Men Who Shave Their Legs

Gearjunqster — SPOT ON article. True. Funny. Engaging. I recall years ago that some Californian university student did a study on the hydrodynamic gains in the pool. Results: negligable.

I have very hairy legs, and wearing spandex bike shorts pulls and smashes the hairs in the wrong direction! It hurts after awhile! I’ve also shaved my lower leg for years, because my ski boot rips the hairs out if I don’t, even through thick wool socks.

Having been a runner for over 25 years I know massage is an essential tool to aid recovery. My massage therapist takes $20.00 off because my “smooth” legs are far easier to work with….reason enough for me!

Guys who shave their legs are simply feminie – pure and simple. Probably gay, most likely bisexual. The guy who says it puts him is warrior mode is a true puss. Want to get into warrior mode, hit the leg sled, do squats, etc. Funny how all these guys whine about “drag” but yet none of them shave thier heads – where the most hair actually is. What a bunch of posers.

I am a female and love that my boyfriend shaves his legs. It is so sexy! Fun rubbing suntan lotion onto his smooth legs rather than rough hairy ones.

Todd,

Skullcaps. Beanies. Helmets. There’s a LOT of things that you can use to cover your head with that won’t bother your scalp.

Not so much with legs.

Btw, leg sled? squats? Those are workouts. How working your lower body puts you into “warrior mode” (which is all mental), or is somehow manlier is beyond me. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and not a cock in the mouth.

Strong male skiers all shave their shins, other wise the hair is like sandpaper inside the boot.

I hear the road rash argument. The rest of it is kool aid drinking. I LOVE cycling, but I think some of the lycra army need to chill out with the intensity and enjoy the ride.

I shave my legs, arms, pubes, except under my arms. Why? (Same reason I shave my facial hair). Simple as that.

Am I gay? I MUST BE (according to most men!)
Grow up people! it’s preference! If you want to – go for it! If you don’t, then don’t!

I prefer getting rid of the hair, and it’s much neater. Also, I don’t shave as often as girls, since I’m a boy and I’m lazy. So I shave my legs every two weeks, and my arms every 3 or 4 weeks. (Hell I just grab the electric clippers and off I go)
Pubes – every time I have a shower.
But yeah, how can I be gay if I like the look of sexy legs over hairy ape ones? ;-)

A significant portion of men and women feel that guys who shave their legs are gay or bisexual — but that’s a perception. I shave my legs during the pants season and trim them during the shorts season. I definitely prefer the smooth feel of perfectly shaven legs but I just don’t want to deal with others’ perception and shaved legs often elicit comments. I’m married with kids and my wife wants me to do whatever I want to do. I’m sad that in a country of such freedoms we actually are fairly rigid about so many things. What’s the deal with accepting a guy with shaved legs anyway? Why are some so judgmental? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if you don’t like shaved legs then you don’t have to. But no one should look down on someone else who does. Lastly, you cannot equate shaved legs with being gay. Most gay men don’t shave their legs so clearly there’s not a 1-to-1 relationship. Michael Jordan shaves his legs and he’s not gay. The list could go on. Finally, sexual preference and identity is a continuum and everyone falls somewhere on the scale. No one is exactly like you and to others you might be considered too feminine or too masculine. We should all focus on something more constructive and shave whatever we want whenever we want. We should also be mindful of others because what we do is reflected back on us.

I am 29 years old and have shaven my legs for about 9 years now and shaven everything below the neck for about 5. I don’t ride bikes often and am not a body builder, although I have worked out on occasion. Truth be known I do it solely for aesthetics. Unlike others who only shave once a week or so, I shave at least every other day, if not more. I like the way it looks and feels and my wife likes the way it looks and feels. Am I gay or bisexual no, it is only preference. If you like to be all hairy then go ahead, there are women that like that too. On the same hand there are gays out there that like hairy men as well; maybe you can get with one of them, ha. Another fact is that hair doesn’t determine weather you’re a man or not, or how “manly” you are. I agree with most of the comments on this page, Shave what you want to shave and be who you are.

David, thank you for replying to Todd. As I get more serious about tri, I will shave as I have no insurance and the first aid will be up to me. I am hard core, was Air Assault Infantry, if you think I am gay I think you are looking for a date.

David, again thanks for replying to Todd. Methinks Todd needs to get out more….I’m a cyclist/runner and been shaving my legs ( and just about everywhere else) for 2 years now.. I love the smooth feel and look. My wife was a bit unsure at first, but quite likes the look too now.

There is no feeling in the world like freshly shaved legs sliding between the high dollar bed sheets MY WIFE purchased last month. I am a hard core kayaker and can give you many reasons why i do, however do i need to justify that to you, NO. What a crock o crap to think that no hairless = being gay. I think TODD has some underlying issues. Hey Todd if your cute i do have a gay friend looking for company :)

I have only recently started riding a road bike and am intending to shave my legs – as long as the missus sanctions it. With the sudden increase in muscle size my trousers actually rub patches of hair off already, so my previously hairy legs look mangey! I think it would better to have none at all. And no Toad, I am not gay.

I am a female roadie and got my husband into cycling. It was quite a big deal for him to shave his legs since he comes from a traditional HS sports background and he was tentative all his buddies would tease him, but it got to a point that his cycling buddies were teasing him for NOT shaving his legs as his non-cycling friends were teasing him about WHAT IF he saved his legs. He decided that after upgrading to a cat 2 on the track, it was indeed time to go hairless. I was so surprised at how much more muscle definition he had than I had previously realized. It was a nice surprise. Also, it’s been a benefit for those road rash occasions.

I shave my legs, underarms, face,and chest and love it. The smooth feel is awsome, and it looks so much better. Since when is doing something to your own body make you gay. I always thought that if you slept with the same sex you were gay. People need to really wake up.

So are women who don’t shave all lesbians? Are women who express any interest in athletics (marathons, 5k walks, even going to Curves) a bunch of closet case lesbians who would rather be giving each other shoulder massages with no tops on (and before you get any visuals, I’m talking about 55+ year old women who weigh over 200 pounds with chopped off haircuts).

It really shows how much society hates women and hates gay men. Racially we are falling at any straight black man’s feet and are so far up his rear end we’re coming out his mouth because we’re kissing up to the ‘elite black man athlete’ crap so much but we still hate gay men so much that these articles make it sound like it’s worse to be considered a gay man than it is to be considered a rapist. I feel sorry for a lot of you who obviously were born in the cornfield of Hee Haw or the set of Mama’s Family…keep your Dixieland values where they belong, in Mayberry or Hazzard County and stay out of the lives of those of us who have money, live in urban America and are actually going somewhere in life.

Interesting discussion. For several years in the 1980’s, when I did a lot of road racing, I shaved, but it’s always been problematic. I’m a pretty hairy guy below the waist, and shaving made me look like I was wearing hair shorts when undressed. Not a cool look.

Now I don’t shave, but I do use clippers to keep the hair very short. I can do that all the way to the waist, there’s no cuts or ingrown hairs, serves most of the purposes of shaving (much less hair to get into road rash), and looks good (from a distance, anyway). Anyone who doesn’t like it from a style point of view doesn’t have to ride with me.

By the way, it isn’t tribal to shave because the other guys do. It’s herd behavior.

“Cycling is a very tribal sport,” Madden said. “You take cues from the leaders — the pros — who all shave.”

Sounds like a bunch of air heads with a pack mentality. Can’t these so-called men think for themselves? All but the most elite athletes need to shave their legs to cut a few seconds of of their times. The average Joe has no reason to shave his legs unless he is gay or a metrosexual!

“More practically, cyclists shave because cuts and road rash can heal faster after a crash. “Hairless legs are easier to clean and bandage,” Madden said.

Can’t these guys bike without falling down or taking regular spills? Why not shave your leg(s) after a serious crash rather than before? Most of the injuries are from road rash or bruising, not bloody gashes. The time saved from reduced drag is marginal, and all but competititive athletes have a legitimate reason to shave or wax their legs. Believe it or not, you can put bandages on hairy legs and still make them stick just fine…

“In any competition, Williams continued, there’s a field of athletes attempting to read where each person ranks. Having clean-shaven legs — thighs flexing, contoured muscles sparkling in the sun — immediately identifies one as core. “Like mirrored sunglasses or carbon-fiber spokes, clean legs promote a slight mystery about you,” Williams said.”

The only real mystery is the guy’s true sexual preference.

“In any group of cyclists, a serious Roadie can instantly spot the not-so-serious Roadies. The telltale sign: hairy legs. A cyclist makes a strong statement about his dedication to the sport when he goes against the societal norm and shaves all the hair off his legs.”

That is a bunch of BS since I have passed “serious cyclists” on the road despite my hairy legs and lack of pro cycling apparel. Half the guys who buy all the gear and the expensive bikes are “weekend warriors” who are not that hot on the road. I have seen high school students wearing jeans and riding Schwinn’s pass “serious guys” on the road and bike paths.

“Smith, a shaver for 22 years, said male legs are the first thing he looks at when showing up for a group bike ride. “A quick glance determines where you are in the sport,” he said. “I know who the serious and safer riders are from their defined tan lines and clean legs.”

Like another guy in the sidebar said, he does it to get into touch with his “feminine side” and it shows with his shiny girlie man legs! It is more socially acceptable to shave or wax your chest & back, especially if you are buffed. Guys with shaved legs look gay…

I’m 41, a beginner roadie, after years of MTB riding. I’ve gone on group rides with the local cycle shop. I’ve signed up for my first race in a couple of months. That said, I’ll never shave my legs, nor arms nor chin.

If that means I’m not fully part of the roadie tribe, then I’m cool with that. My gosh, I’ve already quit wearing my Camelbak when I’m on my road bike. What more do you people want!?!

reading this article makes me realize just how stupid people are…
shave your legs, fine!
dont shave your legs, fine!
but to bitch and whine one way or the other is truly the lame thing. what the fuck do you care if someone shaves their legs? be a douche bag over something worth being a douche bag over…

The reason why I shave my legs, is mainly b/c of rashes. I have excema and when I’m sweating, either at the gym or work, it causes me to break out. And A breakout is friggin annoying and makes it look like you have an STD. Every person who does has his or her personal reason. Equating that to sexuality is purely juvenile.

I was reluctant at first to shave my legs, but once I finally did I discovered how much more comfortable and better looking it is. I’ve chosen to wear tights due to bad varicose veins that is hereditary in my family line. I’ve enjoyed the benefits from both shaving and wearing black tights for health and comfort. It’s got absolutely nothing to do with being “gay”. I’m married with a kid so that debunks the stereotype. My wife prefers my legs shaved. The perceptions implanted by society need to be questioned as to how valid they actually are.

What a nice introspect inside the ritual of leg shaving. The main reason from my point on vue : to look dedicaded and mainly for easier clean after a crash. A few years back i use to shave but stopped(took to much time). This year i crashed pretty hard and i remembered how easy taking off a band-aid was wit shaved legs.

Great post

A man who shaves – fine
A man with hairy legs – fine
as long as he has something between his ears (brains), if not he can look like a god and I wouldn´t be bothered.
For women there’s a lot of societal pressure in shaving the legs (or waxing wich is more effective). Men do not have that pressure, so why do it if you don’t really have too?