The Art of shaving your legs

[Vlad Luskin]

I concluded that it's not the blade, it's the handle. I'd commandeered my wife's razor and the shape of the handle is tons better for leg shaving than my straight-handled Gillette whatever, irrespective of whether I use her blades or mine. That said, I abandoned leg shaving in early September '13, when my son was born -- barely enough time for face shaving, who has the time to shave the legs? I suppose I can grow a beard and shave my legs...

[dashDustin]

My legs are more finicky than my face. Single blade will piss them off. Shaving cream of any sort will piss them off. I have found a compromise in generic 3-blade razors and bar soap. The blades have to be replaced more often than a Mach3. But at a third the price, I'm ok with that.

[Blue Jays]

Oh yeah, I forgot that I also get a fantastic leg shave by using Gillette Venus razors, too.
The preparatory stubble-softening steps remain the same...which is probably the essential part.

[Too Tall]

My legs are more finicky than my face. Single blade will piss them off. Shaving cream of any sort will piss them off. I have found a compromise in generic 3-blade razors and bar soap. The blades have to be replaced more often than a Mach3. But at a third the price, I'm ok with that.

Go get a bottle of Kiss My Face shaving lotion and report back. That stuff is so slippery that I can't get razor burn.

[ChristopherG]

Oh yeah, I forgot that I also get a fantastic leg shave by using Gillette Venus razors, too.

+1. These things are excellent, even with bar soap.

[cdickens]

^^^ A lot of times I cheat and use my GF's razor and shaving cream. Works great. Although I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be buying it at the store

[11.4]

we're talking legs, right?

That question is relevant to every successive post as well.

I hadn't had the nerve to read through this whole thread previously, but clearly we need to discuss why this thread continues.

So why does shaving rank up there for racing cyclists with Tabata intervals and barfing on the ergo?

1. It keeps your legs smooth and soft for massage.
2. It keeps your legs from holding as much water and thus cooling down while racing.
3. It minimizes pain and collateral damage in a slide.
4. It bypasses the ugly preop treatment in the emergency room before the drugs and bandages arrive.
5. It helps minimize pulled hairs in the saddle area (this assumes you shave comprehensively, which means ankle to waist (after all, if you take a slide and your cover your unshaven glute with hairy road rash, shaving inside your muscular calves won't have been much help).
6. If you ride in northern Europe or southern Wisconsin, it minimizes the amount of manure that ends up on your legs and the attendant infections.
7. It makes you look ripped, or at least more ripped than if you're hairy.
8. It gets you into bed with a pretty gal (or guy, for those on the other side) with more alacrity.
9. It simply feels good in bed.

Those are simply the important reasons to shave that otherwise keep us up at night. There are others, but TT said to keep it clean.

[Unoveloce]

That question is relevant to every successive post as well.

I hadn't had the nerve to read through this whole thread previously, but clearly we need to discuss why this thread continues.

So why does shaving rank up there for racing cyclists with Tabata intervals and barfing on the ergo?

1. It keeps your legs smooth and soft for massage.
2. It keeps your legs from holding as much water and thus cooling down while racing.
3. It minimizes pain and collateral damage in a slide.
4. It bypasses the ugly preop treatment in the emergency room before the drugs and bandages arrive.
5. It helps minimize pulled hairs in the saddle area (this assumes you shave comprehensively, which means ankle to waist (after all, if you take a slide and your cover your unshaven glute with hairy road rash, shaving inside your muscular calves won't have been much help).
6. If you ride in northern Europe or southern Wisconsin, it minimizes the amount of manure that ends up on your legs and the attendant infections.
7. It makes you look ripped, or at least more ripped than if you're hairy.
8. It gets you into bed with a pretty gal (or guy, for those on the other side) with more alacrity.
9. It simply feels good in bed.

Those are simply the important reasons to shave that otherwise keep us up at night. There are others, but TT said to keep it clean.

This may have to be cross posted in the new mountain bike forum, but if you ride in poison oak country, there's a lot less on your legs for the oils to hang around in and on. It's just as hard removing poison oak oil from hairy legs as it is putting embro on them.

[Furious Fred]

I guess I do it all wrong. I just sit on the edge of the tub, lather with whatever body soap is handy and use a ladies disposable. Tragic.

Works perfectly for me tho.

And speaking of "pulled hairs", while leg shaving can be so controversial, few talk about how high they do actually shave. I'm far more comfortable on the bike [and beyond] being hair free to the top of Mr. Happy and his two friends.

I understand your mileage may vary.

[11.4]

I guess I do it all wrong. I just sit on the edge of the tub, lather with whatever body soap is handy and use a ladies disposable. Tragic.

Works perfectly for me tho.

And speaking of "pulled hairs", while leg shaving can be so controversial, few talk about how high they do actually shave. I'm far more comfortable on the bike [and beyond] being hair free to the top of Mr. Happy and his two friends.

I understand your mileage may vary.

What a Fred.

Actually, you seem to be doing what most everybody does. The real pros still emulate Roger de Vlaminck and carry around a big Braun electric razor so they can sit in the team van and do it while they watch their last race on YouTube.

The question about how high to shave is really at the crux of the discussion here (if you'll pardon the pun). I laugh when I see riders shaving just up to the hem line of their shorts. What do their girlfriends think? I learned many years ago, racing amateur at Kuipke, that the key to avoiding DPI (dreaded perineal infection) is to keep it all shaved. The pro six-day riders are highly prone to boils and other problems because the tracks are really hard on them (both the G-forces acting on the bankings, which bottom you out right onto the rails of your saddle, and the simple fact that many of the six-day tracks have ridiculously large gaps in the boards that you are hitting every ten seconds or so. It's crazy. Shaving religiously is the best single way to avoid infections.

[Matthew Strongin]

Shaving religiously is the best single way to avoid infections.

As in regularly? Or shaving during some sort of religious ritual to placate the track gods? I don't want to take any chances with perineal boils.

[bcm119]

I'm sure there are other ex-competitive swimmers here smiling at this thread. Shaving as a cyclist is a piece of cake-- legs only. No need to worry about shaving arms/chest/back or sandpapering your palms. And I'm pretty sure any teenaged male swimmer at some point experimented with shaving areas that were not intended to be shaved, voluntarily or otherwise.

That said, you have to shave more often as a cyclist. Swimmers only needed to shave during championship meets about 4 times a year. But during those meets we often shaved once per day for 3 or 4 days, in the afternoon between trials and finals. And, during the taper season between big meets, we'd wear pantyhose in training, to simulate swimming with hairy legs and thus save the novelty of swimming freshly shaved for races. I suspect with the advent of body suits in swimming nowadays, this tradition may be outdated.

[11.4]

As in regularly? Or shaving during some sort of religious ritual to placate the track gods? I don't want to take any chances with perineal boils.

Well, if you're riding on hairs, one of two things happens. You tug and irritate them a bit and encourage an infection in the folicle. Or you simply pull them out and have a sore follicle that inflames and then gets infected. Either way, ...

A lot of new six-day riders will shave some spots and not others, and sho nuf, the parts that aren't shaved are where the carbuncles occur. They pretty quickly get to where everything on the underside is shaved.

The other side to avoiding boils is the fit of your shorts. Slightly loose or slightly tight will pinch you the wrong way or will allow something to ... ummmm, ... sag a little. Either increase the folding or wrinkling of skin which then causes hairs to get irritated or pulled.

Note that waxing doesn't accomplish this. Many women have learned that full bikini waxing is just an invitation to more skin problems. Laser can work well, but honestly, regular shaving does fine. It also toughens the skin slightly so the more you do it, the easier it is to shave and the fewer infections you have. Otherwise, basically, shave up to your waist on any surface that might conceivably incur road rash, and for infection protection, shave the undersides -- anything that might be in contact with or close to the saddle.

[Matthew Strongin]

My bad for not using the snark emoticon. I was just kidding. But that ^^^ is a solid explanation of what's happening down there. I'm good though, no carbuncles to report.

[Brandon White]

Change this thread title to "the art of TMI"

[11.4]

Change this thread title to "the art of TMI"

Oh heck, for most of the universe that would have started with the title of this thread. We're a weird lot.

[Furious Fred]

Oh heck, for most of the up-tight/homophobic men out there that would have started with the title of this thread. We're a weird lot.

Fixed. ;-)

[MisterDangerPants]

Excellent thread! I am a freak of nature, I suppose as I don't have any hair on the outside of my legs, though have it on the insides. It just looks weird so I've been shaving my legs for years. I start with a Wahl battery-powered (rechargeable) trimmer, no guides, and this does a great job of prepping. Gotta be careful of pinching the skin because, oh boy, does that smart. Then I lather up my legs with gel shaving cream and give them a once over with a standard Gillette Mach IV razor. Once or twice a month serves me well, depending on the season.

[christian]

Well, if you're riding on hairs, one of two things happens. You tug and irritate them a bit and encourage an infection in the folicle. Or you simply pull them out and have a sore follicle that inflames and then gets infected. Either way, ...

I've been riding on a hairy bottom for ~20 years. Neither of these things has ever happened to me. Perhaps I have discovered my long-hidden superpower? I wonder how I can use it for good.

[Matthew Strongin]

While I'm generally pleased with the new, less thread closure approach to moderating the salon, I'm crossing my fingers this thread gets shut down before people start posting photos. Way TMI gents.