Shaving your legs?

Hahahaha those rules are hilarious and as sad as it may sound… they are all pretty much true.
What’s next? Self inflicted alopecia?

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No matter how well I shave them I never seen to get any faster on the trainer. :wink:

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I’m a roadie and TTer…but still can’t bring myself to shave legs. Step too far!!!

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When I started shaving the wife ridiculed me a touch. Now she is completely on board and has urged further manscaping. Nudge, nudge; know what I mean :wink:

I use a trimmer and just keep it neat and everyone’s happy

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Exactomundo.

You could definitely get away with hairy legs in a RR but makes no sense to give away free time in time trials, ~1 sec/km.

I won a 20km TT by 20 seconds…if I didn’t shave I could have lost. Just sayin.

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I wasn’t quite obvious but, as a non-shaver I do try to go out there and dish out some hurt to the shavers.

Also, kind of funny but I don’t need to apply sunscreen to my legs… I have natural sunscreen. But then again I live on the east coast so we don’t ride much exposed to the sun.

My hairy legs were like a flytrap this summer. After I started shaving them, no more bugs and flies for me!

Extra plus : impress your opponents with your ripped calves. :sunglasses:

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How far up do you go? Just to the end of your shorts or all the way up to your neck?

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As some others have mentioned, for me it’s like a switch. I shave ahead of a big block of training or racing or any other time I need to be reminded that it’s go time. I think of it much like Lincoln Hawk flipping his hat around in Over the Top…

“What I do is I just try to take my hat and I turn it around, and it’s like a switch that goes on. And when the switch goes on, I feel like another person, I feel, I don’t know, I feel like a… like a truck. Like a machine.”

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if you use any cream or lotions pre race or event such as warmup oil or sunscreen, being able to clean up with one wet wipe is enough for me to keep shaving. Plus with cross season upon us a quick wipe in the car park is all you need!

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I shave because it’s much easier to clean up after a cross race or dirty mtnbk ride. It’s a running joke with my wife about who has smoother legs.

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I used to but not anymore. My gf prefers hairy legs anyway so I’ll probably stay hairy. I’m not a racer but play one on the trainer where it doesn’t matter. :nerd_face:

I only shave when I have an important ride coming up, just adds a little psycological boost…

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It’s not mutually exclusive…you could do both! :grinning:

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Due to this, I wear leg sleeves when I want every second. I only shave for races that they enforce rules that don’t permit leg sleeves.
Plus leg sleeves add a tiny bit of protection in a fall and blocks UV rays. So better than shaving :slight_smile:

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First time I did it was because:

  1. Proper roadies do it (I’m a triathlete who rides with roadies)
  2. It’s more aero (not convinced how big a factor this is)
  3. The guns look better shaved so it’s a psychological boost

After shaving I found some real benefits, a few injuries have resulted in a lot of physio, massages are a lot less painful without hair to pull at. Most recently I had a big off in an Ironman and broke my hip (neck of femur fracture). Dressing and tending to this and dealing with post-op wounds was a lot less uncomfortable due to being shaved. Unfortunately if you ride bikes outside it’s a case of when, not if for falling off. If you’re unfortunate and you get a lot of road rash you’ll be glad you shaved.

It’s your choice at the end of the day but it’s a yes for me.

I don’t think it’s worth the hassle to shave your legs.

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shave your whole body!

“its in the rules”

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Obey the rules :slight_smile:

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The practical reasons are:

  1. cleaner injuries that heal better
  2. better for massages
  3. much cooler (feels 10-15 F cooler to me with shaved legs). Definitely recommended in the heat.

Less practical:

  1. Feels nice
  2. Better muscle definition

I used to do it, but don’t bother anymore. Might start again, but is a pain.