Originally Posted by timcupery

Sociologically speaking, this is basically a style thing, along the lines of
* Serious cyclists shave their legs
* I am (or want to think of myself as, or want to appear to others as) a serious cyclist
* Therefore, I should shave my legs, so that:
- I can look more like a serious cyclist to myself
- I can look more like a serious cyclist to others

Another style reason is that it makes your legs look more defined, which can be kind of cool...