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21/01/2009 2:05:31 PM
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Troy Collett
Posts 146
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Is it better or easier to shave or wax your legs?
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21/01/2009 2:48:49 PM
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bJay
Posts 12
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I wax
Hurts the first time but deosnt hurt ever again after that. Only have to do it once every 4-6 weeks and doesnt irritate the skin as much.
Wax is the only way to go 
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21/01/2009 10:27:04 PM
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Jason Daniels
Posts 73
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Its easier to let the hair grow. Shaving and waxing is for the vain.
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21/01/2009 10:49:39 PM
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bJay
Posts 12
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Vain 
Lets see how effective treatment is for road rash on the legs next time you crash (though I hope no one here crashes!)
On top of that, there is less chance of infection with clean shaven or waxed legs when you get road rash (at least according to the 4 doctors in my family)
I guess cyclists who race in general are just vain 
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21/01/2009 10:50:16 PM
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Nick Muir
Posts 21
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A friend once told me the story of how he was getting ready to go out for a bike ride , his new (non cyclist) girlfriend arrived & walked in to the bedroom while he was putting his legwarmers on , trouble is that was all he had put on at that stage ... the relationship nearly ended there - LOL . If he'd just finished shaving his legs as well , it probably would have - ho ho.
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21/01/2009 11:34:38 PM
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No Chain
Posts 31
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Shave or wax ... its not just about the riders ... its also about the masseurs/masseuses.
But for we non professionals its about what suits best.
Waxing hurts the back but it takes longer to return!!!
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22/01/2009 4:42:30 AM
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Jason Daniels
Posts 73
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bJay do you wax your arms? Chances are that if you are going to come off, then you'll lose a lot of skin from your arms also but you don't see too many cyclists talk about that part of the anatomy and the topic of waxing. It is always about the legs.
And yes, I have spent time with the wire brush and dettol to remove road rash from my legs and arms after coming off my bike, more than once. The hairs played little part in whether or not my wounds got infected. The old chestnuts about shaving being easier for the Masseuse or Doctor are only rolled out by cyclists. A French dude or maybe Italian probably once shaved down for a race and liked the look and so did his racing counterparts, so they all gave it a shot, and it then became part of the cycling culture.
Much in the same way it is creeping in to other sports now. 20 years ago, an AFL player or a Cricketer would have been booted out of the club for even contemplating such a thought but you will probably find that nowadays with pressure from their media agents, quite a few of these guys would shave down now. And that is to make the sport more appealing to a newer audience, and likely to sell Calendars.
If you are to suggest that shaving is purely for a medical reason, then you would also suggest that there is a duty of care on behalf of the professional's employers to ensure that shaving occurs, so I would figure that another occupation that has a high risk of similar injuries would be those who work outdoors in the construction and or labouring role, and I haven't seen too many OH&S documents that suggests that shaving can improve the management of workplace injuries. I would have thought that skin cancer would be of a greater concern from an OH&S point of view in professional cyclists then the treatment of gravel rash or a muscle strain.
Ask your masseuse to just add a bit more oil and if you do end up in the emergency room minus a little skin, ask the doctor to trim the hairs if they are in the way. I am sure the local Hospital will have a sharp instrument or two.
Vanity is in the eye of the beholder.
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22/01/2009 9:46:45 AM
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Jeffrey Schulz
Posts 55
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I also don't understand the arm, leg thing. Why not shave the arms as well, maybe groin, underarms, head. A few cyclists have facial hair yet shave their legs. When you shave your legs, how high do you go? Do you shave your feet?
I have more scars on my arms than on my legs from bike crashes. When I crashed my bike the wounds healed the same when I had hair and didn't have hair. My toe is one of the worst injuries I have got and I had my cycling shoes on, they didn’t stop my foot from being crushed. Nine months since the accident, have an operation next week, maybe we should wear steel caps. LOL.
I asked the girl who massages me and she said it made no difference to her if my legs had hair or not.
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22/01/2009 1:22:46 PM
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Jason Daniels
Posts 73
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cheers for the support Sarge, I figure I am in the minority here with the majority of cyclists removing their leg hair, so any support is welcome.
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22/01/2009 7:43:46 PM
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Clayton Marsland
Posts 6
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I think the shaving of one's legs is used as an effort to gain a psychological edge. Shaved legs (assuming they are not fat legs) show more muscle definition. This is probably similar to the reason body builders shave their chests. l
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22/01/2009 11:03:38 PM
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Aimee A
Posts 6
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I shave...I hope this doesn't make me vein
From a female perspective - I have gotten so used to seeing guys with shaved legs that I now think it looks odd when I see hairy ones!
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23/01/2009 10:52:31 AM
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Chris Wolff
Posts 12
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stick with the mohair leg warmers
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24/01/2009 6:03:57 PM
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Cos
Posts 30
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I'm with Jason Daniels. Without repeating all that is said, there is no real reason to shave. Even if you believe that shaved legs helps to keep the legs cooler in hot weather (sweat evaporates more quickly without hair since there is better air flow) then you would have to shave your entire body because it's just important to keep your core cool too, especially your head!
Yep it's only for the look, and really that's a personal taste, each to their own....
Though I don't shave, there is pressure....My best mate (who doesn't ride) said "You don't want to look like a Gorilla in Lycra, do you?"
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25/01/2009 8:08:04 PM
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Jason Daniels
Posts 73
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Thanks Cosmo, Chris and Aimee, it's vain... veins are what you knick when you shave your legs with old rusty blades (Common up here).
Clayton, it may seem like a psychological edge but try beating Matt Rawnsley up Norton Summit, only Brett and Jack have been able to... I think the psychological edge is with the cyclist who can do a turn with hairy legs in a field of vain shavers. 
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28/07/2009 4:11:45 AM
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Jason Daniels
Posts 30
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A good reason why cyclists should not shave, watch the Raboplus advert.
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29/07/2009 8:54:10 PM
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Cameron Bayly
Posts 4
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i vote shaving/waxing!
i dont shave my arms but i do shave my legs and after a crash earlier this year i wished i had shaved my arms. my legs healed up approx 5 times quicker than my arms and was far less painful especially when ripping bandages off. not to mention the legs werent in as bad shape as my arms as my legs tended to slide more on the bitumen where the arms just ripped all my skin off.
I also find riding is warmer in winter and cooler in summer with shaved legs. the cold air doesnt get caught up in the hair and it just feels cooler in the summer.
The main reason i shave my legs though is just too look like a real cyclist, it defines the racers from the every day riders, it just looks amateur without them. and because im so used to shaved legs and being around a lot of racers with shaved legs, it looks abnormal to have hairy legs.
Also there are quite a few pro cyclists who do shave their arms as well, especially track riders, mainly for aerodynamics though.
hair and lycra just dont mix!
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