Because you need eyebrows.

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If I don't, who will? -Me
It's like being bipolar in opinion is a requirement around here. -TripleThreat

Unless you are a mexican girl...then you shave them off and draw them back in....

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

did you know that some actually tattoo them back on?

Makes male leg shaving seem downright normal.

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If I don't, who will? -Me
It's like being bipolar in opinion is a requirement around here. -TripleThreat

I will certainly let you know Chip if I am going to be there for sure (I have a race the day before in Madison) but I would love to help out!! That would be awesome!!

You can ask Rich for my email and phone number.

Tracy

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"Fall down 7 times....get up 8!!"

I'm guessing it's the same reason some people get their hair styled, shop for new clothes, go with the latest styles, work out , try to look as nice as possible. What I wonder is why is it important enough for others to care?

Pro cyclist probably not, since they get massages usually at least once, if not twice a day. Never fun to have your hair ripped out. Not sure about triathlete, I'm pretty sure Tim Deboom doesn't till kona, it's kinda the swimmer shave down mentality.

If I raced the bike, I would shave for the road rash reason, but as a triathlete most do it for looks . In the 27 years of triathlons(a good 60,000miles), I have crashed only twice and neither time did it matter much if I had shaved. I have been lucky for sure.
Personal choice I think. At 52 I think I am almost ready to try it. Well, maybe.
I think for massage and sun screen it would be better. Maybe I will.
No ear rings for me, that is just too much.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Uh, buoy. This just took me back to my first year of bicycle racing when my mother walked in on me shaving my legs in the bathroom. Hispanic moms don't take too well to those kind of things.

So, to save you the time and effort I'll cut to the chase. The ONLY reason to shave your legs as a cyclist of any type is to eliminate the friction and irritation caused by your hair rubbing against your skin during a post race massage.

"<gasp!> You're supposed to do that," you ask. Yes, you are. But only if you wish to reduce the effects of muscle damage after a hard effort and hasten the recovery process. There are many benefits to massaging the muscles after working out, training, racing, whatever. They're posted out there somewhere and I'm sure your doctor or physical therapist will gladly walk you through the long list if you ask kindly enough.

Unless you've had the pleasure of following a pro team or have viewed enough documentaries on pro cycling, not many people know that professional cyclists receive at least two massages per day. The first massage is received before the workout to prepare the muscles for the demands of a given session and a second one after the workout to benefit in recovery.

But who has time to massage anything before or after an event, right? The second reason, and I would argue most popular with us mere mortals, is to hasten the recovery from the occasional case of road rash. Treatment is significantly less painful when pulling tape and bandages from bare legs than not.

That long winded explanation being given, I welcome you to begin doing the same. You [i]will[/i] feel a dramatic difference in your performance after employing a routing massage session before and after your workouts. Your spouse will thank you too the next time you crawl into bed and your jeans will never feel the same again either.

Thanks for reading.
"No go! Go do that voodoo that you do so well."

CS
F.I.S.T. Certified Fitter
Turin Bicycle, Evanston, IL

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Pain is weakness leaving the body.
-Unknown Drill Instructor, Paris Island
United States Marine Corps

i know all about how much massage can benefit...my fiance is a therapist :)

Well then you, my friend, are the lucky one.
<needle scratching a record sound effect> WAIT A MINUTE!?!?!?!?

If she's a massage therapist and you're asking about the merits of shaving your legs, am I to believe she's never massaged your legs????

And if she has, does she leave you to untangle the locks on your hairy legs and apply a soothing balm to ease the burn by yourself?

I have a hard time believing that one. So, if you do know the benefits of a recovery massage and do shave your legs what are we all doing here?!?!?

...too funny.

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Pain is weakness leaving the body.
-Unknown Drill Instructor, Paris Island
United States Marine Corps

she works on my legs all the time...and yes b4 i shaved( like 4 days ago) it used to pull the shit out of my hair if she wasnt using oil, like during deep tissue stuff

When is she done with you so I can book an appointment?!?

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Pain is weakness leaving the body.
-Unknown Drill Instructor, Paris Island
United States Marine Corps

for sure....the economy around here sucks....her work is super slow :)

Do you shave, pluck, or wax your eye lashes?

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"Lemond is cycling's version of Rev Jessie Jackson." -johnnyperu 5/18/07
"Just because I suck doesn't mean my bike has to" -rickn 9/2/08

It's simple.

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Don't hold back

o u musta forgot...popped collars arent cool

Cuz it's too hard to shave my butt.

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thechromedome
http://www.favoritefinishlines.blogspot.com
http://www.cupcakecartel.org
My 20% off code for 2018 FS Series races: tricred18
"there are no drafters in heaven" - C Bonner

Road rash.

Chicks dig it.

Because I can, and I don't really care if other people don't do it or don't like it.

As others have posted, there seems to be a # of miles/# of crashes = # of road rash ratio incidents. I've experienced my share of crashes both solo crashes and multi rider crashes. My crash (i.e. road rash) in July 2007 on my right leg was deep, nasty and plain ugly looking. Cleaning out the gravel and dirt was bad enough without hair. I can't even imagine trying to clean it out with hair. Now we just have to figure out how not to injure shoulders/collar bones etc. resulting from crashes. (Surgery on Tuesday to repair rotator cuff!)

Lot of talk about crashes and massages... not sure that I'd rank either near the top of my list. Mine, simply, is that its soooo much more comfortable. Being pretty hairy anyway, riding causes all kinds of little irritations and the feel of sunscreen matting down my leg hair while the sweat trickles down like a damn Plinko game drives me nuts. Then, add the leg band pulling on it, the dirt and grime that don't just wash off, and the several degrees warmer it feels with a leg-coat on and I'm glad to shave. Then, feels good in daily life too and is a constant reminder that its tri-season...

Generally, though, I just clip as it gets me to w/in one day's growth which is good enough.

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"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." - Army General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing

More importantly, for those who do shave their legs, what's the best way to do it? How much to shave? Some seem to do arms, back, what's the point of that?

Let's get some technical discussion. I see Nair, razors, waxing, (there is probably more) but I hate it all. I also wonder just how much of the leg is shaved. It gets way too scary up near the (you know). But then, man, do hairy guys look weird when they take their suit off and the end of the suti is where the shaving ends.

Last year I just chose not to because it is such a hassle. Didn't seem to affect too much.

First time, use a trimmer of some kind to whittle the hair down to a manageable length, then it's just like shaving the face. Be really careful around the knee and ankle, it's really easy to whack off a chunk right over a tendon. I shaved for swimming, so I'm used to shaving to speedo length. For swimming we pretty much shaved arms, chest, back, for cycling I just shaved legs.

Trimmer, then razor and shaving gel was always best for me.

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

I've been shaving for a few years now. At first it was a little strange, but now if I let it go for a few days it just feels wierd to have hairy legs.

It started out as a "everyone does it" thing... but I've found that it makes bike or tri shorts with leg grippers more comfortable, it makes putting sunscreen on much less messy, it makes massages more comfortable, and yes - it makes road rash easier to manage. It also shows off the "biker legs" you work so hard for all summer.

I've tried nair, waxing, etc... and just plain old shaving with a 29 cent razor, hot water and soap works best for me. I shave every couple of days. More in the summer, less in the off season. I go from my ankles to up to the speedo line, but I leave the hair on the top of my feet (it cracks me up every time...) It takes forever at first, especially around the knees, ankles and the Boys, but it gets easier and faster with practice.

Not to dive into weirdness, but I don't shave the boys, although I will trim everything down in that area. You'd be surprised how much faster heat dissipates.

That's another factor to consider, especially for the "rugs" among us. My dad is way hairy, and a few years ago he started taking a trimmer to just about everywhere, and he says the heat dissipation (He probably bikes about 3-400 miles a week around Denver) is much more noticeable, and he is way more comfortable than he used to be. (I think he actually started trimming when he lived here in Phx a while back.)

john

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

iIdont shave but I do use clippers ( no gaurd) its super fast and leaves the hair about a 1/16nth of an inch. it still looks cool and guys wont give you a hard time at the bar, its the best of both worlds. Now for the road rash I just had severe road rash on my lower leg. it was extremily painfull and I did not sleep for a week. My leg hair was about 1/4 inch or more grown out and more so after it healed ( 3 weeks) I scrubbed and scrubbed the gravel out and i really do not think I noticed the presence of hair, or it would of mattered. I actually most o fthe hair was gone because al the layers of skin were also gone! Now if you are chewbacca I think it would of been an issue. So shaved or "clipped" legs looks cool thats the real reason we do it.

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2010: RR 100, BW, qualify for Kona at coz!!