chamois cream

Bristol's Butt'r Anti-Chafing Cream has a thick consistency and organic antiseptic ingredients making it comfortable mile after mile.

With the advent of the modern synthetic chamois, there's less need for ointments and creams to prevent and relief from chafing. Spending hours in the saddle isn't always the most comfortable way to spend your spare time though. If you've ever suffered from sores or chafing after a couple of hours out riding, a chamois cream could literally save your butt.

Keep your undercarriage smooth and saddle sore free with Qoleum's Qfriction Antifriction chamois cream.

Qoleum's Qfriction Antifriction O is a natural petroleum-jelly based ointment that reduces friction and rubbing where the chamois of your shorts meets your body.

I'm not too sure what makes the recipe of this lotion from Reflect Sports better suited to protection of a woman's, erm, hoo ha, than most standard formulations of chamois cream, but it is marketed as 'formulated by women for women' in response to the female manufacturers' having only been able to find 'nut cream'.

Already producing a successful and comprehensive range of oils and unguents for your bicycle the Juice Lube boys from the west country now aim to keep your body well lubricated with their new Chapeau chamois cream.

I am having some difficulty getting comfortable on my saddle. I've changed saddles from a WSD Bontrager (original to the bike), to a WSD Fizik Arione Donna and now a Cobb Cycling VFlow. I've also been professionally fitted to the bicycle (which was very helpful) but am still having difficulty. I also am wearing bottoms that have very good WSD chamois pads. I have not tried Assos as yet (I hear once you have you never go back) because they are quite expensive. But as yet, I have not tried chamois cream...

My questions are:
1. What does chamois cream actually do?

If you're a fan of long hours in the saddle then you've probably got a favourite chamois cream already. Even if you swear by one particular unguent or another, you should give this Sportique Century Riding Cream a go. Because it's brilliant.

Paceline's chamois cream comes in two different versions: you've got yer straight Chamois Butt'r (in the tube, £12.99 for 227g) and yer Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle (in the jar, £13.99 for 227g).

This cream is thicker than most - the consistency is a lot like Vaseline - but it's easy to slap on to your skin or the pad of your shorts, and once applied it stays put.

This does exactly what you want a chamois cream to do - prevent rubbing and the nasty consequences thereof, such as raw skin, saddle sores, and other cyclists' nightmares. And it's still going strong at the end of a long weekend ride.