Does anyone leave their legs hairy??

nicube

I've been into road cycling properly since the Autumn so have worn nothing but tights but as the temperatures begin to creep up now it won't be long till the shorts are out, do any of you guys just leave the leg fuzz?
I've been putting off starting with the razor, not to mention the Mrs thinks I'm mental and hidden her razors

DavidJB

Only if you want to look like a weird gorilla scientists have taught how to ride a bike.

kajjal

The Mrs is correct, if you want lady legs just do it and don't use cycling as an excuse

iPete

Yes, it's stealthy on race day. By stealthy I mean amateur looking..

lostboysaint

Of course they do. Most of them!

curium

I've been a keen cyclists for about 10 years now and have never shaved my legs or even considered it. It's akin to buying expensive carbon everything, i.e. for most of us it is not the limiting factor in our performance!

As for aesthetics, men are supposed to have hairy legs.

All that said, if it gives you a psychological boost, go ahead.

sheffsimon

I used to shave my legs when I raced as a junior/early twenties. When I started racing again in my late 30's early 40's, didn't bother.

I have won races with hairy legs and without

Now I've stopped racing again, no way could I be bothered.

IanRCarter

curium wrote:

As for aesthetics, men are supposed to have hairy legs.

So do women then, or are all these pink razors, waxing products and epilators removing dead skin?

My advice to anybody would be - if you're worried about what people think, don't shave your legs, if you couldn't give a hoot what other people think about you, go for it (assuming you want to of course). I shave my legs in shorts season, I have a lot of leg hair and it just looks gross when coupled with lycra shorts.

nicube

Interesting views from both camps! I wouldn't care, I'm not very hairy at all apart from my knees down, might just trim it back so I'm not having to deal with stubble :?

davep1

I've been cycling for about 45 of my 50 years and although I have hairy legs, I have never bothered shaving them.

Back in my 20's I was unfortunate enough to get a pilonidal sinus, at the base of my spine...not to put to fine a point on it. The only treatment is to carve a chunk of flesh out of you and let it heal over a few weeks. Really not a nice experience and I could understand why anyone who has been through it once would find a different pastime; luckily for me it never came back. Part of the process after was shaving or "veeting" my butt cheeks, which I found another less than great experience.

So, I really don't see the point of shaving your legs just because you have your shorts on. It is a major pita, it's something else to have to stop blocking your shower drain or sink, if you don't keep on top of it it gets bloody itchy as it grows back, etc etc etc. Maybe if I was a pro and/or constantly crashing it would be worth the effort, but for anyone normal, nah.

navrig2

If you want to go faster, of course.

gotwood25

I prefer to think of it as 'leaving them manly'.
I have been mocked by racer friends for having 'manly legs' however I just can't bring myself to do it.

iron-clover

Yup, I've been racing for the last couple of years (TTs regularly, road races less so because without a car its near impossible to get to most of them...) and have only shaved my legs once, which was ahead of the last local road race last year and my clubs open 25 the next day.
I thought it felt quite nice and was quick with my electric shaver (I only use blades for my face now so don't mind using that) but I'm not bothered enough to do every week, but for big races and TTs in the height of summer I will if only for psychological reasons.

foggymike

As soon as it's time for 3/4 or shorts the legs get shaved until they are hidden under tights again next winter. I don't bother in winter though. It just takes 5 minutes every 2 or 3 days so no big deal. To me hairy legs just look ridiculous and ugly with lycra shorts but each to their own!

MountainMonster

I keep the hairy guns out all year around. No point in shaving if you dont need to have massages.

t4tomo

Its been scientifically proven that painting your bike red will give you a bigger performance advantage than shaving your legs

byke68

oxoman wrote:

Can't be bothered at my age, only thing I shave is my face occasionally.

As above. I don't race so no need to shave. Got some new bib-shorts to try out but hey, who cares about my legs. The missus likes them as they are.

BrandonA

Nicube wrote:

I've been into road cycling properly since the Autumn so have worn nothing but tights but as the temperatures begin to creep up now it won't be long till the shorts are out, do any of you guys just leave the leg fuzz?
I've been putting off starting with the razor, not to mention the Mrs thinks I'm mental and hidden her razors

The minority shave.

Specialized did wind tunnel testing last year and proved that shaving your arms also made your faster. You might want to consist this too.

imposter2.0

Second 'leg shaving' thread in two days - keep it up fellas...

viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=13022441

morstar

I think you'll find this is a not shaving you legs thread.
I don't and thinking it looks wrong is an interesting example of social conditioning.
As already stated, if you don't get the massage, it is of no purpose.

Pituophis

Someone "dead hard" told me that only ladies and transvestites shave their legs!
If he said it, it must be true so I leave mine furry and just shave my back.

davep1

t4tomo wrote:

Its been scientifically proven that painting your bike red will give you a bigger performance advantage than shaving your legs

Excellent! My new bike is red (18 days and counting) so I am gonna fly! :P

I read somewhere that the best effect was to shave the front facing surfaces and leave the backs hairy as that improves the boundary layer...

Shuggy76

If you've got tanned legs then shaving is alright, if you're into that sort of thing. For a man with no tan, legs 'must' remain hairy and lairy!

Daz555

I would never even consider shaving my legs. The idea is absurd.

It is as daft as me shaving my entire body including my head just so that I look a bit more like a "proper" swimmer when I go to the pool each week.

markhewitt1978

More of a question of does anyone shave their legs? Nobody in my cycling club does (that I've noticed!). When it's just something you do on a Sunday morning what's the point.

dav1d1

i veet mine, i think that it looks loads better when wearing shorts, just more clean and also when they are tanned looks good, i just do it once every few weeks when they start to come back

xixang

markhewitt1978 wrote:

More of a question of does anyone shave their legs? Nobody in my cycling club does (that I've noticed!). When it's just something you do on a Sunday morning what's the point.

On the contrary, In over 20 years and with 3 different clubs I've only come across one club rider who didn't.

DavidJB

markhewitt1978 wrote:

More of a question of does anyone shave their legs? Nobody in my cycling club does (that I've noticed!). When it's just something you do on a Sunday morning what's the point.

Choppers!