Chamois in bibs - good or bad!?

[wheelsONfire]

Anyone of you guys who have noted that bib short chamois interact too much with the saddle shape?

I have sadly invested in too many pairs of bib shorts. I decided to stop using different brands as all chamois have different build ups and shapes.
So i decided on Castelli Free Aero.

This season i have been buying a few more saddles, aswell as i've used Cobb Cycling testing program.
I was now more or less face to face with the fact that the chamois is not always a good thing.
Almost always saddles end up positioned differently due to the chamois or lack thereof.

Especially riding Cobb saddles, i noted that chamois are not only not needed, they are more of a problem.
So i decided to try triathlon shorts. I have not received my shorts yet, but as far as it seems, most traithlon shorts have almost flat chamois (pad) and or much less interacting with saddles shape. They seem to be made more to prevent friction and keep you dry.
Looking at different chamois, it is clear the thicknesses and shape interact with saddle shape.
This to me, makes transition back and forth on saddle a problem.

Riding any saddle as is, without interaction of chamois proves how the saddle really is.
Just looking at the angle of tail and nose, with and without different thickness chamois proves this.
Also note that the actual distance (setback) aswell as preferred saddle height is affected.

What is your guys take on the matter?

My current favorite saddle is Cobb Cycling Max.
To this date, Cobb cycling offered the best saddle test program i have been offered.
I have extensively tested 4 saddles.
If you come to a point where you are not finding comfort in "normal" saddles, i would very much recommend contacting Cobb for a test program.

[11.4]

There are simply a wide range of chamois pads available. I've found the Giordana Forma Red ones have a thin pad, as does the top of the line Assos Campionissimo. Pads tend to be thick to compensate for riders with bad fitting on their saddles, but it isn't really a solution.

I would think twice about going chamois-free. Tri outfits are designed with swimming and running in mind, and you have a bad experience if you've soaked your pad in the swim, then get on the bike, and then have to run in it. The pad is useful and does a good thing. You just have to find one that fits you properly. You may even do best with a thicker pad, but if it's sewn a centimeter too far forwards or back inside the bibs, you won't like it. Also, bad strap fitting will pull the shorts the wrong way and cause chamois problems as well.

[Rick]

I don't like thickly padded chamois for exactly the reason you describe. The pads themselves change the effective contour of the saddle.
The purpose of the chamois (IMO) is to provide a friction-reducing layer, not to provide more padding.
Some people seem to think that a thicker chamois is "more deluxe". But I have had numerous problems with them.
So I have always like the Castelli and over chamois with a thinner, more consistent thickness.

That being said, I do have some 2XU bibs with a fairly thick chamois, but it seems to be contoured "in the right places" so it still works for me. And I love the compression fabric.

[Marin]

I'm using the quoted Dynamic Trockenschmierstoff, just got a new bottle in the mail.

Pro tip: Squeeze the bottle slightly while still upright & before aiming the nozzle at the chain to reduce oversquirt. The stuff is thinner than water and you don't need a lot.

Pro tip 2: The bottle is slightly transparent - I thought it was nearly empty because the contents were so light, but saw that it was actually still almost half full when I held it against the light.