Ass Magic Chamois Cream Tub (200ml)

Ass Magic Chamois Cream is a non-sticky, mid-weight cream that's good at keeping you comfortable on shorter and mid-length rides.

Check out our guide to the best chamois creams for more options.

It comes in a fairly sturdy screw-top plastic tub so it'll survive being thrown in the kit bag without ending up everywhere. Its 'secret blend of essential oils' is rendered a bit less secret by the unhelpful fact that the law requires that you list the ingredients on the side of the tub, even if you are allowed to do it in Latin.

So you get a mix of lanolin, synthetic beeswax, sweet almond, citrus peel, witch hazel and paperbark leaf in a fairly standard base of stearic acid, liquid paraffin and petroleum jelly; if you're looking for a cream that's 100 per cent organic or natural, then it's not that. Texture-wise it's a fairly solid cream at UK room temperature and it has a nice, fresh smell.

Ass Magic is staying firmly on the fence as regards the on-the-chammy-or-on-the-skin debate, although there's a nice big warning on the top of the tub not to double dip if you're slathering it directly onto your nether regions. I'll spare you the intimate details of my application preferences, but the cream is pretty easy to apply: although it's quite solid in the tub, it's not as thick as some, for example the Veloskin Chamois Cream I've also reviewed recently, so it's pretty easy to work with. You don't need loads of it to be effective either, so a tub should last a good while.

There's no menthol in the mix so you're not getting a Euro-style tingle (whether that's a plus or minus will depend on your preference), and once it's in place it does a good job of keeping you comfy in the saddle. I found that for rides of three to four hours there was still plenty of evidence of the cream being in place come the post-ride shower. The thickness of a chamois cream tends to correlate with how long it'll stick around for, and on rides over about six hours I'd probably be packing a sachet of cream in the saddlebag for reapplication along the way, but I'd do that for pretty much any cream really.

> Read more road.cc reviews of chamois creams and skincare products here

In terms of longevity I'd say it was respectable mid-table; the Veloskin and Muc-Off's Luxury chamois cream that I tested back in 2016 are a bit more tenacious but are also a bit harder to apply, so it'll depend on how often you're out on your bike longer than about four hours as to whether they're a better bet.

At £17.99 for a 200ml tub the Ass Magic cream is not especially expensive; all-natural creams like Bikemonger's Happy Bottom Bum Butter tend to be a bit more, and others such as Be Elite (as reviewed by John in 2021) seem to be permanently discounted so are better value at the till.

It's decent value, though, and if you're not looking for a cream for all-day or multi-day epics, then it'll do a good job for you.

Verdict

Good cream that's easy to apply and works well on shorter and half-day rides