I only shave if I am going racing or it is very hot weather.
I also MTB and having a bit of hair there is helpful if you take a tumble.
I find it makes quite a big difference in hot weather if shaved though.

I shave my face every 2-3 days (could probably do it every day but I don't like what it does to my skin on the 2nd day). I shave my legs weekly (razor). I shave mainly because I like the feeling of shaved legs while riding. I feel dirty while riding if my legs aren't shaved. I also hate all hair except on my head. I have hated hair since I was 15 or 16 years old. I was also a swimmer growing up so I've been accustomed to shaving for quite some time but I used to only shave twice a year for big meets. The aeroness, road rash, and massage benefits are nice to have but they aren't my main reason for shaving.

I've never tried epilating but I have done laser hair removal on my back. Laser hair is expensive and you have to go multiple times. I think I did 3 or 4 sessions on my back and it still grows back but it is definitely less. Anyone that says laser hair removal completely removes all hair is just lying to you. Everyone is different and depends on your hair color and type (I have dark dark hair which makes laser hair removal a bit harder). If you do laser hair removal, you have to stay out of the sun. I live in Florida and run with my shirt off when outside which makes staying out of the sun quite difficult.

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blog

If I don't shave I resemble a runt Sasquatch, and Mrs. mck414 prefers me to not look like a runt sasquatch. Tired waxing my back once.......once. I'll stick to a weekly shearing.

I actually started ye ol' full body shaving during the summer months when I stationed on Okinawa, I found I was way more comfortable without the additional hair t-shirt. This was before I found triathlon, so I came into the sport already a weird guy who shaves.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I can't stand body hair, not mine, not anybody else's, so I have tried most types of body hair removal more than once:

Laser

Pros:

• long lasting
• smooth

Cons

• expensive
• not particularly painless
• need several sessions (4 to 10)
• need to know which laser is used (wrong one means all the efforts were done in vain)
• after couple of years have to start from scratch

Epilation

Pros

• very smooth from the first session
• lasts about a week

Cons

• very painful
• lasts only about a week
• may want to use a pro
• may cause serious irritation or infection

Shave

Pros

• cheap
• fast
• no external help needed (except the back)
• painless
• no special tools required - most of us already have the shaver (my favorite is the "stolen from the wife" one)

Cons

• short lasting
• occasional nicks
• occasional irritatoin

The worst one is in my opinion is the epilation. The best one is the laser, but it is rather troublesome and not particulary cheap, so I stick with the fast and easy one.

To piggyback off the shaving question. To those who shave their chest/leg/whatever hair weekly-ish, are you walking around with stubble towards the end of the week? And does it end up looking weird with shorts or itching under pants?

I don't bother removing hair, except once a year when girlfriend requests I get my back done in advance of a beach holiday!
I've had my back and shoulders waxed for the last couple of years. It's not a pleasant experience!
I do have quite a hairy lower back and it really hurts.

I did once shave my torso several years ago. This was because I'd done a stress ECG and the technician had shaved two little patches on my chest to get a better electrode contact. These looked ridiculous so I decided to shave the lot and let it all grow back together. Having done my chest I decided the back had to be done to match. That was all pretty straightforward and pain free. However, a couple of weeks or so later (can't remember exactly the time period) when the hairs had grown back to several millimeters length, just long enough to curl around and stab me every time clothing or anything else brushed against me. The discomfort was awful, and relentless. This continued for another week or two IIRC. So, it seems to me, if you start shaving you have to keep it up or suffer the growback pain. Correct?

Amazing response thanks for doing this!

I wonder if a home laser would be a good compromise as it seems to be the most effective by far if not for the expense and making sure you use the right laser.

Has anyone tried a home laser? I had a look at the Remington iLight and the Tria 4X. Seemed fairly decent except the Tria looked like it would take forever to do legs.

This is good to know. I had heard about an epilator sometime last year and wondered why I hadn't heard of anyone in cycling/swimming use one.

It must be January again.

I don't shave, I trim. Hate having long hairs on the legs, so I trim with a buzzer with #1 clip. I do shave my 10 chest hairs because they are just out of place =)

Best part of being bop is never having to shave.

Chicks dig it.

Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Yes to the stubble. No it doesn't look weird (legs I'm talking). Yes it itches, not due to pants, just due to the regrowth I think. I shave the legs 2x/week.

This is an interesting. But don't you feel like its kind of a half measure?

I shave my face.

That's it. Once on a Monday once on a Thursday.

I have zero chest hair. Literally zero. People think I wax. Nope. Just hairless.

Don't shave my legs - tempted but I am yet to hear any valid reason why I should.

As for 'other areas' I'm a man. Not a pre-pubescent child.

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I ride:
Cervelo - P-Series/R3
GT - Sensor Carbon Expert

Supporters - Flo Cycling, Mount Bikes

I do the same thing. I keep my legs trimmed (weekly, and no clip guard) and only shave for races. It's faster than shaving and still helps me keep cool and aero.

After years of shaved legs I hate the feel of having leg hair (heat, how the wind feels on the bike, pants/sheets feel different) and trimming works well enough.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Am I the only one that goes to the local beauty salon and gets one of the ladies to wax me or is everyone else just too ashamed to own up ... ? lol

WD :-)

I tried epilation. First time was very painful, subsequent times not as bad because the hair doesn't all grow back at same time, so you're not pulling as many hairs on any given treatment after the first.

The biggest issue with epilation for me was ingrown hairs - tons of them, it was a huge PITA so I went back to shaving which for me doesn't cause irritation or ingrown hairs.

Home (IPL) lasers are decent but obviously not nearly as effective as commercial lasers. For me the home setup stopped growth in areas and slowed the growth in other places. It does involve a decent time commitment to keep on top of the treatments. Laser removal at a plastic surgeon's office has come down in price a lot. They will generally quote you over the phone so it may be worth your time to call around.

As a teenager back in the 70's I would ski barefoot in my ski boots, for better feel of the snow. One pair of boots I had, had leather liners. Every nice to ski in. Well, the hairs of my legs would go into the pores in the leather and when I'd turn, the hairs would get ripped out. I could wait for them to get ripped out or I could pre-emptively shave them off. I shaved up to the top of my boots. I got lotsa grief from guys in gym class, but as a pro skier I got all the girls. It was easy to put up with the comments from my buddies.
Later I got into cycling and got back to shaving because it was the done thing. Swimming for tri got me shaving to my speedo line (no-one looks good in a budgie smuggler with hairy bike shorts all the way to shaved lower legs. Full leg it is then.
Then I was under the care of a cardiologist and those little chest stickers ripped out the hairs, and my wife and kids laughed at the patchwork chest hair, so that got taken off too.
Actually, I'm a wimp, and with plenty of scars over my body, I use depilatory cream instead of shaving and nicking all my scars.
I gave up tri a few years ago, but as TriSpouse prefers the smooth look, I've kept doing it. Besides, it's easier to shave than to train :-)
I go smooth, not for speed, massage easier or easier road rash recovery, I go smooth because it makes me feel pretty and wifey likes it.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

So I'm not mistaken for a homeless person.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Used to. Funny anecdote. The aesthetician was my old bosses daughter. Now, I just shave n trim. Use quality cream rinse instead of shaving gel/foam, much better results.

I believe you would get your ass kicked saying something like that man

The answer is full body duck tape. Get the the really strong gorilla brand. It's important you cover the entire area and do not overlap pieces. Leave the tape on for about one hour, then rapidly remove each strand. The treatment will be effective for a very long time.

Wax is the way to go. The women that do it know how to do it quickly and correctly. Lasts a heck of a lot longer than shaving. No stubble feel when it grows back. And it was only weird the first couple of times.

My post would have been better if the pic I tried to attach would have worked.
I'm 6'4 300 lbs with afoot long beard. Hence the back of pack.

 

Wait do you mean you only shaved your feet, ankles and shins? xD

How does the depilatory cream work for you? I hear it stinks like crazy. And does the hairlessness last very long?

LOL. I never shaved my feet. While I'm a New Zealander, I don't have Hobbit feet. I'd shave from my ankle bone up to mid/upper calf. Where ski boots go.

The cream works great. There is a smell but it's not that bad in my opinion. I find it quicker and safer so I go that route. Back when I raced, I'd do it every 2 weeks. for normal training I'd go 3 weeks and a couple of times I'd go as long as 4 weeks. Note however that I have blonde, nearly invisible body hair (chest hair is very light brown) so even when it grows out, it's not really noticeable. If you have darker hair, you will probably want to go with a 2 week rotation.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I didn't use to shave but I do now for a number of reasons.

A couple years ago I went boom skiiiiiiiid Oh the PAIN. Ripping out fresh leg hairs to change my bandages every day just plain sucked.

While the video is highly debated, Specialized showed that even with moderate hair there is a difference made in TT and Triathlon style wind tunnels. That's an easy couple seconds.

As much as I hate this part... It makes my legs look awesome and muscular, and feels nice in the sheets.

Suncreen goes on easy, and the wind feels nice and cool on my hairless legs.

Everybody is doing it man.

Typically I shave once a week in the summer and only up to the shorts tan line. Shave my arms before a race (hey free theoretical speed), and I stop shaving come late September when the weather turns cool in New England. I'll probably start shaving again come late April early May. The thing is once you do it once you have to keep up on it or it gets itchy. So IMO put it off as long as possible, and end it when you no longer receive benefit. Or else you'll go through razors like crazy.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

I've always epilated. Usually do it a week before my first race and it typically lasts 1 month+ before hairs start to show again. So I may do it 2-3 times during race season. Takes about 20 minutes to go from chest to arms to feet. It's really not that painful if you have a good device. A hard trainer ride is FAR more painful (and longer). Granted, there are areas that are off limits (crotch, underarms) but it works for me.

What device do you use?

I saw the video in the OP post, but couldn't find the Specialized one - link?

I think it's called the Emjoi or something like that. It has more "tweezers" than the others so that seems to make it hurt less and increase its accuracy. Works great for me.

I'm not sure what the link was I think I just YouTube'd it.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

I'll co-sign on everything except thepart when you keep hair during winter! i fucking hate body hair!!! except for my eyeborws/lashes and scalp i'd love to be hairless! also i dont shave, i use my clippers... i get way too many ingrowing hairs if i shave

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Speed kills unless you have speed skills!!!

I've used Nair Shower Power for many years. Works like a charm on the arms/legs. Yes, it will stink the house up! It indeed has a very very strong smell! And you need to be careful around the sensitive areas.

But for me, I apply (using the glove) and between 15-20 minutes later hop in the shower with a course washrag and it easily rubs right off. Smooth as can be! Super cheap and never had an infection.

CC

Simple for me, I can't grow a decent beard and no I do not shave my legs.

Im not a very hairy guy but I do clipper the chest (makes me look more muscular) and the ladies love it.

I also like leaving my wolf butt hair because it traps air bubbles and is like wearing float shorts in the pool.

So, just for me:

I keep a beard. I trim it 2x a week. I use mostly only a trimmer for that.

When it is hot outside, I start going to town on the pit hair, leg hair, and will reduce the "height" of the arm hair mess. I'm not Chewbacca, but it's annoying in the summer. Especially trying to sleep as we use fans and save on the a/c in our house a lot. I just use a multi-trimmer thingy. I keep the arm hair at a socially acceptable level between a comfort level for heat and too-short weird.

Legs? Draw a line of demarcation a few inches above your tan line, shave below and trimmer above.

Varying opinions on that one, aero, part of cycling elegance, show off your man guns, or for sanitary reasons if you crash.

The last one, if you crash, was brought up in detail in the Phil Gaimon books. About how if you don't shave and have nasty road rash, the cleanup and post-crash healing can be totally worse with long leg hair.

how would one - if not wanting to wax or go full Bic razor - clipper what appears to be the back of a large black wolf in between the butt cheeks?

Does anyone else get a bad red rash and bumps after shaving the chest? It looks awful. Legs and arms I can shave and get maybe a few minor dots and ingrowns but the chest does not look pretty afterwards.

Also my wife hates me shaving my legs because the regrowth is so spiky. Is regrowth from cream any softer?