Road Cycling - Shaving

I know that some riders shave their legs.

Why?

Do they shave their arms as well?

I shave my balls, but it has nothing to do with my cycling.

I shave my balls, but it has nothing to do with my cycling.

From Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Dr. Evil: "...My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it."

Just thought of this when I read your reply... :D

ditto

thanks for sharing that with us :)

i dunno why they do, erm, stop them getting erm all sweaty and furry?

I know that some riders shave their legs.

Why?

Do they shave their arms as well?

Well sorry to get back on topic :D I have heard 2 theories about shaving. #1 easier/more comfortable to bandage road rash. Also easier to clean. #2 in the Tour coverage or maybe on the Lance Cronicles they said it was because it makes getting massages easier/more comfortable. My guess is that most ams do it to look like the pros.

cause when you see a guy with hairy legs, you think "pfft... newb..." and pass him.

I know that some riders shave their legs.

Why?

Do they shave their arms as well?


Well I do it in case of a crash. It is much easier to clean the wound if you are hairless. Also the bandages won't stick to the hair. I just had a pretty bad crash a few weeks ago and with all the road rash that I had it would have been more painfull changing the dressings than the actual crash if I had hair. I shave my entire leg and upper hip as most accidents will include the hip area. I don't think most cyclist shave their arms, it's not like swimming where they do it for aquadynamics.

cause when you see a guy with hairy legs, you think "pfft... newb..." and pass him.

Bring it on. These hairy old stumps will leave ya on the side of the road with your tongue hanging out :D .

Leave the hair on. In the case of road rash it gives something for the bandages to stick to.

I second that. If ya can't take the pain when tearing off the duct tape, get off the saddle. LOL

My wife said, "If you shaved your legs, I would REALLY start to worry." :)

She's the old school type. Women shave, men don't.

Patriot

Well I do it in case of a crash. It is much easier to clean the wound if you are hairless. Also the bandages won't stick to the hair. I just had a pretty bad crash a few weeks ago and with all the road rash that I had it would have been more painfull changing the dressings than the actual crash if I had hair. I shave my entire leg and upper hip as most accidents will include the hip area. I don't think most cyclist shave their arms, it's not like swimming where they do it for aquadynamics.

I shave for the same reason!

I know that some riders shave their legs.

Why?

Do they shave their arms as well?

If you're legs looked this good, you wouldn't want any hair covering them up either :p

-murray

Damn this topic has been beat to death. I shave close to everything, just feels cleaner w/out hair. Plus it looks stupid when people shave the legs but got some gorila hairy arms.

Just my 2 cents.

I've just gotta weigh in on this issue. I'm an old guy at 54. I've been riding road bikes pretty much non stop since I was 17 (that was the year they invented the wheel). I ride bicycles for a lot of reasons tha I'm not sure I understand. But I do like it. Always have. Now after many years and many thousands of miles, I've never been down on a bike. Not One Crash (not including a standing still fallover with clipless pedals)! Now, is everyone out there so much worse at riding a bike that they actually shave their legs because they're constantly visiting Emergency Rooms for leg bandages? You can't be serious! You do it because either you think your legs are pretty when shaved, or you want to look like a Lance. Face it and quit trying to kid everyone about road rash and bandages. Silly.

I am by far not an expert cyclist. But, from what I understand, and have been told, the Pros tend to shave for the same reason as swimmers, because it actually makes you more aerodynamic and can take a few seconds off your overall time.

In other words, unless your are a serious professional competitor, you have virtually no reason what so ever to shave your legs, other than to imitate Lance. What's it called? Oh yeah, "Wanabes!"

Patriot

Oh for Pete's sake ... if someone wants to shave themselves let them. It doesn't make them a wannabe any more than someone shaving their head makes them a wannabe Micheal Jordan. Who says you need a friggin' "reason" all the time. Sometimes there are no reasons. I guess we should all be riding the $200 walmart bikes if we're not planning on the Tour anytime soon as well, right. Afterall, there's no "reason" for us to ride a $3k bike if we're not a pro is there? :rolleyes:

I agree with you. I shave because I like my legs/body w/out hair. Some who are a little less secure may try to come up with of the wall reasons to shave :rolleyes: . I used to be in the qym alot and I also shaved my body then to see the definition of the muscles better through the skin.

If I work my ass of close to every day to make my body look the way it does I don't want hair covering it all up.

I have a monster in my attic that shaves every two days.

athf++; :D

Oh, the VANITY! LOL :) (muscle tone)

touchy, touchy

Now gentlemen, let us try to keep this civil. hehe

I suppose if you don't need a reason, you could smear your whole body with mayonaise and ride around screaming with your hair on fire for that matter. LOL

Patriot

I don't know how I would get throught the work day without you guys (and girls)...
:lol: :lol:

Oh, the VANITY! LOL :) (muscle tone)

touchy, touchy

Now gentlemen, let us try to keep this civil. hehe

I suppose if you don't need a reason, you could smear your whole body with mayonaise and ride around screaming with your hair on fire for that matter. LOL

Patriot

Holy sh*t I can't stop laughing! :roflmao:

I gotta try that!

I wanted to shave my legs, but my GF wouldnt allow it, else I would be cooking my own meals.

Now after many years and many thousands of miles, I've never been down on a bike. Not One Crash (not including a standing still fallover with clipless pedals)! Now, is everyone out there so much worse at riding a bike that they actually shave their legs because they're constantly visiting Emergency Rooms for leg bandages? You can't be serious! You do it because either you think your legs are pretty when shaved, or you want to look like a Lance. Face it and quit trying to kid everyone about road rash and bandages. Silly.

So how much racing have you done since you were 17? Crashing is a bit more common in a crit cornering with 100 other bikes at 30mph.



But, from what I understand, and have been told, the Pros tend to shave for the same reason as swimmers, because it actually makes you more aerodynamic and can take a few seconds off your overall time.

You were told wrong.

-murray

Hey Prio,

Take her to the race this sat morning. There will be a crash (there always is at the PP races, there's just too many people for that little circle), take that time to point out the benefits of shaving (ie, cleaning and healing road rash) and trust me she'll see the light. If it turned my wife around your gf shouldn't be a problem. And when she says yes I found a place that does $75 head to toe waxing on tues and wednesday. I'm going next tuesday for the race next weekend. Should be fun.

I wanted to shave my legs, but my GF wouldnt allow it, else I would be cooking my own meals.

My GF loves it and can't keep her hands off my legs :D I'm gonna let her wax me to see how well it works.

Now, can we just use the search function and not have this same discussion every four months...?

I don't shave, I wax ... because it's the new hotness :o

So how much racing have you done since you were 17? Crashing is a bit more common in a crit cornering with 100 other bikes at 30mph.




You were told wrong.

-murray

Second that Murray! If I never went over 20mph or never rode in large group or never raced or decended wicked switchbacks flat out I probably would have never been down either.

Don I'm glad you've never crashed it sucks but I have to guess you've never pushed the limits of you and your bike in a large group or when decending and I would feel pretty confident you've never raced. I have very good bike handling skills and I've been down a few times hard. I was also hit by a car on a lonely canyon road and left for dead. That had nothing to do with my bike handling skills and everything to do with a jerk without a concience. That accident left me with broken bones, a concussion, and road rash all over my body. Shaving is like insurance you do it "just in case".

I shave my balls, but it has nothing to do with my cycling.

with a razor or with a solution like nair? my friend uses nair for his legs.. cuz he's afraid to cut himself.. :rolleyes:

my comments were a bit tongue in cheek. why do i shave? well. quite simply, "because everyone else does." hate my reason or love it.

The Pros's shave because it makes the massages less painful.

These discussions crack me up. I am hairy, in fact I would say too hairy. It would be an hour long ordeal if I had to start shaving, :p .

I do wax my eyebrows though, :eek: . But that's mainly because I am lazy.

I read somewhere that hairy skin when in contact with the pavement rips the skin out whereas a shaven, or hairless, skin patch will just scrape skin off.

Pros do it for a lot of reasons.

Everything from the hips down. I also shave the nether region. Makes it look bigger...errm, not that I need it. :D

It just feels cleaner and smoother, especially when riding. I sweat a LOT. Shaving helps my sweat actually do its job, because its on my skin instead of getting wicked away by my hair. I should save my hair shavings and weave a new water-wicking fabric from it. It'd do the job believe me.

Look at my name! I'm of Italian descent for crying out loud. If I didn't shave, I'd make Austin Powers look like a preschooler. Imagine Chewbacca on a Bianchi. That'd be me if I didn't shave.

the last race i was in i was one of only 3 other people who had hairy legs. we also just happened to be the worst riders there! there must be a connection between hairy legs and poor performance. you can be sure i'll be shaving my legs before the next race. :p

increased drag coefficient! i knew it!

laugh all you want, but I read an article where a study was done, and apparantly, on rides where every second counts, it does in fact make a differance. So, no Murrays, I was not told wrong.

The real question is, does an average guy who rides in a local club or just for funn really NEED to shave? The answer, no.

But, if you race alot, and you are worried about crashing, and aerodynamics, then yes.

I've gotten some road rash before, and didn't think less hair would matter, maybe it does. Either way, I choose not to shave, for now. If I get into some racing, which is unlikely, then I may consider it.

Patriot

I shave 'cause I'm a "bike snob"! :D

Imagine Chewbacca on a Bianchi. That'd be me if I didn't shave.

ROTFLMAO! That's just too precious!

good show!!

Now, can we just use the search function and not have this same discussion every four months...?


No.




:D

No.




:D


LOL. I'm a newbie, but I figured there had to be about a gazillion of these posts somewhere in the archive. And FWIW, I don't shave because I'm lazy and would have to do it...

The real question is, does an average guy who rides in a local club or just for fun really NEED to shave? The answer, no.

Does an average club rider need anything more than 105? The answer, no.

Does an average club rider need a $60 jersey? The answer, no.

Does an average club rider need a cyclocomputer? The answer, no.

Of course, non of us need to shave :rolleyes: What’s your point?



I've gotten some road rash before, and didn't think less hair would matter, maybe it does. Either way, I choose not to shave, for now. If I get into some racing, which is unlikely, then I may consider it.

Simple test, rub your face before and after you shave. Do you notice any difference in friction? Now imagine the difference scooting across the cement at 25 mph.

As for aerodynamics, I’d like to see the article, but that’s definitely not the reason most of us shave.

-murray

We've done the shaving thread about a zillion times.
Here are some of the main reasons to shave:
1. Cleaning up road rash is easier and less painful and healing is faster.
2. Leg grippers don't grip hairy legs.
3. Massage feels SO much better.
4. Sunscreen and hairy legs don't mix. It would be kinda like the mayonnaise thing mentioned in a previous post.
5. Looks!! Why hide what you've worked so hard to earn?


Those are the reasons I shave. Plus my wife likes the look and feel of my smooth, muscular legs. :D

I shave cause its a fetish of mine. Plus it makes the stockings and pantyhose look so HAWT!!!

(dammit inside voice talking outloud again!)

These sponsored links are crackin' me up. I wonder if we can post random crap and see what kind of weird sponsored links we can come up with. Hmmm, sounds likes a foo thread.

5. Looks!! Why hide what you've worked so hard to earn?

Exactly! Bodybuilders shave their entire body to showoff what they have got!

How about just trimming it real close with some sort of trimmer?
Works for me, but my hair is blonde and thin anyway.

How about just trimming it real close with some sort of trimmer?
Works for me, but my hair is blonde and thin anyway.

What? Like a #1 fader? That's funny! That would be purposely making your legs stubbly.

I did the dee the other day for the first time. Aside from taking A FREAKING HOUR and losing 1/8 of my blood due to a heck of a cut on my ankle. I kinda like it.

After her initial shock, my wife likes it too. :)

What? Like a #1 fader? That's funny! That would be purposely making your legs stubbly.

What's a #1 fader? No, I look shaved because of the nature of my thin blonde leg hair.
No troublesome ingrown hairs, or or bumps, and looks good, not stubbley.

Swimmers don't shave for the drag that hair creates. They shave because it removes the dead skin and the hair, which gives you a totally different feeling in the water. It makes you feel more buoyant and you feel the water actual passing over your skin as opposed to moving your hair. It makes you feel like you are going faster, which has the psychological effect of making you feel like you are having a good race, and you can in turn go faster.

Swimmers only shave for a big race. We don’t do it every day, you want that feeling to be foreign so your brain can have a better chance of playing the trick on you.

Swimmers don't shave for the drag that hair creates. They shave because it removes the dead skin and the hair, which gives you a totally different feeling in the water. It makes you feel more buoyant and you feel the water actual passing over your skin as opposed to moving your hair. It makes you feel like you are going faster, which has the psychological effect of making you feel like you are having a good race, and you can in turn go faster.

Swimmers only shave for a big race. We don’t do it every day, you want that feeling to be foreign so your brain can have a better chance of playing the trick on you.

You learn something new every day! I've always assumed that it was for aquadynamics.