A hairy problem....

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Gio
OK Guys, here it is, the problem of the year:..... hairy legs!

Now being of a mediteranean type I have hairy legs (not only the shins but all the way up to the top, butt included) and I just cannot see myself shaving them. Many problems have come to mind like: where do i stop shaving?, how often will i have to shave?, will i look like a dork on the beach with a hairy chest and shaven legs?, when i stop shaving them will the hairs grow even more?, will my wife still love me?...... But when i look at myself next to my other cycling friends i feel left out. Shaven legs look cool on a bicycle but are not so cool off one.

As you can see it is a HUGE problem.... any thoughts to help me make up my mind?

Thanks,
Gio

I'm Greek so I know all about hairy bodies. Shaved legs will look good on the beach too, as long as they are toned from hours of cycling. And the Wife loves mine to bits, she even waxes them for me sometimes.

I shave to pubic area. My biggest problem is my hairy feet, cant seem to keep them shaved.

And I shave every 2nd or 3rd day.

I just started using Blue Steel hair removing cream. I've got a very sensitive skin and shaving gave me a rash. The cream works brilliantly and can be used all over the body (not that I do). You just rub it on and wait 10-15 minutes and wipe off. I just suggest you trim all excess hair before applying the cream, otherwise you will use a whole tube.

It's an South African products and is available in Aus aswell. I'm sure there's other products just like it all over the world.

Wot about the man who wears a turban and is prohibited from shaving at all??

OH MY GOD!!!!!!, I've just popped across from the MTB tech corner threads, and this is what u guys are talking about!!!! ffs shaving is about being a mega bodybuilder!, a team rider! or a (gay) [censored] star!!

just ride ur bikes more!!!!!, with or without hair!! I don't want to sound like my dad, but just ride ur bikes and do not worry so much about cosmetics (lance armstrong may shave, but that is not why he wins!!!)

I'm going back to MTB's

Steve

i hate shaving my face, never mind me legs!
My brother tried Immac once on his face, he only tried the once!
Talk about stinging!
[IMG]blossomswap.orgicon5.gifOpen ↗[/IMG]

LOL. Reminds me of the time I phoned my son at school. His roomy was trying to wax his legs at the time. I could hear the screams in the background, and guys laughing. I don't think he ever got even one leg finished.

well, weve seen that movie What Women Want, enough to put you off waxing for life😉

... this is what u guys are talking about!!!! ffs shaving is about being a mega bodybuilder!, a team rider! or a (gay) [censored] star!!

just ride ur bikes more!!!!!, with or without hair!! I don't want to sound like my dad, but just ride ur bikes and do not worry so much about cosmetics (lance armstrong may shave, but that is not why he wins!!!)

I'm going back to MTB's

Steve [/QUOTE]

Couldn't have said it better myself...though I am guilty of responding to some of these threads, I wonder what happened to simply cycling? We go to peeing off bikes, crapping our shorts while doing a race, wearing spandex for the "Camel Toe" affect and to impress the I'm not so sure opposite sex, to best race ready FS bike under $350...yes, this is entertainment, and I do get many a chuckle over some of these threads, and I'm glad they exist; free speech at its finest, with a bonus laugh thrown in. As for me, I'll invite the Queer Eye folk over to my plantation and ask them if my body needs an extreme makeover...(in their dreams).:p

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by stevemtbsteve
OH MY GOD!!!!!!, I've just popped across from the MTB tech corner threads, and this is what u guys are talking about!!!! ffs shaving is about being a mega bodybuilder!, a team rider! or a (gay) [censored] star!!

just ride ur bikes more!!!!!, with or without hair!! I don't want to sound like my dad, but just ride ur bikes and do not worry so much about cosmetics (lance armstrong may shave, but that is not why he wins!!!)

I'm going back to MTB's

Steve

with all due respect dude, this IS a discussion forumn open to anything to do with cycling. As much as having the latest gadgets on the bike relates to cycling, so does keeping you "cosmetic" apearence looking good.

Shaving is not about cosmetics, shaving is about crashing and the residual road rash healing and cleaning process. If you never crash you don't have to shave. If you don't shave and you do crash then you'll have to deal with it then.

I don't shave and haven't crashed for a long time. But now having said that I'm probably due for an endo laydown roadsmear episode. I'd better go stock up on nylon brushes and first aid gear, and probably a new helmet, and a fresh bottle of aspirin. 8)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by treebound
Shaving is not about cosmetics, shaving is about crashing and the residual road rash healing and cleaning process. If you never crash you don't have to shave. If you don't shave and you do crash then you'll have to deal with it then.

I don't shave and haven't crashed for a long time. But now having said that I'm probably due for an endo laydown roadsmear episode. I'd better go stock up on nylon brushes and first aid gear, and probably a new helmet, and a fresh bottle of aspirin. 8)

I tend to find my limits by the resulting crash. I do a few wreckless things and have landed in my local A+E twice in the last 12 months(broke left wrist, and stitches in my chin with some serious grazing). Can you explain to me a bit further how getting rid of my chimp legs will help me heal. I have not noticed having hair to be a problem, but I am interested in the theory.

Cheers
Steve

Steve,
From what I've read and experienced, the hair helps to hold in dirt and debris, and the healing process can lead to ingrown hairs. I'm not so sold on the ingrown hair reason for shaving because of the fact that the shaved hair also grows during the healing process. But the hair in the wounds does inhibit cleaning out the wounds some.

There are several web sites with extensive road rash healing process descriptions, some medically based, some indirectly medically based on individual's experiences.

But, as I said, I don't shave my legs, didn't when on the swim team back in high school, and don't for cycling. Use the hair to your advantage in the Peloton, the "elite" shaved riders will look at your hairy legs as a sign of a beginner or non-dedicated rider, and the last image they'll have of you is your hairy legs pumping away in a frenzy as you break away in the last lap of a crit and take the podium.

I'll see how it goes for me next summer as I put away the school books for awhile and finally get back in the saddle and see what my middle-aged hairy legs can do in the local race scene. Hope I don't crash, but if I do I'll just scrub and bear it.

YMMV as always. 😉

Here's a couple of links on the general healing concept, and note they don't mention hair much.

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=5436

http://it1.insidetri.com/train/tips/articles/1531.0.html

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by treebound
Here's a couple of links on the general healing concept, and note they don't mention hair much.

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=5436

http://it1.insidetri.com/train/tips/articles/1531.0.html

Thanks for the info, I'll check out the links. I'll be more welcoming of the shaved ones from now on. I mainly MTB and jump, so I'm not sure of the benefits to me. Plus I am slightly closer to our monkey cousins than most folk, so I am not sure how hair pants and socks would look to the ladies.

Cheers
Steve

A good compromise might be trimming rather than shaving. I know many High School football players who are doing that these days and some even shave. Get a good beard trimmer and every week or two as necessary, trim maybe about half of it off. Many women might appreciate the neatly trimmed look without knowing it was trimmed. And you wont have to deal with the difficulties of completely shaving it off.

Well shaving only makes the hair thicker and makes more of it. Waxing is what you want to do. Women do it all the time. It thins the hair out. Body builders are big on waxing. Shaving it comes back in the next day with stubble. Waxing can last up to 6 or 8 weeks and the thinning out of the hair is really great too.

This thread is pretty old and I hope you found a solution to your hair problem. Would suggest waxing if you can stand it. It is more effective and you remain hairless for a while. Then repeat the process. 😄