Road Cycling - Observations on leg shaving

I did my first ride with some serious cyclists on Sunday. OK, OK, I STARTED the ride, and got spat fairly early. There were racers, former racers, guys who could race but don't, and one delusional old fat guy. Oh, well, I'll be back and try to hang longer each time. Maybe some day I will finish.

Anyway, the point is I just happened to notice that one guy, who is a racer, didn't have shaved legs. Hmm. I started checking out other legs, carefully so as not to be noticed (that would be wierd). I would say that more than half the group of about 20 did NOT have shaved legs. Made me less self-conscious.

It wasn't as embarassing as I thought, getting dropped. Since I was sitting on the back anyway I doubt anyone ever noticed. :D
Rainman

Originally posted by RainmanP
I did my first ride with some serious cyclists on Sunday.

Raymond I thought you were a serious cyclist. :confused: ;)
I can't believe you let them drop you.
Of course you realize that if you shaved your legs you could have kept up. All that wind catching your leg hair. :D
:lol:

So how old were these guys?
I wouldn't even consider racing or riding fast and hard with a group in their 20s or 30s. Too young for me. I've got kids older than that. :eek:

That's really weird, Rainman. Considering you were riding with riders who do race, or are good enough TO race, the fact that that many don't shave their legs surprises me. On the big training ride I go out on, much like yours (you know, the Derby), almost EVERYONE shaves their legs, and not all are good enough to be racers (yes they DO get dropped...but...).

velo

Hairy legs are GOOD LUCK....kind of like a rabbit's foot. I thought you guys would have known this!








:mad: Just another excuse not to shave my legs

Well, I take my cycling seriously, as long as it's seriously fun, which so far it always has been. Actually these are older guys, mostly mid-30s to mid-40s, but a several 50 somethings and a couple older. But all of these guys have been at it for YEARS.

Velo, I know! That's why it struck me as unusual.

anyone with greased legs? now that would be weird. but AERO, sure.

Well, if people are looking, maybe it's time to get creative. Die the leg hair green, or kind of red, with purple highlights. Yeah. That's the ticket. And then shave them into a mohawk. Hair on the back, bald on the front. :p

it maybe the fact that they are not racing.

For example, I cannot bering myself to shave just yet because I am not that seasoned of a rider to feel justified doing it.

ANd I do a lot of other things other than cycling, such as going to the gym with friends and playing team sports. There would be a LOT of wierd looks if one day I went out with baby butt smooth legs, expecially I am popular for having hair legs.

Probably the same with those guys. If cycling is no longer the number one thing in their lives, they have other things to think about than shaving their legs. If they were training for racing specifically, I think they probably would do it.

there is nothing wrong with having shaved legs. i have done it for two years now, and if anything, have had men around me shave theirs, too. they dont even ride a bike!!!
i work out at the local gym and a lot of those guys have done it.
ya, sure, there are people i catch looking at me, but you know, when you are 6'7" and weigh a meezley 270lbs, they dont say a whole lot. :D
anyway, if you feel comfortable doing it, go for it.
oh, and dont forget to tan if needed;)

Yeah Samp,

but what if you are 5'6 like me and only 135 lbs?

Hehe

So far I have convinced my parents that its cool, and they are okay... now I have to break it to my friends, gently.:)

If you're going to shave, start before you get married.

I race but don't shave 'cause she won�ft let me. Every year when the season starts I whip out a razor and tell her I7m planning to shave and every year she tells me to sleep in another bed if I do.

Hairy legs are good camouflage, though. People tend to underestimate you...

my wife had reservations about me shaving also....... at first. then she saw that underneath all that dark hair was smooth defenition!!!!! made all the difference in the world.
actually, i workout even harder now that i can see my muscles growing. since i am so tall, i have naturally skinny calves. shaving just makes me work them even harder, and biking makes the work all that much more fun.:p
keep on bikin, and remember: always use a fresh razor!:D

Rainman,

Not to call you out, but, does this mean you're gonna shave or not?

Dollars to donuts, if you do, I will! We can put up before and after pics..:D

My wife is wondering why I offered.. but since the gauntlet is there...

Hairy legs???? :confused: What... are you Canadian??? :D

Be honest,how much does shaving really help? Unless you race for a living I cannot see the benefit.

Originally posted by mwillbrand
Hairy legs???? :confused: What... are you Canadian??? :D

You're closer to be Canadian than me!!:D

Ok guys, as a female I must say I wouldn't even look at a guy who doesn't shave. The definition it gives is sooo good!!!! An indication that the rest of the body might be the same:love:!!

And not just roadies shave, I went out with a AFL footballer for a while and about 50% of the guys on his team including him shaved, plus lots of guys at the gym seem to as well. If you've got muscle definition definatly shave I rekon!!!!

The only draw back of guys shaving is that they often have smoother legs than me.....cause I can get away with shaving every other day and guys cant!!

Oh and don't use her razor!! All the guys here use those good female shavers cause there better for the legs, apparently,.....
Good Luck

yes, if it were a group of active racers, i would expect more like 80% to shave or so --- but like someone already siad, these are mostly guys that COULD race but may not be. i usually only shave if i have a race or a long tour or i know i will be on the bike a lot - i don't shave in the winter.

as someone has said, shaving doesn't really make you much faster and it's mostly about making injuries easier to deal with (no hair stuck in the road-rash) and the look and the feel as well. i have known many really talented racers who didn't shave - it's not a requirement to be good, just a convenient thing that most do. plus it's become part of the culture and a sign of a "real" cyclist. i shave when i'm racing
1) for convenience for road-rash - at any given time i usually have some (i also mountain bike - i crashed last weekend in a race, scaping my shoulder, my right calf, my left and right knee, and spraining my finger which is not broken but in a tape wrap for 2 weeks)
2) the look
3) the psychologically feel - it feels faster which is good in racing


The only draw back of guys shaving is that they often have smoother legs than me.....cause I can get away with shaving every other day and guys cant!!

well, i'm lazy and i only shave with a razor maybe once or twice a month (usually the night before a race) and the rest of the time just use the clippers -- so i pretty much have stubble most of the time (i am lazy and also shave my face only every 2 or 3 days so i develop lots of stubble on my face too - i often have a gotee so i have less to shave)

As an XC racer I wore my hairy legs as a badge of honor. . . you know, rebellious, anti-establishment, be my own man, etc., and as a mountain biker you weren't expected to shave.

When I took up road racing I became increasingly self-conscious. I stood out. I looked around and found that many of the unshaven were newbies just giving it a go with no committment to the sport. There were some fast, unshaven guys, but it didn't matter if they stood out, because they were fast. Some were MTBers making the crossover like me, but they were experts/semi-pro in the dirt world.

I now shave twice a week. I like it, even without road rash, as it makes me feel serious about my cycling. I like it, because my legs look pretty darn good. I like it, because when people ask me about my legs it starts a conversation about cycling.

I hear shaved legs are good- insects can't get a foothold but hey I like wildlife