rsbob 

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.

gthomson

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.

Bald Paul

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.

BTinNYC

What about furry arms?

Genghis Kant

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

Hermes

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.

downhillmaster

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

rsbob 

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

indyfabz

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

indyfabz

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

bbbean 

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.

Hondo Gravel

I have nothing to say

zandoval 

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

Lets keep this thread going... Ha

79pmooney

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.)

BTinNYC

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...

rsbob 

bandages are for cuts but for severe weeping road rash people use 4 by 4s or larger held by white medical tape which is an absolute bugger to pull off with hairy legs. That stuff does not fall off.

DiabloScott

I always tell any medical people that my objective is to be their favorite patient. Then I ask them to tell me a story about their worst patient. Sometimes that gets me a little more personal care, but they usually don't want to get too specific.

The knee doctor told me her worst patients were drug abusers because they had no tolerance for pain at all, and the pain meds don't work.

Bearhawker

LOL - I once had a leg in traction with some seriously sticky tape - 1 strip down each side of the leg from hip to ankle.

When they pulled it off, those strips were the smoothest my legs have ever been.

I'll risk more tape before I ever bothered to shave. That applies universally head to toe.

rsbob 

Don’t shave, use electric trimmers. Much faster, no annoying stubble or ingrown hairs and you can have as much or little hair on your gams as you want. I used to shave in my 30s but and electric hair trimmer is the bomb. I use a Wahl for my noggin and legs and arms. My wife doesn’t miss my monkey hair.

mr_bill

Orthopedics is tough. It can hurt like hell, and they want you to keep ahead of the pain, but.

So, at risk of getting this old thread banished to Pills and Ills....

After my Achilles tendon surgery, I *HAD* to take narcotics to "keep ahead of the pain." I took the minimum number of pills before I brought the remainder to the local police station for disposal.

For my robotic assisted prostatectomy, I was not to shave anything, period. Please, listen to your doctors. It's not always a "favor."
(That said, somewhat surprised to wake up shaved where they shaved.)

After my surgery, I was hooked up to a patient controlled morphine drip, with instructions to again, "keep ahead of the pain." (I ended up using zero doses for the day I was a patient.)

Late that night, my roommate returned from complications from leg amputation surgery, and all night long loudly demanded morphine. The nurses let them know that the "pain team" was on the way. On the way. On the way.
The next morning the pain team expressed their concern about how to treat their pain given their prior abuse history.
That completely sucked, because I have no doubt that they were in pain. Rock, hard place.

Anyhow, I'm lucky that my Sasquatch factor is floating point underflow. I have always had more hair on my toes than I do on my legs.
(I also lost my armpit hair to hormone therapy. Which led to the interesting conversation with a nurse, "Well at least you don't have to shave anymore. Oh." But I got to keep my head hair and beard, so yeah!)

So, no, I don't shave my forearms.

-mr. bill

tilsover

Never considered shaving my legs, but if I did I wonder if my long-johns would slide on easier.

bbbean 

They won't slide on any easier, but you'll be much more aware of just how soft/course/itchy/comfy they are!

Flip Flop Rider

I used the clippers once and it actually felt great. May do it again

Calsun

I damaged both knees last year thanks to a neighbor letting her dog get loose and run out into the street. I needed to shave my legs to get the bandages to stick.