lotek 

with all this talk of hardcore riders, catagories etc.
I wondered, how many of us here shave their legs
specifically for riding (how do I say that and be
politically correct and not sexist?).

I just can't get myself to do it even tho
I know the benefits of shaved legs.
(and yes I have picked gravel out of
the road rash and hair...)

Marty

ridealot

I gotta say that I was wierded out at first. But I like it now. Coming up soon here I will be shaving them again because I will start wearing shorts when it gets warmer. My wife likes it now too. She used to laugh at me but now she thinks it is pretty cool.

poptart

so what you are trying to ask is how many *guys* on the fourms shave their legs

it's not just for cyclists any more:

https://www.arizonarepublic.com/smart...307boys07.html

this is going to make dating difficult for me.....

ljbike

I don't. Never have. Probably never will. My legs are naturally hairless.

LittleBigMan

After a crash last August, I had to shave a circular area around the two stawberries on my knees. Bandages just don't stick to the hair on my furry little beasties.

It would have looked funny, but I kept on long pants for a while.

kobyj

I've never shaved my legs; however, as I start to become more into biking and more competitive in my racing, I may start.

D*Alex

I think this year I'm going to do it again. My muscle tone is the best it's ever been, so might as well show it off. Besides, that way hairs don't poke out through my tights...........

RonH

We have had this discussion many times in the past. Some of the opinions of others can be found here and here.
And to answer your question, yes I do. :thumbup:

velo

Well, of course...but anyway! To the guys, I would definitely recommend it. It'll save a whole lot of pain and it's really not that bad for your image around other guys. Really!

KleinMp99

shave my legs? NO! that would be so dumb.....im not a woman!

Allister

Shave my legs? Nah. I can barely be bothered shaving my face most of the time. I'd never be able to keep up with that much yard word. Like my face my legs would be stubble most of the time. I don't think that would be much appreciated.

LightBoy

Yep.

Though I haven't in a few months, since I've been a pansy for much of the winter and not riding as much as I should be. Besides, my relationship is now officially long-term long-distance, so there's no one to get upset when I'm stubbly.

I'll do it again in the spring. I don't know how much it does for my riding, but it makes silk sheets feel really cool. That's enough reason for me.

greatlegs

Lightening, I'm with you, there is nothing like the feel of those cool sheets with freshly shaved legs--mmm. Personally, I think all men who are athletic and have muscular, defined legs should shave them. The reason women shave their legs is it looks better, right? Men's look better, too, without all the fur on them. This is in addition to the practical advantage that in event of a crash it's easier to clean up. Personally, while guys will all say that's the reason, I think most guys do it because the know it looks better, but in our society are not comfortable giving that as the prime reason.

In my experience, lots of women think they look great too, which is another good reason. I get many more favorable looks and comments when they are shaved. But, then, there are women who do NOT like that look, although many of them seem to get used to the idea, and then like it. I suspect it's the IDEA they don't like at first. The whole body hair thing is a strange anyway: those who want a guy totally natural still want his back hair removed. If that's the case, why stop there, and how is it OK to shave back hair but not leg hair?

I saw earlier in this thread a link to an article in Arizona about guys in their late teens, early 20's shaving, just to look good. I think among younger guys it is getting to be quite fashionable. The Wall Street Journal (not a radical publication, right?) had an article about waxing parties in college fraternities before the guys go to the beach. Lets face it: the hair really isn't that attractive, but most guys don't want to be obligated to shave it. Maybe that's why so many are resisting this trend. I wish this trend would hit the NBA: who wants to look at a close camera pan of some 6'8" guy's pit hair?

a2psyklnut

Shaved Once! My wife is still giving me grief over it!

I was reluctant for years. Yes, I heard the pros and cons and finally decided I'd try it to see how "I" liked it!

Wasn't too bad, felt very wierd at first, but I got used to it. Luckily I didn't crash to test out the "cleaning/bandage" usefulness of shaving.

In the end, "If momma ain't happy, ain't no one gonna be happy!" So to avoid any unfortunate demise, I'm fully leg-haired again!

L8R

greatlegs

Why did she care so much that you shaved your legs that she still is giving you grief? Seems like a pretty intense reaction to some fuzz on your legs (or lack thereof)!

John E

Every time I hear about this topic, I am reminded of that great scene in "Breaking Away," in which our Masi-riding protagonist is singing Italian opera arias whilst shaving his legs for the first time. His father looks in the bathroom, rushes to his wife, and says, "He's shaving ..." She responds, "So? He is a 17-year-old male." He continues, "... his LEGS!"

Dutchy

Shave my legs? Nah. I can barely be bothered shaving my face most of the time. I'd never be able to keep up with that much yard word. Like my face my legs would be stubble most of the time. I don't think that would be much appreciated.


I agree. I hate shaving my face so I'm not about to find more areas to shave. I have joked about shaving my legs to my wife.
Well she just goes mental and says "I married a man not a boy" in reference to not having hairy legs.
People say legs look better shaved, I'm not that vain so I couldn't care. Besides I'm never one to follow the pack.

I like to keep the peace.

CHEERS.

Mark.

spanners

If I started shaving I guess I would start with my face. Then maybe my head. Legs would be third place I guess. After 30 years of not shaving I'd have come up with some really good incentive though, better than any of the reasons I've seen here.

Moose

A truly telling poll would be:

Do You Shave Your Uni-brow?

yes, no or only for weddings and stuff

RegularGuy

My legs are naturally pretty hairy. I shaved them for a season. I liked it. It made it easier to clean off chain ring tattoos, slather on SPF 30, etc. I didn't crash that season, so I can't address the road rash issue. I don't race, so I don't face a lot of peer pressure to shave. My S.O. didn't like my legs hairless, so I do face negative peer pressure. That's why I don't shave them anymore.

I don't shave my unibrow. I don't have a unibrow. Shoot! Even my moustache has a natural part down the middle.

<Insert Smiley with bandito moustache here.>

bikeman

I've shaved my legs for cycling for over 10 years. I don't race, but I ride a lot and I like the look and feel.

It's funny but in that length of time I think only about 5 people outside of my family have ever noticed it. My legs are slim, but defined and I think look better hairless. Besides I've experienced the benefit of the lack of hair quite a few times when it comes to road rash, gashes, and scrapes on the legs. Especially last August with a really nasty injury on my right knee. In fact if I had hair on my knee when I fell it would have been much harder and more painful to clean it after the fall.

My wife doesn't mind unless I let it go too long and gets stubbly (spelling?). I think she actually likes it better than hairy, less defined looking legs.

I used to let it go during the winter months and shave it off on the first day of Spring as a rite of passage. For the last 4-5 years I've kept shaving. It is too much of a pain to clip it all off in the spring. I'd rather do it once a week.

Once you shave it you have to stick with it. I have a friend who shaved his legs on a dare from a buddy on a week-long bike trip. It looked good on him, but he found it too much of a hassle since he's a lot hairier than me. To each his own.

A little story I just thought of. A couple of years ago I got to ride with Greg LeMond on a ride near my home. I actually got to ride right next to him and talk . He was very nice and still fast as hell. We joked around a bit, told a couple of stories, between my panting to keep up and he related that even he used to get hassled by his golfing partners during his racing days about his shaved legs. Hard to believe they didn't understand, but they were golfers after all.

RainmanP

Maybe there should be a choice for "Not yet". I haven't yet, but I could if I start training for racing. Rainbabe says "No!", but I think she could be convinced and maybe even like it. Do any of the hair removal creams work? I really hate actual shaving which is one benefit of wearing a beard.
Rainman

greatlegs

First, an answer to the immediate question: "Do hair removal creams work?" The answer is sort of: they remove the hair, but leave you stubbly. Shaving actually pulls the hair out a bit as it cuts, so you get a smoother feel. Creams work right on the surface. It feels like you need a shave immediately after.

As a general response to this post, I'm continually amazed at how strongly people react to shaving a bit of hair! I wonder if it was like this when women started shaving their legs? It hasn't been that long, really. The women really are one extreme or the other: some love it, some hate it. What I think, though, is they don't like their man breaking with social norms in a way that we have been taught is feminine: namely shaving your legs. Almost every woman who has endured it for a while has gotten to like it, however. And, of course, guys are not inclined to actively do something that will bring on their lady's anger! What a bunch of wimps!

The funny thing is, like someone said earlier, most people don't even notice if your legs are shaved or not. Guys vary in hairiness, anyhow. We should look on it like clothing: If it looks and feels good, wear it (or shave it off)!

bikeman

How many of you have seen the cult classic "Breaking Away" about the little town of Bloomington, Indiana and the young wannabe bike racer. One of the first scenes in the movie is when Dave the lead character and his buddies are heading off to the local swimming hole and his macho buddy asks him if he's really going to shave his legs for the big local bike race.

Dave is fascinated by Italian bike racers and says "Of course , all the Italians do it". His macho buddy responds with a comment like "Italy, what a country, the men shave their legs and the women don't". Not totally accurate of course, but represents the midwestern attitudes of the 70's (and today?).

Of course a later scene is Dave trimming off the fur in the bathroom singing Italian arias when his VERY conservative father accidently walks in on him. His reaction is one of total disbelief when he tells Dave's mother what he's doing. He's convinced his son is a total wacko.

If you've never seen the movie is is worth a watch. It was shot in central Indiana and I've been there a number of times and seen where they shot the picture. A classic and very funny and touching at the same time. The cast of characters was:

Mike (Dennis Quaid), Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley), Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Dave (Dennis Christopher)

Breaking Away the Movie review

rat

Wow, that's odd. I just saw that movie today. Great flick, and apparently adored my cyclists all over even though it's not really about bicycling. Daniel Stern was especially good .