Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 42 total)
  • So…road bikes, lycra and body hair!
  • mindmap3
    Free Member

    I’ve recently bought a road bike and am really enjoying it, the lack of faffing is brilliant. I’ve even bought lyrca for the first time ever and it does work on the road bike.

    But, I have noticed that your hair sticks through it…I’m not exactly the missing link between apes and humans and am fair so it stands out pretty bad against the black lyrca that I’ve bought. I was just wondering what those who also ride rode do…do you obey ‘the rules’ and keep the legs smooth (possibly with a bit of man scaping too as I’ve also noticed hair poking through elsewhere) or do you just go with the whole hair poking through like those head cap things people have to wear when getting their hair highlighted?

    Jase
    Free Member

    Only shave my legs when it gets warm enough for shorts.

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    I don’t shave in winter, it looks worst on night rides if you look down when there’s a car coming up behind you!

    I’m dark, so other people can’t really see them. If you’re a ginger, you could try orange tights. 😉

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Nope, not ginger…blonde! It does look pretty bad against the black…not sure I’m fast enough to wear white!

    I think I can deal with the leg hair poking through….it’s the man garden that’s worse. Especially once off the bike!

    nickc
    Full Member

    Shaving is pretty complex…shave and you’d better be able to hand it out, cause it says something to other cyclists….don’t shave, and you’d better be able to hand it out to those that shave….

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I jokingly mentioned it to the other half and she wasn’t impressed…according to her only ladies should have smooth legs.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    I jokingly mentioned it to the other half and she wasn’t impressed…according to her only ladies should have smooth legs.

    They all say that. Then IME 75% change their minds.

    convert
    Full Member

    I used to train with a particularly naturally hairy triathlete back in the days when we raced in speedos and a mincey crop top. He used to shave down (as we all did) but wearing that getup you had to shave much higher. He’d get in the shower after a swim and take off his budgie smugglers to reveal a super hairy (chewbacca would have been proud) pair of speedos underneath! It looked flippin hilarious. He’d have been better to go the full back sack and crack but his girlfriend said it was like going to bed with a 12 year old if he whipped the whole lot off.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Convert…that is not a nice image! Sounds like a full on hair nappy.

    psling
    Free Member

    I’d be having a word with her if she knows what going to bed with a 12 year old is like… 😯

    Personally, I can’t see beyond my waist for some reason so don’t notice the problem.

    lucien
    Full Member

    I used to train with a particularly naturally hairy triathlete back in the days when we raced in speedos and a mincey crop top. HeSHE used to shave down (as we all did) but wearing that getup you had to shave much higher. He’dSHE’d get in the shower after a swim and take off his HER budgie smugglers to reveal a super hairy (chewbacca would have been proud) pair of speedos underneath ladygarden! It looked flippin hilarious. He’d SHE’D have been better to go the full back sack and crack brazillian wax but hisher girlfriendboyfried said it was like going to bed with a 12 year old if he a piece of sandpaper if she whipped the whole lot off.

    FTFY

    klumpy
    Free Member

    I think I can deal with the leg hair poking through….it’s the man garden that’s worse. Especially once off the bike!

    Hells bells. Either you recently went through a teleporter with a fly, or accidentally (or even “accidentally”) bought wimmins tights instead of lycra leggings.

    Either way, stop it right now. Cross dressing is one thing, but road riding!?

    butcher
    Full Member

    I think the reason for shaving is so you don’t zip up your hair when putting on your bib-longs.

    Makes you panic for a second, that.

    toxicsoks
    Free Member

    I’ll never buy a road bike
    I’ll never go full lycra
    I’ll never shave my legs….. 😯 😐

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Worst thing is Klumpy that I’ve really really enjoyed the road bike. Since having it the SX and BFe haven’t had a look in. The BFe hasn’t even been ridden yet and was like a kid on Christmas Day when that arrived (admittedly ill have more time for the mountain bikes when I’m not running as much…I’ve got a half marathon next week).

    They’re definitely men’s Lycra, not ladies tights (making it even worse, they’re bib tights too!). No relation to a fly either.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Always said that Toxicsoks….its over isn’t it?

    Gone are the days of riding big silly bikes and planning trips to Chicksands. Next I’ll spend all day thinking about cadence.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    IME 75% change their minds.

    my experience is that 100% of women change their minds. Often on a second by second basis.

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    mindmap on race podium last summer..

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    That is awesome… 😆

    But I’m not that hairy honestly…I’m nearly 30 and still only have to shave every other day. It’s just that its blonde so what does poke through shows up…a lot, especially against black.

    midlifecrisis
    Free Member

    wear white shorts so they don’t show up?

    longj
    Free Member

    I don’t wear lycra so this is probably some sort of faux pas but is it not possible to wear some, like, pants underneath your shorts to protect your man garden ?

    winterfold
    Free Member

    midlifecrisis – Member
    wear white shorts so they don’t show up?

    Except if it rains for 10s everyone else on the ride will know far more about his undercarriage and crack than they would like.

    OP – shave up to hot pants kind of level then beard trimmer

    In winter thicker tights should prevent your man garden poking out with thinner 3/4 it is not totally reliable, and it is minging if a few find their way out

    but – its a bit **** cold to be talking about this yet?

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Forget shaving, get a cheap Philips epilator. Then you can learn about pain (behind the knees in particular). The benefit is that regrowth takes much longer than shaving, and only needs a repluck every two weeks or so.

    Or spend £20 on a leg wax to boxershorts.

    heckler73
    Free Member

    i shave the whole bod , bar my hair on top, 😀

    radoggair
    Free Member

    yeah, never epilate. Pain levels was mental.

    Just MTFU and shave. I do full legs, chest, back, arms down to the elbows and pubic area ( leaving a small area but trim it all with scissors). Once you grasp the idea and do it, then realise that 1000’s of professional male athletes do it ( swimmers, runners, cyclists , gymnasts , footballers etc)you begin to be o.k. with it and keep it going. You end up doing legs tues, friday, chest and arms on wed, sat to keep time in the bath/shower to a minimum.

    Its pretty easy, your GF becomes accustomed to it pretty quickly ( altho you’ll find she uses your razor).

    If its your first time tho, start with veet for men. Gets 80% of it off pretty quickly and pain free

    You also start getting brilliant tans and tan lines, and your legs look amazing during race season and with lycra on

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    Just MTFU and shave. I do full legs, chest, back, arms down to the elbows and pubic area ( leaving a small area but trim it all with scissors). Once you grasp the idea and do it,

    Why? Ive heard loads of theories- easy to treat gravel rash, ease of post-race massage etc but never bought any of them.

    then realise that 1000’s of professional male athletes do it

    Oh, conformity?

    and your legs look amazing during race season and with lycra on

    Which I suspect is the real reason so chapeau for being honest.

    muddyfunster
    Free Member

    mindmap3

    I’ve recently bought a road bike and am really enjoying it, the lack of faffing is brilliant

    Does not compute with…

    I do full legs, chest, back, arms down to the elbows and pubic area ( leaving a small area but trim it all with scissors). Once you grasp the idea and do it, then realise that 1000’s of professional male athletes do it ( swimmers, runners, cyclists , gymnasts , footballers etc)you begin to be o.k. with it and keep it going. You end up doing legs tues, friday, chest and arms on wed, sat to keep time in the bath/shower to a minimum

    Jesus wept. The only reason to do it is vanity.

    stevewhyte
    Free Member

    There is no question it is cleaner if you fall of an have shaved legs, especially the congealed blood.

    But why should anyone care if you shave your legs. Just sounds like some folk have nothing better to do than moan.

    muddyfunster
    Free Member

    stevewhyte

    There is no question it is cleaner if you fall of an have shaved legs, especially the congealed blood.

    I’ve heard this bandied about before, and yet I draw blood everyother time I’m out on the mountain bike. Same for most people I know. Roadies probably come off on average what? once or twice a year?

    But why should anyone care if you shave your legs

    It’s a forum

    project
    Free Member

    He’d have been better to go the full back sack and crack but his girlfriend said it was like going to bed with a 12 year old if he whipped the whole lot off.

    Perhaps somethings are best not shared on the internet, but you do wonder how she knew what a 12 year old boy was like.

    carbon337
    Free Member

    Shave all year, in fact just lubed up with moisturiser after tonights shave.

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    Steve, I don’t care what the OP (or the poster I quoted) does, as a recent road convert I’m questioning why a strange practice has become so engrained in the culture with no overwhelmingly obvious justifiable reason. I’d be perfectly happy to start shaving my legs if I could find reasons beyond convention and vanity.

    As for crashes not sure they even shaved my legs when they opened it up and put a pin in my knee…

    TiRed
    Full Member

    The first epilation is pain. The second better. Every other week and it’s fine. Regrowth hairs are much finer. Apparently some men do their whole bodies 😯

    Lifer
    Free Member

    crashtestmonkey – Member
    Steve, I don’t care what the OP (or the poster I quoted) does, as a recent road convert I’m questioning why a strange practice has become so engrained in the culture with no overwhelmingly obvious ustifiable reason. I’d be perfectly happy to start shaving my legs if I could find reasons beyond convention and vanity.

    As for crashes not sure they even shaved my legs when they opened it up and put a pin in my knee.

    Because it’s easier to clean.

    I’m a non-shaver but can completely see that the crashing/regular massage reasons make perfect sense.

    large418
    Free Member

    Anyone else have hair loss on their legs? I’m 46 and lost a lot of hair on my head, but now my legs are going bald as well. Sort of balding from both ends – I might have no hair at all in 10-20 years 😯

    Don’t shave my legs (or body) though

    radoggair
    Free Member

    the massage and healing of injuries is the correct answer. It makes absolutely zero aero advantage.

    Personally i prefer it, it feels so much better when riding as well generally and you look alot better than wearing lycra with hairy legs. Some people dont want to do it and others do, its personal preference. At the professional end of the sport is what pro’s do so natural progression means semi-pro, amateurs do it and it filters down. Alot of people enjoy getting on board with it. All i would say is try it, if you dont like it then wait 8 weeks and nothing will be lost. You never know though, you may like the smooth feeling

    globalti
    Free Member

    It’s all to do with massage, then pride in your appearance. Matt Seaton says in his excellent book The Escape Artist that you’d get laughed out of the peloton if you turned up wuth hairy legs and he also reckons that a shaved leg makes it much easier for an experienced eye to size up an opponent’s muscles and guess his likely strengths and weaknesses.

    convert
    Full Member

    It’s all to do with massage

    This seems true. When I raced relatively seriously I had a massage once a week. If I turned up at the guy’s place in the winter with hairy legs he’d roll his eyes and complain about his poor hands.

    Mostly it’s a vanity and looking like a pro thing though.

    carbon337
    Free Member

    Mostly it’s a vanity and looking like a pro thing though

    What he said, especially if you get them tanned and embrocation on them too, for uber shineyness. Veins jutting out for extra points.

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    Only time I shaved anything was if I had to repeatedly tape it up, but you inadvertently “wax” yourself the first time you rip the tape off anyway.

    I can buy the “shave because it’s easier for the masseur to do his/her job” argument, but hell, I can hardly afford spare inner tubes, let alone a post training ride massage.

    I’ve heard it’s easier to do if you get a women’s razor if you really want to go that way.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 42 total)

The topic ‘So…road bikes, lycra and body hair!’ is closed to new replies.