Do many people shave their legs?

PolarRoscoe

Can't make my mind up. Yes or No?

kumate_champ07

you dont have to if you dont want to. if youre a pro and getting massages every day the hairless legs make it easier,
theres not much of an aero advantage especially in a group

Andalucia

they look better shaved. make your way to the bathroom!

derealbadger

Man up and shave your legs ya big girl

Idleater

derealbadger wrote: »

Man up and shave your legs ya big girl

Season is practically over, summon up the courage over winter and try again next year.

pelevin

Lots of women shave their legs.

Beasty

I reckon getting on for half the adult population do....

.... I'm in the other half mind

Alek

....or join the dark side and be proud of your hairy guns

Lusk_Doyle

Idleater wrote: »

Season is practically over, summon up the courage over winter and try again next year.

Cx is still to begin so it ain't nearly over at all!

equivariant

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#33

Captain Havoc

07Lapierre

Shaving is so last year... Off to the salon and get your leghair lazered! Gone permanently!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Some of us don't stop at our legs, some say it makes the third one look longer too lol.

Realistically I'm a red head so I've the hair growth of a twelve year old alter boy so I've no need to shave. But from my reading of it there's a lot of advantages for the pro racer guys.

derealbadger

Joseph Alive Warfare wrote: »

Some of us don't stop at our legs, some say it makes the third one look longer too lol.

Realistically I'm a red head so I obliviously shave every bit of hair on my body so that people think I am normal

FYP:D

Darkglasses

Nope, I'm quite hairy and it's 100% not worth the effort, considering I'd have to shave more often than I cycle.

Lusk_Doyle

07Lapierre wrote: »

Shaving is so last year... Off to the salon and get your leghair lazered! Gone permanently!

Money bags! That must take a heap of visits to get done.

secman

One of the mates was slagging me early summer when the leggings were dumped for shorts.he was convinced I had shaved...only realised that I've no hairs on the legs .... used to years ago when I did shave them....looks like they never grew back... oddly enough , never noticed it myself !

07Lapierre

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Money bags! That must take a heap of visits to get done.

are your legs not worth it?

Lusk_Doyle

07Lapierre wrote: »

are your legs not worth it?

Possibly. Depends on how much "it" is really!

marty_crane

Considering how much of a pain shaving my face is, then-no!

OleRodrigo

If you do shave, make sure you get the bit behind the knee.

eeeee

It looks better. Way better. And it makes you faster. And it makes your calves look more chiseled.

The real question is why anyone wouldn't shave :P

Captain Havoc

This is me doing the Sean Kelly a few years ago.



Just like Darkglasses, shaving could take a long time and I have no Mrs. Havoc to help.

eeeee

Time for a full body wax Havoc?!

stecleary

07Lapierre wrote: »

are your legs not worth it?

His, no!

Harrybelafonte

Captain Havoc wrote: »

This is me doing the Sean Kelly a few years ago.



Just like Darkglasses, shaving could take a long time and I have no Mrs. Havoc to help.

Why would you need help? I still understand guys with a lot of hair being reluctant. But your face is the same? You'd still shave it. It's really not that much effort after awhile.

I think Gadetra is right though, the reasons not to are most interesting. Hassle for many, but emasculation seems to be an issue for loads.

stecleary

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Why would you need help? I still understand guys with a lot of hair being reluctant. But your face is the same? You'd still shave it. It's really not that much effort after awhile.

I'm one of those that usually has more hair on my face than on my legs. Beards counteract the legs and make you manly again

Stokolan

Specialized have done the research for us! They also have a video on arms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I

desertcircus

I never understood the aero claims for shaved legs. With anything that has a rounded rear (snigger) like a golf ball or a football, smoothness actually increases drag as there's no layer of turbulent air immediately behind the travelling object. This would imply that maximum aero requires a cyclist to shave the front of their legs (clean leading profile) but leave the backs of their legs hairy (producing turbulence and reducing drag)...

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

the reasons not to are most interesting.

Go on then - provide a single cycling reason to do so (as I have not seen a "valid" one in this thread so far)

Chips Lovell

Sod's law dictates the week you don't shave your legs is the week you'll crash.

Plus it looks better.

And the ladies like it.

NeedMoreGears

Just to add some confusion.....


http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/why-leaving-hair-on-your-legs-could-help-you-go-faster-186135

It now seems some form of mini-mohawk on your legs is the thing to do (or not, if like me marginal gains just won't cut it - I need gigantic gains!)

Darkglasses

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Why would you need help? I still understand guys with a lot of hair being reluctant. But your face is the same? You'd still shave it. It's really not that much effort after awhile.

I think Gadetra is right though, the reasons not to are most interesting. Hassle for many, but emasculation seems to be an issue for loads.

My face is exposed every day, my legs are exposed twice a week maximum and shaving them takes ages. Totally not worth it to me.

Harrybelafonte

Beasty wrote: »

Go on then - provide a single cycling reason to do so (as I have not seen a "valid" one in this thread so far)

Validity as you seem to imply is subjective, however, my non-aesthetic reasons are:

Hairless legs allow for easy and cost-effective application of sun cream during the summer months.

Hairless legs allow for easy and cost-effective application of baby oil during the wetter months for those of us who'd rather not wear leg warmers when it's raining.

With the first two in mind, I do it to massage my legs or get the occasional get someone to massage them for me... easier hairless. Massaging certain oils into your legs post cold and wet winter spins is a pleasure, and means less sitting around on the sofa after I return. So shaving is done in winter too.

I know you have crashed, as have I, and many others, and I think they'd all agree that trying to clean out a wound with hairy legs is not exactly pleasant, or at least, a lot less pleasant than doing it hairless. Then there's the bandaging and the hairy scabs.

Harrybelafonte

Darkglasses wrote: »

My face is exposed every day, my legs are exposed twice a week maximum and shaving them takes ages. Totally not worth it to me.

You're not cycling enough

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I know you have crashed, as have I, and many others, and I think they'd all agree that trying to clean out a wound with hairy legs is not exactly pleasant, or at least, a lot less pleasant than doing it hairless.

Depends who they belong to, but I've tended to use specific medical stuff to get mine cleaned out :P

Funnily enough though, my road rash has tended to avoid the hairy bits of my legs ....

(My "hairyish" arms have "suffered", but not due to the hairs!!)

Taxuser1

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

Sod's law dictates the week you don't shave your legs is the week you'll crash.

Plus it looks better.

And the ladies like it.

i wish this were true. My lady told me to man up.

OleRodrigo

Taking off/ putting on arm/leg warmers is a PITA with hair.

From a practical point of view, this is a good reason to shave, IMO.

ford2600

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Taking off/ putting on arm/leg warmers is a PITA with hair.

From a practical point of view, this is a good reason to shave, IMO.

You might not need to as much if you left the hair there... ☺

OleRodrigo

ford2600 wrote: »

You might not need to as much if you left the hair there... ☺

Stop with that making sense carry on.

Lusk_Doyle

I'm just going to say this:

I shave my armpits too.

07Lapierre

07Lapierre wrote: »

Shaving is so last year... Off to the salon and get your leghair lazered! Gone permanently!

What's a LAZER?

furiousox

Dr Evil has one.

Leroy42

Taxuser1 wrote: »

i wish this were true. My lady told me to man up.

I find that a very sexist remark and I hope you told her that hairy legs, or lack of hair, does not define a man and that she should reevaluate her neanderthalistic value system

eeeee

Beasty wrote: »

Go on then - provide a single cycling reason to do so (as I have not seen a "valid" one in this thread so far)

You go faster! What more do you need? Spending money on aero bikes, wheels, helmets and swimsuit only makes sense if you shave, think about it! It is one of the biggest and cheapest and most effective ways to save time, It's proven to make you faster, and as a pursuiter it's especially important. You surprise me Beasty!

dvntie

ford2600 wrote: »

You might not need to as much if you left the hair there... ☺

Funnily enough I've found the need to wear leg warmers less since I've started shaving my legs.
Strangely counterintuitive tbh. And it's nothing to do with the blatant lack of a summer either

johnk123

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

I'm just going to say this:

I shave my armpits too.

So Euro....

stecleary

gadetra wrote: »

Spending money on aero bikes, wheels, helmets and swimsuit only makes sense if you shave, think about it!

Are you suggesting we swim before or after a cycle? Careful now!

eeeee

stecleary wrote: »

Are you suggesting we swim before or after a cycle? Careful now!

ha ha ha never :eek:

I know Beasty has invested in a lot of nice kit, aero kit, and I think the kit is worth a shave. In fact both his track bikes told me they were embarrassed by his hairy ways...

stecleary

gadetra wrote: »

ha ha ha never :eek:

I know Beasty has invested in a lot of nice kit, aero kit, and I think the kit is worth a shave. In fact both his track bikes told me they were embarrassed by his hairy ways...

But he can't shave, he had a crash you know

Beasty

gadetra wrote: »

You go faster! What more do you need? Spending money on aero bikes, wheels, helmets and swimsuit only makes sense if you shave, think about it! It is one of the biggest and cheapest and most effective ways to save time, It's proven to make you faster, and as a pursuiter it's especially important. You surprise me Beasty!

Last three weeks or so I've managed to get away with shaving the face once - now I'm back at work I no longer have that "luxury" (and there's way too much grey to leave it all on display!!) - anyway, Brad's more than happy with his facial growth so don't see much in the way of "marginal gains" to be had by shaving

Indeed I saw one comment a couple of years ago that you can probably get more aero benefit from pinning back your ears than shaving your legs, and suspect that's a pretty accurate comment (except when wearing the new Bambino helmet I guess - but that's for the credit card thread!!)