Castelli Linea Pelle Combi Pack

Linea Pelle is Castelli's new skincare range comprising Chamois Dry Lube, Foul Weather Cream and Warming Embro Cream. They're all available individually but if you want to save a few quid and get a free mesh bag you can buy this Combi pack. Some of it's good, some of it's average – read on to find the best bits...

In the winter months it's normally pretty easy to protect your skin from the elements: you just cover it up with clothing, basically. Spring, autumn and summer can be trickier; temperatures can change throughout a ride, as can rain, wind and whatever else Mother Nature fancies throwing at you. That's where embrocation creams come into play.

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Foul Weather Cream

This 100ml tube contains a water resistant barrier cream against rain, road spray, wind and the cold, which is ideal for when you know you're going to be starting a ride or race in grim conditions but you still want or need to wear shorts.

By squeezing the dispenser you find yourself with quite a thick gel in your hands which rubs into your skin quite easily, providing a slight warming effect. It's a quick job and although it leaves your hands a bit on the greasy side, it's easy to remove with the help of a wet wipe.

Against the elements it's not so great though. The longest I felt the benefits from it was 30 minutes of riding and it wasn't even raining that hard; there was a fair bit of road spray but I wasn't splashing through puddles.

By the end of that half hour the Foul Weather Cream had all been washed off and I was back to just my bare skin. The cold feeling was quite noticeable, though, so when this stuff is on your legs it's certainly keeping your muscles warm.

Verdict: More damp weather cream than foul weather cream

Warming Embro Cream

Creams and oils like these are designed to warm the muscles before exercise, so it's ideal if you haven't had time for a decent warm up or if you know you are going to be stood at the start line on a cold day before the off.

The Embro Cream is pretty pleasant stuff to use, and again is dispensed by a pump rather than just squeezing the 100ml tube. It's a reasonably thick consistency which isn't overly greasy, though it'll take a good four of five squirts to cover your entire legs.

The smell of menthol hits you straight away, especially if you've applied it indoors, and you definitely need to make sure you wash your hands before touching other parts of your body.

Although the smell is strong, the overall warming effect it creates isn't that intense, especially not compared with the Elite Warming Oil I've been using for years.

I've used the Castelli stuff for quite a few test rides in a range of conditions from freezing up to around 10 degrees and to be honest the effects are pretty underwhelming, especially when you consider the price – £13.33 when you buy it as part of this kit.

Verdict: Mild muscle warmer that is barely detectable

Chamois Dry Lube

Dave Arthur recently tested this product on its own, which you can take a look at here and I would pretty much agree with his views.

It's called a dry lube rather than a chamois cream, and as soon as you start to rub it into your skin it dries into an almost waxy like substance, allowing your skin to move against your shorts without friction. Not having that cold, wet feeling when you first get on the saddle is one to savour.

Like Dave, I'm not a big user of chamois creams, tending to save it for epic rides or as a repair measure if I've suffered irritation, but I found myself using the Castelli lube quite a bit compared with others I have in my cupboard.

A little goes a long way too, so even though it's quite pricey the pump dispenser meant I used quite a bit less than I would have of other products.

> Check out our reviews of more skincare and embrocation products here

The longest jaunt was a 160km ride with just over six hours in the saddle, and the Castelli Dry Lube worked brilliantly. You didn't know you were wearing it and it washed off in the shower leaving no oily residue.

Verdict: Pricey but a worthwhile addition to your cycling kit, especially for multi-day efforts

Overall I'd consider buying the Chamois Dry Lube, but shop around for cheaper, more effective alternatives to the other two products.

Verdict

Expensive skin care range with only the chamois cream standing out among the competitors