I went out for a long ride yesterday and got a little bit burnt. So I am looking for suggestions on what you guys find works for you? Ideally something that I wouldn’t have to re apply during the ride and doesn’t feel like I have covered myself with vaseline.

P20

seconded. I use p20 for everything

Yeah P20

As a long time P20 user, I now use Calypso from Aldi, which is similar but better than P20 – a bit more viscous so easier to apply, dries more quickly and protects from the sun just as well- and it’s only a fiver for the same size bottle that’s about £18-20 for P20.

A quick google shows it’s more widely available, eg:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Calypso-Once-Day-Protection-SPF20/dp/B007HKCBO4

I used to use p20, now I use ultrasun, find it better.

I think Rapha do a cycle specific one that costs £50 for a small tube but does have a pink stripe in it.

Factor 50 P20 in a spray bottle. much easier than the liquid form.

beej – Member

I think Rapha do a cycle specific one that costs £50 for a small tube but does have a pink stripe in it.

Are you sure thats not toothpaste?

P20 is great as it bonds to your skin and doesn’t need reapplying. However it is bloody expensive. Work colleague of mine has just come back from Dubai where her fair skinned family used Lidl’s cheaper equivalent, and she said it worked just the same, I will be buying some when the P20 runs out.

Cyclax. If you can find any! Stays put, even when sweating. Smells nice. Oh, and it works very well as suncream too.

Headfirst, you beat me to it, and Aldi not Lidl as I said 😳

Where are people buying P20 from? A quick look on amazon suggests £18 for 200ml and the website says 30-40ml per application so by my clever maths, that £18 is only 6 and a bit applications at best which seems pretty expensive…

EDIT – I see that aspect of it has been replied to already 🙂

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will give the P20 a go and the Calypso has got to be worth a try at that price as well.

P20 is good but pricey.

We tend to get the Nivea Protect and Refresh stuff when it’s on offer. You can quite often find it for under £5 a bottle.

I’ve used Calypso for the last year or so, think I got it from Tesco and not had any problems with it!

Boots has P20 on offer, 30%/ 1/3 off every now and then – Winter, probably!

Be careful with P20. It’s not PABA free, about 40% of people have an allergic reaction to PABA.

* Guess which group I fall into? 🙄 Hives lie I wanted to flay my skin off. I use Alogator now, although it’s a bit greasy.

P20 is good for application and wear resistance, but be aware that P20 comes in a variety of SPF’s. If you think you can apply a low – medium factor SPF and that’s it for the day, you might be caught out.

Also check the UVA rating, a decent sunscreen should also contain sufficiently high UVA protection (if it does it might have UVA in a little roundel logo). Recent changes also require sunscreens to carry a * rating (0-5) for UVA protection; that’s not an absolute, just a ratio of UVA to UVB protection. Just because a sunscreen has a 5* rating doesn’t mean it has high absolute UVA protection, just that it is a substantial proportion of the overall protection. A low SPF with a high * rating could still have a low absolute UVA factor! Last time i did any market research, P20 only scored 3* on UVA (I’ll look in Boots next time i’m in there)

http://www.bad.org.uk/for-the-public/skin-cancer/sunscreen-fact-sheet#uva-star-system

UVB is the wavelength that causes burns and most surface skin cancers; UVA has been neglected for too long but can cause as much damage in terms of wrinkling, brown spots, etc., and is starting to be also understood as a initiator of skin cancers.

http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/uva-and-uvb/understanding-uva-and-uvb

As a result, my go-to is this

http://www.boots.com/en/Soltan-Once-8-Hour-Sun-Protection-Moisturising-Suncare-Lotion-SPF50-200ml_1207154/

It doesn’t claim the same ‘all day even after swimming’ that P20 does but unless P20 has upgraded its formulation, I’d rather take the inconvenience and reapply after swimming for the extra protection. Also remember P20 won’t survive washing / towelling.

* disclaimer, i don’t work for Boots or any of the sunscreen manufacturers, but my company makes and sells the sunscreen actives to companies like Boots, BDF, Playtex, etc. Hence i know ‘a bit’ about it.

jonv – interesting to note in the reviews of the Soltan that it seems to stain badly – any issues with it on cycling kit (well, you’ve got to keep your white Assos looking good 😉 )

yet another for P20 (regularly on offer half price or 2-for-1) and Calypso.

Work differently to the smear-on-and-cover types so doesnt sweat off (we discovered it when Munqe Chick started doing triathlons and training for an IM, where you dont want sun screen that wipes or washes off) so you need to put it on half an hour or so beforehand, and try to avoid getting it on sunglasses etc.

1/ That’s unlikely to be only related to Soltan, some of the filters themselves are staining.

2/ Who has white riding kit?

2/ not me, thought I’d ask for those that do though 🙂

Who has white riding kit?

Who doesn’t?

I remember trying that Soltan stuff a few years back. Went back to P20 (SPF 50 of course) very quickly. Can’t remember exactly why… I think it just didn’t work as well and I got sunburned! I burn very easily but with P20 can be out riding all day & I’m fine.

White long-sleeved club jersey or base layer. Cap under the helmet. And for sun protection I use Ambre Solaire spray in SPF50. I found P20 stained clothes like no other protection.

Looking at some UV protective leggings for the recumbent riding. I don’t do sunbathing, being MC1R homozygous with a familial line of skin cancer!

Can’t remember exactly why…

Did it give you amnesia? 🙂

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/sport-sun-screen-spf50-50ml-id_8248462.html

P20 changed their formulation a few moons ago & it doesn’t stain anywhere near as much as it used to, if at all.

Anything Factor 50 for me. The creams are good but gloopy, we did find an excellent spray on one called “Banana Boat” – no really! – but despite the name, we can’t remember where it came from.

Just apply it. A lot. And get a small one to stick in your saddlebag to reapply it of you are out more than 3-4 hours. You don’t want to spend an anxious Christmas waiting for the results of tests on your moles. Trust me (on the sunscreen).

but with P20 can be out riding all day & I’m fine

Just because you don’t burn, doesn’t mean there isn’t substantial damage being caused by UVA radiation that may not show immediately.

Make sure you have a good * rating as well as a numerical SPF!!!

Piz Buin squirty stuff

we did find an excellent spray on one called “Banana Boat” – no really!

http://www.boots.com/en/Banana-Boat-Kids-Ultramist-Tear-Free-Spray-Lotion-SPF50-1-x-175ml_955190/

We use that for our kids for ease of application.

Banana Boat are a Playtex brand, one of the US’s biggest if not the biggest. A pretty safe bet to be leading technology.

Be careful with P20. It’s not PABA free, about 40% of people have an allergic reaction to PABA.

Thanks for the heads up.
I just had a little look online and according to Amazon P20 is now PABA and preservative free.
on the P20 site it lists ingredients at the bottom of the FAQ page and I don’t see PABA but I don’t know if that is what it would be listed as or if it has other commercial names.

para amino benzoic acid, or 4-amino benzoic acid

Based on that listing it is indeed PABA free.

I’m really fair skinned, so need to use a fair amount when out on the road bike. The best I’ve used is Ultrasun spf50, which is expensive, but if you shop around costs about £20. 100ml lasts ages though, as it goes on very ‘thin’, as its not a cream, but liquid.

I used it when training for an Ironman a few years ago, and was really worried about the long stretch on the bike and then the run whilst wearing a stupid tri-suit.

Worth a look at least

Oh, and it’s water resistant too, so is great for kids at the beach too.

and it’s got the little UVA roundel logo I mentioned, so gets a thumbs up from me too.

I am fair skinned and burn easily so am an expert on sunscreen 🙂

My current fave is Nivea Kids spf 50
It’s not expensive, sprays on and lasts hours but not all day

Only slightly OT but are there any fair skinned baldies or skin heads reading this?

I’ve been using caps for years to keep my scalp safe but pretty much cooked myself in the sun yesterday

There must be an alternative that will still let heat out but keep me safe, any ideas of what works?

P20 factor 20 for me, but then I have dark skin and don’t burn easily.

I also can’t use the sprays as they make me break out in a rash.