hbstovfam5

Yesterday I was going to shave my legs and my wife ask why. I told her because it is the thing to do when you ride road bikes and it looks cool.

Can someone share the real reason why we shave our legs?

Doctor Who

It's easier to put bandages on road-rashed legs if the leg hair is gone.

RonH

1. Road rash cleans easier and heals faster.
2. Sunscreen doesn't mix well with hair.
3. Leg grippers don't grip hairy legs.
4. Looks! Show off what you've worked hard for.
5. Once your wife feels those smooth, muscular legs...

Shaving is like wearing bib shorts. Once you start you can never go back.

bikenutr2000

- To clean road rash is much easier and less painful if there is no hair
- Rubbing your legs won't hurt as much
- Bike shorts will be more confortable
- It looks good
- If you have hair on your legs any sweat droplets will adhere to the hair and not your skin which is not effective, without hair sweat will stay and evaporate on your skin having a much greater cooling effect
- You will be taken more seriously as a cyclist
- Hairy legs scream neophite

Other notes:
- The part that you need to determine is how high do you go.
- Be careful around your knees and achilles heel
- Ingrown hairs really suck
- Take your time
- The learning curve to this procedure, and the first few times it is a procedure.
- You will get comments from friends about your legs but you will quickly learn it is all because of envy.

EastCoast

I totally agree!

jfmckenna

I don't do it. I've done it in the past but never kept up with it. I wonder too if this holds true: with hairy legs when you first hit the pavement (go in slow mo here) the hair will touch first followed by ever compressing flesh rite, so does the hair take hold of the pavement and as you slide away actually pull more skin off of ya???

BlueDevil

I dont think that the hair actually causes the roadrash to be worse, however, the surrounding hair gets ground into the wound, which can cause some big time infection and irritation, slowing the healing process. I experienced this first hand, after a rollerblading fall a few years back.. I am a pretty hairy guy, and after the crash, I had to pull hair out of the wound... NOT fun.. I left a few in that I didnt see, and even though I cleaned everything up, it still got infected (I beleive becuase of the hair).

I actually just took the plunge and shaved for the first time a couple weeks ago. Dont make the same mistakes I did, as ingrown hairs SUCK..

1) dont go too far up your legs.. I would start by going just above where your shorts are. I said "What the hell" and just did it way up my leg.. lots of ingrown hairs, and irritation from my shorts on my upper leg. Start off low, and work your way up... you can always take more off tomorrow if you feel comfortable with it.
2) For the first time, I would suggest shaving in the direction of the hair growth, not against it. This will not give you that super close shave, but the first time you do it your skin will be irritated, and this will help prevent ingrowns..
3) Aloe Vera Gel.. The stuff you use for sun burns.. get a big bottle of it.. really helps to ease the razor burn right after that first shave.
4) Lotion.. Get some good non-alergenic lotion, and moisturize those legs when you wake up, and before you go to bed. I always wondered why the GF did this.. until my nice shaved legs started getting all flaky and scaly..
5) Use a NEW razor, and never use the same razor again on your face.. I didnt do this myself, but a friend did.. this is to protect your face, not your legs..
6) Last one- stand in the shower with very warm water for a good 5 minutes before putting the cream on your legs. Then let the shaving cream sit for a good 2 minutes before starting the shave... this will soften up the hair so it is easier to cut.

Good luck with it..

ExMachina

Heck, I can't even get my FACE shaved on a regular basis!

The road rash argument is the most compelling reason to shave, but since some of the same guys I know who use that rational then refuse to wear a helmet, I can't think that self-preservation is REALLY the reason they shave their legs

CRSO

It makes it easier to get in to the "other" clubs on saturday night?

BikeInMN

after ride massages are much better with shaved legs

I think it's mostly a roadie culture thing for non racers. Do it if you want but if you don't, that should your choice. Only a real a-hole (or close friends) will bust your balls about it and they're not worth your time anyway (the a-holes that is).

MacMan

How many of us actually have this luxury though?

Is it better to shave or to use removal creme?

531Aussie

Hee, hee....I heard this twenty years ago, and I STILL don't know if it's bollocks or not.

I suppose a dry hairy leg will generate more friction that a bald leg covered with olive oil

531Aussie

Sometimes I self massage......true! It's sure hard to inflict pain on yourself.


Yuk! Too many chemicals in those creams

BikeInMN

My wife is quite the expert when it comes to sports massage so maybe my case is an exception. I recently did a 4 day stage race and cannot imagine doing it and feeling good each day without the daily massages. Not a deep tissue massage either but more of a move the blood around massage starting from the lower calf and working up from there. 15-20 minutes on each leg and you feel like a new man. For me it makes a huge difference in my recovery from day to day.

For the record, I shave and have never used a removal creme.

MacMan

I can imagine that would feel fantastic for your legs. I used to do Muay Thai and my trainer would always give a massage after the workouts. There are times when I think I did it just for the free massage!

jsfountain

i go faster with less wind resistance with my shaved legs...

Moistfly

Why not wax? It'll last longer and much less chance of getting ingrown hairs.

pacesetter

I shave because it looks good and the massagers like it. if anyone shaves for road rash, your a clumbsy rider and should work on your handling skills or perhaps get a 3 wheeler.i rode the most narly terrain mt biking 3 years crashed 1 time hurt my shoulder.been road riding 18 months group rides every weekend and avg 2 races a month, train 17 hours a week around 350 miles a week not 1 crash. i can tell who the clumbsy riders are and stay away from them, they guys who take a sip and are all over slow down get shaky ect. for you clumbsy cyclist practice track standing this will help your over all handling skills. start doing it standing, when you conger that do it sitting, then do it sitting with no hands, now you can ride change your clothes mix drinks ect in the peloton, now you have skills.

slvoid

Listen, what I do in the lower west side on saturday nights is none of your business.

slvoid

Unless you plan to shave 1/2 second per mile (pun intended), I don't know if the aerodynamics of shaving make THAT much of a normal difference for a person.

pacesetter

He has got to be joking.

jfmckenna

I hate to say it knock on wood but you will end up down on the pavement some day. Even if you are as good as you claim and never fall at your own fault then it's those that you say are clumbsy riders that will take you down

jfmckenna

you lucky dawg

BikeInMN

I have to say that I agree. If you ride enough and if you race, you will hit the pavement at one time or another.

I like to think my bike handling skills are top notch. I raced BMX for a good number of years back in the day and spent the better part of the 90s riding and racing mountain bikes. Cleaning technical sections of single track has never been a problem, the faster the better.

I don't hit the ground often but probably average a crash once every 6-7 thousand miles. Sometimes in a race when things are tight, all it takes is one guy having a momentary lapse and a dozen of you are laying on the pavement wondering what the heck happened.
Over last Memorial Day weekend in a local road race, the main pack was just tooling along, no pressure at all but echelons were forming due to cross winds. One guy near the front spaced out, touched a wheel and bam! 10 guys go down. (I got a great post-race massage that night BTW)
That's just the way it is.

holicow

That was a good list of the possible reasons from bikenutr2000:
Probably not untrue...


I don't think this is any major player in evaporative cooling. How often do your legs feel hot anyway? It's usually the rest of my body, but hey...


This is why I ride alone. I had enough of the elitism, on this and all the other subjects.... And I don't want to offend anyone with my natural fur...


Yeah, those guys in the pickup with Confederate flags will really envy your nice smooth legs...


At last, an honest response.