Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Ass Magic Chamois Cream Tub (200ml)

7
£17.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good cream that's easy to apply and works well on shorter and half-day rides
Works well
Smells good
Not tingly
Not 100% natural
Other creams last longer
Not tingly
Weight: 
248g

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.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

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

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Ass Magic Ass Magic Chamois Cream Tub (200ml)

Size tested: 200 ml

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?

Ass Magic says: "ASS MAGIC Chamois Cream is the finest anti-chafe cream for your nether regions. ASS MAGIC has been formulated and field tested by industry leading experts and athletes, so that your sporting activities are done in comfort.

"A secret blend of essential oils ensures that ASS MAGIC promotes personal hygiene. The cream also has superior anti chafing protection through the use of Lanolin and Synthetic Beeswax. Whilst originally developed for cyclists, ASS MAGIC can be used by any sports man or woman as an anti-chafe cream."

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

From Ass Magic:

HOW TO USE: ASS MAGIC can be applied directly to your skin or the chamois of your cycling shorts. When applying to your skin, make sure you don't double dip! Using a clean hand, scoop enough chamois cream, anywhere from 5 to 10ml a ride and apply to your ASS on the areas in which you will have contact with the saddle.

UNISEX: pH which is suitable for ladies as well as gents. Used by hundreds of women in South Africa with excellent feedback!

TOP TIPS: As mentioned you can also apply to the chamois of your cycling shorts, again be sure to apply on the area which is in contact with your saddle.

You can also apply ASS MAGIC anywhere else where you may have experienced chafe before.

It is recommended that cyclists change out of their cycling shorts as soon as possible after riding and shower. This will help reduce the risk of saddle sores and infection.

Still not comfortable on your rides? It's worth having a look at your saddle, bike setup and or cycling shorts. When testing either of these potential solutions, be sure to test one solution at a time so you can figure out which it is that is causing the problem.

Also be sure to check out the ASS MAGIC blog for more top tips.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

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

Pretty well, good for short to medium rides.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Works well, smells good, not tingly.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not 100% natural, other creams last longer.

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

It's about on par with other creams, at rrp. Organic/natural creams are more expensive, and you can buy cheaper too.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? It probably doesn't do enough to be my first choice, especially for longer rides.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if they want a lighter cream that works well.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Good performance and decent value. It doesn't excel in anything specifically but it's a solid choice.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 50  Height: 189cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Merida Scultura, Dward Design fixed

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
keirik | 6 months ago
1 like

Or buy a tub of sudacrem, twice the size for less than a third of the price of this, and it'll help treat saddle sores as well as prevent them

Avatar
perce replied to keirik | 6 months ago
0 likes

I'm also a big fan of the sudacrem, wonderful stuff.

Avatar
dave atkinson replied to perce | 6 months ago
0 likes

meh. sudacrem is hard to apply, gets everywhere, is difficult to wash out and isn't as good at keeping you comfortable on a long ride in my experience. useful to have a little pot on a long ride if you get really sore though. if you want a cheap alternative, go for udder cream. that comes in REALLY big pots  1

Avatar
dolphy replied to dave atkinson | 6 months ago
0 likes

Thanks, I'll give some udders a try.

Avatar
Sriracha | 6 months ago
0 likes

I get using chamois cream when you had a genuine leather chamois off the back of a goat. But am I to understand people rub this stuff all over synthetic "chamois" in modern padded shorts/bibs?

Avatar
TheHungryGhost replied to Sriracha | 6 months ago
0 likes

My understanding is that in addition to keeping your genuine chamois supple, cyclists found slathering on the cream helped to reduce rubbing and chafing.  Therefore when things moved to synthetic padding, people still used the creams for comfort, and they have evolved from there.

Latest Comments