andre nickatina

I started shaving after I started racing track. It mostly feels and looks better - slight psychological advantage and feels better while sweating under the hot ass sun, and looks good with tanned legs in lycra. But it also really helped when I had a nasty crash and got some gnarly road rash all across my leg (about 5 inches long) and there was no hair to rip out or hasten an infection.

I'll probably stop for good until next spring when I go back to school.

TrendSpeed

Yes I shave often... But I did that way before I started riding, whats that got to do with anything?

Sinn

Why stop until school? Will you race with your school's club or something?

solbrothers

what is all this talk about hair and infections?

Dannihilator

Nope, but then I'm just too damn lazy to.

andre nickatina

Sorry, I worded that all wrong. I go to school at the end of the month. I'll stop shaving for the winter though.

anthegreat1

from my understanding a shaved leg is easier to clean in the case of road rash, and it is easier to massage a shaved leg. Rodies and racers usually do this for these reasons, others do it because they see people do it.

I don't race and I'm not a rodie so it'd be really weird for me to shave my legs

stevefaletto

lol wat.

mugatu

I don't shave my legs, but I do wear lycra almost all the time now. I wear bibs a lot, never thought I'd do that four years ago.

crushkilldstroy

Nice contribution dumbass.

I have an on again/off again relationship with shaving. Like others have said, it's a hell of a lot easier to clean up a wound that isn't covered in hair and it really does feel a lot cooler at speed. Unfortunately, I'm also extremely lazy so it's hard for me to keep it up. There's also the fact that I've kept a beard for the past 10 years or so, so I'm not as inspired to buy razors.

Metricoclock

As mentioned above, what exactly is the purpose or benefits?

I have been told by an old roadie that the biggest reasons for racers is when dealing with road rash and the lack of hair that would get ripped out when changing dressings.

But is there risks of the hair promoting infection or rashes, etc at times?

I do notice with riding in jeans i have areas that the hair gets rubbed right off and in some places the hair follicles or whats left of them don't look too happy.

stevefaletto

thanks dude i don't know. sorry i don't have much experience with shaving my man legs.

crushkilldstroy

I'd be willing to bet that most of the guys who "shave their man legs" could "kick the living **** out of you with their girly shaved legs."

Just sayin'.

jotog

I do in the summer and mostly not in the winter. I agree with Andre...mostly feels and looks better. A beautiful set of tanned, muscled, happy legs looks good on anyone. I also am very secure about my masculinity. Beauty is beauty hairy or not. Just sayin'

datako

I don't shave my legs.

My groupies do it for me.

grxnt.

i've been doing it for about a year..

i don't really even crash that much anymore.. it was really helpful at first.. now i'm just used to it/like it.

i'm thinking of starting the wax thing.. i'm just a little hesitant of going somewhere to get it done.. i walk into some salon and get some random girl, probably my age, to wax my legs?
AWKWARD.

ryanlovesyou

I never have but I understand the benefits. Road rash is the worst.

bike manhattan

i dont see the logic. i have never once fallen on my bike and ride like an idiot around the city most of the time. i got hit by a car door once but that's it. i fall a lot more skating and just let it be and its heals fine hair and all. i don't see the point of taking the time to do this every week when maybe you fall and scrape your leg once in a blue moon and even than from my experience hair does not seem to make any difference. sounds like road guys probably just say that because there shaved legs look great in a dress or something. it makes absolutely no sense to me. ifs its for comfort or something cool, but shaving to prevent infection from road rash? mine as well shave your arms too.

cavit8

Just above the knee

Sinn

I shave for the look and the psychological benefit. If I cant be cat1, I might as well look and sometimes feel the part.

andre nickatina

It's not like the road rash thing is the sole reason. It's also better if you get your legs massaged, it looks better in lycra, it feels better under hot weather and it makes you apart of the 'club'. It's also a long standing tradition and professional European road racers have arguably been doing it longer than women have...

tarman

It's a good thought, but really no studies have shown reduced infection rates from being hairless. Granted, most of the studies are done for surgical site infection (https://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004122.html), so applicability to cycling is inferred only. Let's just say it's for looks, shall we?

jdms mvp

less drag

epschoenly

shave my balls, thats because the old lady likes it.

supercub

shaving my face is enough of a burden. I try to use my razor as little as possible.