What's the gain?

Crashing.

John

I don't have much leg hair, so I've never shaved and thus don't know much about it. That said, I've been told that women like it and that it makes your legs more sensitive, so it's all good bed-wise. I belong to a bike club where "Hill is not a dirty word and only men shave their legs."

It's not only for crashing, but if you're hairy, it makes a measurable difference in your drag coefficient. Try it. It'll grow back.

Welcome to bike forums Genghis Kant . This is an 6 year old thread and many of the posters may not be still members. We suggest that you start a new thread on subject matters that interest you versus post to an old zombie thread.

To answer your question, Specialized did tests in their wind tunnel and found that shaving legs made a significant different in power saved. If you want to watch the video search Specialized Wintunnel shaved.

Here is an excerpt from Velonews…The tests showed that shaving the test subject’s legs reduced drag by about seven percent, saving 15 watts at the same speed. In theory, that translates to a 79-second advantage over a 40-kilometer time trial.

Riders work one or two seasons of training to improve the 40K time trial by 79 seconds. 79 seconds is a significant improvement.

All the Italians do it.

;)

I shave my legs. I started when I was 17, a Junior. Back then, definite peer pressure was at play with my Team and Club. I stopped in my early 30's when I no longer raced.
3 Years ago, I started shaving again because I race again; MTB and Road.

I do so because I find it helps me keep cooler - at least, it feels that way - in the warmer months and here in Portugal's Algarve region, we have over 300 days of Sun each year. I apply massage creams after hard training, I use warming lotions in Winter, I go to a Masseuse for a sports massage during racing season once a week. It all feels better shaved.

I had a crash 3 weeks ago, a 55km/h+ sprint accident where my chain came off and I hit the tar. I had Winter clothing on which took a beating and saved me from more severe road rash - but what I did get is all but gone now, healed quick, clean, no issues. I'm only just back on the bike nursing tendon strains but all going well and I'll be training again soon.

On my Club rides we have guys who don't shave, never will. Each to their own. Certainly there is no peer pressure among our Group and half the people who turn up for MTB racing don't shave. Personally, so long as I'm racing, training hard, I'll prefer to shave. When I eventually slow down and just ride for general fitness, the scenery and fresh air, maybe then I'll stop doing so again.

No, not crashing. Life post-crash. Less abrasion around the wound because those hair didn't get ripped out of your skin. No hairs in wound. No raw skin being pulled by hairs every time you change bandaging. Faster healing. And best of all, the words "thank you for shaving so I don't have to" by the ER nurse. (That shave is not fun.)

My first post-shave crash was 3 days after my first ever shave in a race. Got patched up by the race ambulance crew after the finish. Sold!

I've been shaving my legs for so long, it would be weird not to.

I notice I get more waves when I shave.

And, I am much faster.

I am on a recumbent and the hair on my legs opposes the airflow, effectively adding half an inch on each side of the leg.

100% of my road rash has been on my arms so far, cycling.

I've lost 2cm off a leg and ended up with pins above and below the knee in a motorcycle accident.

Body hair has never been an issue for any of my injuries.

I think leg-shaving is just next-level stuff for the hyper-vain subset in almost all cases. if you need to shave your legs to win a race, and can prove that it helped - awesome. would it help as much if you stripped the paint off the bike for weight savings? If so I'm guessing most leg shavers would never do that because, aesthetics.

I use the clippers on my legs several times per season, and occasionally shave. For me it's not about dropping 0.2 seconds, winning, or even being silky-smooth. It's about not looking like a Sasquach. It's personal grooming. It makes shower-time easier, it makes applying sunblock easier, and it keeps hair from poking out through my shorts/tights. When I do my legs, my back usually gets the same treatment.

I also shave my face for aesthetics.

In my opinion, unless you are an amateur or Pro racer, shaving your whole leg is pointless. I used to shave around my kneecaps so if I dumped the wound 'might' heal faster. As I look back on my non-racing bike career, I have crashed maybe a dozen times in my 50 years of riding. Only once did I skin-up my knees. Mostly it was hip rash or elbow rash.

I stopped shaving my knees years ago though.

As a competitive swimmer, in both high school and college, shaving down was mandatory by my high school coach and only recommended by my college coach. I always "felt" as though I was going faster when shaved but my times didn't prove that out. I think it's more of a confidence booster than anything else.

In cycling though, if you are competing, shaved legs makes it much easier and more effective when messaging the legs, and yes, I do believe that wounds may heal faster without a bunch of hair on the wound area.

I did it once, just to say I did. Meh.

OP, just do it and get it behind you. If it sticks, it sticks.

I had stitches in my shin once (non-cycling related) - the HM's had to pull out the flaps of curled up flesh to shave the hair off the skin before they could even start with the needle and thread.

Since I have body hair like a chimp, I use a Wahl clipper with the smallest guard and manscape my legs and arms. So I keep those areas about 1/4” and it makes applying sunscreen a snap.

Shaved my legs during my competitive days in my 30s but using clippers is so much easier and faster.

I always thought it was an old wives tale when people would say, if you start shaving a part of your body it would grow back twice as fast and twice as thick. Well, they were right so I don't shave any part of my body I don't have to other than my dome because most of the hair has already fallen out.

That being said, I'm sure I look like sasquatch on a bike when I'm out there in the summer. Oh well, I'm not riding to to look pleasing to other people.

That gave me goosebumps.

The road rash after my crash (hit by a car) was much easier to care for with shaved legs.
Besides, shaving makes it easier to see the fine details in my tattoos.

What about furry arms?

Yeah, I realized after replying that it was an old post. Sorry about that, but thanks for the explanation!

No impact on CdA. Specialized tested hairy arms versus shaved arms and beards versus shaved faces. Specialized found that it was the motion of the leg hair as one pedals that caused the increased CdA. In fact, Specialized tried different hair patterns.

So if you had shaved prior to the crash the ER would have been pleasant?

OMG! You are so right. Please don’t tell the pro and semi-pro racers or they might run for governor of California.

I started shaving my legs long before this thread was started in 2016.

You are in the running for today's oldest post quote prize. Good luck!

What about 'em? Same rules apply. Some shave 'em, some don't. Those who shave them get a benefit. Those who don't, don't. C'est la guerre.

Maybe we could discuss eyebrow trimming next.

I have nothing to say :lol:

Why shave... A butane lighter thins out the hairs quite nicely...

Lets keep this thread going... Ha

More pleasant. That shave by the ER nurse isn't fun. And she's more likely to take extra care if you have made her job easier. (Edit: I tell them this is why I shave.)

For years, my barely fuzzed family has been making fun of my hirsute growth. I recently discussed "real" road bikers shaving and they pretended horror and started mocking the Old Man.

As any mocked dad will know, absolutely know, that come warm weather...

:)