blubber in a pinch.

Don't try that in bear country

Crisco....can be used to cook with afterwards.

haha bacon grease.

thanks for the replies, I work at a pharmacy so getting A&D and Desitin will be easy and have an employee discount

Why do you think you need chamois cream? Usually if you've got your bicycle set up correctly, a good saddle, and a good pair of shorts, you shouldn't need it at all.

I just use it for long, long rides where it's going to be very hot (and I'll be sweating a lot), or where it's going be pouring most of the way. The chamois cream protects my skin from the "bathtub effect".

Machka, some of us sweat a lot in a 15-minute ride. I can usually ride 45-50 miles w/ no problem once, but even 30 or so miles the next day gets me unless I use something. And of course if it's hot out, that in addition....

On long hot tours I use Sudocrem, nappy ( diaper ) creme for babies.

antisceptic as well as lubricating and water repellant.

george

I also sweat buckets when I ride, but I find that stopping to wash myself every so often throughout a ride (with water in a gas station washroom, by the side of the road with baby wipes, or whatever) helps me more than using creams. I can ward off most rashes that way.

If I happen to start to develop a rash, after my ride, and after my shower, I may apply zinc oxide cream. One application seems to take care of it.

I get saddle sores a lot more frequently if I don't use Chamois But'r or something similar. Bag Balm also works well and you can buy it in large tins for less money per unit, but it smells awful. However, Bag Balm also has some antiseptic qualities, I believe, so I use that when I feel a saddle sore coming on.

A&D is cheap, main ingredient is Lanolin and petroleum base (like in Vasoline). The Lanolin is tops, and really does the trick (heck, it works for chaffing nipples on nursing moms AND diaper rashes), but is expensive if you get the pure stuff. Don't need it anyways, A&D has plenty in it and is really inexpensive for a jar.

I discovered it upon becoming a father...used to use Chamoi Butt'r and liked it, but used A&D one day after a run (chafed thighs) and it was WAY better than Chamois Butt'r.

If you wanna get hardcore put some on your ischials as a preventative! Works like a champ. Works great on nipples for running, too (if you're too hairy for taping, like I am).

It is a miracle substance, for sure.

one more thing...Proofide actually works ok, and I've found that Obenauf's Leather Protectant is amazing, especially for cracking skin like on your heels or hands. In fact, Obenauf's works better for cracking skin than Lanolin, but is not as good for rashes and chaffing as Lanolin is.