Road Cycling - Shaving arms and legs, why?

Ive noticed that many riders have shaved arms and legs. How many of you do this, and what is the real purpose behind it. Thanks,

It is simply a rite of passage in my opinion. People do it to show off their muscle tone and show their dedication to cycling.

Finding old posts on the search, interesting. Thanks guys

The g-rated answer-

Saving on a tad bit of time by being aerodynamic with less "fur" on the skin... also good for those times when you wipe out on the bike and those bits and pieces of gravel get stuck in the hair follicles. Shaving your skin is a lot easier on you when you're sliding across the road after a tumble... there's less muss and fuss for cleaning up, and will prevent that road rash from forming on the skin.

The nc-17 answer-

Women do it because we like to have smooth legs for the men... really, that's why. We've been doing it for hundreds of years.

Men do it because they know deep down inside that women love to have a man with a nice hard body and soft skin. Lemmie tell you, I went to Italy last year, and a lot of the guys I met who cycled had shaved legs and arms... armpits too. I don't know how many times I told guys I ran across that I'd like to run my tongue up and down his legs like an ice cream cone... :p

Ok, I'll stop. It's a testerosterone-majority site, and I would hate to make them gag. I'm sure knowing that I am of the estrogen persuasion will greatly ease their minds.... ;)

If you're thinking of it, just go for it. Your female friends will be a lot more friendly, at the very least! :D



Koffee Brown

Koffee, thats the best reason yet, im shaving everything this weekend! ;) :lol:

Joe-

You promise? ;)

Koffee Brown

Well, this got out of hand in a hurry!? The two "cycling" related reasons are:
1. As was mentioned, if you do crash it's much easier to clean the rash (Road/Track) or contusions (Mountain/Cyclocross) if there's no hair wadded up or ground into the wounds (By the way, it doesn't matter with a sucking chest wound, if you shave your chest or not).
2. It makes giving a massage much easier (This may be the more important of the two reasons).
Now you can return to your fantasizing.

Heres a good artical about shaving: http://bicycling.about.com/library/weekly/aa091201a.htm

Okay, where does the shaving stop? It must look kind of silly to suddenly have hair starting at mid thigh or where ever a guy might stop shaving. Do they shave their whole body?:confused:

I shave my arms and legs to make the application of sunblock easier. I don't care about the other supposed benifits.

Uuuuummmmmmm....

Yeah. Guys I see shave their legs all the way from the hip flexor to the ankles. Whoa- there was a guy I knew in California who shaved everything but his crotch... he even shaved his head.

Ok, I know it was for aerodynamic reasons, but I can't resist a bald head on a cleanly shaven man with muscles on board.

Every man should shave....


Koffee Brown

Koffee... the problem is that, after a couple of days, that nice, smooth shave turns to sandpaper stubble.

Triathletes and swimmers shave foe aero- or rather aquadynamic reasons and, in the case of triathletes, so the experience of tearing off a wetsuit isn't a tearing experience. Trackies shave their arms and legs because, as one trackie once put it, "you don't want too much to catch in a wooden track when you crash." Evidently, shaved limbs, combined with body sweat make for a much safer impact on the track

Roadies shave for safety reasons [if you've ever crashed on asphalt, you'll know what I mean], because of the traditions pf the sport and because, when you have calves like these you really want to show them off.

As for how high... I shave from the ankles to about 2" above the hem of my shorts. Ankles and knees are a real challenge, and that space behind the knee? Man, that's hard.

i shave my legs only during racing season (1st time 2 weeks ago before big 4 day MTB trip to Lake Garda Italy) - usually the night before a race or big ride.

i do it for roadrash/scrapes/taping ease (i'm mostly a MTB rider and i usually have at least 2 major cuts/scrapes on my legs at any given time) and because it just feels cool - it's psychological for the race. i guess i should also admit that i think it looks cool too...

i shave at most once a week and usually only once every 2 or 3 weeks - after a few days it's not really stubble --- my various girlfriends over the years have never complained... i think shaving the legs infrequently is not so bad, but i see how it's a mega-pain for women who shave a few times a week...

as for how high... my legs are pretty hairy but the hair pretty much ends or gets really thin a little past where my shorts start so that makes it pretty easy - so i guess i pretty much shave all the way up my thigh to the 'natural' cutoff where i don't have any hair...

behind the knees and knee caps suck.

Shaving is cool, period.
Hair on my legs freaks me out. I don't think men originally had hair on their legs, I think our genes have been so mutated over the years that hair appeared on our legs. I hate hair on my legs, unfortunetly, my mom and dad don't agree.

I'll keep my hair, and just try not to crash, :p and use my charm and good looks to get the ladies. Actually most women i know poke fun at guys who shave their legs. Shoot i have a hard enough time getting myself to shave my face, it only happens like twice a week, I tell people i'm going for the rugged look, but really i'm just too lazy to take the 3 mins to shave.

Twice a week! Wow, where do you find time? :D :beer:

Well, i wear sandals 3 days out of the week instead of shoes, and the time i save from not having to tie the sandals makes up for two mins. then on thursdays i dont iron, i just wear my shirt wrinkled so there's the other four mins. leaving me 6 mins to shave for the week, which i can fit two shavings in that amount of time, usually falling on monday, nice clean start for the work week, and friday, nice clean start for the weekend. My boss has been complaining about the wrinkled shirt though so i may have to find some other way to free up four mins... any ideas?

Wake up 1 minute earlier 4 days a week?

Originally posted by fubar5
I hate hair on my legs, unfortunetly, my mom and dad don't agree.

Time to take a stand against convention dude! Just do it. Your folks can't make it grow back.

Get out the lady BIC, but first shear off the long stuff with a cheap barber's clippers. Hey, I've been shaving for over 10 years. My wife doesn't mind, my kids don't think I'm too weird and most people don't even notice unless they are cyclists or body builders.

On a related idea...

Have you ever noticed that old men who wear long pants all the time and then suddenly put on a pair of shorts seem to have a distinct lack of hair on their legs (as well as being REALLY pale). Maybe they are secret shavers.;)

I never shave any part other than my face.

It's really one of those things that doesn't really have a very logical reason behind.

Yeah, if you are honestly a pro and worried about your time trial to the last fraction of a second, then having body hair has aerodynamic effects.

I don't really buy the whole "it's safe in case you crash" bit. If someone is so worried that having leg hairs will increase the tension when you wipe out and streak across the asphalt, then you should be also concerned enough to wear a full face helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. And oh yeah, a cup just in case the seat breaks and flys off.

How often do you wipe out anyways to shave your legs just for that reason?

Mostly it's a matter of tradition. Why do Cyclist like to wear those colorful jerseys? Things like this come with most sports.

Then there are those who do it just 'cause they are posers.

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
I don't really buy the whole "it's safe in case you crash" bit... How often do you wipe out anyways to shave your legs just for that reason?
It really depends on what kind of riding you do. If you do a lot of high-speed, competitive group rides with sprints for beer, you can expect two or three crashes a year. If you race crits, you should make that five or six. If you're a track sprinter, then you had better be accustomed to making contact with the boards. Crashes are a way of life in this sport.

[i]Mostly it's a matter of tradition. Why do Cyclist like to wear those colorful jerseys? Things like this come with most sports. [/B]
Yep. It's that, too. Cycling has its many and varied traditions. Shaving is one of them.

i've been wanting to shave for some time, but my wife thinks it's a bit too.....feminine?!
if i did shave i envision a fuzzy shorts look. i'm going to practice on my eyebrows now.....

girls go and complain about how they have to shave there legs,and will wear pants for a week just to get around having to do it, while telling us how lucky we are for not having to shave our legs... hehe

Originally posted by AutoAudio
Shoot i have a hard enough time getting myself to shave my face, it only happens like twice a week, I tell people i'm going for the rugged look, but really i'm just too lazy to take the 3 mins to shave.

I am exactly the same way. I even figured out an improvement to this idea. If you just shave the cheeks and neck so you have a gotee you can cut 2 minutes off the 3 minute shave time. After about 2 weeks when the gotee gets too long and starts to bother me I shave it off which takes about a minute longer than a normal full face shave. For every 2 weeks I have 3 one minute shaves and a 4 minute shave, totaling 7 minutes. That gives me an extra 5 minutes sleep time over your method.

Originally posted by RoadKill


I am exactly the same way. I even figured out an improvement to this idea. If you just shave the cheeks and neck so you have a gotee you can cut 2 minutes off the 3 minute shave time. After about 2 weeks when the gotee gets too long and starts to bother me I shave it off which takes about a minute longer than a normal full face shave. For every 2 weeks I have 3 one minute shaves and a 4 minute shave, totaling 7 minutes. That gives me an extra 5 minutes sleep time over your method.

This is such a male topic : figuring out how to save a couple minutes at the expense of looking unattractive and raggedy! (not that I am complaining :p ) :beer:

Hey Roadkill

Let the beard grow in and fill between sideburns and chin,
all I shave is neck and small area on cheeks.
I bought a cheap trimmer to cut down on length so I don't
look too raggedy.
I figure it saves me about
34.5 seconds a day!

Marty

Footballers shave their legs because the socks and shoes rub on their calves and make a bald patch ; does this aplly to cycling as well ?

As for shaving - it's like this - when you stop it will all just grow back five times as dense and people will think you're a Greek.

Originally posted by john999
As for shaving - it's like this - when you stop it will all just grow back five times as dense and people will think you're a Greek.

Come on, that's just a wive's tale! I havn't heard of any evidence that supports that claim, as commonly believed as it is!
:beer:

I shave only my neck every couple days. Then I take the trimmer without the guard on and buzz the rest short a couple times a week. Slightly scruffy but still neat.
:beer:

yeah, i sometimes do the gotique thing, in all honesty i really only trim it down to mild scruff like twice a week with some trimmers, and shave about once a month. Unless i'm doing the gotique thing, then i shave the cheeks ever 3 days or so. I dont know what i'll do if i ever get a job the requires a clean shaven look or nicely trimmed facial hair :eek:

So, what's everyone's preferred hair removal method...shaving, cream, waxing, plucking...etc?

Shaving. With a razor. In the shower.

Shaving....

Well. Gotta go for the one-two punch. That bit just behind the knee where you can't quite get all the hair gone? Gotta go with the nair! That bit on the kneecaps you can't seem to get all off? Gotta go with the nair. There are other unmentionable places to use the nair, but I don't think it would be right to get into.

Other parts, gotta use the razor. I find that men's shaving cream (foam) works really well with shaving. I don't even have to get in the shower to shave! Wow, you men have it good.

And contrary to popular opinion, we don't just put on pants for a week and go without shaving. We just have to shave all the time- just like you guys shave beards. Otherwise, the amount of hair we'd grow on the legs would cut up our partner's legs at night. Besides, when you shave, it makes your legs look smoother and less like you have cellulite problems.

Ok, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!


Koffee Brown

ja, i shave my face about once or twice a week at the most- mine grows pretty fast so that means i have the 'George Michael' scruff look most of the time... i also do the gotee thing b/c it fits well with the scruff thing and reduces shaving time (also my girlfriend thinks it's cool)

i shave back of the neck once a week

then during bike season i shave the legs mabye once every 2-3 weeks - first use clippers, then shave with razor

and i take the clippers to my chest once a month or so so it's not so long (i hate body hair and liked it better before 25 when i didn't have any chest/neck/whatever hair... i'm 31 so hopefully i'll never have the hairy back...)

then i trim my hair on the sides maybe once a month so i don't have to get a haircut until 8 weeks instead of 5... (if i'm lucky like the last 2 months my girlfriend will help) save $15/$20 for more bike accessories or just so i can work less and ride more!

Ok... most the women that I personaly know... will just put on pants and go a week with out shaving.

I really don't care whether women shave or not. What's the big deal?

Cycletourist-

Lemmie tell you, I met a woman about a year ago who was riding a bike. She looked fine until she stretched her arm out to point something out to me, and about 3 inches of blonde underhair growth popped out....

Personally, I was grossed out. I couldn't look at her since.

I don't think it's real important for a woman to shave, but c'mon... out of control hair is just...


Yuck!


Koffee Brown


Would you like cream with that?

Hi Koffee,

I've been meaning to ask you.... are you a male or female? I can't tell from reading your posts.

BTW- the underarm hair doesn't bother me either.

Cycletourist:


Yuck!

Uugh!

I am not for the underarm air... eeeewww!

Well, last time I checked, I didn't see extra appendages down there. So I guess that should answer your question about which sex I am. I'll tell you what. I'll make a special trip to the bathroom tonight just to be on the safe side. ;)

As I stated before, shaved heads, shaved legs, shaved everything- plenty sexy to me! Dunno.... there's something about a guy who shaves his head that is soooooooo cool and inviting- they look like ice cream cones, and I loooooooooove me some ice cream! :p


Koffee Brown

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Whoa- there was a guy I knew in California who shaved everything but his crotch...
Koffee Brown

And how did you know that?

Ahhh! The X-rated reason! :D

Who the heck cares how she knew? This is a bike forum, not a sex chatroom. We talk about bike stuff here, not licking ice cream or wearing high heels. Sheesh!

a daring first post...

Oops!

:eek:

Sorry everyone... I could have sworn someone referred me to the horny cyclists forum.... I thought this was sex-u-upbikeforums.net.;)

Sorry everyone. I'll get it right at some point.... don't want to scare away the more tender-minded here....Can someone point my filthy mind in the correct direction?

;)


Koffee Brown:angel:

Originally posted by Cyclesister
Who the heck cares how she knew? This is a bike forum, not a sex chatroom. We talk about bike stuff here, not licking ice cream or wearing high heels. Sheesh!

Don't you just love righteous indignation? I think I'll go ride now...

Hey, Koffee Brown...climb outa the gutter. :eek:

And hey, Cyclesister...climb down off the high horse! :p

Wow, two newbies in the same day!

Welcome to the board :--)

Actually, I have been registered since February... just been lurking about. Thanks for the welcome. :)

It is not a wive's tale !

I know it from personal experience (asian women have strange ideas...)

You know those women with dense underarm hair ? They got that from shaving so much under their arms. That's why most men never get it that dense.
Same with, er, other areas that women shave.

i did the EAS 'Body For Life' last year, and when i took my 'after' pics, i shaved to show the progress i made. well, a year and a half later, i just cant let the hair grow back. there is no way i would be hairy again!!!!

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Cycletourist:
As I stated before, shaved heads, shaved legs, shaved everything- plenty sexy to me! Dunno.... there's something about a guy who shaves his head that is soooooooo cool and inviting- they look like ice cream cones, and I loooooooooove me some ice cream! :p

Koffee Brown

So, I take it that you don't like us guys with long, long hair (on head) and that don't have shaved legs and such. :beer: