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news
Summer shorts (picture - Imgur user Hyddrox).jpgHow high should you shave your legs? 'Shorts' sculpted with razor
It's one of those eternal questions that divide cyclists, or at least those who choose to shave their legs - just how high should you go with the razor?
Well, a member of the Imgur image-sharing community has added fuel to the debate by posting a picture entitled 'How to make a pair of summer shorts' - the 'shorts' in question in fact being the hair on someone's thighs above the point he (or she) stopped shaving.
The arresting image has attracted plenty of comments on the site.
It’s not clear whether the picture is of the person who posted it, and opinion seems split on whether the image depicts a man or a woman.
“Spoiler alert,” said one user, “That's not a dude” – but another countered, “As a woman, this is what my legs look like during my Spring shave.”
While some people were into the whole look, others felt – not to put too fine a point on it – repulsed.
“That just looks awful – for the sake of humanity, shave it all!” was one user’s opinion, but another said: “Is it weird as a girl to find hairy legs in a guy sexy?”
We’re assuming the person in the picture is a bike rider – as one reply said, “Some cyclists call those ‘hamster pants’.”
Some have commented by referencing fantasy books/movies. “Hobbit, that’s a hobbit,” wrote one, while another asked, “Narnia?”
> VecchioJo waxes lyrical about the joys of shaving
Do you shave your legs? And if so, how high is too high ... or how low is too low? Let us know in the comments.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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25 comments
That's definitely Mr Tumnus!
As a recent convert to shaved legs, my comments would be legs only. Be aware that hair has anti friction properties which can be very useful on a bike, stubble has the opposite!
Overall im now keen on the whole leg shaving thing, though I'd possibly say that you should be sporting defined muscles of sorts and a cycle tan.
Taper, taper, dude.
Why? For the intimidation factor of course.
(edit- duplicate post)
That was either a *very* hairy pair of legs, or else they've just glued extra hair onto their thighs for effect...
For men, I have no opinion on shaved or not, except to say that white shaved legs look like two bottles of sterilised milk. Please wait until they are tanned.
The only true answer to the question "Why do cyclists shave their legs?" is...
..Because.
Out of interest, why do you non-pros shave your legs? I don't personally and have no reason to.
Same reasons pros do it.
To show off them muscles.
Because pros shave their legs.
cf. Rule 40
Because putting a wetsuit on with my hairy legs hurts.
Yes I'm one of those occasionally.
Anyone else thinking of Mr Tumnus?
Yes, over on imgur. Also here (where I had assumed the original image came from):
https://twitter.com/UKCycleChat/status/767773467827638272
My legs are not shaved and the hair stops growing at the tanline, so basically the inverse of the photo.
If you go the shaved route, do you have to be a completist and go all the way to the waist?
I've considered shaving the full leg area mainly for easier massage and foam rolling but it'd still look daft to have a great hairy arse as well?
For the love of God, think of the stubble!
I tried it when I was 17 and had a BC coach. I did the whole leg. At first I kept noticing how cold my legs were outdoors, even wearing jeans, but of far more concern is a day or two later when the stubble appears and and forms an, ahem, abrasive relationship with your ballsack.
On both sides.
Its ok though, provided you have no objection to walking like John Wayne, sitting in a 'manspread' and sleeping like a starfish until you either shave again (every 24 hours?!) or let it grow to a softer length, then by avoiding a repeat performance, proceed to cultivate what can only be described as Wiggo's sideburns on the inside of each thigh.
the same thing on your backside would, I imagine, be quite the pain in the arse when trying to sit down and you get a Velcro-like sensation against your undies.
There's a reason Chewbacca isn't a cyclist, and Teenwolf was about Basketball!
All the way.
From head to toe?
Aero - nobody on here wants to wear helmets anyway.
I used to say that when I go from 95kgs to 85kgs then I'd shave my legs.
I'm now 83kgs and I'm not shaving them until I get to 75kgs.
To be honest, I don't hink I'll ever shave them.
If its leg, shave it!
When it stops being leg, stop!
Gran used to say always change your underwear daily in case you ended up in hospital (morbid drunks in denial are bags of fun).
Reckon the same applies to the hamster pants. Whack it all off, cos you never know