zeytoun

Teach his or her own, but how often do people crash? I've never had road rash, and I'm not some bike-handling god. I suppose if you're competitive, some spills might be a price you are willing to pay, but otherwise, how often do you need to get road rash in order to make it "worth it" to shave your legs every few days? Once a year? Once a month? If so, I'd think you might need to ask yourself why your crashing so often.

I get the vanity, massage, etc reasons. I don't because if I shaved my legs, it would just look like I was wearing a light brown Speedo.

goldfishin

to all you people arguing in this thread:


what the hell is wrong with you people?

elgalad

If you race, you will crash, it's just a part of the sport. I've had two bad crashes in the last six months, and that's not unusual.

zeytoun

'I suppose if you're competitive..." etc.

.Cole

Most any crit race coming around the last turn I am not surprised if two or three people crash. It seems to be worse in Cat 3 and 2, than 1.

G-Whacker

I was just thinking that!

DataJunkie

They were born.



Now what is wrong with a healthy argument?

DataJunkie

I get a good crash in every 3-6 months.
For one I am a klutz. Combine this with the fact that I ride around 8000 miles a year bad things occur. Such is life.
I try to ride carefully but like I said stuff happens.

zeytoun

Are you off-roading?

markhr

As the masseuse and other cyclists explain it

better for post exercise massage
less scarring after crashes

As urban myth/legend/bullcrap would have it

looks good
makes you go faster
"chicks" dig it

Yes, I tried shaving my legs for cycling when I was semi-serious. No, it didn't last very long as I couldn't stand the hastle, razor rash, dry legs and the itching as the hair grows out.

rmfnla

Are you speaking for all women or just the ones who are as angry as you sound?

I have yet to read anything in this thread that sounds intentionally antagonistic except your postings.

Cosmoline

My leg hair is fantastic. It acts as a great bug barrier and it helps stop bleeding after getting scraped up. Also, I wear shorts until it actually dips below freezing, and even then I hitch my fleece up to expose the legs and cool off.

I think shaving by all but the upper tenth of one percent of racers is an affectation and part of the bizarre cult of cycling. It's one reason I will never claim to be a cyclist. I ride bikes. I ride with hairy legs, a red beard and I laugh at the wind.

The only time I've seen a shaved dog is after bringing one back from the vets. What are you talking about? What "big dogs"?

MMACH 5

I'm a commuter. I first shaved to keep the bugs from tangling up in the hairs on my legs, (I wear glasses to keep them out of my eyes, also).
I didn't think I wanted to keep it up, but my wife likes it. I'll stop shaving when the nookie ends.

DataJunkie

Nope. Bike paths and roads.
My main issue is the klutz factor. However, hitting a downed tree on a bike path because you were riding too fast with a crappy light does not help.

Doug5150

Back when I had a MTB, I'd get scrapes and cuts from tree branches and crashing and so on. I thought it was rather gay at first too, but I soon realized that it's a lot easier to stick bandages to shaved legs than unshaved legs. A lot of times I'd crash and have to shave around a wound ER-style before I could even stick a bandage to it, so I usually had a lot of spots that were bare already. Doing the whole legs just made sense.

I never had any other reason to do it, and stopped bothering when I stopped riding offroad a lot.
~

stevegor

I think maybe I shaved when I raced for reasons already stated and because I didn't want to look out of place during a race or training etc....pretty lame reasons really, now I couldn't care less what anyone thinks, the hairy legs still answer the critics.
Similar reaction when I ride my steel frame 80's Italian roadie and me with hairy legs but after a few hills and breakaways, the pretty boys realize they're wrong.

monk

[QUOTE=chephy;5493010]Your post is sexist. What about women who don't shave?

Sexist? So what do you think . . . do more women shave their legs or more men? It seems that no matter what we do or say these days we're offending someone.

zeytoun

Maybe a tricycle & better lighting is in order?

Or you could keep shaving your frequently bloody legs...

whichever works best for you....

Kommisar89

I think you have the spirit of this thread. It is entertaining though.

Kommisar89

Well I feel better now. Just knowing there are so many angry, frustrated people out there makes me realize how trivial my problems are. I was a bit surprised since I recognized several of the posters and they don't normally respond like that. Maybe they were just having a bad day. At any rate, call me guy, dude, hey you, yo man, hey good ol' boy there, whatever - just don't call me late for supper. I promise I won't be offended unless you were purposely trying to be offensive which I am quite certain the OP was not.

Some observations and revelations:
1.) I shave my legs in the summer because it looks good and to be part of the cycling tribe
2.) I had a facial dermabrasion to treat severe acne many years ago in the days before acutain and such - I KNOW what it is like to have hair growing out through a thick scab (not fun)
3.) My wife does not like my shaved legs because she says it feels like she's lying next to a women with really big legs
4.) My wife does not shave her legs but her blond hair is so fine that you can't see it anyway
5.) My wife refers to other women as "girls" regardless of their age in much the same way as I refer to other men as "guys". There is no offense intended. I do not do so myself in mixed company unless I know the women well and know they will not be offended. That comes from the life experience of being 45 and not 14 so I can't fault the OP for a minor faux pas that I would not have expected him to know about.
6.) I lived in Europe for a few years and am intimately familiar with women not shaving. I have no problem with it but please, please, please, don't wear fishnet stockings if you don't shave as I've seen done. It's like wearing a tie with a T-shirt. That applies to both genders

Nachoman

Good one! Okay then, do you wear deodorant?

Nachoman

Okay.

DataJunkie

Better lighting yes. However, you should read my post. The road rash is not my main reason.
A trike? I would rather stop riding.
You should see the fun I get in while walking or running. Should I get a walker?

<--accident prone

Anyhow, my legs only tend to get a bit of road rash one to three times a year. The last time was during summer when I hit a patch of oil and that was minor in nature. The time before that I was riding through 1 foot deep ice ruts during our lovely winter. I accidentally left the ice rut and crashed doing 10 mph.

Cosmoline

Bandages? Hair is nature's bandaid. And the blood streak is a badge of courage. Just swipe some antibiotic gel on there if it's looking funky.

I'll be damned if I'm going to start shaving things to "fit in" to the "group." My legs are works of art! Because I never shave them, the leg hairs are fine mesh of very light fur. I routinely find Alaska skeetos stuck in them, slowly dying.

SSP

^^^^^^^^
Nasty!