# Leg shaving....



## canyon80 (11 Jul 2020)

Or leg waxing!!

who all here does it? Been kind of tempted to give it a try for a laugh more than anything! But how common actually is it amongst your general amateurs like on here?


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

🙊 Daily


----------



## PeteXXX (11 Jul 2020)

Just do one leg.. It'll help you corner faster!


----------



## BurningLegs (11 Jul 2020)

I can’t see any benefit (or humour) in it tbh so don’t bother.


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

I do it. But only in summer. 
I'm no poser, but if you ever meet other cyclists and you have legs as hairy as mine it is embarrassing. Unshaven legs make others think you are not a serious cyclist. 

Stupid, of course. But if you do come off it helps when cleaning the crap out of your legs, and getting plasters off. 

At present there's the added danger than hairy legs will make others think that you are a lockdown cyclist.


----------



## mattobrien (11 Jul 2020)

I’m a cyclist, I shave my legs. Chewbacca legs just look wrong. Plus I race and would just get laughed at, unless I shaved aero trips for an advantage


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

When I was testing and winning, the big boys shaved legs, applied fake tan and then oiled legs before a race. 
It did look good. Psychological pressure on your opponents.


----------



## Julia9054 (11 Jul 2020)

Yes.
But I'm guessing this is a thread for blokes


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> Yes.
> But I'm guessing this is a thread for blokes


Go on. 
Show us yours and I'll show you mine


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

Any bets on how long it is before someone asks "where do you stop?"


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Any bets on how long it is before someone asks "where do you stop?"


Where do you think you stop?
At the top. Of course. 
No Brazilians though; that's a different thread


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Where do you think you stop?
> At the top. Of course.
> No Brazilians though; that's a different thread


----------



## mudsticks (11 Jul 2020)

No shaving, I'm not very hairy, life's too short. and me no like stubble

Maybe wax em once a year, just for larks, but it's not happened yet, and it's July already!! ...


----------



## winjim (11 Jul 2020)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Where do you think you stop?
> At the top. Of course.
> No Brazilians though; that's a different thread


At the top? Or at the bottom?


----------



## itboffin (11 Jul 2020)

I veet'd once never again as the hair struggled to come out and caused horrible rashes, but the last month I lost my cool with the lockdown hair and took the clippers to my head followed by my legs up to the shorts line and not only did i look better both ends but no rash, leg has grown out again and starting to look like a gorilla again, so i might redo them.


----------



## Rocky (11 Jul 2020)

At my age, I have little enough hair and want to preserve what I have left, wherever it is. So no.


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

winjim said:


> At the top? Or at the bottom?


Precisely.


----------



## Brandane (11 Jul 2020)

Unless you're a pro (or a girlie) - why? Just..... why??


----------



## Seevio (11 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Any bets on how long it is before someone asks "where do you stop?"


Always stop just below the ankles. Nothing says serious cyclist like the "Hobbit" look.


----------



## Brandane (11 Jul 2020)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Unshaven legs make others think you are not a serious cyclist.


Ahhh, I see. My previous question answered. My next question then, WTF is a "serious" cyclist? Is it all about the look? Is it the ex golfists who turned to cycling when it became trendy? Do I not count just because I don't wear all the uniform? It doesn't stop me doing imperial centuries, or one corner of Scotland to the diagonally opposite, or tours of France, or, or, or...... Just as well then that I don't give a flying feck what other cyclists think .


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

Seevio said:


> Always stop just below the ankles. Nothing says serious cyclist like the "Hobbit" look.


Depends on direction of shave


----------



## Smokin Joe (11 Jul 2020)

I don't need to. My legs are hairless and always have been.


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Ahhh, I see. My previous question answered. My next question then, WTF is a "serious" cyclist? Is it all about the look? Is it the ex golfists who turned to cycling when it became trendy? Do I not count just because I don't wear all the uniform? It doesn't stop me doing imperial centuries, or one corner of Scotland to the diagonally opposite, or tours of France, or, or, or...... Just as well then that I don't give a flying feck what other cyclists think .


Oh dear. Someone has taken this all too seriously. 
Wind your neck in boy and relax. 
You've enough to worry about with wee Jimmy Crankie.


----------



## cyberknight (11 Jul 2020)

good enough for sagan  
https://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/pet...y-not-shaving-his-legs-does-the-peloton-care/


----------



## Brandane (11 Jul 2020)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Oh dear. Someone has taken this all too seriously.


Eh no; I don't take anything seriously; especially cycling. Those who shave their legs to look pro though, I know exactly the type. Boy .


----------



## Globalti (11 Jul 2020)

Matt Seaton explains in his excellent little book The Escape Artist that leg shaving marks the move from amateur to pro. It's all about the culture of smartness and cleanliness and Seaton says that if you turned up for a race with hairy legs you'd be laughed out of the peloton.


----------



## Darius_Jedburgh (11 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Eh no; I don't take anything seriously; especially cycling. Those who shave their legs to look pro though, I know exactly the type. Boy .


As I thought....


----------



## Drago (11 Jul 2020)

Nah, don't shave my legs. The fuzz starts at my ankles, goes up my legs, bum crack, back and all the way to my beard.


----------



## Jimidh (11 Jul 2020)

I’m a shaver but after my wee off two weeks ago today which resulted in a broken collarbone i’m amazed how hairy i have become over the space of 14 days.

I did find one of the benefits of being hairless though. After my accident I had dressings on my legs and elbow.

The leg ones came off painlessly- the hairy arm one not so much.


----------



## Brandane (11 Jul 2020)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> As I thought....


OK - I will put it another way. There are certain threads that hit a raw nerve with me. They usually involve helmets, lycra, shaved legs, and the mention of "serious cyclists", as if all those things go hand in hand. They don't. Cycling is not an exclusive sport for a certain type, and if it is really serious about becoming popular with the masses then the snobbery needs to end. It is possible to be serious about cycling without conforming to the stereotype "serious cyclist".


----------



## canyon80 (11 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> OK - I will put it another way. There are certain threads that hit a raw nerve with me. They usually involve helmets, lycra, shaved legs, and the mention of "serious cyclists", as if all those things go hand in hand. They don't. Cycling is not an exclusive sport for a certain type, and if it is really serious about becoming popular with the masses then the snobbery needs to end. It is possible to be serious about cycling without conforming to the stereotype "serious cyclist".


Why does this thread hit a raw nerve with you?

i only asked a question. I have never done it personally but have noticed quite a few guys who do when I’m out, so thought I’d See how common it is. 

Am I tempted to do it? Maybe. Will I actually do it? Still undecided! But this thread is nothing about snobbery. It’s certainly not meant to hit a raw nerve with anyone.

lf it hits a raw nerve with you, it says far more about you than it does about anyone else....

sheesh!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (11 Jul 2020)

canyon80 said:


> Why does this thread hit a raw nerve with you?
> 
> i only asked a question. I have never done it personally but have noticed quite a few guys who do when I’m out, so thought I’d See how common it is.
> 
> ...


You're better off leaving him to it really.. Trim as best you can first then razor, maintain every few days.


----------



## canyon80 (11 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> You're better off leaving him to it really.. Trim as best you can first then razor, maintain every few days.


Thanks!


----------



## Zipp2001 (12 Jul 2020)

Been shaving my legs since the early 80's when I was racing. I no longer race but still shave, old habits are hard to break. Besides the wife has always like them that way.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jul 2020)

I found getting very ill and pretty old did the trick for me - the leg hair has pretty much gone without me even thinking about shaving it off!

Funnily enough, the bald spot on my head has become slightly less bald... Perhaps that is where the hair went? (And to my eyebrows, nostrils and ears as well, of course! )


----------



## wafter (12 Jul 2020)

lol - sod that


----------



## raleighnut (12 Jul 2020)

I don't have a Razor.


----------



## Landsurfer (12 Jul 2020)

During my 20 years time trialing my legs where always shaved ..... my wife did it ..... i'd get comfy on the bed, laid on a towel, and she would shave my legs for me ................ then it was her turn ...... such fun was had ......


----------



## screenman (12 Jul 2020)

Far easier to clean a wound on a shaved leg, or remove a dressing.


----------



## Binka (12 Jul 2020)

You‘re all amateurs...😉. You need a Philips Lumea and then IPL your legs. Longer lasting results, no stubble, no ingrown hairs. 👍😁


----------



## Salty seadog (12 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> Nah, don't shave my legs. The fuzz starts at my ankles, goes up my legs, bum crack, back and all the way to my beard.



This isn't a dating site. 🧐


----------



## Landsurfer (12 Jul 2020)

Binka said:


> You‘re all amateurs...😉. You need a Philips Lumea and then IPL your legs. Longer lasting results, no stubble, no ingrown hairs. 👍😁


Trust me .. our way was better ......


----------



## PaulSB (12 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I found getting very ill and pretty old did the trick for me - the leg hair has pretty much gone without me even thinking about shaving it off!
> 
> Funnily enough, the bald spot on my head has become slightly less bald... Perhaps that is where the hair went? (And to my eyebrows, nostrils and ears as well, of course! )


Oh the joys of age.....I don't have time to worry about leg shaving, I'm too busy removing all the excess ear, eyebrow and nostril hair!!! Much more important!!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (12 Jul 2020)

Binka said:


> You‘re all amateurs...😉. You need a Philips Lumea and then IPL your legs. Longer lasting results, no stubble, no ingrown hairs. 👍😁


This is actually a great point 😂 and a reminder that I have one


----------



## Julia9054 (12 Jul 2020)

Binka said:


> You‘re all amateurs...😉. You need a Philips Lumea and then IPL your legs. Longer lasting results, no stubble, no ingrown hairs. 👍😁


Blimey! Price of that thing!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (12 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> Blimey! Price of that thing!


That is a downside 😂


----------



## numbnuts (12 Jul 2020)

I do from the neck down


----------



## CanucksTraveller (12 Jul 2020)

I'm hairy, all the group I cycle with are hairy, there's not a leg shaver between us. 
it's news to us that we might not be considered serious cyclists, nobody's levelled that accusation at us yet!


----------



## screenman (12 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I'm hairy, all the group I cycle with are hairy, there's not a leg shaver between us.
> it's news to us that we might not be considered serious cyclists, nobody's levelled that accusation at us yet!



I think it was a very tongue in cheek remark, shaving legs can be a good idea.


----------



## DCBassman (12 Jul 2020)

Brompton Bruce said:


> At my age, I have little enough hair and want to preserve what I have left, wherever it is. So no.


This...


----------



## screenman (12 Jul 2020)

If I come off the bike and get gravel rash I am going to be happy I did not have hairy legs at the time.


----------



## ozboz (12 Jul 2020)

Pedal faster !


----------



## ozboz (12 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> Nah, don't shave my legs. The fuzz starts at my ankles, goes up my legs, bum crack, back and all the way to my beard.



As I remember, isn’t that a pre-requisite to join the RGJ ?
😁


----------



## CanucksTraveller (12 Jul 2020)

screenman said:


> I think it was a very tongue in cheek remark, shaving legs can be a good idea.



Shaving legs can be a good idea I agree, I don't have an issue with it and I'm sorry if my comment came across as "anti shaving", that wasn't my intent. 
I was addressing the OPs belief that some may see him as an inexperienced cyclist, or not a "proper" cyclist if he has hairy legs. Of course lots of serious cyclists don't shave. I don't think I've ever looked at someone's legs to note whether they shave or not and then form an opinion on their experience from that, it strikes me as something of a crackers notion!


----------



## canyon80 (12 Jul 2020)

The OP isn’t even down to me considering myself an inexperienced cyclist at all really, just more of a curiosity thing! I’m tempted to try it once and see if I like it or not, that’s all there is too it really!


----------



## AndyRM (12 Jul 2020)

I partially shaved my thigh this morning in preparation for getting a tattoo tomorrow. 

Does that count?


----------



## bladesman73 (12 Jul 2020)

Reminds me of when I played football and a team I played for turning up and hammering other teams, despite us having a kit donated to us whilst other teams in our league had it all, full training suits with their initials and sponsors on for warm ups, proper nice kit etc. We would usually spank them. Same with the notion about 'proper cyclists' and image. Fck the others, gently give them a nod as you overtake them with your hairy legs and lidl kit. Even better give them a ring of your bell, ask them if they want to draft you.


----------



## Zipp2001 (12 Jul 2020)

canyon80 said:


> The OP isn’t even down to me considering myself an inexperienced cyclist at all really, just more of a curiosity thing! I’m tempted to try it once and see if I like it or not, that’s all there is too it really!



Start with one leg first for a week to see if you like it then either do the other leg or not after you have decided.


----------



## screenman (12 Jul 2020)

bladesman73 said:


> Reminds me of when I played football and a team I played for turning up and hammering other teams, despite us having a kit donated to us whilst other teams in our league had it all, full training suits with their initials and sponsors on for warm ups, proper nice kit etc. We would usually spank them. Same with the notion about 'proper cyclists' and image. Fck the others, gently give them a nod as you overtake them with your hairy legs and lidl kit. Even better give them a ring of your bell, ask them if they want to draft you.



Or scream like a child when the nurse rips the dressing off of your hairy legs.


----------



## MontyVeda (12 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Unless you're a pro (or a girlie) - why? Just..... why??


my leg hair is very blond and very thick which means my legs don't so much look hairy... they just look out of focus, which is weird.


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jul 2020)

I nearly always wear compression sleeves these days because my gammy left leg swells up if I don't and it looks odd not wearing the matching one on the right***...







(I'm taking a little rest after climbing a steep hill! )

@Sea of vapours (in pink) suggested that I only wear the one that I need to, which would emphasise the fact that it was due to necessity rather than being a cycling fashion statement. The trouble with that is that I would have to explain to everybody I talked to WHY that was the case, and I can't be bothered to!

I don't spend much time looking at my legs but did this morning after reading this thread. It turns out that even more of the leg hair has disappeared than I thought. I have to look pretty hard to find it now...



Spoiler: WARNING - oldish man's bare leg content - ha ha!


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

How often do you have to fall off your bike to consider shaving your legs as a mitigation exercise?


----------



## nickyboy (12 Jul 2020)

Pros shave their legs (presumably cos they seem to fall off a lot and maybe it helps with the massages?)
Anyone who cycles around daydreaming they're a pro should shave their legs. Everyone else forget about it
I have hairy legs and I've never even considered shaving them cos I'm no pro dreamer


----------



## Ming the Merciless (12 Jul 2020)

screenman said:


> Far easier to clean a wound on a shaved leg, or remove a dressing.



This could be another cyclechat investigates.

Do cyclists with shaved legs crash more often?


----------



## Smokin Joe (12 Jul 2020)

This joins the list of threads that turn into ridiculous slanging matches for no reason.

Clipless or not?
Drops or flats?
Brifters or downtube?
Metal or carbon?
Discs or caliper?
Are electronic gears worth it?

Why can't people just ride what they want, for whatever reason they want and just don't worry a toss if someone else does it differently?


----------



## Mr Whyte (12 Jul 2020)

I got my hybrid to go out and enjoy riding, why would I want to shave my legs. Not for me as it`s my face and chin get a shave and that`s it.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (12 Jul 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> Why can't people just ride what they want, for whatever reason they want and just don't worry a toss if someone else does it differently?


Mostly IMO as those topics tend to end up with someone who does, thinks or owns the opposite almost forcing justification from the poster, then arguing against it.


----------



## Julia9054 (12 Jul 2020)

Zipp2001 said:


> Start with one leg first for a week to see if you like it then either do the other leg or not after you have decided.


Won’t that make one side of you faster than the other? You’ll just end up cycling in circles


----------



## Ming the Merciless (12 Jul 2020)

Contrary to misguided belief, hairy legs are actually faster. It’s now been tested!


----------



## Globalti (12 Jul 2020)

What I forgot to say in my post about pros who shave was that it's better for that post-race massage.


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

Globalti said:


> What I forgot to say in my post about pros who shave was that it's better for that post-race massage.


Why is that?


----------



## Brandane (12 Jul 2020)

Slick said:


> How often do you have to fall off your bike to consider shaving your legs as a mitigation exercise?


I was thinking I must be doing something wrong, because I can't recall having a plaster put on my leg since I was about 8 years old. Using that particular logic, maybe it's time I started shaving the backs of my hands and fingers.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (12 Jul 2020)

Slick said:


> Why is that?


Less friction and hair to be pulled out, my sport therapist is a fan when Im getting rubbed down


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Less friction and hair to be pulled out, my sport therapist is a fan when Im getting rubbed down


Long story but I've been advised to find a therapist to massage my legs regularly and I have had a few massages up to now without any hassle.


----------



## nickyboy (12 Jul 2020)

screenman said:


> Far easier to clean a wound on a shaved leg, or remove a dressing.


This is always the argument for shaving legs. It's the same argument for wearing gloves. But in 8 years I've ridden about 30,000 miles and I've fallen off hard enough to cut my legs/hands only a couple of times. So I don't shave my legs and I don't wear gloves

What's with all these folk falling off all the time?


----------



## Brandane (12 Jul 2020)

nickyboy said:


> This is always the argument for shaving legs. It's the same argument for wearing gloves. But in 8 years I've ridden about 30,000 miles and I've fallen off hard enough to cut my legs/hands only a couple of times. So I don't shave my legs and I don't wear gloves
> 
> What's with all these folk falling off all the time?


Careful now; this is heading towards someone mentioning the H word, and something will really hit the fan then .


----------



## AndyRM (12 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Careful now; this is heading towards someone mentioning the H word, and something will really hit the fan then .



Helicopter?


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Careful now; this is heading towards someone mentioning the H word, and something will really hit the fan then .


Haloumi?


----------



## AndyRM (12 Jul 2020)

Harrods.


----------



## Algarvecycling (12 Jul 2020)

A few chaps I cycle with don't bother with shaving their legs, most do though. I started when I was 18, more peer pressure than anything else at that time as I just got into racing. When I stopped racing, I stopped shaving them. I resumed last year when I resumed racing. For me, the main benefit is I feel less hot when I do, the sweat doesn't seem to linger as long as it otherwise would, waiting for the hairs to wick the moisture away. I live in a warm region with plenty of sunny days so perhaps it makes more sense here too.


----------



## Venod (12 Jul 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> This joins the list of threads that turn into ridiculous slanging matches for no reason.
> 
> Clipless or not?
> Drops or flats?
> ...



You forgot the helmet or no helmet question.

I have never shaven my legs even as a time trial rider, I ride the MTB in road gear, sometimes I wear a helmet, I use SPD pedals on all my bikes, I have ridden over 50,000 mile since I started using Strava in 2011 thats nine year, I have been cycling 60 year so my total mileage must be high, I like to think of myself as a cyclist.


----------



## Brandane (12 Jul 2020)

Venod said:


> You forgot the helmet or no helmet question.


Oh no; you've done it now....


----------



## flake99please (12 Jul 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Harrods.



How much? (and that’s at the ‘sale’ price).


----------



## Milzy (12 Jul 2020)

canyon80 said:


> Or leg waxing!!
> 
> who all here does it? Been kind of tempted to give it a try for a laugh more than anything! But how common actually is it amongst your general amateurs like on here?


Recently veeted from peer pressure from our top club lads who I ride with. It was simple to do. Legs feel cold a lot. Now it's growing back it's horribly itchy. I may leave it to grow for a good while before doing again. Should be left to the pros who need every watt and have massagers often really.


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Harrods.


Bargain.


----------



## Brandane (12 Jul 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Harrods.


Aww, what a pity they're only available in XXS, otherwise I might have snapped up a few .


----------



## Slick (12 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Aww, what a pity they're only available in XXS, otherwise I might have snapped up a few .


Might have stood a chance if they were XXXL.


----------



## DCLane (12 Jul 2020)

I do it if racing / in the summer. Not bothered so far this year but club rides and TT's are back soon so might this week.


----------



## MntnMan62 (12 Jul 2020)

mattobrien said:


> I’m a cyclist, I shave my legs. Chewbacca legs just look wrong. Plus I race and would just get laughed at, unless I shaved aero trips for an advantage



So THAT must be why people are always laughing at me as I come pedaling by. My Chewbacca legs......


----------



## Person (12 Jul 2020)

If you've got an athletic looking body you'll look better shaving your whole body. 
The other option is to use a head shaver with an attachment to trim your body hair. This makes everything look neat and well groomed.
If you do plan on shaving be really careful behind your knees.


----------



## Venod (12 Jul 2020)

I have always had a touch of Raynauds in the ends and it gets worse every winter I had to use the Turbo during cold spells, my feet have always been fine but this last wnter and into spring my toes started to go white even in the house when the temperature dropped, periphery vascular disease affects the feet and toes the same way.
Now your wondering if I am posting in the right thread.
I went to the Docs during lockdown to get checked out, it was all very clandestine, meet me round the back by the fire escape and I will be there with a mask, was the instructions.
To get to the point.
She remarked I had good blood flow to the feet and plenty of hairs on my legs, she said people with PVD usualy loose the hair.

She concluded it was Raynauds and prescribed me some pills, that do work.

I don't want to scare all you hairless people but I thought you should know.


----------



## Mugshot (12 Jul 2020)

AndyRM said:


> I partially shaved my thigh this morning in preparation for getting a tattoo tomorrow.
> 
> Does that count?


Whatcha gettin?


----------



## itboffin (12 Jul 2020)

just did mine again but using shaving cream and it took at least twice as long as last time dry, moved the hairy shorts line up an inch or two as a couple of my shorts are a bit short short.


----------



## Hover Fly (12 Jul 2020)

I’m so glabrous people accuse me of shaving my legs even though I don’t.


----------



## AndyRM (12 Jul 2020)

Mugshot said:


> Whatcha gettin?



A cool rectangle design on my thigh. And runes across my knuckles.

Perfect timing for my first job interview in over 10 years on Wednesday...


----------



## BigMeatball (12 Jul 2020)

Probably better for you guys to shave it. All the brits I've ever known have this pathetic little fur similar to what's on the peaches. Better shave that embarrassment off


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (12 Jul 2020)

This is supposed to be a _cycling forum_, FFS, and so far we've got 7 pages of chat about grown men shaving their legs! Leave the leg shaving to the ladies, for men to do it is downright weird!


----------



## ColinJ (12 Jul 2020)

Venod said:


> She remarked I had good blood flow to the feet and plenty of hairs on my legs, she said people with PVD usually loose the hair.
> ...
> I don't want to scare all you hairless people but I thought you should know.




I just found a few reports of hair loss due to taking warfarin. I have been taking it for 7 years so it sounds like that might be what is defoliating my legs!


----------



## ozboz (13 Jul 2020)

Hambini is an aerodynamic specialist, perhaps ask him ?
Be a colourful answer if nothing else !


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> This is supposed to be a _cycling forum_, FFS, and so far we've got 7 pages of chat about grown men shaving their legs! Leave the leg shaving to the ladies, for men to do it is downright weird!



Oh leave em be, if they like it, why not??

Tis a harmless enough choice -
- next you'll be saying it's weird for 'ladies' to choose _not _to depilate _. _

*To stop the ingrown hairs / itching - chaps you need to scrub with a loofah or rough flannel when showering.. *


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (13 Jul 2020)

mudsticks said:


> next you'll be saying it's weird for 'ladies' to choose _not _to depilate _. _



Not necessarily, it depends how hairy they are. It's perfectly possible for a woman to have a certain amount of hair on her legs and still look attractive and feminine, especially if the hair is fair in colour and doesn't contrast that much against the skin.


----------



## Toshiba Boy (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Not necessarily, it depends how hairy they are. It's perfectly possible for a woman to have a certain amount of hair on her legs and still look attractive and feminine, especially if the hair is fair in colour and doesn't contrast that much against the skin.


So, it's sometimes ok for women to shave their legs, and sometimes no need as if it's "fair and doesn't contrast..."(am I really reading this in 2020) but under no circumstances should men, blimey, are we in Victorian times here? Each to their own. I don't, my late dad, who was a good cyclist, raced and time trialled, did, his choice.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (13 Jul 2020)

It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.


----------



## flake99please (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.



 Wow.


----------



## SkipdiverJohn (13 Jul 2020)

Are you trying to tell be any other variation is natural then? Like masculine women or feminine men?


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.


Which century did you wake up in this morning?


----------



## Toshiba Boy (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Are you trying to tell be any other variation is natural then? Like masculine women or feminine men?


Yes, among a huge range in between. Blimey, this is like having a conversation in the 19th Century, albeit online.


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Are you trying to tell be any other variation is natural then? Like masculine women or feminine men?



Um. 

Yes.. 

Of course it depends on your definitions of masculine versus feminine but, basically yes, most of us are on a line of masculine feminine, varies person to person.. 

I think you'll find (borrowed from the boring bloke thread) 

That your supposed masculine / feminine traits, and their allotment, are a fairly recent social construct. 

And mainly constructed by men, as well, as it happens . 

Some of us choose to be who we are, hairy legs or no, and that's a much more comfortable way of bring for the majority of us.


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Not necessarily, it depends how hairy they are. It's perfectly possible for a woman to have a certain amount of hair on her legs and still look attractive and feminine, especially if the hair is fair in colour and doesn't contrast that much against the skin.



OK, I'll let all my female friends know about

"Skipdiver John's prescription for Attractiveness" 

I suspect they'll all be very keen to hear about it 

I wonder, could you supply a colour chart too, just so as they can all 'get with the programme'


----------



## Julia9054 (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Are you trying to tell be any other variation is natural then? Like masculine women or feminine men?


It would be more natural if we ran around in animal skins hitting things with clubs tbh.


----------



## Julia9054 (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> It would be more natural if we ran around in animal skins hitting things with clubs tbh.


I'm now wondering if cave people removed body hair


----------



## MontyVeda (13 Jul 2020)

flake99please said:


> Wow.


he's been with us a couple of years now... are you really that surprised?


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> I'm now wondering if cave people removed body hair


https://www.bodydetails.com/blog/history-hair-removal/


----------



## MontyVeda (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> I'm now wondering if cave people removed body hair


this caveman did...


----------



## Algarvecycling (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> This is supposed to be a _cycling forum_, FFS, and so far we've got 7 pages of chat about grown men shaving their legs! Leave the leg shaving to the ladies, for men to do it is downright weird!



Actually, some cycling Historians, like Dave Moulton, believe that male cyclists shaved their legs predating women doing so on stage as actresses in the 1920's. It only really took off from fad to norm with women in the 1940's from what I have read. It was also practiced in Rome centuries ago by men. Women, therefore, likely followed men in doing so... 

Men today who are comfortable with their own self and couldn't care less what insecure folk think and who find it practical for their sport or indeed, even just aesthetically, to shave do so and will continue to do so regardless.


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> It would be more natural if we ran around in animal skins hitting things with clubs tbh.



That just sounds like a pretty regular weekend to me


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Algarvecycling said:


> Actually, some cycling Historians, like Dave Moulton, believe that male cyclists shaved their legs predating women doing so on stage as actresses in the 1920's. It only really took off from fad to norm with women in the 1940's from what I have read. It was also practiced in Rome centuries ago by men. Women, therefore, likely followed men in doing so...
> 
> Men today who are comfortable with their own self and couldn't care less what insecure folk think and who find it practical for their sport or indeed, even just aesthetically, to shave do so and will continue to do so regardless.



And equally women who feel secure in themselves will choose to depilate or not depending on their preference. 

What a time to be alive


----------



## Algarvecycling (13 Jul 2020)

mudsticks said:


> And equally women who feel secure in themselves will choose to depilate or not depending on their preference.
> 
> What a time to be alive



Amazing isn't it, this freedom of choice we all have.


----------



## MontyVeda (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.


Yeah... and all these so-called men vainly shaving their faces, trying to appear more feminine, need to man-up too


----------



## Julia9054 (13 Jul 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> this caveman did...
> View attachment 535722


I think if you look really carefully, you may be able to notice that that is a cavelaydee


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> I think if you look really carefully, you may be able to notice that that is a cavelaydee



Once again.. 

Pretty regular weekend business, down our way


----------



## Julia9054 (13 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> https://www.bodydetails.com/blog/history-hair-removal/


Interesting - thank you!
Interesting to note that the author attributes hair removal in cave people to practical reasons - preventing lice - whereas I every other era it is out down to fashion
Did cavepeeps have no sense of style?


----------



## raleighnut (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> Interesting - thank you!
> Interesting to note that the author attributes hair removal in cave people to practical reasons - preventing lice - whereas I every other era it is out down to fashion
> Did cavepeeps have no sense of style?


No Mirrors


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> Interesting - thank you!
> Interesting to note that the author attributes hair removal in cave people to practical reasons - preventing lice - whereas I every other era it is out down to fashion
> Did cavepeeps have no sense of style?



I'd have thought the hairier the better, in winter at least. 

Caves can be chilly.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (13 Jul 2020)

mudsticks said:


> I'd have thought the hairier the better, in winter at least.
> 
> Caves can be chilly.


We'll have to ask john when he's done trapping rabbits and lighting his fire with flint


----------



## Julia9054 (13 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> We'll have to ask john when he's done trapping rabbits and lighting his fire with flint


I’m still waiting for him to drag me back a mammoth.


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> I’m still waiting for him to drag me back a mammoth.


Alive!


----------



## vickster (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.


You’re single presumably...Well I’d be utterly astonished if not


----------



## vickster (13 Jul 2020)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Which century did you wake up in this morning?


The same one he was born in, the 1800s


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> I’m still waiting for him to drag me back a mammoth.




A mammoth what though ?? 

Portion of outdated attitudes


----------



## AndyRM (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Are you trying to tell be any other variation is natural then? Like masculine women or feminine men?



Hi. Both here, depending on how I feel. 

Binary is nonsense, IMO. But you do you.


----------



## bladesman73 (13 Jul 2020)

screenman said:


> Or scream like a child when the nurse rips the dressing off of your hairy legs.


Wouldnt bother me, I've been thru angioplasty under local, so a few hairs being ripped off is a fckin cakewalk


----------



## beepbeep (13 Jul 2020)

ive waxed / shaved for years...and would not return to the itchy / woolly covered legs again...Much better in summer and on holiday...suntan lotion goes on the skin not on the hairs and much better when treating injuries ..


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Hi. Both here, depending on how I feel.
> 
> Binary is nonsense, IMO. But you do you.



*"you do you"*

Someone earlier was suggesting that this might be our interlocutors only option.


But i don't think we should be so hasty in judgement.

For all we know, It may just be Johns frustration at the dwindling supply of his preferred type of _fluffy_ guy, thats getting his dander up in the first place.

"Tread carefully, for you tread on my dreams" kinda thing


----------



## screenman (13 Jul 2020)

bladesman73 said:


> Wouldnt bother me, I've been thru angioplasty under local, so a few hairs being ripped off is a fckin cakewalk



Might not bother you, but hell it bothered me when I had a leg dressed 46 years ago after falling off a roof, not something i want to repeat. The falling was the easy bit.


----------



## MntnMan62 (13 Jul 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> this caveman did...
> View attachment 535722



Caveman? Are you saying that is a transexual caveman?


----------



## Smokin Joe (13 Jul 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> Caveman? Are you saying that is a transexual caveman?


At least the hairdressers were open back then.


----------



## Slick (13 Jul 2020)

Can't help but think @SkipdiverJohn was having a wee laugh with that one.


----------



## Smokin Joe (13 Jul 2020)

Slick said:


> Can't help but think @SkipdiverJohn was having a wee laugh with that one.


Big John, he's _sooooo _leggy -


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXu8hd49ZZM


----------



## ColinJ (13 Jul 2020)

mudsticks said:


> I'd have thought the hairier the better, in winter at least.


I have a bald spot on my head and it does feel really cold in winter! I don't know how bald men _people_ cope in Britain without wearing something on their head. (Obviously, most _do_ but I see baldies with uncovered heads even when it is well below freezing point. Mind you, I also see people riding bikes in shorts and short-sleeved jerseys in such conditions... Some people must be genetically mutated to not feel the cold, or be too slow-witted to realise why they are not feeling comfortable! )


----------



## MntnMan62 (13 Jul 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> Big John, he's _sooooo _leggy -
> 
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXu8hd49ZZM




Yep. The 80's sure did have some of the worst music put out by humans.


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> At least the hairdressers were open back then.



I'm desperate to know what conditioner he/she uses - my hair never looks like that after a day in the wilds - maybe its mammoth fat ??



Slick said:


> Can't help but think @SkipdiverJohn was having a wee laugh with that one.



We he certainly supplied us with one - thanks John


----------



## mudsticks (13 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I have a bald spot on my head and it does feel really cold in winter! I don't know how bald men _people_ cope in Britain without wearing something on their head. (Obviously, most _do_ but I see baldies with uncovered heads even when it is well below freezing point. Mind you, I also see people riding bikes in shorts and short-sleeved jerseys in such conditions... Some people must be genetically mutated to not feel the cold, or be too slow-witted to realise why they are not feeling comfortable! )



Its when its left uncovered in the heat - does that not boil your brainium ??


----------



## ColinJ (13 Jul 2020)

mudsticks said:


> Its when its left uncovered in the heat - does that not boil your brainium ??


I hadn't realised that I had the bald spot until I went on a MTB holiday in Snowdonia with a pal. We stopped for a break on a very sunny ride and she said "_Ooh, Col, the sun has burned stripes on your bald spot through the slots on your helmet!_"

I replied:

_*What *bald spot_? 
_Oh, *that *one... _
_*Ouchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! *_

I always cover my head with a bandana when out riding now. It keeps me warm in chilly conditions. If it is hot it stops my scalp burning or sweat running into my eyes. If it is _baking_ hot, I tip water on the bandana to keep cool. Works for me!


----------



## ColinJ (13 Jul 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's very simple, men should be masculine and women should be feminine. That's the natural order of things.


Ah, you have clearly never met _Lola_!


----------



## steveindenmark (16 Jul 2020)

I did shave my legs once. It was for a naked bike ride. I was thrown off for being a perv and wearing shorts. 😉


----------



## Brandane (16 Jul 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> I did shave my legs once. It was for a naked bike ride. I was thrown off for being a perv and wearing shorts. 😉
> View attachment 536223


Now there is one very good reason to NOT shave legs . I've been reading on this thread about men shaving to the shorts line, so there's what happens when you take the shorts off. I think I might be single again if SWMBO saw that .


----------



## jowwy (16 Jul 2020)

no hairy legs here and never have, so no need to shave them at all.........

but back in the 1800's were skipdiver still resides i believe they used tigers teeth to shave their legs, maybe john could tell us if this is true??


----------



## Julia9054 (16 Jul 2020)

jowwy said:


> no hairy legs here and never have, so no need to shave them at all.........
> 
> but back in the 1800's were skipdiver still resides i believe they used tigers teeth to shave their legs, maybe john could tell us if this is true??


Were the tigers specially trained?


----------



## jowwy (16 Jul 2020)

Julia9054 said:


> Were the tigers specially trained?


trained to just nibble a bit and not bite lol......i mean they do say tigers teeth are razor sharp


----------



## BrianUK (16 Jul 2020)

Never shaved mine, I'm far too hairy! Would look daft I think haha


----------



## Julia9054 (16 Jul 2020)

I have a male friend with rather hairy legs who had just one leg waxed for a charity event. He said it took about two years for both legs to look the same again


----------



## ColinJ (16 Jul 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> I did shave my legs once. It was for a naked bike ride. I was thrown off for being a perv and wearing shorts. 😉
> View attachment 536223


If I'd had legs (or arms) as hairy as that, I'd _definitely _have been shaving them!

A woman saw me shaving the backs of my fingers and hands once. She asked why I was doing it. I said that I preferred my hands to look like hands rather than the paws of a wolf!  (She told me not to be silly, and that she thought that hairy hands were sexy...  Didn't stop me though! )


----------



## Ian H (16 Jul 2020)

Globalti said:


> Matt Seaton explains in his excellent little book The Escape Artist that leg shaving marks the move from amateur to pro. It's all about the culture of smartness and cleanliness and Seaton says that if you turned up for a race with hairy legs you'd be laughed out of the peloton.


One of the things Seaton just gets wrong. Most amateur club riders shave, and most have no intention of going "pro". In fact this whole "looking pro" thing is weird. It appears to mean looking as though you're racing or ready to race when you have never done so.


----------



## MntnMan62 (16 Jul 2020)

Ian H said:


> One of the things Seaton just gets wrong. Most amateur club riders shave, and most have no intention of going "pro". In fact this whole "looking pro" thing is weird. It appears to mean looking as though you're racing or ready to race when you have never done so.



I think the correct term for that is "poser".


----------



## steveindenmark (16 Jul 2020)

ColinJ said:


> If I'd had legs (or arms) as hairy as that, I'd _definitely _have been shaving them!
> 
> A woman saw me shaving the backs of my fingers and hands once. She asked why I was doing it. I said that I preferred my hands to look like hands rather than the paws of a wolf!  (She told me not to be silly, and that she thought that hairy hands were sexy...  Didn't stop me though! )


You do realise she was trying to pull you 😁


----------



## Globalti (16 Jul 2020)

Ian H said:


> One of the things Seaton just gets wrong. Most amateur club riders shave, and most have no intention of going "pro". In fact this whole "looking pro" thing is weird. It appears to mean looking as though you're racing or ready to race when you have never done so.



Er.... Isn't that the whole posing roadie thing anyway? I'm sure many people check their look in the mirror before going out on the best bike.


----------



## Slick (16 Jul 2020)

Globalti said:


> Er.... Isn't that the whole posing roadie thing anyway? I'm sure many people check their look in the mirror before going out on the best bike.


Nope.


----------



## MntnMan62 (16 Jul 2020)

Globalti said:


> Er.... Isn't that the whole posing roadie thing anyway? I'm sure many people check their look in the mirror before going out on the best bike.



Not me.


----------



## ColinJ (17 Jul 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> You do realise she was trying to pull you 😁


She already _had_ done!


----------

