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It appears that the real reason for shaving your legs is that it's actually faster. Quite a bit faster.
Have to admit I'm quite surprised by that, but it doesn't obviously appear to be faked.
"rustling on my pedal strokes"
🙄
I've got to admit that I've never actually understood why grown men shave their legs and then claim it makes them faster ?
I mean why bother shaving your legs and then have facial hair as some have been seen wearing on this years tour ?
And then when you fall off they apply that elasticated gauze ? That's not very aero dynamic ?
I've also seen several wearing Gold necklaces and pendants, and wrist bangles and other clutter ? seems a bit strange being a weight weenie then throwing caution to the wind by sporting a bit of Bling ?
My mate used to shave his legs for MTBing ! This was some time ago before full sussers were even invented and farmer johns tyres with the elastic band coloured sidewalls were the only ones available ?
He claimed it was for when he fell off ? The hair didn't get caught up in the scabs ?
Again lame ! Having hair matted up in scabs is one of the only rewards for falling off !!!!!
I've never met a cyclist who claimed it made them faster. Most talk about scabs, massage and plain old vanity
Massage for Pro's, vanity for most none pro's.
My mate used to shave his legs for MTBing !
I did exactly the same earlier this year - my off road commute with our current climate means getting my legs splattered with mud all the time and they clean up a lot more easily with shaved legs.
A word of warning though it can get quite additive and hard to know where to stop. 🙂
Less body hair = less time drying after a shower at 4:45am before work. Cuts minutes off my time. Plus I like how it feels and makes my calves look much better 😉
Statement of INTENT.
'I am taking this seriously!'
I've got to admit that I've never actually understood why grown men shave their legs and then claim it makes them faster ?
They don't, it's a common misconception. But now they can claim that.
It's true shaved legs don't attract mud as much, and it looks better, and as Cyril says - statement of intent. Feels great too.
Less body hair = less time drying after a shower at 4:45am before work. Cuts minutes off my time.
Minutes 😆
A couple of seconds at best or buy a proper towel, I can dry my own - ape like - body in about a minute.
the only genuine-sounding reason I've heard was Rob Hayles on Bespoke, who said pros do it because if a soigneur had to massage half a dozen pairs of hairy legs a night their hands would be ripped to pieces.
I can see only belonging to a clique and vanity (showing off ripped calves) as the reasons amateurs do it, and the plethora of reasons given (cleaning gravel rash, comfort for receiving a massage, aero etc) supports this.
Most talk about... plain old vanity
See, Ive never had it admitted, and I'd completely respect anyone who did.
I did exactly the same earlier this year - my off road commute with our current climate means getting my legs splattered with mud all the time and they clean up a lot more easily with shaved legs
how long does it take to clean muddy hairy legs, and how long does it take to shave them?!
unless this was avdave, earlier
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Hairy is faster, the boundary layer turbulence reduces drag.*
People just shave their legs because they like it, which seems fair enough to me.
*This may possibly be nonsense, I have very limited knowledge of the field.
I used to shave mine but I needed that extra edge for my strava segments so I got a ball peen hammer, and mashed thousands of little dents into my legs, like a golf ball. Now I'm 0.004% more aero.
Must be a nightmare for nettles and the like though.
how long does it take to clean muddy hairy legs, and how long does it take to shave them?!
It's more whilst riding - less mud sticks to your legs in the first place, which can be a bit uncomfortable on a long ride/race.
Basically it's about vanity though, and I'd always freely admit that! Not that I've shaved mine in years, ms njee20 objects furiously!
How can it be about vanity? It's about as good a look as pokemon pyjamas.
Looks good as long as you're not a "blueskin"
It's more of a sex thing really
vanity? - probably depends on your starting point of hairiness
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A word of warning though it can get quite additive and hard to know where to stop.
You stop when you get to the eyebrows. Or when you find yourself knee-deep in pubes looking like one of these:
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The aero news from Specialized is good news for us shavers, but for me, it's about gravel rash healing, looking good, and easy clean-up after wet or muddy rides.
A quick wipe of baby oil before a mountain bike ride and crap just wipes off. Means you can look clean in the pub afterwards!
I've done mine for vanity.
Did mine a few days ago, the wife said 'what the hell have you done? I'm going downstairs to look at hairy men on the tv"
I think it's more along the lines of a statement of "I R cyclist!" than looking good, but I guess you could still, loosely, class that as vanity.How can it be about vanity? It's about as good a look as pokemon pyjamas.
None pros do it purely because [i]it's what cyclists do[/i].
Been tempted several times down the years but never got around to it. TBH keeping my face fuzz free is proving too much of a feat lately so doubt I could manage a much larger area. Besides facial stubble is acceptable, stubbly legs is probably a very bad look.
I do it because I like the look and feels a lot cooler in hotter weather. If I gave up cycling I would probably still shave them. I grew the hair back for the first time in 3 years last winter and Mrs MM kept nagging at me to shave them as she didn't like them hairy. 😀
I don't shave as such, but I really dislike being covered in claggy wattle and daub as my long leg hairs mix with the mud to form the body equivalent of a mud hut.
So i run a clipper on grade one or two over them. Enough to not be labelled a shaver, but short enough that the hairs don't curl around and trap the mud.
And it still makes them look pretty enough.
[quote=johnners ]Hairy is faster, the boundary layer turbulence reduces drag.*
People just shave their legs because they like it, which seems fair enough to me.
*This may possibly be nonsense, I have very limited knowledge of the field.
er, you could always check your theory by watching the video in the OP!
[quote=discoduck ]I've got to admit that I've never actually understood why grown men shave their legs and then claim it makes them faster ?
Did anybody actually bother to watch the video in the OP?
I mean why bother shaving your legs and then have facial hair as some have been seen wearing on this years tour ?
Because the same guys tested beards and found it made a miniscule difference.
OK, You've got me interested in shaving my legs. Those hairs poking through my tights don't look good on a night out. What I need to know is where to I stop shaving? Above the knee? At my waist? Do I go all the way up to my neck?
Rubber Buccaneer tonight
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It's a bugger getting shoes in my size too!
Did anybody actually bother to watch the video in the OP?
It would appear not but I did
Still not sure if it was true or an April fools prank
Still not sure if it was true or an April fools prank
It was posted in July so unless there is a massive time gap or Americans work on a different April Fool basis to us then probably not. Probably.
Hairy is faster, the boundary layer turbulence reduces drag.**This may possibly be nonsense, I have very limited knowledge of the field.
It's nonsense, in pretty much any situation smooth/polished is better for reducing friction. Drag is proprtional to the drag coefficient (Cd) and area (A). If you imagine that the boundary layer reduces friction (part of Cd) then it also increaces the area of the object, which negates any benifit.
Noteable exceptions:
Golf balls, they spin so the dinples help shed vortices, without them they'd drag a huge wake behind them.
Chimney and tall towers, the spiral on the outside does the same job as the golfball without having to spin. Without it they'd shed vortices randomly and vibrate, the spiral means that from any direction the vortices always shed off different sides at varying heights, if it was just vertical strips all the vortices would shed off the same side and the tower would be pulled over.
What I need to know is where to I stop shaving?
It's addictive - all the way to your neck
Rubber_Buccaneer - MemberWhat I need to know is where to I stop shaving?
At the skin usually
er, you could always check your theory by watching the video in the OP!
If you think I'm willing to spend my time watching videos on the internet that I have reason to believe won't support my worldview then you've another think coming.
It's nonsense, in pretty much any situation smooth/polished is better for reducing friction.
And you can sod off with your so-called knowledge too. Plus your spelling's atrocious.
[quote=Junkyard ]Still not sure if it was true or an April fools prank
I had the same feeling when I saw it - just seems like far too large an effect! However no obvious fakery, and the folks in the video also expressed their surprise.
[quote=thisisnotaspoon ]It's nonsense, in pretty much any situation smooth/polished is better for reducing friction. Drag is proprtional to the drag coefficient (Cd) and area (A). If you imagine that the boundary layer reduces friction (part of Cd) then it also increaces the area of the object, which negates any benifit.
It's not quite that simple though. Flow separation results in an increase in drag when the fluid flowing around a body can no longer follow it. It has been shown that turbulent flow stays attached for longer than laminar flow, hence roughness to generate turbulent flow can help the flow stay attached for longer and decrease drag.
It's unlikely that hairy legs would help at all with this (and the video if it's genuine provides real world evidence that it doesn't), but it is a recognised effect, well beyond golf balls and cooling towers.
Rubber buccaneer - you need to see the film "Kinky Boots" based on a true story apparently
chakaping - MemberMust be a nightmare for nettles and the like though.
Why? Because the nettle's arms aren't long enough to reach their shins? 😆
aracer - Member
Junkyard » Still not sure if it was true or an April fools prank
I had the same feeling when I saw it - just seems like far too large an effect
The tested guy didn't look that fast, and as we all jnow now, aero advantages make up bigger time differences at lower speeds.
Is there a link to the results?
My shaven havens seem to make me very popular with horse flies... 😡
If the numbers were correct I could be tempted to shave my legs... Not totally sure I believe them though. [url= http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/aero/aerodynamics.htm ]Sheldon reckons 5 seconds over 40km[/url] - or to put it another way, the same as an aero chainset...
I am tempted to tidy mine up again, mainly for comfort / cleanliness / vanity. Used to years ago and feel out of habit before meeting Mrs gd (not sure if she'd be a fan though). As for aerodynamics - balls - I am to slow.
[quote=cynic-al ]The tested guy didn't look that fast, and as we all jnow now, aero advantages make up bigger time differences at lower speeds.
I thought it didn't vary that much, because whilst the faster guys are out there for less time, they gain more speed differential.
In any case this is just a wind tunnel test, so it doesn't actually matter how fast the guy is - they'll simply be using some nominal power figure to work out how "fast" he is before and after (and as stated there were multiple test subjects all giving similar results).
Check that Cervelo page aravcer, slower riders are out there longer so they save more time.
It works for me, the slower I am, the more benefit I get from fancy stuff I buy (or clingfilm on my helmet)
Yeah I know that al, and mentioned it in my reply, but I believe faster guys gain a larger percentage from aero improvements, so the absolute difference doesn't vary that much.
You are half right and maybe completely, depending on your meaning of "vary much":
The faster rider saves 1:26, while the slower rider saves 1:47.
A 24% difference, 30kph vs 40kph base speeds (times based on 20km)
Given the slower rider spends 33% longer on the road, I think that kind of proves my point 😉
BTW what is the cervelo page - you seem to be the only one on this thread to mention it?
http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/thinking-and-processes/slow-vs-fast-riders.html from an aero thread.
As speed decreases there aero becomes less relevant so there must be a speed at which point aero is pointless I think.