Not really…or at least not as chamois cream was originally purposed. Back in the day of real chamois, you needed chamois cream to soften up the chamois and make it bearable.
The original point of chamois was about friction reduction and not padding. Somewhere along the way, it has morphed into padding…and why we now have chamois that feel like diapers.
There was nothing better than a pair of Assos w/ real chamois and hearty handful of chamois cream. But caring for real chamois was a total PITA.
I’m sure it is but Petroleum Jelly doesn’t sound safe. If I was looking for an alternative to chamois cream I might try Sudocrem, at least it’s been well tested.
But we’re not talking about the original purpose. No need to pull out a raw steak and cram it down there. Good chamois/saddle interface (perhaps bike fit as well) takes care of friction. It won’t solve the dirtiness problem.
Well, I’m not certain i agree with your premise that chamois cream’s primary purpose is about cleanliness…and was using the historical purposes of the product to illustrate that.
Ah, c’mon…there was nthing better than a real chamois lubed up w/ chamois cream. A little “squish” when you first sat down, but once you got it warmed up and soft, it was sublime.
Yeah, I would say that synthetic chamois became universal in the mid-late 80’s. And even then, a synthetic chamois was still a synthetic version of a natural chamois into the 90’s (looked and felt like real chamois, but was easier to care for). It wasn’t until the mid-late 90’s that the modern day “chamois” became the standard.
Oh, this is the age old question…up there with tubular vs. clincher, etc.
Personally, I apply it stright to the undercarriage…and that is it. I don’t feel the need to lube up the entire area, just the high friction points. Occasionally, I’ll get some seam chafe on my cheeks and when that happens, I’ll dab a bot on those areas as well.
But with today’s chamois, I think lubing up the entire pad is just a waste of cream.
My guess is preference here will also be largely indvidual.
One other thing to consider re: Petroleum Jelly. As per the name it is petroleum based and generally these products to do not play nice with polymer based fabrics in the shorts and chamois … they can cause early break down of these fabrics and ruin your shorts/bibs.