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Have you ever heard of...
 

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/8/13 8:12 PM

Have you ever heard of...

Baby powder instead of shammy butter for the application?

Just heard that, can't quite figure out if that would make sense or not. Has anyone heard of it? Tried it?

Or did someone just pulled a fast one just for fun?

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

5/8/13 9:57 PM

Works for me, at least for short to moderate length ride. Start out nice and dry, avoid excess friction resulting from moist skin.

Smells nice, too.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

5/9/13 7:14 AM

Yes, it works better than butter. Apply some to the shammy and some to yourself. Apply it well enough to make a 13 year old blush. Careful with Gold Bond, it might add some "heat."

Also, in a pinch you can bring an old deck of playing cards that sticks together back to life with baby powder. Take it outside and dust a little baby powder on the surfaces and shuffle it for a while. I mean it when I say take them outside.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

5/9/13 7:21 AM

Odd...

Over the years, I have found the need for Bag Balm on long rides lessened dramatically by the use of hard leather saddles (e.g., Brooks). Two 500 mile rides, a couple of years apart. The first one I did on a Flite, and I suffered badly; the second was done on a Swift, and I had no problems.

YBMMV.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/9/13 8:10 AM

"Over the years"...

I've never had any problem. Never even needing anything at all. And just any random saddle that comes with bike worked pretty well too. Until last season, that is.

I got some new shorts, that helpped a little but didn't completely solved the problem. Start of this season, it got worse... (although putting in 30 miles on day 1 wasn't very smart either)

I'm also going to try one of those saddles with cut out holes. (my current one has a groove in the middle). But because the issue only "rear its head" after 20-30 miles, trying out saddle is going to be a slow process.

In the mean time, shammy cream helped enormously. But I'm not sure I like it as much come the middle of summer when it's 90 degrees out! The idea of dry powder is more appealing. At least on first thought. So if it works for some, I'll give it a try.

How come I never heard of it until now? ;-)

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/9/13 8:42 AM

I have never used either, nor needed to that i am aware. I have gotten one saddle sore/small boil in all my years on the bike.

I do however 'always' start with clean shorts, Also once I bought a $155.00 MSRP pair in the 90s, I decided it was expensive shorts only for me. The seam locations on those is never a compromise as well. In fact, I bought 3 additional pairs of the same Louis Garneau shorts after the first pair due [on clearance for 55.00 a shot] to the result I experienced after getting the first. I only recently broke out the last new horded pair. One pair dead, one relegated to off road pretty stretched out, 3rd fairly worn and now this last pair. Also have an expensive bib short almost as good but not as favored even though cost more.

Oddly, my minutest saddle with a relief is best for longest rides. A saddle that came on the Chile.Con.Kermit Salsa. When I first looked at it when I bought the bike, I thought to myself.... err... no way.... It is a Specialized saddle, and it resides on the Roubaix just because...

Are you guys using powder and creams to ward of saddle sores ??

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

5/9/13 9:41 AM


quote:
Are you guys using powder and creams to ward of saddle sores ??

To avoid chafing and as a consequence one type of saddle sore, "rubbed raw."

All the balms and powders in the world are useless if you don't start off clean and dry - shorts and self.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/9/13 10:06 AM

yeah, clean self too.

I remember trying some butter I got as sample back in my NJ long ride days. But don't recall it making any difference nor being motivated to continue the use of the stuff. Maybe my alligator skin helps. ;)

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/9/13 11:36 AM

"clean and dry"

Well, that's why I never bothered with shamy butter in the past. On first glance, it failed the "dry" part.

Having tried it, I must admit it worked extremely well! Still, dry baby powder sound more appealing in the long run.

How on earth do you start NOT "clean"? Does ANYONE re-use day-old shorts??? And WHY???

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

5/9/13 1:29 PM

I've used J&J baby powder. In my experience, it sorta keeps your powder dry for a little while, but if you're sweating, ahem down there, it won't last.

To avoid chafing, lubrication or a smooth layer is necessary. I think being dry would exacerbate the problem.

One trick is to use tegaderm film to preemptively cover an area prone to chafing. No lubrication is necessary. And I can report it worked well on a 1200k.

Sandiway

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

5/9/13 2:33 PM

clean and dry

In his book, Eddie B said that after showering you should recline outdoors, drying the subject area in direct sunlight.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/9/13 2:34 PM

After showering

... and get a proper sun tan (burn) in the subject area too?

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

5/9/13 3:33 PM

Sun light kills germs.

Shoes and shorts off at the same time.

There is powder product called monkey butt that may work.

I have never used anything and never had an issue. Clean is the important part.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/9/13 3:55 PM


quote:
Sun light kills germs.


Soap does that too.

So sun bathing after shower sounds like ... belt and suspenders?

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/9/13 4:27 PM

" drying the subject area in direct sunlight."

Sun block joke anyone ??

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bboston75
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 367
Location: philadelphia

5/10/13 2:56 PM

I just use the cheapest drug store cold cream I can find. Seems to work just as well as shammy butter or even Assos cream. Udderly Smooth from the hardware store is good too. Bag Balm is too sticky. I need it to avoid chafing where April wouldn't.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

5/12/13 6:16 AM

My exerience has been the opposite...

of bboston75's. I find that water-based products are worthless for me after a few miles in the saddle, as they get diluted by sweat and basically wash away. The only popular products I've found that actually work for longer rides are Bag Balm and Chamois Butt'r, both of which are essentially waterproof (I usually don't use any lube for rides less than 40 miles or so). Last year during our trip to Utah, I used Calmoseptine skin ointment for a couple of days and it worked well, but it was thicker and more difficult to apply than the others. All three are moisture barriers, with Chamois Butt'r being the least so. I generally prefer Bag Balm, since it's easier to find, much less expensive than the others and like Calmoseptine, it has the added benefit of helping to heal saddle sores, if they occur.

Regarding talc and other powders, I haven't found them to work well as chamois lube, but I do use them on occasion after rides. Gold Bond certainly puts a bit of spring in my step! ;-)

It seems that as with saddles and shorts, the choice of chamois lube is very individual.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

5/12/13 7:38 AM

Chamois or padding?

Are we talking natural chamois only or man-made too?

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Rickk
Joined: 01 Jun 2004
Posts: 528
Location: Montreal

5/12/13 4:10 PM

Never or rarely used creams, poders etc.

Never or rarely ever had friction problems - even on 300kms rides (in the olden days).
Imo, creams - oil based or water, with pressure and friction would cause me ingrown hairs or plugged pores.
Whatever - YMMV

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

5/12/13 4:45 PM

Not baby powder, but nappy rash ointment. There are two brands available in this country, called Silic and Silcon, and I've used both of them successfully. A friend who set the round-Australia cycling record some years ago (15000km in 49 days) preserved his arse during the ride with several 500g tubs of the Silic cream.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/12/13 6:16 PM

longest ride for me was the yearly 180 miler. I have not done it since I left NJ, but never had saddle issues.
Either that or the rest of me hurt so much I didn't notice.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/12/13 8:54 PM


quote:
Either that or the rest of me hurt so much I didn't notice.

All the variety of rear end treatments we employ wasn't so much to prevent it from hurting, but only to NOT be the first part to hurt!

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