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Question about Leg Shaving

Old 07-15-21, 09:26 AM
  #76  
Maelochs
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
IIRC, once RChung measured the drag of his partially unzipped jersey, he made a point of no longer partially unzipping his jersey.
When @RChung wins a Grand Tour I will take his advice.

Just kidding. I have a lot of respect for the maths/science skills or Mr. Chung. But pretty obviously, the people who Do win stages and stage races .... aren't quite so concerned about aero all the time.

I think it is sort of funny that some riders really do seem to act like they are racing, seriously competing, for some imaginary glory .... but I still support that mindset. It works for them, it enriches their experiences .... if RChung cares about the .00002 watt he loses for every tooth his zipper drops below his adam's apple .... cool. If some guys shave or don't or shave weird patterns or rider's names into their body hair ...... or ride in jeans and flip-flops .... or don't ride .....

It's only Bike Forums ..... or as the Indigo Girls remind me from time to time, "it's only life after all ..... "

But I bet they shave their legs, and I have never seen them unzip their jerseys .... hmmmm ......

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Old 07-15-21, 09:42 AM
  #77  
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Originally Posted by eaglesandcycling
Odd to me when amateur's shave. I totally get it with the pros but if you aren't a pro cyclist?? weird
Read some of the responses in this thread. There are reasons other than aerodynamic advantage, real or not, that people shave.

Personally, I sometimes tour and don't always have shower access. Bare legs are easier to clean. I also take blood thinners. Going bare can lessen injuries in case of a fall and makes bandaging easier a lot more pleasant. As to the latter, then I had my heart surgery they shaved everything below my neck except for my arms. When I woke up after the surgery I discovered that most of the tubes and wires coming out of me were taped to my arms. One built of feedback I gave was that they should let patients know what's going to happen and give them the opportunity to let the shavers finish the job. That all seems weird to you?

Plus, like @WhyFi, my legs look damn good when bare.
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Old 07-15-21, 09:47 AM
  #78  
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I am not hairy in general but shave my legs here and there. I like the way it feels and looks when I ride.

I think it's weird that people think what others like to do is weird.
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Old 07-15-21, 09:51 AM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by KJ43
I am not hairy in general but shave my legs here and there. I like the way it feels and looks when I ride.

I think it's weird that people think what others like to do is weird.
Sorry, but shaving legs here and there, as opposed to shaving them in their entirety, IS weird.
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Old 07-15-21, 09:54 AM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Sorry, but shaving legs here and there, as opposed to shaving them in their entirety, IS weird.
Haha...to be fair since I'm not that hairy it takes a while for me to get to the point that I feel the need to re-shave. I also don't really do it during winter when I'm just wearing tights for most of my rides.

Just finished my coffee and re-read your post.

To clarify, I do completely shave my legs. It just takes a while for my hair to grow back enough to bother to re-shave.

Last edited by KJ43; 07-15-21 at 10:07 AM. Reason: misread
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Old 07-15-21, 09:59 AM
  #81  
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It only takes a few visits to a cardiologist to realize that you no longer desire hair on your chest.

Legs? do you really care what my legs look like?
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Old 07-15-21, 10:05 AM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by KJ43
Haha...to be fair since I'm not that hairy it takes a while for me to get to the point that I feel the need to re-shave. I also don't really do it during winter when I'm just wearing tights for most of my rides.
Seriously...Same for me. I don't shave in the winter. These days, after the initial spring shearing I can get away with a quick once-over once a week. Usually do that Thursday or Friday morning while showering. Takes next to no time.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:08 AM
  #83  
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To you guys that shave... how high to you go? And do you "manscape?".
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Old 07-15-21, 10:14 AM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by eaglesandcycling
****. i want that jersey
They used to have them on the USAC website. Looks like now they just have the bodysuit: https://shop.usacycling.org/men-s-as...hrono-usa.html
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Old 07-15-21, 10:14 AM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by Paul_Smit
I've heard that shaving makes you go faster, but i do believe the effects minimized.

My initial's pros are doing it and looking nice and so on

On the other hand im worried about associated problems like ingrown hairs
Many thanks
I shave for multiple reasons, and increased speed nor aesthetics are one of them.
- Proactive preparation for cleaning the rash after a crash, especially prior to riding mtb, where there's a lot more to clean out
- Easier to put on, and adjust leg warmers without hairs getting pulled, and the warmers seem to stay in place on bare skin better than hair
- Mounting Electrical Muscle Stimulator (EMS) electrodes above and below the knee for quad therapy
- Easier to apply sunscreen

I've never had a single ingrown hair, thankfully, since I shave 100% of the leg, from ankle to groin, and then some. When nude, I don't want to look like I'm wearing fur shorts. I also shave my sit spots to reduce the hair pull irritation down there. TMI?

Last edited by Riveting; 07-15-21 at 10:21 AM.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:16 AM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Read some of the responses in this thread. There are reasons other than aerodynamic advantage, real or not, that people shave.

Personally, I sometimes tour and don't always have shower access. Bare legs are easier to clean. I also take blood thinners. Going bare can lessen injuries in case of a fall and makes bandaging easier a lot more pleasant. As to the latter, then I had my heart surgery they shaved everything below my neck except for my arms. When I woke up after the surgery I discovered that most of the tubes and wires coming out of me were taped to my arms. One built of feedback I gave was that they should let patients know what's going to happen and give them the opportunity to let the shavers finish the job. That all seems weird to you?

Plus, like @WhyFi, my legs look damn good when bare.

To tell the truth, I never gave much thought to this, but now I think the weird part is that men are expected to have to justify doing it.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:17 AM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
To you guys that shave... how high to you go? And do you "manscape?".
I just go to the upper thigh. In the winter when I'm wearing knee and leg warmers, I'll go a little higher to keep things smooth under the grippers.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:18 AM
  #88  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
"y'alls" is not a thing anywhere. "Y'all" is plural, so adding an 's' at the end is incorrect, unless you insert an apostrophe to indicate the possessive. ("Y'all's")
I'm not quite sure. I have a daughter in Texas, and her in-laws are Texans. My other daughter married a Texan.

I think that 'Y'all' is singular. The plural is "all y'all". YMMV
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Old 07-15-21, 10:22 AM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
To you guys that shave... how high to you go? And do you "manscape?".
I stop at the nipples.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:24 AM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Seriously...Same for me. I don't shave in the winter. These days, after the initial spring shearing I can get away with a quick once-over once a week. Usually do that Thursday or Friday morning while showering. Takes next to no time.
I really enjoy not shaving in the winter, but I also really enjoy that first shave in the spring.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:25 AM
  #91  
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Originally Posted by ksryder
The same series of Specialized videos that proved there was an aero benefit to shaved legs also proved that there's no aero benefit to shaved facial hair.

Also Ashton and literally every track cyclist shave their legs.
I've known Ashton since way back before he was famous, even before he had the 'stache. He regards it as a mojo thing. Aerodynamics aside, he'd be slower without it.


Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Who needs a clean chain, it isn't noticeable. Who needs fast tires, it isn't noticeable. Who need tight clothing, it isn't noticeable. Who needs aero wheels, it isn't noticeable. Frame. Helmet. And, shaved legs. Are they all marginal gains? Collectively, no. Individually, some would be difficult to measure but not impossible.

Enjoy your ride, I am waiting for the heat to go out
Most people take "marginal" to mean "small," but in my field is just refers to any quantifiable change from the status quo. I tend to view those things in terms of benefit vs cost: for instance, fancy aero wheels might cost a fortune, but an aero jersey costs far less - and I need a new jersey every now and then anyway. So, that one is a no-brainer.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:30 AM
  #92  
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I've heard of two reasons why pro's shave their legs and neither reason is because it makes them more aerodynamic. (There maybe some evidence that hairy legs actually increase aerodynamics; the hair my hold a boundary layer of air. Think of dimpled golf balls. Also several riders in this year's Tour are sporting beards. If hair really affected aero, those guys would probably shave. And there's Pocacar's hair sticking out of his helmet all over the place)

The first is to help with road rash and scabs. A second reason I've heard is to make it easier for the masseuse that travels with pro teams to give them their after ride rub down. Since few of us mortals have a masseuse on retainer, I think that excuse for shaving goes away.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:32 AM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Would you believe my calculations?

This is really simple math. Like 8th grade. Honestly

Here is a calculator to play around with....

https://www.gribble.org/cycling/power_v_speed.html

That's beside the point, the real issue is the reduction in drag figures for the item in question, for example one kind of skin suit vs. tight-fitting clothing. The formula you linked, like all formulas, is clearly vulnerable to gi/go. Manufacturers and marketers have every incentive in the world to make it look like the stuff they're selling has a noticeable effect, so if you use their equipment and methods for measuring the effects of anything including shaving, they may have built-in assumptions that grossly overstate the number being multiplied. You think it's just simple math to verify the .02 reduction figure you used for shaving? I saw that figure given as a result of a wind tunnel experiment done by Specialized, is that where you got it? Obviously, the closer that number is to zero, the less the differential in time at various speeds, so if Specialized's methods err on the high side, that's going to cook things in ways your "simple math" won't detect..
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Old 07-15-21, 10:32 AM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
I'm not quite sure. I have a daughter in Texas, and her in-laws are Texans. My other daughter married a Texan.

I think that 'Y'all' is singular. The plural is "all y'all". YMMV
Well, actually, I think y'all can be singular or plural, depending on context (i.e., number of people being addressed). And indeed, I have heard all y'all when it is being used in the plural. But y'alls is just plain incorrect.

Y'all has the same etymological origins as youse and yinz, all of which have essentially the same usage: a non-gendered pronoun, used in the singular or plural.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:35 AM
  #95  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
I also take blood thinners.
When I was on blood thinners (Eliquis) for about 6 months due to clots in both lungs (side effect of Stage 4 Lung Cancer), small cuts seems to bleed forever, so I was scared to ride and fall and get unknown internal bleeding, so my riding was dramatically reduce at that time.
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Old 07-15-21, 10:39 AM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by Iride01
It only takes a few visits to a cardiologist to realize that you no longer desire hair on your chest.

Legs? do you really care what my legs look like?
Yes, but she used a damn dull razor before the treadmill test and that probably hurt more than pulling off against hair. Sheesh!
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Old 07-15-21, 11:01 AM
  #97  
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Originally Posted by Riveting
When I was on blood thinners (Eliquis) for about 6 months due to clots in both lungs (side effect of Stage 4 Lung Cancer), small cuts seems to bleed forever, so I was scared to ride and fall and get unknown internal bleeding, so my riding was dramatically reduce at that time.
I’ve been on Warfarin since 1990, when I was 25.
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Old 07-15-21, 11:03 AM
  #98  
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Originally Posted by kahn
Yes, but she used a damn dull razor before the treadmill test and that probably hurt more than pulling off against hair. Sheesh!
The nurses or assistants at my cardiologist must be sadists. If I don't shave my chest before going, they don't shave at all. So it's sort of like Steve Carrel's character in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Go to 2:10 if it doesn't start at that time:



I always shave before going to anyone that might do an EKG or similar test on me. Shears that you use for haircuts are more than close enough. I use those height combs on them that leave about a 1/4 inch. That seems to not pull as bad if it's that or shorter.
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Old 07-15-21, 11:05 AM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
I really enjoy not shaving in the winter, but I also really enjoy that first shave in the spring.
I sit in the tube the first time and use cartridges that I’ve saved up over the winter when they got too full for the face.
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Old 07-15-21, 11:09 AM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
To you guys that shave... how high to you go? And do you "manscape?".
All the way up the thighs. I’d look foolish at the beach in my banana hammock if I didn’t. The rest is NOYB.
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