rjklein

Ok, what is the point. Why shave? There is no way that those little hairs have save that much drag, and for the falling issue. Well if you have a crash and get road rash hair no hair is not going to make a diff.

pletcgm

The hair will make a difference if you crash and try to clean the wound with hair all over it! I know from personal experience, it sucks if you have hair!!!

Laggard

Not again.

shaharidan

leg shaving for cycling has nothing to do with aerodynamics. first as pletcgm said it has do with crashing. no hair results in less severe road rash type injuries, makes them easier to treat, allows them to heal faster, and there will be less complications.
second it allows for an easier better/massage, not really something average people may get very often but racers do.
so if you never crash or get massages, no need to shave.

RonH

Sorry but you're wrong. I had an accident six weeks ago. The cleanup by the paramedics was almost painless because there was no hair to get caught or pull. It healed faster than past road rash when I didn't shave.
Massage is much better too. When I first started riding (with hairy legs) and got a massage I thought it was great. Now massages are much better and my massage therapist says she prefers clients with shaved legs.

As shaharidan said if you don't crash or get massages then don't shave. But then you must remember that looks count too in the decision to shave. If you've got great looking legs why not show them off? Or are you ashamed of all your hard work?

Laggard

The main reasons I kept doing it was because there are few things grosser than hairy, sweaty legs poking out of a pair of skin tight shorts.

Also, it feels so much better to ride with shaved legs that you'll never go back.

Bryan T

That is the main reason for me.
Haven't (yet) experienced the crash test.

Smoothie104

when you are sliding across the pavement, even if you hit and think you didnt slide, you still sliding a little, and all those hairs will grab a bit and rip the wound more than if it wasn't. It is also easier to clean, and heals faster.

In reagard to Laggards comment about hairy sweaty legs sticking out of lycra shorts, no doubt. Imagine if someone like Betinni, or Peter Van Petegem (hairiest arms in the peloton) didn't shave, that would be funny as *****.

pletcgm

One more note: I shave my arms too...any skin that is exposed!

Ajay213

Here's a test for you. Take a couple of 6" strips of medical bandages, apply them to your hairy legs, wait about 10 minutes then rip them off.

Hurts like hell doesn't it.

Andrew

SteveE

Well, my wife likes 'em shaved. Since I started shaving the legs I've gotten some nice compliments on how they look. Too bad my riding ability isn't as good as my legs look!

MacMan

The road rash argument depends on the severity of the rash. I have a large road rash scar on my left calf - it covers half of it. The hairs never bothered me when it was healing because I'd rubbed all the skin off so badly that they simply never grew back

I needed a graft on it too, so maybe mine was a slightly exceptional case.

bbarend

Shaving is a commitment to cycling. If you shave you are saying I take this seriously. If I am not in the mood to ride I look at my legs and think am I a cyclist or some weirdo who shaves his legs. So I get on the bike and ride.

pacesetter

Looks!

bianchi_rider

you are riding at a good 20 mph pace, you swerve to miss a rock or pothole, and by chance you hit that small area of snad, you go down, you slide across the pavement, not to mention that sand that put you down, your leg is skinless and bleeding, you take your water bottle, spray your wound and wash it out and inspect your bike, get back on and continue.
Now with hair the sand, pavement, and whatever road debris happens to get inside the wound will not wash off as easy, the hair keeps it in and it hurts like hell, not to mention you have used both water bottles trying to get the wound free of sand, dirt and road debris.
hairless legs you spray with your water bottle, and tah-dah you get back on your bike and go, your finished, the sand, dirt and grime is gone and you still have a full water bottle and a half full or (half empty) water bottle because you drank a 1/4 of it and cleaned your wound with 1/4 of it.
The other reason for shaved legs are if you have the muscle tone, they look awsome, people always look and usually have something to say about it, and cyclist can spot you in a crowd anywhere.

joeveto

I'm considering it not for the above reasons, but for weight loss. I'm so freaking hairy, I'll probably drop ten pounds with just a vat of Nair and a razor.

Fugazi Dave

Because it's kinky.

August Spies

Here's the poseur test:

1) Find somebody who's the exact opposite of "hardcore"

2) Have them do something that is usually considered "hardcore"

3) If they can do it with no effort at all, it probably isn't hardcore.

Shaving one's legs doesn't prove anything. I could take anybody off the street, throw them in a pair of lycra shorts and run a razor up their legs. What would that prove? Let's see them move. That's the only *real* test of a biker, anything else is superfluous.

I'm not saying you shouldn't shave your legs. Or that you should. But I see way too many bikers out there that look cool as hell while standing still in their lycra suit and uber-pricey bike, yet still don't move any faster than the average redneck in a plaid flannel shirt on a 10-year-old mountain bike.

ultra-g

126 pro riders in the peloton disagree with you. Shaved skin heals faster too.

ultra-g

Messanger is spelled Messenger.

I'm Hardcore I think, because I have a rack on my track bike. It's hardcore because everyone else thinks it's silly, but because I have the guts to do it, it MUST BE.

I'm too scared to shave my legs though, I might offend some crazy messanger from Canada.

shaharidan

i'm fairly heavy and pretty slow, but im on my bike basically 7 days a week, i ride atleast 100 miles a week, usually closer150 miles a week, and sometimes 200.
am i hardcore or a poser?

bbarend

August Spies

I never said I was hardcore just commited. Generally I ride alone so who am I trying to impress. I would think we are all on the same team here. If you want to shave, shave if you don't, don't. If you want to judge me, I really don't care.

F1_Fan

Well put.

pacesetter

I would say your a poser if you shave, shaved legs on slow bike riders is a no no. i didn't shave till i could hang and ride off the front with the best in town. also a hundred miles is weak, that amounts to around 5 -6 hours a week for ya. a cycling athlete puts in a min of 13 hours a week. anyone who is serious training could care less about miles, its the quality of the ride workout that counts, the "time" in the saddle. riding 3 hundred miles a week don't impress me ride 20 hours+ and you got my respect.

demoncyclist

pacesetter-

way to make other cyclists feel welcome!!! maybe we should outlaw overweight people on bikes altogether. the jerk lessons are coming along nicely.