To Shave or Not To Shave

Well, i've tried it this year although gone a bit feral over the winter. I go with the 'feels nice' and 'you can see the muscle definition'. I'm converted. Or a weirdo.

I'm lucky enough to have inherited legs with hardly any hair, and lost the hair of my shins from years of skiing. So no need to shave here.

Am I kidding myself?

I'm lucky enough to have inherited legs with hardly any hair, and lost the hair of my shins from years of skiing. So no need to shave here.

Am I kidding myself?

If you look like a racing snake then it lends credibility to the, 'I'm a cyclist' answer, when someone asks about said shaven legs. However if you come up with that answer and you have to move your gut to see your shaven legs, it's possibly slightly less compelling! I fall somewhere in between these camps, hence non shaven legs. Can't say I'm not tempted to see what benefits there may be though.....decisions decisions! Hmmmmmm

In an era where the agregation of marginal gains is clearly effective, I'm surprised that people haven't researched the question of aerodynamics on Google.

If they did, they would discover research by the eminent Mike Burrows, who discovered that whilst really hairly legs slowed you down, slightly hairy legs were in fact more aero than shaved ones.

And if you want to go to extremes, he discovered that slightly hairy legs, but with a shaved strip down each shin, were the speediest legs of all.

But where does one stop? Just above the shorts line? I would look like I was wearing hairy shorts then. Thighs. How about waist level? Balls and arse could do with it. Then I would look like I was wearing a hairy shirt!

I've just taken the clippers to the jungle on my legs, not trimmed since end of November but now the new year is here it's time to shave again. Shaved legs are better when in the wet as there is no hair to dry off, a quick wipe down as I'm sorting myself out when I get into work and a dusting of talc powder is how I dry my shaven legs.

1) "Easier after a crash". My downhill biker friends DEFINITELY don't shave their legs. And they hit the deck much more regularly than I do.

2) "Aero gains". Really? I mean, reaaaally?

3) "Looks better". Worth having to explain yourself to your non-roadie mates?

As you can tell I don't plan on shaving my legs any time soon.

Personally, the Rules be damned; I find the obligation to shave my face every morning quite burdensome enough.

Hmm, there is so much more I could do to improve performance before leg shaving enters the equation. Each to their own I suppose

Don't bother.

I'm a man in my 40's and first thought about this last year - I put the call out on facebook to my female friends: they all said "WAX!" but that only tells part of the story. I think until your hairs have got thinner and fewer due to repeat removal home waxing with strips is only ever going to be unbelievably painful and ineffective. Maybe if you can afford a professional job then it's the best way.

Shaving takes a while and it's hard to do the bits around the back of your leg etc.

If I were you I'd go for Veet "first time", follow the instructions properly and make sure it goes nowhere near your nethers.

This question arises every year when the sun begins to shine.Shaving legs for racing cyclists was not a remedy for going faster unless you had hair like a sheeps back on your legs.
The main reason it allowed massage of fluids(wintergreen in my day)massaged to the legs to warm muscles and to give some protection from wet mornings riding a TT/RR.In hot days when riding and tar melted on the roads( yes this used to happen)and little beasties attached themselves,removal was easy after the event.It also allowed treatment for gravel rash and the less painfull removal of the dreaded ELASTOPLAST if needed.

Never shaved my legs. Grew up into BMX, then MTB so no need.

That said, now I am more roadie than mtber I was tempted last summer but the wife and kids were requesting quite strongly that I didn't!

However, after my long lay off due to injury, one of the side issues has been sleep. In particular that I can't sleep on my right side much. Over the last few months this has meant I am now seeing lessening of leg hair down one side of my left leg! Yes really. I might have to shave this summer when I break out the shorts or look like I have a stripe!

And your spuds!

[[[ I always thought shaved legs meant you were a racing cyclist...even when you weren't.
P.R.

A badge of commitment, innit?

Shaving your legs means you care enough about posing er... cycling you're willing to be ridiculed by 99% of the population.

"What do they know anyway!"

My girlfriend is happy for me to have five bikes but draws the line at me shaving my legs. That's a p45 offense apparently. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

I'm also toying with this, not sure it is properly allowed in Yorkshire though. I did have an off recently which resulted in a cut knee, hair & scabs together are not a nice combination.

I never thought i'd shave my legs, but have been doing so past 5 years, it is one of the best things i've done. Your bib shorts no longer ride up your thighs due to hair, instead grip solidly to your thigh muscle & as yorkshiremike says, definition looks great, you'll not be disappointed!

Rob, I took the plunge and went for it a few weeks ago. I decided to try it now before the weather warmed so if I wasn't keen I could keep it hidden beneath my bibtights and if I did want to keep it up, I'd be casual about it and not too self aware! In all honesty, it makes my legs look better, bringing out definition I never knew I had. My girlfriend doesn't complain, and aside from nicking myself the first couple of times, it's painless and quick if you keep on top of it.

I've also noticed an obvious increase in my trophy stats on Strava as well since shaving!

Unless you are regularly spending several hours a day in cycling kit, and are sufficiently hairy for it to poke through for the horrifying 'furry lycra' look, I just don't see why anyone wouldn't rather be doing something else.

#33 motivates me to be the disher of pain, albeit a hairy disher

I just don't understand why you would. Aerodynamic? I'm sure there are better ways to save milliseconds. Easier when you crash? I'll take my chances. Worried about standing out against the crowd? Do so with pride.

I shaved my legs once, it was 'interesting.' The smoothness felt great and it was good in my shorts; BUT when I was sitting in the office or watching TV at home wearing trousers, every time I moved my legs I felt the material swishing against my legs. The hyper-sensitivity was distracting most of the time and just kept reminding me that I have shaved legs.

When it grew out a bit the feeling stopped. So now I just use the clippers and have No.1 trim a couple of times in the summer; it very nearly the same but not distracting and saves me having to shave every week as the ladies must have to do.

Try it, you might like it if you have the patience to get used to the feeling; if not just trim if all you want to do is not look like a hairy monster in the peloton.

Shave your legs NOT your face