Road Cycling - Why Do We Shave Our Legs?

There is a term used here in Australia, "DON'T BE A SHEEP" ie. Dont do what everyone else does, for no reason. Can anyone give me a real good explanation why us roadies shave our legs? I do it mainly because it looks good and i think it is a sign of commitment to our sport. Because a man has to be pretty commited to his sport to shave his legs and cop all the crappy jokes from friends and family. Has anyone got anything to add.

The traditional reasons have been to facilitate easier cleaning of road rash wounds and to make massage easier.

I did it because it was just more comfortable when riding. Plus, the whole team did it. :)

Normally I don't like to follow the herd mentality but when it comes to shaving my legs its off with wool. The original argument is that when a cyclist falls and gets all cut and scraped it's easier to attend to his wounds if the forest is bare. I personally like the look of shaved legs both on and off the bike and it's a whole lot easier to apply sunscreen. I'd really like to know what most women (both cyclist and non) think of it. Most bikers have such great muscle definiton it seems a shame not to show it off and what the heck Lance does it... baaaaaaaahhhh

Don't do what everyone else does?
I may be the only person in my town of 2,000 who does.
Cycling or no cycling... I really dislike body hair. Its not appealing to me at all and hairy legs get in the way of things like washing my legs.

I don’t shave my legs (although I probably will get around to it in the spring when I hopefully become more competitive). The most popular reasons I hear for shaving are usually along the lines of:

1. It makes you more aerodynamic – I swear I remember reading an article somewhere disproving this talking about the surface of your legs and relating it to dimples on a golf ball
2. In the event of a crash, less dirt and gravel get caught in the hair and it’s easier to clean and keep clean – Of course if you’re crashing often enough for this to be a major issue perhaps you should look for another sport:P
3. It’s easier to get your legs massaged when your legs are shaved – This might be true at the pro level, but I can’t think of anyone I know that regularly gets a massage.

I’m also rather frightened I look odd since my arms are relatively hairy as well.

Originally posted by BigFloppyLlama
I don’t shave my legs (although I probably will get around to it in the spring when I hopefully become more competitive). The most popular reasons I hear for shaving are usually along the lines of:

1. It makes you more aerodynamic – I swear I remember reading an article somewhere disproving this talking about the surface of your legs and relating it to dimples on a golf ball
2. In the event of a crash, less dirt and gravel get caught in the hair and it’s easier to clean and keep clean – Of course if you’re crashing often enough for this to be a major issue perhaps you should look for another sport:P
3. It’s easier to get your legs massaged when your legs are shaved – This might be true at the pro level, but I can’t think of anyone I know that regularly gets a massage.

I’m also rather frightened I look odd since my arms are relatively hairy as well.

Thanks for your input. Talk about looking odd. Last summer i took my 3 year old to swimming lessons. So at the indoor pool i got my gear off, down to my SPEEDO'S (Dick stickers. You know) How is this for looking odd:
white feet, dark brown well taned shaved legs to just above my knees, white hairy thighs stomach and chest, dark brown arms and to top it off i had those white marks from my sunnies from my eyes to my ear's. Boy did i get some funny looks. That's the price of being a roadie.

i'll bet the leg-shaving thing started with the aerodynamic argument, and it's now "such the thing to do" that leg-shavers come up with other arguments. since the aerodynamic argument is so dubious.

i'm going to have to start competing just so i can be the only hairy-legged racer out there. :) the hair stays!

p.s. i have a massage two or three times a year, and no massage therapist has ever refused me or my hairy legs. so keep your hair on, ladies.

I personally do it for the cuts and scrapes. Makes cleaning so much easier. The joys of being a meter reader. Plus once you shave you never go back to hairy. At least I couldn't ;)

1. It looks good!
2. Muscle definition is more noticible.
3. Hairy leags and arms on a cyclist just looks like crap.
4. Feels amazing when I am getting into bed.
5. All the girls I have talked to love shaven, cyclist legs.

I guess I'm unlucky...my girlfriend said she hates shaved legs :( , but I know she'll take me hairy or shaved. :)

Tradition.

CHEERS.

Mark

OK, here we go AGAIN.
1. Road rash cleans up better and heals faster.
2. Easier to apply sunscreen.
3. Leg grippers don't grip hairy legs.
4. Massage.
5. It looks great (muscle definition) so why not show off what you've worked so hard to achieve.
6. Smooth legs feel awesome.
7. Hairy legs look like @%&#.

How often does everyone crash? I would be much more concerned about trashing my $2,000 ride, not that Im against shaving, Ive tried it.

I get monthly massages, so next time I'm in there I'll ask the theropist if it's easier shaven. I don't shave my legs cause I can't stand the thought of having to do it regularly.

I dont shave anything but my face. I dont have time to sit and shave my nether regions. I dont want to be smooth like Cindy Crawford, anyway. I bet you guys have landing strips for when you where your favorite thong to the beach too. :D

I did it for all of the previously mentioned reasons. What I wasn’t prepared for was the comfort of hairless legs while riding. There was a hugely noticeable difference.

I blame shaving on cycling but I really just like to feel smooth all over, so I don't really care what the reasons are. If someone notices my shavedness I say it's becuase I'm a biker to save embarassment.

I SHAVE MY LEGS BECAUSE PRACTICALLY EVERYONE THAT I RIDE WITH DOES, PERIOD!

Originally posted by bman
I guess I'm unlucky...my girlfriend said she hates shaved legs :( , but I know she'll take me hairy or shaved. :)
.....just make sure she doesn't catch you on the other side of the pass...

A guy I have ridden with several times has the most interesting reason that I've heard yet. He is a female impersonator. When he first told me, I was sure he was kidding, but he was dead serious. He does shows at casinos and other venues. The cycling benefits are just icing on the cake for him, I guess.

I shaved my legs once! My wife HATED it, made me swear I'd not do it again. She had told me how much she disliked it, but since I'd never been smooth, I did it. I actually liked it. It was smoother, I FELT faster even though I know this isn't the case. But the thing that was most significant was swimming. Wow, what a wierd feeling swimming hairy, then swimming smooth.

Also, I was always colder. It's amazing how much warmer you are with that tiny bit of air trapped on your skin.

L8R

I tried shaving once but what a hassle! Except for a few things, I'm kinda lazy... or maybe I prioritise some things out of existance. I don't shave my legs because I know I'll forget or put it off and unless I do it regularly, it's not worth the bother.

Ok, that was all the men... from the woman's perspective-

It just looks good for women to have shaved legs. I don't want to walk around looking like grizzley adams or nuthin'. When I was in Europe, the men were commenting on how much they liked women from the USA because we tended to shave more often than our European counterparts, and that helped keep me clean shaven too! :p

2) Road rash too- I fell a couple of times this summer and had gravel up my butt but not in hair pores or anything- it was much easier to clean the blood and dirt off my legs without having to deal with it getting all caught in the hairs.

3) I think when the legs look smoother, they look a lot more toned, so to bring out the muscle definition, I'll shave.

4) I shave under the arms because I think it's hygenically advantageous to not have hair under there trapping in all that dirt and making me smell even worse after my ride! Plus, it just looks horrifying for a woman (in my opinion) to lift up her arm(s) and a whole bunch of hair pops out like a wild jungle. Yuck!

What I do is shave every time I get in the shower, whether I need to shave or not- that way, it just takes a couple of minutes. If you wait until the stubble reappears, it takes that much more time to shave it all off again. So a couple of extra minutes in the shower after the initial shaving off of the hair will save you a lot of time over the long haul. All you'll need is a little soap that you're already using anyway to help for the gliding action of the shaver and you're in business!

Shave men, shave! :p

Koffee

Had a semi-bad wreck on my mtb once. Skinned most of my right thigh (on the side). I hadn't shaved, but cleaning wasn't too big a deal (still hurt thought). What DID hurt and sold me on leg shaving was a few days later when the scab got ripped off. Hundreds of little hairs went with it. The pain was incredible. Since then, hairless legs.

BTW, I use the creams that you rub on and then wipe off with a cloth. No razor burn/cuts and better results. A $4 bottle gives me a few months. Also VERY helpful the first time I shave after the winter break and my hairs are all long...

PS I like the look too :)

Although I'm haired at this point, I've considered de-furing myself.
My questions is where do you stop. I'm sure I'm like most and the further North you go, the thicker the woods get....
If you simply stop - won't that look a little weird.

I'm all for the feeling of smooth skin. And besides I've worked hard on these things, I might as well show them off. And if the ladies like it...
BONUS.

R

Originally posted by CarlJStoneham
BTW, I use the creams that you rub on and then wipe off with a cloth. No razor burn/cuts and better results. A $4 bottle gives me a few months. Also VERY helpful the first time I shave after the winter break and my hairs are all long...

Do those work well? One of the things preventing me from shaving is definitely the hassle, so if I can rub on some magic goo and my hair disappears I'm all for it. Is it like that epel stop n' spray stuff?

This is an interesting topic. It is an aerodynamic thing and a gravel thing. I work as a firefighter part time and I can vouch for the fact it is harder to clean a hairy wound better than a bald wound. I don't shave my legs because I like my hairy ones. I can see where it would be easier to massage a bald leg because the hairs tend to ball up and a bald leg would be more fluid to massage.

And besides, yes I'm a redneck and watch NASCAR, but haven't any of you seen the commercial with Lance Armstrong and Bobby Labonte. It stimulates nerve endings in the legs thus making your mind faster, thus making you faster. Some of you have to actually watch NASCAR to see the comercial.

Originally posted by BigFloppyLlama
Do those work well? One of the things preventing me from shaving is definitely the hassle, so if I can rub on some magic goo and my hair disappears I'm all for it. Is it like that epel stop n' spray stuff?

Yes please! More info required on this spray & wipe stuff. Anything would have to be better than shaving.

Originally posted by BigFloppyLlama Do those work well? One of the things preventing me from shaving is definitely the hassle, so if I can rub on some magic goo and my hair disappears I'm all for it. Is it like that epel stop n' spray stuff?

I have an officer friend that his girlfriend suckered him into shaving his legs. She used Nare and it worked. You do have to go back through after the first application to check and make sure you got it all but they do work. He has been using it since and thats been about 3 years now.

Why do we shave? We don't! Shaving the chin is enough trouble. I'll try to avoid wrecks and take my chances.

Originally posted by Raedeke
Although I'm haired at this point, I've considered de-furing myself.
My questions is where do you stop. I'm sure I'm like most and the further North you go, the thicker the woods get....
If you simply stop - won't that look a little weird.

I'm all for the feeling of smooth skin. And besides I've worked hard on these things, I might as well show them off. And if the ladies like it...
BONUS.

R

Thank You! :beer:

I have friends that hardly have any hair on their bodies at all. I on the other hand am not extremely hairy, but I do have hair. My question with shaving the legs is where do you stop? If I am going to do it I would like to have an overall clean look. Maybe I will have to pick up a bottle of Nair and have a go.

Originally posted by RonH
OK, here we go AGAIN.
1. Road rash cleans up better and heals faster.
2. Easier to apply sunscreen.
3. Leg grippers don't grip hairy legs.
4. Massage.
5. It looks great (muscle definition) so why not show off what you've worked so hard to achieve.
6. Smooth legs feel awesome.
7. Hairy legs look like @%&#.

1) I dont intend to crash, so not an issue.
2) I have never had a problem with sunscreen.
3) Mine do, I suggest you buy better shorts.
4) My wife massages my legs, hair and all.
5) I didnt work to achieve show-off legs, and you cant see the hair at 25mph anyway.
6) My legs feel great!
7) Matter of opinion, my wife doesnt object so I dont care.

I dont shave and I am proud of it!

Allan

Another non shaver here... I just can't be bothered with that much effort. I am amazed at all the trouble I go through just to ride in the first place (suit up, check bike, helmet, sunscreen, gloves, glasses. mp3 player (i know I know) and so on).

I have to admit that I am a bit amazed as well that the aerodynamic reason is being fairly well discounted here with the two main reasons being simple preference (which is fine by me) or insurance payments on wound cleaning. :)

cAPS

How about this...I wear standard Police-issue polyester pants for my job. The material is very uncomfortable. It tugs on each individual leg hair, shooting quick shots of pain right through your nerves. I unwittingly discovered how to wear these pants comfortably after I shaved for cycling. The difference is night & day. And why I shave for cycling is simple...it's a dirty sport. After 50 miles of road dirt and the occasional puddle (which were more than occasional this summer) I get covered with grime. Why keep hair... to collect even more grime? Each to his own, but I say good riddance to hair.

Steve

Originally posted by Methos
My question with shaving the legs is where do you stop?

Well as usual, it’s all about your preference. However a good guideline might be, if it looks like you are wearing white hairy shorts, take it all off. I stop a few inches above my tan line, but make sure that it’s above my regular shorts hemline. To keep the hairy shorts at bay, I use Nair on the rest about every other month.

Originally posted by Flea77
1) I dont intend to crash, so not an issue.
Allan

You're joking, right?

i agree with Flea77...i don't intend to crash either. that doesn't mean i won't...of course i will! but i'm not going to crash on a weekly basis. if i do, i'd better pick a safer sport. perhaps if you're competing in crits and such, you stand a higher chance of falling over. but if you're just a rec rider than what's the point?

oh wait a minute. this is just like the team-jersey argument from a week or two ago. you all are shaving your legs so that people THINK you're competitive, aren't you? go on, admit it! that's what it is, it's just for show! "look everyone, i'm (pretending to be) a professional racer!" :)

but seriously folks, shaving's fine if you want to do it. just know that you're doing it because of the way it looks or the way it makes you feel, rather than for functional reasons.

We shave our legs?

Originally posted by rippo
but seriously folks, shaving's fine if you want to do it. just know that you're doing it because of the way it looks or the way it makes you feel, rather than for functional reasons.

I didn't shave my legs all those years just because it looks better. The functional reasons were a huge part of it. It was simply more comfortable to ride and sweat with shaved legs.

You have no clue why we do what we do and it's insulting that you think you know us better than we know ourselves.

Originally posted by rippo
i agree with Flea77...i don't intend to crash either. that doesn't mean i won't...of course i will! but i'm not going to crash on a weekly basis. if i do, i'd better pick a safer sport. perhaps if you're competing in crits and such, you stand a higher chance of falling over. but if you're just a rec rider than what's the point?

oh wait a minute. this is just like the team-jersey argument from a week or two ago. you all are shaving your legs so that people THINK you're competitive, aren't you? go on, admit it! that's what it is, it's just for show! "look everyone, i'm (pretending to be) a professional racer!" :)

but seriously folks, shaving's fine if you want to do it. just know that you're doing it because of the way it looks or the way it makes you feel, rather than for functional reasons.
I Agree 100%

For me it's simple: I'm a brunette.

Actually, I'm not very hairy at all but being a girl, have been doing the scrape since I was a teen. I count myself lucky, not being hairy. I remember girls who had the whole wax job- OUCH! That must smart.

One reason to NOT shave your legs is the stealth factor.

If you're legs are hairy you can't possibly climb a hill or go fast on a sprint says the confident shaven roadie :D

*bad Aussie accent* Well maaaaate, your in for a surprise *end accent*

Originally posted by Laggard
You're joking, right?

Nope, dead serious. When I was younger, many years ago, I rode for about 3 years, one crash in that time that had any road rash at all. I started riding again in april and not one crash so far. I am not about to spend 3+ years shaving my legs for one little case of road rash.

Now as someone else pointed out, if I was a professional racer and/or a clutz and crashed weekly, it MIGHT be a different story although I highly doubt it.

Dont get me wrong, if you like shaving your legs, go for it! But I see absolutely no reason for me to shave mine. Personally I think most people do it because it makes them feel/look like a pro. If I wanted to be a poser I would have ordered my 5200 in USPS colors instead of the cool natural carbon gray, and then shaved my legs :-)

Allan

Do those work well? One of the things preventing me from shaving is definitely the hassle, so if I can rub on some magic goo and my hair disappears I'm all for it. Is it like that epel stop n' spray stuff?

Yeah! I'm not at home so I don't know the brand, but it works VERY well. I just wipe it on and let it sit for about 4 minutes. I take a warm washcloth and just wipe the hair off. This is REALLY helpful at the beginning of the season when I haven't shaved in months. Saves a LOT of time and a few razors (my wife is happy about this). A bottle costs about $4-5 at Wal-Mart and is good for 2 months of applications once a week. It smells pretty bad but I found a brand that's scented and takes some of the edge off. When I get home, I'll try to post the brand.

As for "how far up": an inch or two past my shorts. Any higher and I get ingrown hairs from normal sitting. OUCH!

Originally posted by Flea77
Personally I think most people do it because it makes them feel/look like a pro.
Allan

Well, you're wrong there.

If you don't end up with road rash once and a while, you're not racing hard enough.

Originally posted by Laggard
Well, you're wrong there.

If you don't end up with road rash once and a while, you're not racing hard enough.

I like the way you can speak for "most" people :-)

I would counter that if you wind up with road rash often enough to have to worry about keeping your legs shaved so it's easier to clean wounds, you are either racing too hard or can not keep control of your bike. If you are on the ground you are losing time, and if going slightly slower and maintaining control of your bike keeps you off the ground, it will actually make you faster.

Please note that I am not a pro, do not want to be a pro, and I am assuming you are not either (total assumption here). If in fact you are a pro, then that is different.

I ride twice a week in a group, some of which are racers, some arent. Some have their legs shaved, some dont. I have never seen any of them with more than a cut or bruise from taking a spill, no road rash. Not saying it doesnt happen, just not very often to anyone I personally know. And if it doesnt happen but once in a great while then I just dont see the point.

One could argue that every now and then you get a broken bone, doesnt mean I an going to lug around a splint, arm sling and portable Xray machine just because it's possible :-)

Allan

PS. Please note I am only expressing my opinion, not arguning right or wrong. To each their own!

The first time I did it, was when I was going to have surgery on my knee. I only shaved the one leg. I didn't want any "sticky" problems with the bandages. I found out it felt pretty good. I soon shaved the other leg, and have been keeping them clean ever since. My wife was pretty staunchly opposed at first, but now she kinda likes it. She even bought me my first "girls" razor. She DID get the blue one instead of the pink. Sliding into the sheets at night with bald legs does feel pretty nice.
I keep em clean all the way up to the leg/torso interface.
I'm no racer and certainly not a "poseur". I DO have ambitions to someday race, but it's a long way off.

Being a man of considerable hairyness, I'm curious if pros with lots of body hair shave it all off (well, maybe not all of it). Surely they must for the massage and road rash reasons (not just leg problems of coures).

I am still deciding if I should do it...:( I want to, but really hate to itch all day with my work khakis on...:(
any suggestions???
Ryan

Don't let the hair grow back in- as long as you continue to shave, you won't itch.