pgjackson

The massage angle is the only legit reason. If you are a pro cyclists who cycles all day every day and gets daily leg massages, yes shaving would be beneficial.

indyfabz

Mileage isn’t always the driving factor. One can get messy over the last five miles of a long day.

BITD I went 5 days without a shower. Three days on the west side of Glacier National Park then a day at a state park with no shower and finally a day at a Forest Service campground with no shower. The last two days were pretty warm. Finally checked into a motel in Missoula. My appearance (and likely my smell) frightened the desk clerk a bit.

GhostRider62

I just watched the Specialized video. They say shaving saves 50-80 seconds on a 40km TT and is like going from a round tube frame to a Venge.

Is that trivial? How is that not faster? Is it enough to warrant the hassle?

indyfabz

I wasn’t responding to the OP but rather the person who who wrote don’t do it, it’s stupid and there is no reason to do it, in part because he’s never gotten dirty.

BTW…I also take blood thinners, so there’s that.

Bald Paul

After healing from a crash with a lot of road rash on my legs, I started shaving my legs, just in case it should happen again (it did.) Cleaning and bandage changing is a lot easier with smooth skin.

If you're not sure you want to, just shave one leg and do some rides for comparison purposes.

GhostRider62

Why do I have to be a pro to cycle all day? Why do I have to "get" massages? Can I massage them myself?

I guess you do not believe the improvement in CdA**********????

livedarklions

Yes, I'm aware of who you were responding to, and he's the one who didn't think of the exceptional case, so I thought your response was a bit over the of with the sarcasm. I'm not questioning your reasons for shaving. It makes sense for you, it probably wouldn't for me just because my legs aren't naturally hairy.

I also take blood thinners and I'm not sure for me what benefit shaving would bestow in that regard that would outweigh the risk of cutting myself shaving. Obviously, ymmv as leg hair is very different from person to person.

Do mountain bikers shave their legs? I'd think that would be the group most concerned with dirt.

Koyote

Take it with a grain of salt. Aerodynamic drag grows as the square of speed. In other words, if you are doing the 40k tt at a high speed, yeah, you might realize some real gains from shaving. At mere mortal speeds, you'll get smaller gains.

For context, this guy set a world record in the 4k Pursuit, and did it without shaving off that 'stache:

GhostRider62

You have it backwards. A 0.02 m^2 reduction in drag shaves more time off a slower rider than a faster rider. A 1:08 rider will benefit much more in time reduction than a 58 minute TT racer.

Koyote

I won’t argue, since I’m not familiar with the math. But can you explain in lay terms why this is the case? On a casual level, it doesn’t jibe with what I understand about aero drag.

Milton Keynes

Dirty Hairy you say? "This is the Gillette Fusion 5, the most powerful razor in the world. Go ahead... shave my legs..."

GhostRider62

A slower rider is out there suffering longer, so, they save more time.

https://blog.trekbikes.com/en/2020/0...really-matter/

https://www.cervelo.com/en/slow-vs-fast-riders

https://blog.flocycling.com/aero-whe...h-aero-wheels/

GhostRider62

Per Flo's calculations, their 60 mm wheels save 80 seconds over 36 spoke standard wheels on a 40km TT ridden at 30 mph but if ridden at 15 mph, the time savings is 160 seconds. It is often assumed aerodynamics only help faster riders, this is not true.

https://blog.flocycling.com/aero-whe...reducing-drag/

Koyote

There must be a lower bound… Otherwise the largest gains will go to a rider who is sitting still.

Rdmonster69

Right now I barely have time to get in a few rides a week .......certainly no time to shave my legs. I answer these questions in a very simple fashion. If a wanna do it ....give it a try .... see if you like it and if its worth it. If not .....you can quit.

Germany_chris

OP..shave if you like, don't if you don't. I don't like body hair so I shave my arms and legs

Iride01 

I don't know about shaving hair on skin that is going to be exposed, but shaving short the hair on skin that is covered by clothing seems to let the wicking qualities of my shorts and jersey to do their job better and I feel like I am cooler. It also seems to be much less skin irritation down in the nether regions when the hair is trimmed short.

Whether it's evidence or not, I have never had a saddle sore in the last 30 years or more. Nor do I use any chamois cream, even when riding for 4 and 5 hours.

GhostRider62

I am not making that point, sitting still isn't very fast.

Think of it this way, you get your biggest bang (time savings for energy output) when the forces are linear against you.

When you are going very fast, it takes a massive effort to go just a little bit faster. The gains are harder and harder to achieve as the speed increases. When you are going slower, it is easier to make improvements resulting in shorter times or alternatively, you can ride just the same speed with lower power levels. If you are going 5 mph, a 10% increase in power will get you 10% increase in speed. At 30 mph, that same 10% increase in power will only yield about 3% increase in speed. Where aero losses really mount depends on the rider/bike combination but it is lower than many assume....maybe 15 mph

Koyote

You shave your ass? Or do you have your manservant do it for you? 😁

livedarklions

In absolute terms, yes. Proportionally, no. If you're doing time trials and racing, you'll probably notice it. Other kinds of riding, probably not.

I really think some of this is coming down to how much leg hair you actually have, that .02 figure is an average of some sample. My leg hair is naturally very short and a bit sparse, I honestly don't think I'd see much difference if they were completely smooth.

livedarklions

Just once, I'd like to see this argument be based on figures that don't come from someone who was trying to sell a product.

Bowie Beattie

do we really talk about shaving here

seypat

Looking at his stache, he might have another career that requires performing in his birthday suit. He probably shaves his legs for that reason.

Iride01 

I have arms that are capable of reaching most every part of my body except for some places on my shoulder blades.

A long time ago I did have to have my wife cut a dingle berry off. That was long before I started.... grooming things. For a long time have had too much hair, long hair, everywhere but the top of my head. Not quite as bad as the GEICO caveman, except he had hair on his head too. But then again we never saw him naked. So maybe he also shaved the parts under his cycling clothes. <grin>

livedarklions

"Are you feeling grungy...punk?"