Leg shaving/waxing



Skull

New Member
Jun 8, 2005
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Is there a good reason for shaving my legs? Why do males do it apart from looking good?:rolleyes:
 
I ride MTBs & don't, but I think it might have something to do with the hairs can get into scabs from falls, it might make you go faster & it's better for when you get a rub down afterwards.

All of which have homosexual undertones, not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's who you, sure it's fine ...etc....
:p

Still, I think it's a very high price to pay for a recreational passtime (which it is for most of us), would save the chour & maybe concentrate on climbing if they're pipping you in the flats.
 
Marx SS said:
I ride MTBs & don't, but I think it might have something to do with the hairs can get into scabs from falls, it might make you go faster & it's better for when you get a rub down afterwards.

All of which have homosexual undertones, not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's who you, sure it's fine ...etc....
:p

Still, I think it's a very high price to pay for a recreational passtime (which it is for most of us), would save the chour & maybe concentrate on climbing if they're pipping you in the flats.
Not sure how you reached the opinion in regards to homosexual overtones, and you are right there is nothing wrong with those overtones should one possess them.
 
...no of course, nothing wrong with that sort of thing at all.....

Nah, but lots of shaving & waxing going on along Beach Rd (Melb) I've noticed.
 
Skull said:
Is there a good reason for shaving my legs? Why do males do it apart from looking good?:rolleyes:
No thanks. I'm quiet attached to my hair, if you get what I mean. :).
 
SomeGuy said:
No thanks. I'm quiet attached to my hair, if you get what I mean. :).
dorks...if you are a serious rider , you need to shave,depil or wax..... you WILL come to grief and hair increases infection risk and then many an infection takes ages to heal with body hair in the way...and bandages hurt like hell with hair under them.....enough reasons, well here is another anyway as Sean Eadie said once "it feels great on the sheets"...

serious...if you dont want ugly scars after road rash/track burn....shave...end of story...( well shave every where if you are seriously serious)...there is nothing macho about body hair on a bike rider...it is stupidity if you have it and ride any bike without training wheels.:cool:
 
rooman said:
dorks...if you are a serious rider

Mate... I'm going to have to call roadie on you. If you took your bike to more natural terrain (like your local MTB track ;)) you wouldn't have to worry about gravel rash etc.

Perhaps if I ever have a serious accident with lots of skin loss involved I'll change my mind, but for now I see no reason to waste time removing hair.
 
SomeGuy said:
Mate... I'm going to have to call roadie on you. If you took your bike to more natural terrain (like your local MTB track ;)) you wouldn't have to worry about gravel rash etc.

Perhaps if I ever have a serious accident with lots of skin loss involved I'll change my mind, but for now I see no reason to waste time removing hair.
gilteeeeeeee! , as charged yor honah!:D
 
rooman said:
dorks...if you are a serious rider , you need to shave,depil or wax..... you WILL come to grief and hair increases infection risk and then many an infection takes ages to heal with body hair in the way...and bandages hurt like hell with hair under them.....enough reasons, well here is another anyway as Sean Eadie said once "it feels great on the sheets"...

serious...if you dont want ugly scars after road rash/track burn....shave...end of story...( well shave every where if you are seriously serious)...there is nothing macho about body hair on a bike rider...it is stupidity if you have it and ride any bike without training wheels.:cool:

...also, aids application of suncreen and massages.
 
Sure road rash is generally worse than gravel rash, thorn & branch scratches, but ever since the knobbies have found a home on the hoops of my Stumpjumper, my arms & legs seem to spend the weekdays recovering from one sort of weekend incident or another, hairy as they are.

I’m not sure how giving my legs a once over will go down, I suppose I will have to demonstrate the speed to back it up if I do.
 
there are many reasons racing cyclists shave there legs these include


1. Easier for a massure to work on and less painful for the rider
2. Easier if you have a fall to look after wounds
3. Makes you look hot be it for guys looking or girls ;)

but mostly we do it so other racing cyclists no your serious about your sport ie if i meet another cyclist out training withour shaved legs i'll just assume there a commuter..
 
racingcyclist27 said:
but mostly we do it so other racing cyclists no your serious about your sport ie if i meet another cyclist out training withour shaved legs i'll just assume there a commuter..

Which is exactly why I wear casual clothing and ride an unassuming bike (covered with stickers :)) - I don't want people to look at me and think I'm dead serious. Partly because I'm not, and partly because it creates expectations which I don't want.

Mainly though it's because I don't like the idea of people classing me as a cyclist based on my bike, whether or not my legs are shaved, or if I've got lycra on. Let people judge me on how I ride, not what I look like.
 
The only valid reason to shave your legs is if you're a professional cyclist.
People will try to claim other reasons are serious but its really just cycling snobbery, an elitist attitude or people wanting to feel more feminine.
Gravel rash, speed, etc, etc, cannot be proven. The only realistic one is that its easier to get a massage, but who gets a massage after every ride?
I do mainly road racing and have never had problems healing after falls because of hairy legs.
 
Courtancer said:
The only valid reason to shave your legs is if you're a professional cyclist.
People will try to claim other reasons are serious but its really just cycling snobbery, an elitist attitude or people wanting to feel more feminine.
Gravel rash, speed, etc, etc, cannot be proven. The only realistic one is that its easier to get a massage, but who gets a massage after every ride?
I do mainly road racing and have never had problems healing after falls because of hairy legs.

why just valid for pro cyclists?...are they hairier?, do they amass huge hirsuite wads on their calves from all the hormones in their chicken pasta?...come on!

If you say it can't be proven , then where is the argument for pro-cyclists?..you contradict yourself!!
 
rooman said:
why just valid for pro cyclists?...are they hairier?, do they amass huge hirsuite wads on their calves from all the hormones in their chicken pasta?...come on!

If you say it can't be proven , then where is the argument for pro-cyclists?..you contradict yourself!!
Use a bit of common sense when reading!
A professional cyclist would most likely get a massage after every ride, hence:
"The only realistic one is that its easier to get a massage"[/QUOTE]A professional cyclist would do just about anything for that extra 100th of a second whether or not it works, especially track cyclists. They'll shave their nuts if they think there's any wind resistance there.
My arguement is that a professional cyclist will go to almost any lenghth to get the extra edge whether there is proof to support what they do or not. Any amature cyclist who thinks they need to shave their legs to gain that competive edge or any of the other reasons mentioned is kidding themselves.
I have to laugh every time I hear men give reasons for shaving their legs. It amazes me how people can rattle off any number of reasons without actually thinking about the reality of it. Very few people will admit that they only do it for aesthetic reasons.
 
I stand by it....

masseurs I see are happy to work on anyone, cyclists, footballers, athletes, strippers ...for them they say hair doesnt come into the equation other than it feels good if shaven and is a bit smoother for the first few massages, if you are hairy , you get use to it.....no THE REAL REASON is medical , acknowledged widely and established, ....and I quote from Washington University ....." surgeons are always concerned about a patient developing an infection after procedure. To reduce the risk of infection, surgeons shave the hair from (the procedure site) of patients. Surgeons know that bacteria may be transferred from the hair to an incision site."....this is the rationale followed by cyclists...reduce infection...shave.....

if you want to avoid infection and not shave then follow this proceedure...."wash all body hair with a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo 24 hours before injury and again immediately before injury, then take a full course of antibiotics after injury". so if you can plan your injury and know exactly when it is going to happen, by all means leave your hair where it is!
 
rooman said:
I stand by it....

masseurs I see are happy to work on anyone, cyclists, footballers, athletes, strippers ...for them they say hair doesnt come into the equation other than it feels good if shaven and is a bit smoother for the first few massages, if you are hairy , you get use to it.....no THE REAL REASON is medical , acknowledged widely and established, ....and I quote from Washington University ....." surgeons are always concerned about a patient developing an infection after procedure. To reduce the risk of infection, surgeons shave the hair from (the procedure site) of patients. Surgeons know that bacteria may be transferred from the hair to an incision site."....this is the rationale followed by cyclists...reduce infection...shave.....

if you want to avoid infection and not shave then follow this proceedure...."wash all body hair with a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo 24 hours before injury and again immediately before injury, then take a full course of antibiotics after injury". so if you can plan your injury and know exactly when it is going to happen, by all means leave your hair where it is!
Well if there is no real advantage being hairless when getting a massage then I suppose thats all the reasons gone.

You can quote medical associations and surgeons all you like but if a surgeon is going to come anywhere near you then you obviously have a bit more of a serious problem than a bit of a graze. They also wear face masks, gowns and rubber gloves. Do you wear all of that when you fix yourself so that no bacteria gets on your graze? If you don't then should I assume you're risking serious infection?

You can also avoid infection by use of a sterilising agent applied to the cut and proper care of the injury. Does every cut or gaze on unshaven skin get infected if treated properly.

If you want to shave / wax then go ahead. Do it for whatever reason you like, just don't try and convince me that its for legitiment cycling benefit. Have fun.
 
anybody catch The Gooch last Tuesday, profiling the Mt Buller MTB. How was that dude with the elbow graze completely covered in buzzing flies as they sat there being interviewed.

I don't think anyone was wearing a mask or rubber gloves in that shot either.

Can't remember last time a rider's grazed injuries resulted in infection which asked for more than what would require normal attention.

Does anyone here get upset when their masseur turns up late after you arrive home after your morning ride?
 
There is no reason to shave, except one's own reasons.

Medical:

Abstract:
This retrospective review of infectious complications was undertaken at two craniofacial centers (Dallas and Philadelphia). Fourteen infections were identified over a 6.5-year period in 567 intracranial procedures primarily for craniosynostosis. There were no infections in infants under 13 months of age and no cases of meningitis. The overall infection rate was 2.5 percent, and 85 percent of infections occurred in secondary reoperative cases. Tracheostomies were not identified as a risk factor for infection. No difference was found in infection rates between patients with shaved and unshaved scalps.

Massaging: You prob shave more than getting massages, unless you're a pro. So why not shave just before a massage if it is that important?

Pain: Wuss. Ask the girls who are getting waxed, in sensitive spots too. You're complaining about 10 hair follicles, they get thousands done in one go, several of those in a session.

Road rash: See above. And then you gotta shave your arms as well, why not those??

If you wanna shave, do so. If not, don't. Just don't trumpet your justification erroneously.
 
racing cyclists have been shaving there legs 4 70 years I race so i shave my legs its more about the tradition of the sport and to let other racing cyclists no your serious all the other items like massage treatment from falls etc are just side benifits. As a racing cyclist i dont recomend anyone that dosnt race do it, personally i think guys look better with shaved legs than not....And I dont care if people have a problem with that. And for the record most of the guys i no that race will get waxed before a tour rather than shave. + shaved legs make you feel faster.... Racing cycling is a sport and most riders like the feeling of being lean and fast otherwise why would we wear skinsuits do you think A skinsuit has a huge time saving. im here to tell you it dosnt and yet we all wear them.