Of all the riders in the ProTour peloton, it makes perfect sense that
Dave Zabriskie would be the one to formulate and market a new chamois
cream. Why Dave Z? We think it's for 2 reasons:
(1) For years he's been recognized as the world's most aero TT rider.
And, as we all know, it ain't a real TT unless you've got nuking legs, scorching lungs, and
a crotch that feels like it's been on the business end of a ball peen
hammer. The nose of your saddle in a TT does you no favors, so TT
experts like Dave Z do anything possible to ease the pounding on deez
nuts.
(2) Over the last few seasons, Dave has had an unusual amount of
spare time on his hands. In the '05 Tour de France he won the yellow
jersey in the Stage 1 TT, only to lose it shortly thereafter thanks to a
freak crash at the very end of the TTT -- the injuries from which
forced him to drop out of the race. The '08 Giro treated him little
better, with another crash forcing an early exit. In his downtime he could've cultivated his already-well honed skills at slam poetry.
But instead he indulged his interest in science and worked with a
pharmaceutical lab to develop the product now known as DZ Nuts High
Viscosity Chamois Cream.
Some quick background for you about chamois creams in general: Did
you know that for the last 4 years our #1 selling product by unit here
at Competitive Cyclist has been Assos Chamois Cream? It doesn't cost
much, but the enjoyment it brings to your riding experience is dramatic.
If you've never used any, you need to understand that chamois cream
ain't snake oil. Once you start using it, you can't imagine not. Even
for a 30-minute bike commute to work, we find ourselves reaching for the
white jar since it makes the simple act of pedaling so much less
abrasive and pinch-prone to our skin.
The deep, dark truth about Assos' cream is this, though: Its
popularity isn't due to the fact that it's remarkably better than the
other chamois cream options in the marketplace. Rather, up to now it's
been the only cream that consistently stays in stock at its distributor.
Assos' historic rivals like NRG and Elite Ozone make quite nice chamois
creams themselves, and we'd gladly use them if we were out of Assos.
But for whatever reason, their supply is chronically low or gone, so we
embrace the path of least resistance: The easily available Assos.
This brings us back to DZ Nuts. Why choose it over Assos? For us, the
texture of DZ Nuts is noticeably different from Assos. DZ Nuts has the
consistency of a moisturizing cream like Lubriderm or Eucerin. We use
these creams in day-to-day life, and there's something comforting to its
familiar feel on our fingertips. But unlike Lubriderm, which gets
thoroughly absorbed in your skin after you rub it for 5 or 10 seconds,
DZ Nuts layers up on the surface of your skin with just the right amount
of slickness. Assos is less like a cream, and more like a jiggly paste.
It's not to say that Assos' cream isn't another effective option, but
the texture of each brand gives it an entirely different feel when you
apply it to your skin.
The second reason we've got a crush on DZ Nuts is the fact that it
uses plant-derived all-natural ingredients. The main three are Tea Tree
Oil to make the cream anti-bacterial and anti-fungal; Evodia is an
anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent from Chinese herbal medicine;
and Masterwort is another herb well-regarded for its wound healing and
calming properties.
One tube of DZ Nuts is 4 fluid ounces. Manufactured in the USA.
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