Chamois Butt’r Ultra

If you like to ride for a long time, and especially if you're out in wet conditions, then Chamois Butt'r Ultra is a high quality all-natural solution for saddle comfort. If you can put up with the faff of getting it on your nethers it's about as long lasting as they come, especially when it's raining.

A majority of chamois creams (including other Chamois Butt'r products) use some kind of liquid paraffin and water base, with an emulsifier to help them to mix. This is an entirely different beast. Steve Mathews, the founder of Chamois Butt'r, originally formulated it for himself for longer distance rides, and over the last six years the mix has been tweaked to what now comes in the (recyclable) tin. It's been under the likes of ex-pro Phil Gaimon and Iditarod winner Rebecca Rusch in that time.

The base is a mix of oils and waxes, with coconut oil the biggest single ingredient, and beeswax, castor oil and shea butter in the mix too. There's peppermint oil in there to give it a nice fresh and minty scent; Chamois Butt'r claims that it's not a tingly 'eurostyle' balm, but it is, a little bit.

> How to avoid saddle pain and get comfortable on your bike

It's set hard in the tin at room temperature and has a bit of a gritty feel in the hand; really, you need to get it warmed up a bit before you apply it to either chamois or skin, depending on your preference.

You can rub the excess into any exposed area; Chamois Butt'r says it's also good for protecting your skin, especially bits that are healing. Which is good, as you will have some left on your hands, because this stuff is pretty difficult to apply compared with a standard chamois cream. I mean, it's not like you need a doctorate or anything, but it takes a bit of time and care to warm it up and get it where you want it. It's not the kind of stuff you can slap on in a rush as you run out of the door.

In UK winter temperatures, then, you'll need even more time to get it to a consistency that allows you to apply it. I can imagine that reapplying it in the freezing cold somewhere in the middle of your Festive 500 would be, well, tricky.

You might not need to, though, because once it is there it stays put. Chamois Butt'r says that one application will last all day, and certainly it's still been well in evidence on chamois and skin after some long rides.

Because it's oil- and wax-based it's especially good in the wet, where it both protects your skin and adheres well to your chamois without getting diluted by the rain. It's about as tenacious as anything I've used in the past: Sportique Century Riding Cream is probably my reference for long-lasting protection, and the Ultra is on a par with that, and Veloskin chamois cream, which is also a predominantly oil-and-wax formulation but feels more like a standard cream and is a bit easier to apply.

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

The oil base might in theory mean it's harder to wash out of your shorts at the end of a ride, but I haven't really noticed any problems with that, washing my shorts as normal.

Because it's not the easiest to apply, I tended to take a bit more out than I thought I'd need, and this is an expensive balm even without having to over-scoop, so in terms of value it's not the best out there.

Veloskin Chamois cream was well liked by none other than ultradistance legend Dr Ian Walker when it was reviewed in 2018, and like this cream is quite oil- and wax-rich but at a significantly lower price (£14.99). It's less good value in sachets, but for a while that's been my go-to solution for rides long enough to worry about re-applying.

John tested and really rated BeElite cream, which is nominally £20 but a tenner on Wiggle, so that's another good long-distance option, as is Bend36 (€18). 

I suspect the Chamois Butt'r would prove to be a bit more tenacious than any of these in the most extreme riding conditions, so if you're planning some really epic rides then you probably won't be sorry that you picked the Ultra balm for that, and to be fair to Chamois Butt'r that's what it says it's designed for. As a bonus it's all natural and you can recycle the tin as a stash for your expedition bits and bobs once you finally manage to get through it.

Verdict

Good quality balm for the toughest conditions – quite difficult to apply, though