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DZnuts Chamois Cream

8
£18.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Long-lasting, very effective shorts pad lube
Weight: 
120g
Contact: 
www.paligap.cc

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DZnuts Chamois Cream is an effective bottom butter that comes in a tube so it's easy to use.

The DZ of DZnuts is David Zabriskie, a recently ex road pro who used to ride for Garmin-Sharp. Famous for impressive time-trial performances he won stages in all three Grand Tours and was US National Time Trial Champion enough times too. He's also known as 'a bit of a character' off the bike with fooling around and comedy facial hair. H

aving spent most of his life so far in the saddle he should know what he's talking about when it comes to crotch comfort, and like all good racers Zabriskie has a pharmaceutical history so he should also know what he's talking about when it comes to potions and lotions, such as his DZnuts line of creams.

DZnuts Chamois Cream is part of a range of embrocation, shaving and chamois creams Mr Zabriskie has brought out to, as he charmingly puts it, 'protect your junk'.

The mission statement of DZnuts is 'Maintaintenance'. That's not a typo, it's a play on the word 'taint'. You might want to look the word up if you don't get the joke, probably not on the work's computer though, it's almost funny in a schoolboy kind of way.

DZ say it's all about maintaining the taint by not just lubricating the area but by preventing and treating saddle sores with a four point strategy The idea is to first eliminate chaffing, the precursor of saddle sores; provide an anti-inflammatory environment; heal wounds and finally combat fungal and bacterial growth to reduce the chance of infection. It does all of that whilst using natural alternatives to the petroleum derived wax and oil ingredients used in traditional cycling creams.

Those ingredients are a long long list of words, none of which sound particularly horrible. There's familiar tea tree oil for its anti-bacterial properties, evodia as an anti-inflamatory and healing agent, and masterwort for extra wound healing and calming properties. But that's enough of the science bit, how does it perform downstairs?

For starters it comes in a tube rather than a tub which is a small but convenient bonus in several ways. It makes application onto finger-tips more hygienic, removing the fear of double-dipping, especially if a friend wants a borrow, and there's the possibility of less - um - overspread, as it's easier to regulate the amount dealt out compared to getting over-excited with a couple of fingers in an inviting tub.

You don't need to squeeze too much out of the tube to achieve a sufficient application, it goes on smoothly and absorbs well without being sticky or unpleasantly tacky like some chamois creams. If that skin-on-skin familiarity brings on feelings of guilt DZnuts is equally at home being smeared onto a chamois.

The inclusion of tea-tree and sandalwood in the mix means that it's every so slightly fragranced, nicely, and a teeny bit tingly when initially spread, which comes as a refreshing sensation rather than a shock.

And it works. It's been ridden and raced with, short rides, long rides, hot rides, cold rides, wet rides, and it's performed perfectly in all arenas. It's been sweated into in a most ungentlemanly fashion over whole days, and had water grimly sprayed into it from all angles and it hasn't diluted and faltered in either situation.

The best thing I can say about it is that I never knew it was there: no tackiness, no unpleasant gooeyness and it didn't stop working halfway through any rides like I've had the suddenly uncomfortable experience with certain other brands.

It's impossible to comment on DZnuts ability to prevent or soothe saddle sores as none occurred. I'm not one to suffer much irritation or sores down there anyway but DZnuts was thinly applied after some rides as an experimental soothing salve and it did feel, erm, nice. Let's politely leave it there.

Conclusion

DZnuts is a little more expensive than other chamois creams but thanks to being able to be quite precise with portion control via the tube and its smooth but lasting viscosity you can get away with using less.

Once on it wasn't sticky or greasy and lasted as long as any ride did. There's a pot of my perennial favourite chamois cream right next to the DZnuts tube, and it's testament to its effectiveness that I've never felt the need to dip into the old stuff instead.

Verdict

Long-lasting, very effective shorts pad lube.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: DZnuts Chamois Cream

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

DZnuts Chamois Cream is designed for David Zabriskie by a pharmaceutical scientist to reduce and relieve chaffing, irritation, protect fragile perineal skin from bacterial and fungal infections, and formulated for real and synthetic chamois.

If it's good enough for an ex-pro's pharmaceutical scientist it's good enough for me.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

DZ Nuts Chamois Cream contains Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Capsicum Frutescens Fruit Extract, Octyldodecanol, Cyclomethicone, Cetyl Esters, SD Alcohol 40, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Triisostearate, Glycerin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Unsaponifiables, Cetearyl Methicone, Beeswax, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Oil, Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Camphor, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Benzyl Nicotinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

DZnuts did everything a chamois cream should do, it felt pleasant where you want things to feel pleasant and didn't lose it's effectiveness and need re-applying over the course of any ride.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The texture, the longevity, the initial slight tingle.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing. Apart from the Maintaintenance thing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: It varies as to the season.  My best bike is: The one I\'m on at the time

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Fun

 

Jo Burt has spent the majority of his life riding bikes, drawing bikes and writing about bikes. When he's not scribbling pictures for the whole gamut of cycling media he writes words about them for road.cc and when he's not doing either of those he's pedaling. Then in whatever spare minutes there are in between he's agonizing over getting his socks, cycling cap and bar-tape to coordinate just so. And is quietly disappointed that yours don't He rides and races road bikes a bit, cyclo-cross bikes a lot and mountainbikes a fair bit too. Would rather be up a mountain.

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