ASSOS Chamois Creme. Get it at worldcycling.com.

Rub it on your chamois and a little on your arse. May burn a bit on your pee pee but well worth it.

The "engineered" pads are designed to be thick where roadies sit, and I found them not suitable to the aero position. I, myself, go for the "less is better" and always ride with tri shorts only. I recently started not using my DeSoto seat pad. I think that the lack of padding makes it easier to get the saddle angles (both tilt and side) perfectly right for your own "geometry".

Dre'

I'm a big fan of chamois butt'r. Is the Assos better? Anyway, I've found that, while chamois cream improves any ride, I'm still looking for the best option for IM racing.

I know that you should race with what you train with. As I am beginning the transitioning from the road bike to tri bike for the majority of my training, this seems like the most appropriate time to begin experimenting with clothing options. So, what works for you guys?

If you are a big fan of bibs, you will probably like a skinsuit for racing. I always wear a skinsuit no matter what the weather conditions. I like not having the feeling of something tied around my waist.

My personal experience is with the DeSoto Power skinsuits and Sugoi Blade skinsuits. Both use lycra power for shorts and a fleece pad. DeSoto has redesigned their bibs and these might work for you too if you want the bib feeling in a two piece. No personal experience though. For padding you should try the neoprence seat covers if a fleece pad is not enough. That's a totally personal thing though. At CDA you will be wearing a wetsuit so don't worry about hydrodynamics.

For training I still ride in regular jerseys and shorts. I will only take race clothing out for training when it is new to make sure that it does not chafe or have any problems. You definitely should be testing the stuff out, but riding in it all the time is overkill. Jersey and shorts is ideal for long rides, I need the pockets and versatility. Skinsuit is best for racing, I don't want to change clothes and people are handing me food at every 10 miles. Less need for big pockets. Minimalist approach.

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Kyle Handley

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I have an Azoto saddle and a de soto seat cover. For the shorter distances I race in a de soto swim brief (it has a small fleece pad in the front). I have considered using that in the IM. My only concern is chafing of the inner thigh (due to rubbing against the saddle). In the past I have slathered the nose of my saddle with vaseline, however, I fear this solution will not hold up to the extended distance of the IM.