QUESTION: How can I keep my chamois cream from bleeding through my shorts onto my saddle — and onto my car seat when driving to ride starting points? —Chuck D.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: It’s not much talked about, but it is a fact that some chamois creams or general skin lubricants can bleed through bicycle shorts. In their sales copy, bike clothing makers routinely mention the breathability of their shorts, which is a useful feature for conveying sweat away from your body, but that also means that other substances may be able to pass through them as well.
When I was a beginning rider and found my bicycle shorts uncomfortable, an experienced rider recommended I use Creamy Desitin — which is a product for treating diaper rash — as a chamois cream. So I tried it, and it did a good job of reducing the friction between my skin and my shorts. But then I started noticing white smears on my dark-colored saddle and also on the outside bottoms of my shorts. Obviously, the white-colored Creamy Desitin was the culprit.
I later switched to petroleum jelly — recommended to me by a skin doctor — which also works well as a lubricant, but it too bled through the chamois or Lycra of some of my shorts, even though I used only a small amount, which I applied directly to my skin hotspots, rather than slather it on the chamois as some riders do. It did have the advantage of not being visible like the white cream, but I doubted all that petroleum jelly was doing my leather saddle any good.
I’m currently using a commercial product called Chamois Butt’r made especially as an anti-chafe cream, and it doesn’t bleed through my shorts.
It happened that I was recently with a group of 12 experienced rider friends, so I decided to poll them to see what experience they’d had with chamois cream. (They are good enough friends that nobody was offended when I asked them about what was in their shorts!)
While all 12 wear bicycle shorts when riding, five of them said they use no chamois cream at all. They feel no need for it. One of those mentioned that the instructions in the last two new pairs of shorts he purchased said not to use any chamois cream, as those products are not good for the shorts. And one of the no-cream users actually wears his regular underwear inside his bike shorts!
Of the seven who do use some sort of lubricating product, four use Chamois Butt’r or a similar commercial chamois cream; two use Noxzema Original Cream (which they apply directly to the chamois rather than to their skin); and one uses Creamy Desitin. (Two of these riders, by the way, are female — one uses the Noxzema and the other the Chamois Butt’r.)
But here’s the salient point: No matter what cream they used, none had had any problem with bleed-through, not even the Creamy Desitin user.
Nonetheless, we brainstormed about what might cause bleed-through and the leading contenders were 1) using too much cream (most use little more than about a 1.5-inch strip and apply it only to “hotspots,” not to their whole sit-down area) and 2) wearing shorts that are worn out or 3) wearing shorts that have been washed too vigorously — which causes premature wear.
But, as I said, other than me, these riders have no experience with the cream bleeding through their bike pants, so what we need is a larger group to poll. So, readers: What’s your experience with this problem and what would you advise Chuck? If you’ve had the problem, please tell us in the comment area below what cream you were using and how you solved the bleed-through issue. Thanks!
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
Robert McKinney says
I have long used Bag Balm and it seems to work as well as anything else but it does soak through and, I think, causes chamois padding to deteriorate badly. My chamois seems to wear out long before my shorts.
judi says
I,too used BB for awhile, years ago when I thought it was necessary for century rides. Now I don’t use anything and do just fine. I think to use it sparingly, a little bit goes a long way. Apply directly to the body, not the chamoix.
Barry says
I too, use Bag Balm (for years). I also use Brooks leather saddles so ‘bleeding’ through is an added benefit as it helps to soften and maintain the leather.
Big Ring Bob says
Forty years ago, my cycling shorts had real chamois leather for padding. This tended to become stiff and hard with washing, and I used a chamois balm to soften the chamois and return it to its original softness. Today with synthetic pads, I ride 8,000+ miles a year and spend close to 500 hours in the saddle and use nothing save making sure all the soap is rinsed out of the pad.
Two other important factors, I have a professional bike fit that includes saddle dimensions and the fitting eliminates any movement on the seat during riding. I occasionally will have to rearrange the furniture during the ride. In my experience, saddle creams are the wrong way to solve the issue.
K says
I used womens chamois butt’r for years, applying to my skin. I checked with my gyno, and she seemed to think it’s wasn’t too bad (chemically) of a product. But after getting uterine cancer, I stopped using all products. It’s not worth it having chemicals so close to open body areas. I do just fine without it.
Claire V says
I use cocoa butter. No more saddle sores, smells amazing, and only costs about £2 for a big pot. I’ve not had any problems with it bleeding through my shorts, either.
Brian Nystrom says
Like BRB, I started back when shorts were wool and chamois was actual goat or sheep skin. Bag balm was the hot product for keeping these in good shape and minimizing chafing. I don’t recall having any bleed-through issues. When synthetic chamois became the norm, I mostly stopped using any lube, though sometimes find it necessary on longer rides or multi-day rides. I’ve used Bag Balm, Vasoline (in a pinch), Chamois Butt’r, Udderly Smooth, cocoa butter, others I can’t recall, plus various “home brews”, and haven’t had issues with bleed-through. I apply it either directly to my skin or rub it into the chamois, but use it pretty sparingly and only on the affected areas.
I wonder if body weight could be a factor in squeezing lube through a chamois? To add a data point, I’m 175#.
Ron Neher says
I use to use — Chamois Butt’r — but now just use some — Lubriderm for Normal to Dry Skin — as needed with my http://www.boure.com cycling bibs for no bleeding through my shorts.
Robert McKinney says
Cocoa butter? Then I guess you have to go really fast to escape all the chocolate starved women?
Ron Neher says
Or maybe not…
Claire V says
I go really fast anyway ;-). Seriously, when I first took up road cycling I was advised to try Assos chamois cream. I was told it might ‘tingle a bit’. This was the understatement of the millenium given the fires of hell that were instantly unleashed on my nether regions. That stuff was not designed for women! I’ve experimented with various other options (Sudocrem is pretty good, but does leave white gunk everywhere after a while, including on your saddle), but cocoa butter is my favourite.
This is the stuff if anyone wants to try it: https://uk.palmers.com/cocoa-butter-formula/7-60-solid-formula-cocoa-butter.html#/194-size-100g/195-size-200g
It’s also great for stopping wetsuit chafing, if you also have a penchant for jumping into cold water.
Herbert Cohen says
I have been using Fruit of the Earth ALOE VERA 100% Gel for over 30 years. It contains NO alcohol, no color added and it is Pure. The price is right and it does the job.
Robert N says
I have used Body Glide for years. It comes in a deodorant style stick and is desgned to be put on the skin. It does not wear off or bleed through. They make different formulas but I have not found any difference between them besides smell, so I try to stick with the original blue colored stick which is virtually odorless. I am also a marathon runner and use it on the top of my shoulders where my shirt rubs and various other regions.
Rich G says
I use corn starch in warm weather, as recommended by my dermatologist. In cold weather, I use no additives. I used to use Vaseline, but it led to a fungal infection because it doesn’t breathe, hence the visit to the dermatologist.
Denton Connor says
I have used bag balm, chamois butter and a variety of others. I bought Assos chamois cream on sale several years ago and have used it exclusively.since. I have never had a bleed through problem and have found that a little bit will give me protection for 4-5 hour rides.
Bob says
I started cycling in 1965 when chamois-es were leather. After washing cycling shorts, the leather chamois would dry cardboard stiff. My fellow cyclists and I rubbed Noxzema into the chamois to soften it up. We did not wear underwear with the shorts back then.. In 2008 I did a L.A. to Boston bike tour with a tour company. Many of us got saddle sores from the long days. A medical surgeon in our group told us to use Desitin diaper rash cream which worked great to heal the saddle sores. (By then, cycling shorts had synthetic chamois-es in them.). Now, in 2024, I am using the synthetic chamois-es with Bag Balm (I grew up on a dairy farm) and am wearing underwear. Bag Balm also works great on dry, calloused, heels and elbows.