IS THERE ANYTHING more embarrassing as a cyclist than to have someone walk in on you shaving your legs?
Okay, a woman will obviously get away with it but a man? Come on, it just looks plain wrong and unless you can come up with some damn good logic, it probably is.
But the next time you find yourself furiously batting away questions on the merits on this surely worthless exercise, articulate these five points and your other half won’t ask again.
Just be sure and bring home some prize-money at the weekend.
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Aerodynamics
It has long been known that shinier, smoother legs cut through the wind faster than bushy, furry ones. The thinking behind it is very simple; less hair means less resistance to the wind means you get from point A to point B faster, assuming there are no other variables at play.
Earlier this year, American bike brand Specialized released a video claiming that shaved legs are significantly faster than hairy ones and the results were staggering; average riders saved 70 seconds per 40 kilometres after shaving their legs. To put that into perspective, a top of the range, cutting edge helmet gave an advantage of around 46 seconds over the same distance.
To help you understand the concept a bit better, in 2000, NASA researcher Dr Rabi Mehta found that a tennis ball’s fuzziness affected its flight and how fast it travelled more than the size or the weight of the ball itself. In a wind tunnel, he determined that each fuzz filament on a ball added its own bit of drag—which is essentially what your leg hairs do when you ride.
Less pain after crashing
Crashes happen very often in cycling with the most common injury being road rash. This is where the skin is literally ripped off (usually after a fall), exposing the body to the risk of infection. Shaved legs a) hurt less than unshaved legs during the crash because you avoid having hair being pulled out of its roots as a result of the friction with the road and, b) cuts on shaved legs are easier to treat than on hairy legs. Bandages are also far less painful to pull off shaven legs.
Massage
We all love a massage and some are better than others at coming up with reasons why we need and/or deserve one but after a hard day on the bike, there’s nothing better than a good ol’ rub down. Clean shaven legs are much easier to massage and it’ll also hurt the client far less than having those follicles tugged back and forth if the legs were unkempt. And no, not even baby oil will not make it any better.
Vanity
You train hard enough to get these legs so if you got ‘em you might as well flaunt ‘em, right? Yes folks, cyclists are a pretty vain bunch at the best of times and they love nothing more than to compare calf and quad muscles with their peers for definition. But you have no chance of winning that ‘quad off’ if those pistons are obscured by a blanket of fur.
The mental element (and tradition)
Former Vuelta A Espana champion, Chris Horner, probably summed it up best when he said: “In your mind, having shaved legs makes you feel faster. I always shave before a time trial. You feel the wind flowing over your legs.”
It just makes you feel more like a cyclist, having shaven legs and it’s arguably the final frontier in terms of your transition from another sport. You’ll get the bike, buy the gear – don the lycra eventually but swear you won’t shave your legs until you become addicted and believe you’ll shave (literally) seconds off your PB if you break out that razor.
You might just be taken more seriously as well. Welcome to the brotherhood.
Why do cyclists shave their legs?
IS THERE ANYTHING more embarrassing as a cyclist than to have someone walk in on you shaving your legs?
Okay, a woman will obviously get away with it but a man? Come on, it just looks plain wrong and unless you can come up with some damn good logic, it probably is.
But the next time you find yourself furiously batting away questions on the merits on this surely worthless exercise, articulate these five points and your other half won’t ask again.
Just be sure and bring home some prize-money at the weekend.
Aerodynamics
It has long been known that shinier, smoother legs cut through the wind faster than bushy, furry ones. The thinking behind it is very simple; less hair means less resistance to the wind means you get from point A to point B faster, assuming there are no other variables at play.
Earlier this year, American bike brand Specialized released a video claiming that shaved legs are significantly faster than hairy ones and the results were staggering; average riders saved 70 seconds per 40 kilometres after shaving their legs. To put that into perspective, a top of the range, cutting edge helmet gave an advantage of around 46 seconds over the same distance.
To help you understand the concept a bit better, in 2000, NASA researcher Dr Rabi Mehta found that a tennis ball’s fuzziness affected its flight and how fast it travelled more than the size or the weight of the ball itself. In a wind tunnel, he determined that each fuzz filament on a ball added its own bit of drag—which is essentially what your leg hairs do when you ride.
Less pain after crashing
Crashes happen very often in cycling with the most common injury being road rash. This is where the skin is literally ripped off (usually after a fall), exposing the body to the risk of infection. Shaved legs a) hurt less than unshaved legs during the crash because you avoid having hair being pulled out of its roots as a result of the friction with the road and, b) cuts on shaved legs are easier to treat than on hairy legs. Bandages are also far less painful to pull off shaven legs.
Massage
We all love a massage and some are better than others at coming up with reasons why we need and/or deserve one but after a hard day on the bike, there’s nothing better than a good ol’ rub down. Clean shaven legs are much easier to massage and it’ll also hurt the client far less than having those follicles tugged back and forth if the legs were unkempt. And no, not even baby oil will not make it any better.
Vanity
You train hard enough to get these legs so if you got ‘em you might as well flaunt ‘em, right? Yes folks, cyclists are a pretty vain bunch at the best of times and they love nothing more than to compare calf and quad muscles with their peers for definition. But you have no chance of winning that ‘quad off’ if those pistons are obscured by a blanket of fur.
The mental element (and tradition)
Former Vuelta A Espana champion, Chris Horner, probably summed it up best when he said: “In your mind, having shaved legs makes you feel faster. I always shave before a time trial. You feel the wind flowing over your legs.”
It just makes you feel more like a cyclist, having shaven legs and it’s arguably the final frontier in terms of your transition from another sport. You’ll get the bike, buy the gear – don the lycra eventually but swear you won’t shave your legs until you become addicted and believe you’ll shave (literally) seconds off your PB if you break out that razor.
You might just be taken more seriously as well. Welcome to the brotherhood.
Ego is the only obstacle to making Frampton v Quigg superfight – Hearn
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