If you shave your legs.... - Page 3

I always wax now. It gets less painfull the more you do it. but the first time, oh man! Also, I can't shave because after like a day or two once the hair regrowth starts, it feels like needles in every single pore and is very painfull... many ingrown hairs follow. Anyone experience this? I have tried EVERYTHING: lotions, shave cream, shavers, conditioner, shave direction, etc... nothing helps, except for shaving with the grain, but then the hair isn't short enough.

I have been shaving my legs every day or two since 1993. Here is the what I use and in whicj order I use it.

Cogate Sensitive Shaving Cream

Mach III Razor

Alum Block while your still wet after shower (www.eshave.com)

Bath and Body Works Body Cream

Tan a couple times a week also helps with razor burn and bumps.

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Are you a body builder or a cyclist? or both?

im wondering the same thing

Not a cyclist for sure.

i shave mine every other day and and the only thing i ever apply is shaving cream which is rarely. And mine is fine no ingrown hairs nor rashes.

I shave a couple times a week and use nothing more than soap, doing it in the shower. Never had a problem.

I'm a bit confused and new to the sport, what does shaving your legs have to do with cycling? What is the reason for a man to shave does it have something to do with speed wind resistance or just the possibility of falling down and getting a bit of road rash?

Track cyclist.

My understanding for some of the reasons for shaving your legs is when you crash, it supposedly hurts less, (hair does not get ripped out). I think this stemmed from track cycling, for the road I don't buy that one it will hurt no matter what if you crash on pavement but the one I beleive is that (again) when you crash it allows the dressings to be applied without having them stick to a thick mat of hair. (thus limiting the ouch factor in removal) Both of these would apply if you raced group races frequently.

For the avg club rider I feel that your legs look better (if they are well muscled from hard training) when they are shaved and they will tan more evenly over the summer.

Thanks for the clarification. I don't plan on wrecking often enough to make shaving worthwhile. Why aren't the arms shaved as well? Every time I have had to deal with road rash I had it on my arms as bad as my legs but, to each their own if it makes you think your a better cyclist then by all means. I just don't think it's for me, I'm not a hairy type person unlike Robin Williams.

you people (if guys) are odd, comingfrom a mtn biker's piont of view. I don't mean to be rood but the idea kinda gives me the willies!

There is a slight aero benefit, but the main reason are:

A) Crashing- as you slide on the pavement hair catches and is pulled out...along with more skin! It is also easier to clean with no hair

B) Massage- much easier without hair

I use a Mach 3 razor in the shower with just hot water, no creams, gels or lotions and nothing special afterwards.

Find a scientific study that shows significant aerodynamic advantages of shaving legs and it will be the first.

Most people don't like to admit it but shaving legs is mostly done because (in most cases) it looks good and feels good.

The only real reason you have given is it is easier for massage.

Even swimmers, who struggle through a much more viscous liquid than air, find shaving gives almost immeasurable improvements in speed.

The hair causing more serious road rash is questionable, because no one has had the same accident with and without leg hair as a true test.

IMO it makes no difference because having skidded to a halt along smooth and coarse roads at speeds up to 60 km,shaved and unshaved, it seems plenty of skin is removed whether there is hair or not.

So you have never crashed or even fallen down on pavement and noticed how much hair was pulled out? It is quite natural for hair to catch on rough surfaces as you slide. Naturally it will pull out, but as the pulling is not straight out and other skin is being pulled, this causes more skin to come off.

Also check this out, near the middle is a chart listing the different things you can do for aerodynamics and their affects. The fourth one down lists what I have seen a number of times before. Shaving legs adds a slight aero advantage.

http://sheldonbrown.com/rinard/aero/aerodynamics.htm