Muc-Off Luxury Chamois Cream

Muc-Off's Luxury Chamois Cream performs really well. That's the bottom line here. When it comes to the other kind of bottom line – the financial kind – you might be put off by the reasonably high price. That's assuming you buy it for the full retail price, though: shop around.

Muc-Off's formulation is anti-bacterial (containing aloe vera and witch hazel) and has a ‘mild cooling function’ – a bit tingly but nothing like some I've tried. It's pleasant enough when applied.

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Once it's there, it stays there and does a good job of staving off any chafing from your shorts. This is definitely one of the better chamois creams I've tried in terms of long ride comfort. Head out for five or six hours and it'll still be doing a job when you get back. It's maybe not quite as good as my personal favourite in that regard, Sportique Century Riding Cream, but it's up there. If you're worried about the post-club-run random drug tests then you'll be please to know it doesn't contain any ingredients prohibited by WADA.

It lasts a long time on the bike, then. But it washes out well too; sometimes those feel like mutually exclusive goals. A standard wash is enough to remove any traces of the cream from your pad, save for a lingering scent. A nice one.

Overall it does everything you want it to do. It keeps you comfy, smells nice, feels good and washes out ready for next time. In terms of performance it's difficult to fault and if performance is the only thing that you care about it's one for your wishlist.

> More reviews of skincare and chamois creams here

If you also care about eating and paying the mortgage then you might baulk at the £20 price tag, although it's certainly not the most expensive option out there: that Sportique stuff is a tenner for 100ml, and Assos and Castelli offerings both cost more. Then again, Udderly Smooth and Morgan Blue, to name but two, offer good creams for about half what this Muc-Off cream costs, or you can get a big tub of udder cream or Sudocrem for a fiver if you want. Horses for courses. Personally I'd say it's decent value if you like a long ride – you get really good performance for hours and hours. Shop around, though: I've seen it on offer at half price, and it's a steal at a tenner.

Verdict

Very good performance for longer rides and washes out well too