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review
Skincare & embrocation
BeElite Chamois Cream BeElite Chamois Cream BeElite Chamois Cream
Be Elite Chamois Cream

BeElite Chamois Cream

9
by John Stevenson
Sun, Aug 29, 2021 09:45
4
£20.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent chamois cream for long rides, as long as you don't mind that menthol tingle – and almost eternally half price
Thick, very effective friction reducer
Great value for money
Menthol 'tingle' won't suit some users
Weight: 
298g
Contact: 
www.wiggle.co.uk
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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BeElite Chamois Cream is thick, slippery and tenacious, which makes it excellent for long rides or turbo sessions. It's also excellent value for money (in reality it sells for £10, not £20), though the tingle that comes from its menthol content won't suit everyone.

I have a slightly eccentric system for buying chamois cream. If I need some, I find whatever's cheapest on t'interwebs while I'm buying something else, and grab a couple of tubs. That's how I discovered BeElite Chamois Cream which, at £10 for 250ml, is one of the cheapest shorts lubes around. And it turns out to be really good, too.

Be Elite Chamois Cream box.jpg

BeElite contains (among other things) olus oil, beeswax, aloe vera and shea butter, plus menthol and peppermint for that zingy feel and a buttload of other plant oils and extracts.

It's a thick, almost solid cream that needs a bit of effort to get it moving to spread over your shorts liner – it helps to store it somewhere warm to make it easier to spread – but once in place it stays there. The practical upshot is that it's nicely slippery and stays that way for ages, whether you're out on the road all day or doing a long turbo session.

Be Elite Chamois Cream tin.jpg

If BeElite Chamois Cream has a significant drawback it's that it contains menthol, always a controversial ingredient. One reviewer on Chain Reaction Cycles described it as 'overpowering ... not a comfortable feel at nether regions,' while another at Wiggle complained of 'a burning sensation'. If you don't get on with menthol in chamois creams, don't buy this.

Value

If that's not a problem for you, then the other advantage of BeElite chamois cream is that it's excellent value for money at a tenner for 250g. Your classic Assos cream costs £11 for 140g (12g/£); Udderly Smooth is £10 for 227g (23g/£); Muc-Off's excellent Luxury Chamois Cream is £15 for 250g (17g/£); and Paceline Chamois Butt'r is £13 for 227g (17g/£).

Is it just me or does everyone else hear Graham Chapman's voice when they read the name of Muc-Off's cream? Anyway, at 25g/£ BeElite spanks them all for value.

> 38 of the best cycling bib shorts — get comfy on longer rides

Those are current actual prices by the way, not RRPs. Wiggle gives a 'list price' for BeElite Chamois Cream of £20, but as far as I can tell it's always been a tenner a tub.

Regardless of price, it's also an excellent chamois cream. Frankly, the only way it could be better is if it came in a bigger tub.

Verdict

Excellent chamois cream for long rides, as long as you don't mind that menthol tingle – and almost eternally half price

road.cc test report

Make and model: BeElite Chamois Cream

Size tested: 250g

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?

It's a friction-reducing cream for your shorts liner that helps keep you comfortable and unchafed when riding.

Wiggle says:

"For riding comfort and protection over long distances, the BeElite Chamois Cream is tailored to deeply soothe and moisturise the skin allowing you to focus on your ride.

"Maximum comfort and protection

"BeElite chamois cream works with the body to add a protective barrier against sweat and bacteria which can cause chafing and other skin irritations in some riders. The cream is thick and deeply-moisturising so whether you're riding long distances or training inside, it's built to keep you riding in total comfort."

Definitely up the top of the Hype Scale there, but largely fair; this stuff works.

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

Quoth Wiggle:

Top Features:

Long-lasting, moisturising protection

Chamois cream can reduce friction on the skin

Apply before riding for maximum comfort and protection in the saddle

This chamois cream has mild cooling functions

250ml

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Olus Oil, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, Menthol, Parfum (Fragrance), Candelilla Cera, Zinc PCA, Xanthan Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Polyacrylate, 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil, Dipterocarpus Turbinatus (Gurjun balsam) oil , Cymbopogon Martini (Palmarosa) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Oil Green) Extract, Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Grosso Herb Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Comes in a great little metal tin that's great for storing nuts and bolts in the workshop (after you've used all the cream, obvs).

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Great stuff, especially for turbo training.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

The thick formulation means it stays put and lasts well.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

Comfort is the whole point of a chamois cream, and this delivers.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

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

Does a really good job of keeping your bum comfy.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Being comfy on long rides and on the turbo.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

In terms of its cost per weight, it's among the cheapest chamois creams around – the official RRP is largely a fiction, and it's effectively £10 all the time.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes (I did)

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Excellent chamois cream. Frankly, the only way it could be better is if it came in a bigger tub.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 53  Height: 5ft 11in  Weight: 100kg

I usually ride: Scapin Style  My best bike is:

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb,

BeElite Chamois Cream 2021
BeElite Chamois Cream
BeElite 2021
BeElite
John Stevenson

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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3 comments

Avatar
turnerjohn | 3 years ago
0 likes

I've found it just as good as Asos cream (my go to) on wiggle it was £9 over the BH weekend as well ! It's way better value than others even at full retail due to the amount you get and lasts just as long 

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
0 likes

Another problem I didn't know I had. I use either nothing or emulsifying ointment BP. I might put some on prior to 6 or 8 hours (it's 6 up to Coniston with the trusty trailer), but usually I wait to see if there's any rubbing happening and then put some on. For me, the EO is vital on a long distance walk or I'll be really suffering by the 3rd day. I may be talking about a different use case to others, because my problem area is the peri-anal skin- the two sides rubbing together.

Avatar
bobinski | 3 years ago
0 likes

My experience is that I notice the menthol for a second or 2 and then that's it. Really good cream especially for use ( for me) on the turbo. 

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