retiredguru

I have two brand new, never used Pearl Izumi bibs with a fleece like insert, and two SMS Santini bibs with a ventilated gel pad insert--Santini Intech Gel seat, with a fleece patch under the scrotum. I have been riding with the SMS Santini bibs, thinking the extra gel padding would be kinder to my bottom, but I'm still having issues with friction on the perineum causing sores. It could be this insert doesn't mate well with my bottom. Before switching over to the Pearl Izumi's, I'd like to know what anti-friction creams work best for and are designed to work well with synthetic chamois or inserts? TIA

While I'm at it, I'll also throw in a request for any type of ointment or anti-friction cream applied to the skin, instead of the chamois, prior to a ride. I use an over-the-counter anti-fungal cream on rashes, but never as a preventative. (A&D is an absolute no-no on my butt, by the way.)

Iride01 

Are you over padding your shorts and maybe have an overly padded saddle? The more padding you have the more contact points for rub you have. Gel type cushioning has never been a good thing for me except for maybe very short rides.

I never use creams or ointments on my privates or chamois. Never ever.

pdlamb

Chamois Butter (however they mis-spell it) works well applied either to skin or to the edges of chamois that need it (either too tall or sewn in with coarse thread). I've also used Body Glide on the chamois edges -- the stick is easy to apply and works almost as well as the Butter.

I tried a "Euro style" chamois cream once. It felt like I'd cut up a mess of hot peppers and then scratched down there.

Unca_Sam

That sounds more like an embrocation for cold weather rides and races. An unpleasant error, to be sure.

retiredguru

I don't know how I would be 'over padding my shorts'. They are what they are. The SMS Santini's gel insert is the first of this type I've used, generally having used thick synthetics, and many years ago supple lambskin chamois. But this problem has been with me for years, made worse by the fact I am quite the sweater, and now with age I don't recover as quickly as I used to. It may just be that this gel insert is not going to work for my bottom.

I used to use a chamois cream, back when I road on real chamois. It helped a lot. But then, real leather tends to harden up when it dries, so that was a given for me.

Thanks for your input. Appreciated!

retiredguru

I'll read up on the Chamois Btt'r (found their website). Looks like a good option. I also like the Body Glide product. Having it in stick would make it easier to apply to only the areas needing it--look, ma, nothing on my hands!

Great recommendations. Thanks!

retiredguru

So I ordered Chamois Btt'r in the 8 oz tube (to apply to the chamois) a 2.5 oz. stick (to apply to the areas that need extra protection and have already been hit.) Thanks again to everyone who replied. So appreciative to get help from those with the experience.

Iride01 

I've always been a sweater too. I sweat gallons on rides and much of my upper body sweat goes through my shorts before finding a way out.

I'm careful not to use a lot if any detergent when I wash my cycling shorts. I leave them turned inside out in the washing machine in hopes that cleans the chamois better. I do put some Oxyclean in the washer too as it does provide some further sanitation than just detergent. Chlorox II will do the same and it has a little detergent in it too. But I don't like it because of the fragrance. The original Oxyclean is pretty much unscented.

I also run my shorts and other cycling clothes through a second wash cycle with just water only to make certain as much detergent as can be is removed.

As for me, I take the hair clipping shears with those combs you can put on them to control the length and trim all the hair down there to about a 1/4 inch or less. Feels a little prickly the first few times, but I've long since gotten over that. For me, less hair means the sweat and heat gets out of my shorts faster, and less rubbing. I've been doing that for 10 or more years. Coming out of winter to spring I've let things grow back, and when I trim that first time each year, I can tell it's helping with the heat and sweat. This year, I even decided to trim my leg hair all the way down to my ankles and arm hair. I seem much cooler while riding in the 95°F plus temps we are having.

I've occasionally had an area that wants to be a sore on 50 mile plus rides. But a few days of short rides or no rides and that's gone.

retiredguru

Thanks for sharing your experiences Iride01 . You must be my physical chemistry twin.

Very good advice, especially the trimming back of hair in the areas that can be a problem. I've always been hairy there. What I believe has been happening is the hairs in the trouble spot are being pulled as I pedal, as well as the area is being abraded.

We use All Free, as perfumes bother me, period, and the delicate cycle on the washer, just the workout clothes used in the ride. All Free has so far been a good choice for us in general washing. When I hand wash my riding clothes, I use Woolite. I think its safe for me to say that I'm not having this problem due to the cleaning chemicals.

Again, thanks for sharing your experiences. Good to know I am not the only who sweats so much.

shelbyfv

I liked Body Glide but had problems with it getting dry and cracking before it was used up. I now use Gold Bond Friction Defense. Similar to Body Glide but the product seems more consistent. Easy to find at Walmart. FWIW, I don't think many folks put any of this stuff directly on the chamois any more, not really needed with the synthetics.

retiredguru

shelbyfv Thanks for sharing. I have oily skin--I wash my hands and face many times a day, and my bottom tends to behave the same. If this stuff dries the area up a bit, that wouldn't be bad for me, at least not at this point, not having tried it out. It will be an experiment.

I have some shorts I used in the past with synthetic inserts. Over time, use and multiple washings the inserts got pretty rough to the touch. It can't hurt to try the original tube stuff on the inserts. If I'm wrong, I can try this on other areas that friction is a problem. I'll consider the Gold Bond product as a backup. Thanks again.

fietsbob

Iv'e never used anything on my synthetic chamois ,
I did bring 3 pair on my long bike tours to always have a clean, dry, pair of bike shorts on every morning..
a dab of neosporin topically , on any hotspots after washing myself, with a surgeon's scrub soap concentrate,
seemed to keep the follicle infections down ..


Back when the Chamois was sheepskin & the shorts wool , I did have to soften up the leather after washing , each time..








..

79pmooney

The old standby - the stuff I use when I have to ride and i have issues happening. Bag Balm. The stuff works, Another trick - if you have pubic hair long enough to get caught between your moving parts and saddle, that tugging can start sores. Trimming those hairs shorter with something like a beard trimmer will stop that. (Shaving introduces the risk of ingrown hairs, something you really don't want.)

retiredguru

Thanks fietsbob & 79pmooney . I've been using Lotrimin Ultra for some time. Seems to work the best for me once the problem has arrived. I use a clean bib on every ride. Since its been brought up more than once here, and I've wondered at times if this was a cause, trimming of the hairs looks to be an easy solution I need to implement. I know there is pinching and pulling going on. I can feel it. I don't know why it never occurred to me to do so. Definitely not shaving. Nope. Been there--done it. In my wilder, younger days.

Carbonfiberboy 

First thing is that I hate gel chamois. They don't breathe. Lambswood sounds horrible. Yeah, I used to use real leather, too. These days, you want smooth foam chamois. I don't think I've ever seen a brand name bottom made in the past few years that didn't have a foam "chamois". Now it's called a "pad." The foam used is highly absorbent and moves sweat very quickly to the outside of the shorts, and incidentally if you use a lot of it, your butt grease to the saddle, which doesn't hurt anything anyway.

And yes, as previously commented, you want a saddle that's hard enough but not too hard. You should be able to depress the saddle's padding with your thumb, but not easily.

For lube, my go to lube is Bag Balm, followed by Lantiseptic. I carry a little Chamois Bttr with me in a 35mm film can for pit stops, but that stuff goes away much too quickly IME.

fastcarbon

About two years ago I started having chaffing problems (78 now). I tried about 5 different creams and found Chamoix Buttr worked the best. At the same time I tried a bike fitting which was already spot on. I tried several bib brands including Assos which didn't solve the problem (Giordana did). I tried several different saddles and ended up with an SQ Lab (German) . It cost a lot of money to resolve the problem but I can still do my 100 mi/ 7000ft. climb ride with no chaffing. Another solution for chaffed skin is Assos skin repair gel which allowed me when I had problems to ride the next day..

retiredguru

Thanks for the input. Appreciated. The SMS Santini bibs are a premium brand and line item. They're only a few years old, but because of the accident happening shortly after I bought them, and only able to ride as of this Spring, they're really new. The Pearl Izumi bibs I bought a month ago have the same foam build-up (not gel), the difference being the padding is between the bib material and a synthetic insert that my butt sits on. In other words, the insert in the Santini's is a two piece, front and rear gel sewn together, where the Pearl Izumi's are have a one-piece insert with the padding underneath. From the sweat marks on the Santini's, I'd guess the friction spot is at the seam between the synthetic cloth under the scrotum and the gel pad area. Seams...for the last four decades they've always been my antagonist. smh

The Chamois Butt'r tube and stick just arrived. Tomorrow morning I'll pamper my butt with the stuff before the ride. I'll be wearing the Pearl Izumi's, too.

retiredguru

Over the decades I've ridden on a fair number of saddles, from the Brooks B-17 to the newest version of Specialize's off-road offering. No saddle I've ever used has given me a problem-free ride. The made difference was when I was a young buck my bottom took the abuse. Now, it's ancient goods. I will give the early model (guessing late '80s) Specialize Body Geometry Comp saddle a little more time before deciding to replace it. There's no question my butt needs to be conditioned more than a seat needs to perfectly make my sorry butt happy right now.

Carbonfiberboy 

Pearl Izumi is good, especially their Elite bottoms from the past few years.

retiredguru

Today was the first chance in a week to ride, and to see how well the Chamois Butt'r worked in keeping my bottom from self-destructing. To muddle the scientific process further, I wore (for the first time) a Pearl Izumi pair of bibs, and made adjustments to saddle height and front-to-stem distance. A much better ride, with no soreness or skin rasped off by the saddle.

It was also the first time using a newly acquired Wahoo HRM. I listened to my experienced rider and racer daughter, believing as she stated that the Strava app will automagically retrieve RT data from the HRM as I rode. Nope. Nada. Not anymore, as stated in Strava's help guide. Next time I just have to use the Wahoo Fitness app and import the results afterward. Oh well. I survived yet another ride being ignorant of what my heart was doing. Anyway, I wasn't thinking straight, assuming the HRM chest strap should be put on before putting my arms through the bib's straps, and so...I found out after the ride that I neglected to pull the straps up and over my shoulders--shorts! Probably why I found the left side of the insert shifting on me--that side was beginning to show signs of DEFCON 4. Now I realize that the bib straps would have allowed for an HRM to work just fine, and I suspect having the bib material between the chest strap and my skin would have make for a more comfortable ride, too.

This used to be a lot easier when I was a young whippersnapper. Never had to true my stone wheels, either.

pdlamb

You were lucky, my stone wheels had bumps on the corners.

For the sake of completeness, I'll note that I'll hardly get on the bike today for as short a ride as my "long rides" were in college.

retiredguru

Ahh. I'll bet yours came from a played out quarry.

Just the opposite for me. I can't physically ride the distances or the intensity I once did in my younger, or even recent, adulthood. Some of the reasons for this I will never be able to overcome. So I'm excited that I can still ride, ride hard for a workout, and I don't mind (too much) that frozen molasses always beats me to the finish line. My goal is to be able to ride some tours with family and friends--if not this year, the next--without forcing an ankle replacement any time soon.

Carbonfiberboy 

The HRM strap goes on your bare skin. Bib straps go over it. Lick the strap's electrodes before putting it on.

retiredguru

My second ride with the HRM was with it applied *after* putting on the bib shorts. I had more than enough room between the straps for the Wahoo monitor to sit on my sternum on bare skin. Worked great, and was much more comfortable. It wasn't long before I forgot I had it on.

Carbonfiberboy 

Slows you down even more in the sani-can though, which is the main reason I don't wear bibs, especially in the PNW with upper body layers. I don't notice a strap at all anymore.