Anyone attempt to measure time loss due to hairy legs? It should be pretty easy to do— Grow them out, test, shave, re-test. A little wind-tunnel time could go a long way. Would be interesting to put the issue to rest once and for all.
What about time lost from a pink and purple 1991 skinsuit and Oakley Razor Blades?
Um, its not about wind…its about road rash. Try crashing with, and with out - let us know what you prefer.
I’m not trying to start a war, but you know it’s about looking ripped, not about road rash. I’ve crashed plenty with hairy legs. No big deal and when you don’t crash you don’t have to deal with your inner-thighs chafing when you run, ingrown hairs, shaving rashes, and wasted time shaving in the shower.
I still shave before my big races but I was wondering if anyone had actually measured a performance improvement from it? With all of the testing capability these days it would be easy to measure.
-Marc
The poorly attached number or saddle bag is doing more damage to that guy.
I wax because I am single and the ladies like it.
Um, no. It is about crashing. The reason that many decades ago men started to shave their legs in mass was that the women just didnt seem to get road rash as bad (nor have bandages sticking to hair, hair to cause infection and on and on). Thus, cyclists shave their legs. I have crashed with hair on my hip and none on outer thigh - it was quite obvious where it was I stopped with the razor.
Now, you want to put some thing in the wind tunnel…I say we do hair, no hair - women with smooth and “dimpled” thighs…
From Steve Madden of Bicycling Magazine:
What about aerodynamic advantages on a bike? In a wind tunnel, under perfect lab conditions, leg fuzz swirling in the breeze may create a tiny amount of turbulence and drag. But it has almost no affect on riders in reality. “It’s pure B.S.,” Madden spouted. Instead, your clothing, riding position, your helmet, even the placement of a water bottle cage can cause more drag than leg hair, he said.
One problem with testing is that everyone’s leg hair is different, so results from one person wouldn’t necessarily translate to another. Do it mainly because you will crash, and it will suck less if your legs are shaved.
The dude in the pic is obviously a cyclist, it’s amazing his fellow Cat2’s haven’t banished him for not shaving.
I just try not to crash. Saves me time in 2 ways - I don’t waste time in the shower shaving my legs, and I don’t waste time at work trying to make money to pay for replacement bike frames/parts.
I don’t road race tho so my risk of crashing is lower. If you’re crashing all the time as a triathlete something’s wrong, imo.
Not in years…I used to get paid to road race however. 15,000+ miles a year in a pack will do that to you. Add some crits and you are in for sure.
Yeah, sort of. I believe that its a bit better crashing simply because hair being ripped out increases the chance of infection, however the act of shaving also increases the chance of infection for the same reasons - lots of little cuts. I understand that surgeons try not to shave as much as possible anymore, again for the same reasons.
Honestly though, how often do you crash? Ill put my hands up and say that it makes me look a bit ripped (which I admit is completely narcissistic) and makes me feel a little fitter, which in turn encourages me to put in that bit more effort. The results of this extra effort will no doubt increase my performance more than the aero difference between shaved and smooth legs will 
Based on the picture Jackmott posted in one of his threads last week, that guy could take a full minute off a 40k by shaving that carpet.
Here’s the true breakdown on shaving:
'Cuz it looks cool and chicks dig it … 50.0%
'Cuz it’s better in the event of a crash … 30.0%
It’s just tradition, nobody knows why … 19.9%
Better aerodynamics … 0.1% (Unless you’re Jackmott, then this goes up to about 5%)
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aero .01% of the reason for shaved legs
crashes 3% of the reason
Because the big boys do it 50%
Because it looks stronger/better/cooler 46%
Just my opinion
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This is good news! I may have what it takes to go pro as a cyclist then!
Based on the picture Jackmott posted in one of his threads last week, that guy could take a full minute off a 40k by shaving that carpet.
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i first started doing it when i got serious at cycling (to fit in). But after a while it is more comfortable, when you crash, when its really hot. Yeah it does make your legs look gnarly and is a good conversation starter, im not too sure if all the ladies love it im sure some are infact turned off by it, but what i have noticed most of all is that it makes for a great massage. But most of all it just looks cool.
From an aero standpoint the smoother your skin im sure the faster you would be seeing how there is less drag, but you have to notice that your legs are moving the whole time creating drag, i wouldn’t be surprised that you would get a more aero benefit if you shaved your arms instead as they stay in one place.
there is a table of aero testing stuff on sheldon browns site, its old but I doubt leg shaving tech has changed much.
it claims 6 seconds per 40k
I started shaving my legs in high school. I first started when I was on the swim team, then when I made it to states in track. I did my first tri a few weeks after the state meet and shaved them again. Now that I am in college, I shave them for big cross and track meets.
helps in the water not so much on land.
But… I think it looks awesome, even running.
Ladies, depends. I found only one girl that really really liked it… That was kinnda a turn off for me. Most others get used to it, some girls give me a limit on how many times a year I can shave. haha
When I was racing on my road bike without any special aero gear, I used to add up all the claimed time savings if I switched to aero gear (tri bike, shaved legs, tt helmet, aero wheels, bento box, no water bottle, dimples, etc.). With all the promised deductions, I wound up with TDF worthy performances.
Needless to say, I haven’t seen those kinds of improvements as I’ve upgraded (though to be fair, I still do have hairy legs and no bento box, so that might be holding me back). I’d like to accumulate a comprehensive list of wind tunnel-tested savings and then have a legitimate pro race a 40K without any of these things. I bet we could get his “projected” time under a half hour.
Basically, that’s a long-winded way of saying that I don’t think anyone is hairy enough to lose 6 seconds in a 40K. Except maybe this guy:
What about time lost from a pink and purple 1991 skinsuit and Oakley Razor Blades?
Pink only makes you faster if you ride in Giro d’Italia.
if aero marketing is like horsepower marketing for cars
any manufacturer claims, you divide by half, or by infinity if they are not reputable companies.
When I was racing on my road bike without any special aero gear, I used to add up all the claimed time savings if I switched to aero gear (tri bike, shaved legs, tt helmet, aero wheels, bento box, no water bottle, dimples, etc.). With all the promised deductions, I wound up with TDF worthy performances.
Needless to say, I haven’t seen those kinds of improvements as I’ve upgraded (though to be fair, I still do have hairy legs and no bento box, so that might be holding me back). I’d like to accumulate a comprehensive list of wind tunnel-tested savings and then have a legitimate pro race a 40K without any of these things. I bet we could get his “projected” time under a half hour.
Basically, that’s a long-winded way of saying that I don’t think anyone is hairy enough to lose 6 seconds in a 40K. Except maybe this guy:
Um, its not about wind…its about road rash. Try crashing with, and with out - let us know what you prefer.
The main reason why pro cyclist shave their legs is because they get massage after each race/stage. That’s much more comfortable with shaven legs.
That’s the problem with eyeball aerodynamics. That which looks faster sometimes isn’t. In the case of a cylinder (your legs) or a sphere (golf ball) moving through the air, you sometimes want a rough surface (hair/dimples) to trip the boundary layer. In fact, the best option might be to shave your shins, but leave the backs of your legs hairy. I’ve heard of, but not seen, windtunnel studies that show hairy legs are faster.