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-   -   leg shaving (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/734516-leg-shaving.html)

roflmao147 05-11-11 10:16 AM

leg shaving
 
i recently joined a cycling club, and went to my first club race last night, and the first thing i noticed was that nearly all had shaved legs. what are the advantages to shaving legs for racing? if any? im only 16 but have a decent growth on my legs :D. and if the advantages do outweigh my embarassment i might shave mine, so how do i go about doing it?

maverick31210 05-11-11 10:21 AM

I honestly think that shaving your legs does not make a difference. Unless youre at top level where milliseconds make a difference. But try wearing bike shorts with furry legs lol......i think it looks kind of funny.

Pwnt 05-11-11 10:21 AM

One advatange will be....you won't be the only guy with hairy legs on your team ride. :D

badhat 05-11-11 10:22 AM

so its greatest hits week in the 41. i guess.


leg shaving

90% just a cultural/aesthetic thing, honestly.

but it does feel really good.

and it makes embrocation and muscle cream easier to apply. and massage feels better.

also easier to clean and dress road rash without hair on it.

but yeah, its largely vanity/fashion. nothing wrong with that of course. so is much of what we wear/do to our bodies.

98TJ 05-11-11 10:24 AM

The reasoning I've heard to justify shaved legs is that when you get road rash there's no hair to contend with.

Yet these same people don't shave their arms...and when you go down you arms will get rash as well.

I don't shave.

roflmao147 05-11-11 10:26 AM

so how do i go about shaving my legs? normal shaver? electric shaver? and im guessing not to use the same one im using for my face hair? sorry for the questions, im still only an amature :D

Ti Guy 05-11-11 10:27 AM

Do I shave my legs, yes. Would I shave my legs at 16, no. I can only imagine the teasing and ridicule that one would receive at that age.

urbanknight 05-11-11 10:27 AM

1) Leg massages are more effective
2) Applying sun block is easier (and takes less of it)
3) If you crash, the road rash is easier to clean and treat
4) It is NOT about aerodynamics

When I was 14, I had a teammate who refused to shave his legs. I'm not sure if anyone even noticed other than his teammates when the topic came up. When we went to Junior Nationals, he saw that everyone there shaved, so he caved in to the peer pressure and tried it. Too bad his mom wasn't there to give him advice, because he just took a blade into the shower and shaved without soap, oil, or cream. His razor rash looked like a chronic disease.

LowCel 05-11-11 10:27 AM

I use clippers first (when hair is long) and after that I just use my regular razor and shaving cream.

urbanknight 05-11-11 10:29 AM


Originally Posted by Ti Guy (Post 12627613)
Do I shave my legs, yes. Would I shave my legs at 16, no. I can only imagine the teasing and ridicule that one would receive at that age.

I started at age 13, and the teasing was well worth the extra attention I got from the ladies in middle school. They all wanted to feel my legs, let me feel theirs for comparison, and sit and talk with me to give me shaving tips. In high school, nobody seemed to care either way. A few of them casually asked if I was on the swim team.

Diegomayra 05-11-11 10:29 AM

Watching "Hell on Wheels", a documentary following T-Mobile team during the Tour de France, the team therapist said it was vital to have shaven leg for the deep tissue massaging that top cyclist need post rides to reduce swelling.

I shave, its a preference thing, I don't race or need deep tissue massages, however I do hate getting bugs in my leg hairs, plus sweaty-defined cycling legs look cooler when they're shaven. Yep, its a man-love thing.

Homebrew01 05-11-11 10:47 AM


Originally Posted by badhat (Post 12627587)
so its greatest hits week in the 41. i guess.

What do you mean ? We haven't discussed this for over a week.

c_mack9 05-11-11 10:48 AM

do yall just shave from the shorts line down or your entire leg? ive been considering it but curious about how high to go up. im from KY, theres NO way in hell girls around here would prefer shaved legs on a man.

Homebrew01 05-11-11 10:48 AM


Originally Posted by roflmao147 (Post 12627552)
i recently joined a cycling club, and went to my first club race last night, and the first thing i noticed was that nearly all had shaved legs. what are the advantages to shaving legs for racing? if any? im only 16 but have a decent growth on my legs :D. and if the advantages do outweigh my embarassment i might shave mine, so how do i go about doing it?

Electric trimmer to get rid of the old growth forest, then a regular blade for maintenance.

nycphotography 05-11-11 10:50 AM


Originally Posted by roflmao147 (Post 12627552)
i recently joined a cycling club, and went to my first club race last night, and the first thing i noticed was that nearly all had shaved legs. what are the advantages to shaving legs for racing? if any? im only 16 but have a decent growth on my legs :D. and if the advantages do outweigh my embarassment i might shave mine, so how do i go about doing it?

They show off your lean muscular legs. They fit in with the group (cyclists) but not with the larger population.

You can always try trimming first. Try a #3. then a #2. And decide how low you're willing to go.

kleinboogie 05-11-11 10:51 AM


Originally Posted by c_mack9 (Post 12627718)
do yall just shave from the shorts line down or your entire leg? ive been considering it but curious about how high to go up. im from KY, theres NO way in hell girls around here would prefer shaved legs on a man.

Up to you where to stop. You don't care about girls, you care about the girl. That one will dig it. GL

badhat 05-11-11 10:52 AM


Originally Posted by nycphotography (Post 12627730)
They show off your lean muscular legs. They fit in with the group (cyclists) but not with the larger population.

.

honestly though how often are you in a situation where the "larger population" is paying attention to whether or not your legs are shaved?

i'm at a loss for any times its ever come up, or a single time i've ever gotten a look.

zkgiant 05-11-11 10:54 AM

I don't shave my legs for the same reasons that I only shave my face like once a week (If I have a meeting or some other social event the following day). The hair doesn't bother me in any way and I don't find the process of shaving to be pleasant. Although I suspect it would be more pleasant if I did it more frequently....

mkadam68 05-11-11 10:54 AM


Originally Posted by c_mack9 (Post 12627718)
do yall just shave from the shorts line down or your entire leg? ive been considering it but curious about how high to go up. im from KY, theres NO way in hell girls around here would prefer shaved legs on a man.

They will when they see the muscular legs better. Hair covers it up.

mkadam68 05-11-11 10:55 AM


Originally Posted by Homebrew01 (Post 12627722)
Electric trimmer to get rid of the old growth forest, then a regular blade for maintenance.

This right here.

And use shaving cream when you use the bladed razor.

Seattle Forrest 05-11-11 10:58 AM

Don't do it!

Pwnt 05-11-11 11:01 AM

I can't bring myself to do it. I just can't.....

roflmao147 05-11-11 11:02 AM

i am getting quite tempted, i just need to buy a razor, i'll soon be shaving my face, do i need to buy 2? or does the one razor do both?


Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest (Post 12627777)
Don't do it!

explain yourself

nycphotography 05-11-11 11:04 AM


Originally Posted by badhat (Post 12627743)
honestly though how often are you in a situation where the "larger population" is paying attention to whether or not your legs are shaved?

i'm at a loss for any times its ever come up, or a single time i've ever gotten a look.

I just whack down the foilage to a manageable reduced height (#2 on the Wahl, whole body)... and it looks much better. I still have hair on my legs, no shaving pimples, no open pores, and I can say with a straight face that I don't shave my legs, but of course I groom myself, what kind of slob doesn't?

And surprise surprise, girls DO like it. Even girls that like manly men. They get to see the muscle definition, and there's still manly hair... just not a big tangly bush of it.

urbanknight 05-11-11 11:05 AM


Originally Posted by c_mack9 (Post 12627718)
do yall just shave from the shorts line down or your entire leg? ive been considering it but curious about how high to go up. im from KY, theres NO way in hell girls around here would prefer shaved legs on a man.

You don't know much about women.

Shave the entire leg. The most common place to get road rash is by your hip. Don't shave the man bush, but trim it. It makes it look bigger.

fwiw I don't shave anymore. My skin hated it, and getting constant razor rash that made red as a lobster was in no way better than having to pick little pieces of asphalt out of my skin and fur once every few years.


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