Hairy Cyclists and Shaving

dilatory

To my fellow hairy cyclists, where do you stop shaving? Just above the shorts line? My hair starts around my ankle and continues up around the butt cheeks... There's no real natural end to it all. Hairy shorts?

iron_duke

Eyebrows

foggymike

I work on the principle you don't want the old chap chaffing on stubble so I stop just before there's any risk involved :0)

Zerotails99

Being completely clean is more hygienic

menthel

I don't shave at all in the Winter usually but my face fuzz will go during the rest of the year...

morstar

Zerotails99 wrote:

Being completely clean is more hygienic

Where do you draw the line on this logic? Live in a sterilised bubble.
It's quite normal to have body hair and not suffer poor hygiene.

imposter2.0

Third leg-shaving thread in less than a week. It must be getting warmer out there. Keep it up fellas.

gethinceri

Zerotails99 wrote:

Being completely clean is more hygienic

Hogwash

diplodicus

Imposter wrote:

Third leg-shaving thread in less than a week. It must be getting warmer out there. Keep it up fellas.

I would perhaps consider shaving left and right legs, but never the third leg

dilatory

I'm the only guy on the start line of races now with hairy legs. I previously mocked the idea but now feel like I'm caving to peer pressure.

dilatory

I know it doesn't make a difference, but it does look pretty fucking good, no homo.

frisbee

Leg shaving has been tested in a wind tunnel, it makes more difference than pretty much anything other than tri bars and getting your position set up in a wind tunnel.

nweststeyn

What do you mean by 'pretty much anything' - frame, wheelset, component choice, helmet, clothing, etc? I'm pretty sure they make more difference than shaved legs.

As for shaving, I do the opposite to most and shave ABOVE the shorts line and leave the exposed bits. Grippers on shorts & leg warmers are much less irritating with bald upper legs.

HertsG

My HRM was giving some very funny numbers - I thought that I might have been about to peg out.

As of this morning, I now have two shaved patches on my chest and the HRM readings have returned to normal.

Daz555

OnYourRight wrote:

More importantly, shaved legs are part and parcel of cycle racing. You’d have to have a pretty good reason to show up at a race with hairy legs. “Being yourself” doesn’t cut it.

If you are competitive cyclist, where results count - sure, shave away......marginal gains and all that.

For the rest of us though, I just don't get it.

sheffsimon

OnYourRight wrote:

oxoman wrote:

Be the only guy with hairy legs and show them that shaven legs make no difference at all.
Don't cave in to peer pressure, be yourself.

It does seem to make a difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I

More importantly, shaved legs are part and parcel of cycle racing. You’d have to have a pretty good reason to show up at a race with hairy legs. “Being yourself” doesn’t cut it.

I've raced plenty times with unshaved legs, even won with unshaved legs, so if someone told me I had to have a good reason to show up at a race with hairy legs, they would get told to f*** off.

homers_double

I'm going for a ride tonight, hair and all.

frisbee

nweststeyn wrote:

What do you mean by 'pretty much anything' - frame, wheelset, component choice, helmet, clothing, etc? I'm pretty sure they make more difference than shaved legs.

As for shaving, I do the opposite to most and shave ABOVE the shorts line and leave the exposed bits. Grippers on shorts & leg warmers are much less irritating with bald upper legs.

Minor correction to what I posted, skin suit and tri bars are the biggies, followed by aero helmet.

Table in this link of the relative savings from various things:

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/

Specialized video says an average of 70 seconds from leg shaving. Basically the big lump on top of the bike generates all the drag.

ben@31

frisbee wrote:

Leg shaving has been tested in a wind tunnel, it makes more difference than pretty much anything other than tri bars and getting your position set up in a wind tunnel.

Rubbish. Who said this,Gillette ?

I'm sure the vast majority of us could make further improvements to our fitness. Our level of fitness would make the most difference.

frisbee

ben@31 wrote:

frisbee wrote:

Leg shaving has been tested in a wind tunnel, it makes more difference than pretty much anything other than tri bars and getting your position set up in a wind tunnel.

Rubbish. Who said this,Gillette ?

I'm sure the vast majority of us could make further improvements to our fitness. Our level of fitness would make the most difference.

Specialised, the people who sell expensive bikes...

sheffsimon

OnYourRight wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

If you are competitive cyclist, where results count - sure, shave away......marginal gains and all that.

For the rest of us though, I just don't get it.

Yeah, I’m talking about racing (though purists would extend that to any road cycling. Rule #33 and all that).

SheffSimon wrote:

I've raced plenty times with unshaved legs, even won with unshaved legs, so if someone told me I had to have a good reason to show up at a race with hairy legs, they would get told to f*** off.

Delightful. Hairy legs on MAMILs, hairy faces in the pro peloton … This is what has become of our beautiful sport. Woe betide the lot of you.

I've been riding long enough not to know that what makes this sport beautiful has nothing to do with shaving legs. Yes, I guess I'm now a MAMIL, but entered my first race as a clueless 12 year old....probably without much hair on legs or face

GeordieDave1

I've never shaved anywhere but my face, even the balding head only gets the clipper treatment.
Basically, I'm one fuzzy chap.
For me the potential disgruntlement of other cyclists at my hairy legs is far outweighed by the p**s taking that would happen on an epic level if I had shaved legs in the locker room at work. In short, they would destroy me.

morstar

I have never contemplated shaving my legs but even if I were to consider it, the need to shave for cycling perceived benefits would be outweighed by the need to keep my legs as knarly as possible for fell running purposes. The fact that one involves effort, discomfort and no real world benefit, whereas the other involves no effort means not shaving wins hands down.

Rod11

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andy_wrx

That Spesh windtunnel piece is a joke from those guys : not 1st April, but a joke anyway.

They have free access to a windtunnel in between their legitimate jobs, so they've made a whole set of videos on the aerodynamics of this and that

One concluded that the difference between a beard and cleanshaven was (IIRC) only one second over 40km - if it wasn't 1sec, it was 2...

The question they get emailed most is the shaved legs one, so they did this video : I expect they are still peeing themselves laughing as it virals across all the cycling and tri forums...

Cycling Caesar

To answer the OP, go all the way - it will look all kinds of daft if you have "hairy shorts"...

Pituophis

OnYourRight wrote:

andy_wrx wrote:

That Spesh windtunnel piece is a joke from those guys : not 1st April, but a joke anyway.

I considered this and rejected it (not least because there are no signs it’s a joke).

If you had to design a high-drag device, it would look something like hairy legs. You only have to ride a bike with unshaved legs, as I do, to realise they must cause significant drag. You can feel the wind tugging every hair. (Swimmers shave their whole body for similar reasons.) Things are made worse by the fact the legs take up a huge portion of the frontal area of a road cyclist, are in relatively clean air, intermittently move faster than the bike while pedalling, and affect the airflow over the rear of the bike.

Beards do nothing because they’re small and they only accelerate air that would otherwise be accelerated moments later by the head, helmet, shoulders, torso, etc.

I have to say I am genuinely impressed by your level of sensitivity! :shock:
I have hairy legs, and have never once "felt the wind tugging" any hair at all!!!
I am not suggesting that you cannot for one minute, but it makes me wonder how long is the hair on your legs?
All I ever seem to notice is how much my legs are aching, how hard I am breathing, or if its hot, how much sweat is dripping off my brow. Swirling leg hairs have never once crossed my mind.

Tjgoodhew

First race on Saturday.

Legs currently hairy. Thinking of getting the hair removal cream on them tonight altho the OH has already threatened to throw me out if i do !!

GGBiker

Go out for a long run with hairy legs in the summer and you'll find you catch a lot of flies in there also!

mpatts

hairy man shorts here. Essentially hair hotpants. The wife loves them.

sheffsimon

OnYourRight wrote:

Pituophis wrote:

I am not suggesting that you cannot for one minute, but it makes me wonder how long is the hair on your legs?

The individual hairs seem to be about 2 inches long (just checked for the first time in my life!). I can assure you I can feel the wind pulling them. If you can’t, maybe you need to ride faster?

I wouldn’t go near a road race like this, both because I’m sure it would slightly harm performance and because hairy legs look utterly ridiculous on a race bike.

:shock: :shock:

What species are you??