Why does my husband shave his legs?

[jelee1311]

I know why I do but why does my cyclist husband shavve his legs. He has never given me an explanitation. But when he first asked me how I told him the look would be better without the goatee.

[m.eliza]

He is more aerodynamic with shaved legs. Also leg hair can cause uncomfortable chafing on longer rides when rubbing against his shorts and saddle. Not sure about this one, but maybe it keeps him cooler during hot rides in the summer?

[jessmarimba]

less hair makes road rash easier to clean, too.

[Becky]

less hair makes road rash easier to clean, too.

This.

[OakLeaf]

Less hair = less road rash. Hair will actually rip the skin off your flesh :eek: where bare skin has at least a chance of sliding.

[Zen]

So he looks better in pantyhose ;)

[FunSize]

It sucks when their legs look better than ours....

Yeah... when you fall and get road rash in a race the medic comes with a really abrasive brush thing to clean the gravel out of the wound. If there is hair on the legs.... that'll be ripped off too. So, remove the hair first and its easier to clean the wound without making it worse.

[malkin]

Easier for sunscreen and also if there are gnatty bugs around.

[Zen]

Yeah... when you fall and get road rash in a race the medic comes with a really abrasive brush thing to clean the gravel out of the wound.

What EMT would do that? The Marquis de Sade?
It gets washed out with a sterile solution.

[moonfroggy]

i am for the first time in a decade pondering shaving my legs, road rash with leg hair sounds scary.

[zoom-zoom]

Easier for sunscreen and also if there are gnatty bugs around.

This is the primary reason my hubby does this...and he did this before he had a melanoma removed from his arm. He will shave arms and legs in the Summer. Anything to make it easier to protect his skin from further cancer.

[Irulan]

when you fall and get road rash in a race the medic comes with a really abrasive brush thing to clean the gravel out of the wound.


What EMT would do that? The Marquis de Sade?
It gets washed out with a sterile solution.


A good one. I've been scrubbed out after mountain bike crashes. My son hit the gravel on a road and was scrubbed out by an MD at urgent care. I've seen it done at NORBA races. Sometimes solution isn't enough if you've got gravel/dirt/grit really ground in.

[jessmarimba]

No one at the hospital cleaned any of the scrapes I got during my last wreck until I was able to shower for the first time 6 days later. I've got a couple dirt scars now where the skin grew around it.

I was actually pretty surprised - I know they had more important things to worry about, but I figured open uncleaned wounds would be an infection risk.

[nikkoblu2]

A good one. I've been scrubbed out after mountain bike crashes. My son hit the gravel on a road and was scrubbed out by an MD at urgent care. I've seen it done at NORBA races. Sometimes solution isn't enough if you've got gravel/dirt/grit really ground in.

Really interesting you say that. When I was about 11-12 years old I was running around the track at school and fell. My knee was all messed up and had all kinds of gravel and grit mixed in with blood. They took me to the school nurse and she wasn't around so the school vice-principal came and treated me. To this day I have little grey marks in my skin where the gravel was never cleaned out. What a shame...I could have been the next leggy supermodel. ;)

Oh...Jelee..just curious...does he shave the whole leg? Thigh and calf?

[jelee1311]

The whole leg. Yesterday he said as he was in his shorts to go ride that he did not understand how people could stand shorts when they had 2 week stubble. Sucks to be him and I do not think it makes him faster

[jarider]

ok, as a guy who shaves his legs:
1. aero arguement null and void
2. road rash def true
3. cooler - not in my opinion, my legs feel hotter and sweat more without the hair.
4. for me, its more of a statement that I ride and take it very seriously
5. my girl loves the smooth legs
6. most important, i love my smooth legs. lol

[Steph_in_TX]

DH found a bonus to the shaved legs. His dress socks no longer slide down.

[ClockworkOrange]

What EMT would do that? The Marquis de Sade?
It gets washed out with a sterile solution.

Years back my 11 year old son ended up with horrid knee grazes after sliding along grit and gravel.

Yikes, that's exactly what the hospital did, got an old fashioned scrubbing brush and scrubbed his knees, it was simply awful to watch AND this was at a private hospital, now was it called St de Sade! :eek:


Clock

[sgtiger]

Dh used to shave because of the road rash thing too. Although I've secretly thought it was to show off the definition in his legs.

Personally, I didn't like the shaving because he'd be uber prickly by the evening. I requested he shave right before bed if he was going to keep doing it. Fortunately he's lost most of the hair on his legs below the kneecap and no longer really needs to shave. Why can't this happen to me? But the hair seems to be popping up in other places, so the trade off really wouldn't be worth it.

[Gowest]

OK jarider beat me to it:

ok, as a guy who shaves his legs:
1. aero arguement null and void
2. road rash def true
3. cooler - not in my opinion, my legs feel hotter and sweat more without the hair.
4. for me, its more of a statement that I ride and take it very seriously
5. my girl loves the smooth legs
6. most important, i love my smooth legs. lol

My husband shaves his legs for reason #4 - as a statement - no doubt there. When questioned he will offer up some of the other reasons mentioned here - but first and foremost because of the "cycling culture" - racers dudes will make fun of you behind your back for hairy legs - yeah I know shallow shallow shallow, just like not wearing a kit.

And I will say I like it too - his legs look hot shaved. Now shaved backs....ewwwww:eek:

debi

[FunSize]

Now that I think about it my bf always talks about how it's such a disgrace to be Seen with unshaven legs. But he's so bad at doing it! He's raced for about 10 years And he still misses chunks and clogs his razor. I feel like I need to give him a lesson or something!

[jelee1311]

I gotta say thanx to everyone especially jarider for clairifying this for me. I tease my husband about living on planet "Lance Armstrong" so it is good to know there are reasons for doing this.

[out_spokin']

Peer pressure. Same reason most women in this culture do it. Turns out we all really never get past the 8th grade...:rolleyes:

But massage -- that's my favorite "reason" to bother with shaved legs. :cool:

[PscyclePath]

Shaved legs don't really make all that much aerodynamic difference (or maybe I'm just not fast enough to notice); so it boils down to two better reasons: Vanity, and not getting leg hair mixed up in the eventual road rash.

[marni]

maybe my problem is that I never seem to get road rash on my legs, torso, buttocks, haunche, shoulders, arms, face, hands yes but not my legs. What am I doing wrong? ;)

[shootingstar]

DH found a bonus to the shaved legs. His dress socks no longer slide down.


I thought it would be opposite. Hairy legs would offer friction, wouldn't it? ;):rolleyes:

There are men who cycle tons but have never shaved their legs.

Actually I'm glad he doesn't shave his legs for cycling. His wiry legs with veins need some hairy veil. ;)

[jessmarimba]

I only manage to get scraped up OFF the bike. Like gashing my leg open walking to the port-a-potty, or tripping when I go take a photo of some pretty scenery.

[apparelcandy]

So he looks better in pantyhose ;)

Ha ha ha. Funny comment. ;)