Leg shaving

It’s a baffling mystery to everyone outside of the cycling posse, so why on earth do we do it?

If you’re a male cyclist, you’ve almost certainly been asked by non-cycling friends whether you shave your legs. Most of us will answer in the affirmative. Leg shaving has become a clearly definable trait of the ‘serious cyclist’ by hirsute outsiders, who are eager to know why on earth we do it.

There are plenty of answers, of course, and it’s at this point in this conversation with your mate where you will run through the long list, while perhaps feeling a little awkward about revealing the real reason why you yourself do it.

At this time of year, you might be thinking about getting the razor out to preen your pins after a winter of letting the hair grow out. Recently retired road racing star Peter Sagan sent the sport aflutter when he began the 2016 season with unshaven legs, with some overly earnest pundits suggesting he was disrespecting his colleagues with this natural look.

There are, of course, practical reasons for the leg shave. First up is aerodynamics: a wind tunnel investigation by bike company Specialized a few years ago found an average 70-second benefit over 40km in its subjects with shaven legs.

Then there’s the idea that wounds are easier to clean up from a hair-free leg. Massages are more easily done on smooth legs, too, they say.

There’s also a degree of ritual involved, with competitive cyclists feeling taking a razor to your legs is as crucial a part of race preparation as degreasing your chain or finessing your top-end power. You’re simply getting dressed for the job at hand.

All these ideas have varying degrees of merit but the furore around a hairy Sagan revealed the truth to the leg shave: that smooth legs simply look better on a bike. It is and always has been a vanity thing, and of fitting into your tribe. A cyclist deciphering the form of another need look no further than their rival’s legs. Shaving emphasises the muscles and sinews in a leg and brings out the depth of tan. Shaved legs just look right in Lycra shorts, just as hairy legs fit baggy shorts so well. And it’s this vanity, and belonging to a tribe, that explains why so many nonracing roadies choose to shave their legs. We’re not chasing seconds in races, we won’t be getting a massage after our ride and don’t often fall off our bikes. We just want to be part of the gang. But would our non-cycling friends understand that?