Obviously in order to save time I want to smear on all of my chamois creme before the swim. The race is IM distance. Will the Chamois cream still have it’s effect by the time I reach the bike if I do apply before the swim or will it dissipate while swimming, and therefore should I wait until after swimming to apply?
I use bodyglide on it and the insides of my socks before the race begins. Seems to hold up just fine.
I have a training buddy who does it… we call her “Oil Slick”…
I grease up with a heavier layer than usual before the swim and am usually good to go for the bike.
use bodyglide instead of chamois cream. the cream will mostly wash out, but bodyglide has properties that stay on.
the other alternative is to tape a sample pack of chamois cream on your bike and just stick it down your pants while on the move.
Spend the extra 15sec in transition and get it right + bring a few sample size on bike, if you get uncomfortable on a 112 mile bike due to chaffing you will lose much more time and will put you in a bad mind set.
Pre-Swim - BodyGlide
T1 - chamois creme
Special Needs or on Bike - extra small packets if needed
Obviously in order to save time I want to smear on all of my chamois creme before the swim. The race is IM distance. Will the Chamois cream still have it’s effect by the time I reach the bike if I do apply before the swim or will it dissipate while swimming, and therefore should I wait until after swimming to apply?
I can understand wanting to save 5-10 seconds in a sprint or Oly, but if its an IM event, is the 5-10 seconds it takes in transition to open a tub of lube grab a handful, jam it into your shorts, etc really going to make a difference?
If I am going longer than an Oly I just do it when I get out of the water - I dont worry about saving seconds in transition if it means being comfortable for the rest of the day.
I slathered up with vaseline prior to the swim at IMMT and it was fine through the ride. Vaseline is quite hydrophobic, doubt most chamois creams are similar unless they are petroleum based.
If you are married to a certain type of chamois cream I agree with other posters to take a few seconds to apply in T1.
I slathered up with vaseline prior to the swim at IMMT and it was fine through the ride. Vaseline is quite hydrophobic, doubt most chamois creams are similar unless they are petroleum based.
If you are married to a certain type of chamois cream I agree with other posters to take a few seconds to apply in T1.
I use A&D Ointment and it is still good after the swim. It has a similar consistency to vaseline, but it has vitamins!
I don’t know that chamois creme would hold up very well after after an hours worth of swimming. It takes just a handful of seconds to apply fresh creme in transition and will rarely make the difference in your AG finish order. You want this for a 5 hour ride. I agree with one of the above posters when they said take a single pack of chamois creme in your back pocket or put it in your bike special needs bag. If you wind up not needing it great, but if you do need it at mile 70 or 80, it sucks to suffer for another 1.5-2 hours in the saddle if you don’t have it. Another option would be to spray Tri Slide into your seat pad and inner thigh area before the swim. That stuff stays pretty slick for a long time, although I think chamois creme applied in T1 is still your best choice.
Not sure about traditional chamois creams, but Bag Balm seems to have lasting power even through the swim. I used it on a HIM, not IM…but I suspect the result would be the same / similar.
I use Vaseline for long course races, and my junk is always happy. You can fill the (underside) nose of your saddle with Vaseline as well in case you need a top-off somewhere along the way.
Try using Morgan Blue solid chamois cream. It takes an act of God to remove it after a 5 hour ride–it will easily survive the swim. Messy to apply, though.
I should have no problem with lubrication after this thread.
Thanks for all of the suggestions.
bag balm works great, and holds up to an IM swim
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I always load up before swim never a problem.