Shaved or hairy?

KeSs

Do you guys shave your legs? If so, what kind of gel/razor do you use and how do you aviod razor burn? I shaved the a little part of my upper leg tonight cause i want to see how my skin reacts

Virenque

Im using Gilette Mach3 and shaving cream! I dont have problems, just sometimes on the part of the leg, which is behind the knee!

KeSs

i did it! and now i have bad razor burn.....it sux

Columbia

yeah, its really annoying. Someone told me my legs would get used to being shaved and razor burn woulnt happen any more, but I've been shaving for three months now and I'm still getting it.

Bluey_27

You should try a different brand of razor...i saw the ad for Mach 3 turbo and that looked pretty cool, mabey you should get that one.
You could always use scissors!

runna

I use an electric razor. Heaps quicker (you do have to clean it out a bit more often though) and no knicks!! I have a braun that has a cleaning station, so I don't even have to clean it. (I also use it to shave my head).

Cyclist14

Shaved, Because you can save 5 seconds on a 25 mile TT.

dice2833

I shave my legs. I have done it since May 2004. At first, I had some wicked razor burn. My legs got used to it, but I still would cut myself from the razor burn.

I was able to eliminate the razor burn, but letting the hair grow out for two weeks, and then shave them again. It was pretty itchy for those two weeks, but considering that I don't have any problems anymore, it was well worth it!

Oh yeah, one other point, don't use shaving cream! Just do it in the shower. I put liquid soap on, and that seems to work the best.

wardie2000

In the shower twice a week.
If i have a race on the weekend then i will do it friday night and again on tuesday.

Get used to it though.
I don't want to start a new thread, but it makes leg massage a lot easier for the masseur. And the other reasons for shaving legs e.g road rash

ryan_velo

I shaved my legs and it made em feel real funny when I woul get in bed or put on my pants. It made em feel to soft and it was irritating. Im 14 and I shave my legs. I also live in ky. If anyone at school found out about me shaving my legs, even though because i am a cyclist, it would haunt me for a long time.

Demosthenes

I have pretty hairy legs, and when I told one of my female freinds I was gonna shave my legs because of cycling, she jumped at the chance to do it for me.


Whats a guy to do?

Courtancer

I can't believe the excuses males come up with to shave their legs. The wind resistance is going to make absolutely no difference at all unless you're an olympic sprinter. The excuse about gravel rash is a bit weak. I've heard people say that it is easier to avoid infection of you crash. Considering you would have to shave a couple of times a week, are you planning to fall off your bike every day? If you clean it properly there's not much chance of infection. Its better for a massage... Possibly but is a once a month massage worth the month of shaving?
I would just like to hear the real reasons why men shave their legs. e.g. Does it feel good, look good, etc. I know the various reasons why women shave their legs and I prefer shaved to hairy.

Virenque

Yes I was thinking about that too! The real reasons are massages, but mostly just pros are massaged (that`s why some football players and handball players and others are shaving too)! For others, the real reasons are tradition, good look and better feeling! Falls - scratches too, but I think that`s secondary reason but I won`t say that for sure because I don`t remember my last hairy fall hehe..

Rompinrhino

There are plenty of reasons to shaving. As far as massage goes, you should learn self-massage, it really helps after long rides. Not everyone has the luxury of a personal masseuse, but you can do it yourself. If you use any kind of sports oil, which you should, Qoleum is really good, it helps remove the acid from your legs, and you recover faster. As far as cleaning off road grime... I've been through lots of things that stick to my legs, the biggest one that I can think of is tar. I'd hate to have to pull tar out of leg hair. I'd have to say wind resistance is not high up on anybodys list of reasons. With the crashing, this is really obvious. When you have a bunch of hair on your legs, its a bigger mess. When you have to tape bandages to your legs, do you want hair there? Infection, maybe. Your right that if you take care of it, it wont get infected, but theres other reasons besides infection. It's easier to clean without hair too. People dont plan crashing, but shaving their legs is a preventative. Just like wearing a helmet, or wearing sunglasses. People are not doing this to be cool, or have a look, their doing it because there is a need to do it. These are all real reasons why men cyclist shave their legs. It does indeed feel and look nicer, have you ever rode behind a hairy ape? It also shows some competence in the sport. I'd rather ride behind somebody who has shaved legs than not because it shows that he understands the different aspects of cycling. I try and stay away from the people with hairy legs not because I'm a shaving snob, but that I just dont trust them. If they cant understand or accept the simple reasons for shaving their legs, what other safety concerns do they either not know about or choose to ignore? Shaving your legs shows maturity in the sport.

To contribute to the original conversation... I shave once or twice a week. I use the Skintimate gel. I know its ladies, but it's really soft and good for your skin. You may smell like roses after, but that goes away soon enough. Razor burn on the upper thighs can be helped by shaving less often. I find that my thighs grow back a lot slower, and only need to be shaved once for every two times i shave below the spandex line. Another thing to try is holding the razor at a lesser angle. Holding it too steep can give you a lot of cuts, and pressing to hard will have the same effect.