by James Chen
The bike, shoes and googles may be the key weapons in our arsenal that we all talk about as triathletes, but as our training programs get more challenging and elements change, Premax offers a line of products that we all use to make sure we can keep on going.
Living in Australia means that the sun can be pretty intense; having a good sunscreen lotion is essential. Riding long hours also makes chamois cream a must.
Aside from sunscreen and chamois cream, Premax also have two other interesting items that are up for review today: an anti-friction balm and a weather defence facial lotion. The anti-friction balm is pretty self-explanatory, but the weather defence lotion is something I have not come across anywhere else. It basically acts as a barrier and moisturiser for your face when you are out in the cold. This was of particular interest to me as we are closing in on winter in Australia and a recent human addition to my family has meant my training times are basically whenever I can, usually late at night or very, very early in the morning.
The first thing to talk about is the sunscreen. There are two things about suncreen that I hate:
- when it gets too greasy and leaves residue on your gear;
- when you want to wash it off but it won't.
I'm lucky enough to rate highly on the Fitzpatrick scale so I don't burn easily, but slip, slop and slap has been drilled into my mind from a young age.
My previous experience with SPF 50+ has been thick mush that leaves a white coat on everything it touches. Interestingly, the Premax sunscreen is not greasy at all! It has an almost powdery texture that spreads easily and best of all doesn't leave any residue on your gear. How awesome is that? Not only that; I came back from my workout and it didn't even need to be washed off, as it wasn't greasy. Huge positive from my end.
Now the chamois cream. Premax offer this in gender-specific forms with each having particular ingredients to make sure it meets the needs of varying bits.
With stay-home measures due to coronavirus, I've been spending a lot of saddle time on the trainer. This means increasing friction between clothes and skin. Premax chamois cream had a buttery texture and smelled nice. At the end of the day, it did its job. I can say it didn't damage my bib shorts in any way, and it also aided in reduced saddle soreness after a two-hour Zwift session.
I, fortunately, don't often suffer from any friction or chafing so actually have never used anti-friction balm in the past. The only time I've suffered is when my running pack was heavy while run commuting to work and the straps started a friction sore. So to test the Premax anti-friction product, I loaded up my pack and went for a run. Glad to say the anti-friction balm just allows easier sliding and to my glee, no friction sore!
Now the facial weather defence cream. Initially I was like, "what the hell is this?" But with the temperatures plummeting in Sydney (relatively, of course) I took it out for a late-night spin around my neighbourhood while on my bike. This usually leaves my face dry and a little sore due to the cold wind chill and drying factor. Surprisingly this cream prevented it! This truly was the surprise product of everything I tested. It's something I never thought about having, but now I've used it I don't know how I will go out for a winter ride without it again!
Premax offers a variety of lotions and creams specific for genders and purpose. The sunscreen and facial weather defence lotion are now in my everyday kit. I would have no hesitation to recommend these to anyone who asks for sports-specific sunscreen or how to stop dry skin during the cold winter outdoor bike sessions. On top of it all they smell great!
Pros
- Sunscreen is amazing. No residue, non-greasy.
- All smell super awesome.
- They simply work.
- Facial defence lotion surprisingly awesome.
Cons
- Nil
10/10 for me on these products!
MX Endurance members get 15% off the full range of Premax products.
To view their entire range or get your hands on some of their products head to www.premax.co