Leg shaving

Quoted message said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist
so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

'Nowt to do with aerodynamics nor massage oil. Lots to do with road rash - if
you come off, road rash is a lot easier to clean and heal with shaved legs. Oh,
and nicely muscled legs look **soooooo* much nicer when smooth and tanned :-)

Cheers, helen s

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Skunk said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist
so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

--

Oily massage isn't all that comfortable if you're fairly hairy, that is
true. But I think it might be more to do with if you fall off and end
up with a graze (some more severe than others) then it's really quite
painful if it's hairy to boot, cos it all gunges up together ickily?

I'm not a hairy bloke though. Or a bloke. So I wouldn't know from
personal experience ;-)

--

Velvet

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Lots to do with road
rash - if you come off, road rash is a lot easier to clean and heal
with shaved legs.

Following that logic; do racers also shave their arms? As these can also get
cuts and grazes.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist

Quoted message said:

so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

I do mine because it looks good.

"Takes cover" :-)

--
Mark (MSA)
This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling
of contents may have occurred during transmission

Quoted message said:

Following that logic; do racers also shave their arms? As these can also get
cuts and grazes.

I can think of quite a few who have smooth arms...

Cheers, helen s

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Velvet said:

I'm not a hairy bloke though. Or a bloke. So I wouldn't know from
personal experience ;-)

When I was cycle touring in New Zealand, I burned my leg, three days later
at the most excellent A&E in Wanganui the staff nurse, whilst peeling off
dead skin and general gunge that had formed on my 3x2 inch wound said I
should have shaved my legs like a real cyclist, would have made her job much
easier.

Simonb said:

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Lots to do with road
rash - if you come off, road rash is a lot easier to clean and heal
with shaved legs.

Following that logic; do racers also shave their arms? As these can
also get cuts and grazes.

Chris Boardman shaved his for the hour record attempt for aerodymanic
reasons. I met an Australian Audaxer in the Pyrnenees who had shaved his
arms so that application of sunblock was easier.

Skunk said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition
cyclist so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I
have heard stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses
rips hairs from the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving,
but I don't know if any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know
the definitive answer.

I seem to remember seeing a table figures for the differences in aerodynamic
drag from different things, leg shaving, tight vs flappy jersey, hat / bald
head vs hair, beard vs clean shaven. All these things do make a slight
difference. Not that I'd shave my legs, and if I ever had to, I'd write
"shaven under duress" all over my legs in marker pen...

"Skunk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist
so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

I was always told it was because it made it much less painful when the
plaster cast came off.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

Skunk said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist
so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

Some think its all to do with road rash but they are wusses. If you
can't take a bit of elastoplast pulling out the hairs you shouldn't call
yourself a cyclist ;-)
Sissies say because it looks pretty.
others do it because the embrocation was easier to massage in and and
easier to wash off.
When I raced (if you could call it that) I did it because everyone else did.

There is no single answer.

John B

(dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers) said:

'Nowt to do with aerodynamics nor massage oil. Lots to do with road rash - if
you come off, road rash is a lot easier to clean and heal with shaved legs.

butbutbut ... surely a Helmet would have protected against that?

-dan

--
"please make sure that the person is your friend before you confirm"

Doki said:

I seem to remember seeing a table figures for the differences in
aerodynamic drag from different things, leg shaving, tight vs flappy
jersey, hat / bald head vs hair, beard vs clean shaven.

I'd be interested to see this. I was told at university that golf balls had
dimples and tennis balls had hair precisely so that they would go faster.
(It's to do with lowering the speed at which the flow of air around the ball
becomes turbulent.) I don't see why this shouldn't also apply to hairy legs,
although perhaps the legs would have to be travelling at super-human speeds
for the hair to become advantageous.

Bob

It was the first piece of advice i was given when i started riding wit
my new club at the start of this season

I have never had a serious crash on a road bike and the chances are tha
i will have a big crash at some time in the future, i am only 20 so man
years to come

Having a leg massage with hair makes no difference in my opinion a
all. The only reason to do with massages is that it makes the masseur
job easier

I have been told that road rash does indeed hurt when it comes t
peeling bits of skin and plasters off. Also there is less chance o
infection with no hair, and the legs clean up quicker

I agree it is not the best look to have when you are walking around th
uni campus in shorts with no hair on your legs!

-

Skunk said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition
cyclist so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I
have heard stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses
rips hairs from the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving,
but I don't know if any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know
the definitive answer.

Yes, it's because leg hairs get caught in the bottle cage and front mech.
Well, that seems no more silly than the road rash theory to me. Wouldn't
the hair be ripped off along with the skin? Or if the graze wasn't bad
enough to do that then would there be a problem anyway?

~PB

MielBob:

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to see this. I was told at university that golf balls

had
dimples and tennis balls had hair precisely so that they would go faster.
(It's to do with lowering the speed at which the flow of air around the ball
becomes turbulent.)

I read something recently (was it here?) about swimmers shaving off all body
hair up to and including their eyebrows for aerodynamic* advantage only for
some scientist to discover that eyebrow hairs actually help to *reduce* drag
in the water - a bit like an otter's fur.

d.
(*no, I don't mean aerodynamic do I - whatever the water equivalent is)

In article <[email hidden]>, usenet-
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm not a cycle sports spectator nor anything like a competition cyclist
so I just don't know why some cyclists shave their legs. I have heard
stories about aerodynamics, the massage oil people uses rips hairs from
the legs and that's a lot more painful than shaving, but I don't know if
any of these reasons are right. Does anyone know the definitive answer.

'cos that's what cyclists do and your not a real cyclist unless you do!
What more reason is needed?

Quoted message said:

'cos that's what cyclists do and your not a real cyclist unless you do!
What more reason is needed?

Is the best answer yet!

Cheers, helen s

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davek said:

I read something recently (was it here?) about swimmers shaving off all body
hair up to and including their eyebrows for aerodynamic* advantage only for
some scientist to discover that eyebrow hairs actually help to *reduce* drag
in the water - a bit like an otter's fur.

"I read somewhere that" swimmers will shave shortly before a race,
because the resultant stinging when they hit the water will make them
go faster.

No, I've no idea if this is true.

-dan

--
"please make sure that the person is your friend before you confirm"

marc said:

'cos that's what cyclists do and your not a real cyclist unless you
do! What more reason is needed?

Replace 'cyclists' with 'racers' and you've got a point.