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Why shaved legs

Old 06-14-08, 12:25 PM
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Why shaved legs

Why do so many guys shave their legs. I was told long ago that it was to reduce the chance of infection if you crash. At our halfway rest this morning I told my riding buddy this and he thought that was silly. Anyone know the real reason?
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Old 06-14-08, 12:29 PM
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Hairy legs look nasty in spandex.
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Old 06-14-08, 12:39 PM
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They also cool faster than haired legs and are just a smidge more aero (and by that, we're talking about a tenth of a second over 30 miles).
And as someone who's been in crashes both haired and hairless, the hairless is far less painful in the wound cleaning, nor did I think I lost as much skin on the hairless go-round. But that may be variances in the types of crash.
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Old 06-14-08, 12:46 PM
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More Aero

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Originally Posted by cc700
i jam my thumbs up and back into the tubes. this way i can point my fingers straight out in front to split the wind and attain an even more aero profile, and the usual fixed gear - zen - connectedness feeling through the drivetrain is multiplied ten fold because my thumbs become one with the tubing.
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Old 06-14-08, 12:47 PM
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I don't care what the right reason is.
I do it because it looks cool and chicks really dig my smooth legs......even on the mountain bike.

Last edited by roadfix; 06-14-08 at 12:50 PM.
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Old 06-14-08, 12:48 PM
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No, it's not more aero. The only advantages are- easier to clean up road rash, and easier to get rub-downs after a ride during a stage race.
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Old 06-14-08, 01:04 PM
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Old 06-14-08, 01:10 PM
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+1 'Cause the chicks dig it !
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Old 06-14-08, 01:32 PM
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Originally Posted by roadfix
I do it because ... chicks really dig my smooth legs.....
Are you sure? How do you know?
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Old 06-14-08, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by ukie
Are you sure? How do you know?
My sample size of 1 says

But seriously, it is because of road rash (cleaning, bandages, etc.) and massages as said before. Anyone who thinks it is more aero is an idiot.
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Old 06-14-08, 01:39 PM
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Hair tickles in the wind.
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Old 06-14-08, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by bklein
Why do so many guys shave their legs. I was told long ago that it was to reduce the chance of infection if you crash. At our halfway rest this morning I told my riding buddy this and he thought that was silly. Anyone know the real reason?
I'm too lazy to see if anyone else responded with the correct answer, so here it is.

It's to help with cleaning out any wounds in case you're in a crash. Hair just gets in the way when you have road rash.
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Old 06-14-08, 01:40 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
Anyone who thinks it is more aero is an idiot.
As opposed to grown males who shave their legs and don't think it's more aero, they're obviously not idiots...
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Old 06-14-08, 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by jg300da
As opposed to grown males who shave their legs and don't think it's more aero, they're obviously not idiots...
There are practical reasons to shave legs. Being more aero is not one of them. Period.
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Old 06-14-08, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by roadfix
I don't care what the right reason is.
I do it because it looks cool and chicks really dig my smooth legs......even on the mountain bike.
I did notice when I did a mountain bike race I was the only one around with shaved legs
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Old 06-14-08, 02:43 PM
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Of course it's more aero. In fact, it's almost as aero as shaving the lawyer lips off your fork!
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Old 06-14-08, 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by bklein
Why do so many guys shave their legs. I was told long ago that it was to reduce the chance of infection if you crash. At our halfway rest this morning I told my riding buddy this and he thought that was silly. Anyone know the real reason?
While there may be some practical reasons for it, the main reasons are:
  • Vanity - shaved legs look better (stronger, sleeker, sexier) than hairy legs
  • Tradition / Tribal Ritual - simply put, "serious cyclists" shave their legs. It's part of the cycling "rite of passage".
  • Chicks dig it (especially, athletic chicks) - if my last 4 girlfriends are any indication .
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Old 06-14-08, 03:07 PM
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because.
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Old 06-14-08, 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by cedricbosch
No, it's not more aero. The only advantages are- easier to clean up road rash, and easier to get rub-downs after a ride during a stage race.
Bingo...as above

Riders were shaving before "aero" was the performance buzzword it is today. Ladies dig it on guys after they are told why and you get a real nice tan

k
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Old 06-14-08, 03:14 PM
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road-rash management. tearing a burn pad off a hair-matted, weeping wound is not something to enjoy twice daily.
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Old 06-14-08, 03:16 PM
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Old 06-14-08, 03:17 PM
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it looks and feels better. I ride so that I can have an excuse to shave my legs.
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Old 06-14-08, 03:17 PM
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same reason the body builders shave. Leg muscles look awesome all clean, tan and buff. My wife hates me.
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Old 06-14-08, 03:24 PM
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It's just another curiosity -- aside from the spandex -- that tends to lead the general public to assume we're gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). And in my astute observations over three decades of biking, I'm starting to believe that those who shave when there's no need to because they're not racers and therefore have no reason to crash and fall, are indeed gay (not that there's . . . ).
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Old 06-14-08, 03:27 PM
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+1
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