should i do this? will it make any difference? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

dean · 12-19-2007, 07:47 PM

i have a lot of leg hair and i am getting to be a pretty good cyclist here in the Rockies and for road racing if i should shave my legs? will it make much of a difference? can an experienced cyclist tell me a good answer if it does or not

McG · 12-19-2007, 07:51 PM

I have a lot of leg and arm hair and I have never shaven for a race. I don't believe it to be an aerodynamic advantage, as I always put on sun block anyway (it's a burn and peel thing) and that slicks my hair down. Yes, I know the top elite racers tend to remove their exposed body hair, but I have never read anything stating you will get an advantage physically.

Now that said, there is always the psychological advantage. The mental game is so very important in all athletic endeavors. I can see as part of the mental preparation the routine of shaving would be.

It grows back, no matter how much you shave it. Try it and see if it helps you.

Zarathustra · 12-19-2007, 07:52 PM

I used to shave my legs when I raced. No, there is no aerodynamic advantage (or if there were it would be so minute that it would be impossible to measure). And yes, it did make leg massages much more comfortable and pain free -- when I was lucky enough to get them. But for the most part it was just the thing to do if you were part of the racer crowd. Let's face it, much of the racing community is comprised of people that are not part of the 'in' crowd anyways, so if shaving your legs was another 'edgy' thing to do then you better believe most people are going to do it. Or at least that was the case for me. Believe it or not having shaved legs actually feels pretty good -- very smooth and sleek -- and it really accentuates muscle definition.

So should you shave your legs? Well only you can answer that, but now that I'm older and wiser I myself wouldn't bother with it because I'd rather let my riding speak for itself than making a statement of shaving my legs.