A 90-cent Razor Might Be the Wisest Investment
July 3, 2023 2:38 PM Subscribe
As more of a gag than anything else, he and Cote thought they would solve the age-old riddle posed by the ancients once and for all: Does shaving your legs make any difference at all? Thomas sheared his guns to see. The first set of results caused Cote’s jaw to drop. from Winning By a Hair [Nautilus; ungated]
Excellent article, was telling my SO about the Lemond win this afternoon. Remains the most exciting finish ever for the TdF. Fascinating to hear about the science of the ponytail.
posted by biffa at 3:07 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by biffa at 3:07 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
If I remember correctly, the main protagonist in the bike racing movie "Breaking Away" justified shaving his legs by the fact that it made bandaging injured legs easier.
posted by bluefrog at 3:15 PM on July 3, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by bluefrog at 3:15 PM on July 3, 2023 [11 favorites]
It's not free speed if you have to spend 90¢.
Interesting to learn about the water bottle.
posted by MtDewd at 3:16 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Interesting to learn about the water bottle.
posted by MtDewd at 3:16 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Really interesting. A lot of people believe that aerodynamics don't come into play in any measurable way until much higher speeds and that cyclists have their legs because they're wankers. But whenever you're taking speed seriously, every little bit counts.
posted by dg at 3:17 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by dg at 3:17 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
When I was in college back in the 90s, a lot of my classmates were serious bicyclists (it was kind of a thing at our school, due to an event known as Beer Bike). Those who shaved their legs justified it as making the inevitable road rash less horrible, but I guess they were also helping their times.
posted by Four Ds at 3:36 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Four Ds at 3:36 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'd love to see the aerodynamics of me commuting, upright on my step through bike, with my badminton racket case on my back and loose summer trousers. AND a ponytail. No wonder I struggled so much yesterday with the wind against me!
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:38 PM on July 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by stillnocturnal at 3:38 PM on July 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
This immediately makes me think of the discussion of laminar separation bubbles in Airfoils at Low Speeds [PDF], in which they test a whole bunch of airfoil shapes in part to try to figure out why some airfoils get dramatically worse very suddenly when a glider slows down too much.
It's been a while since I read it, but what I remember is:
- laminar flow has much lower drag than turbulent flow (as mentioned in the article)
- laminar flow is much more likely at low speeds (technically at low Reynolds numbers)
- laminar flow is much worse at staying stuck to the surface it's passing over; it tends to lazily drift off whenever it gets the chance
- as soon as the flow isn't stuck to the surface anymore, drag goes up dramatically
So laminar flow is bipolar: Either it's staying stuck to the surface and giving you fantastic low drag, or it's drifting off the surface and giving you horrible high drag. And keeping it attached is a very delicate matter.
posted by clawsoon at 3:40 PM on July 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
It's been a while since I read it, but what I remember is:
- laminar flow has much lower drag than turbulent flow (as mentioned in the article)
- laminar flow is much more likely at low speeds (technically at low Reynolds numbers)
- laminar flow is much worse at staying stuck to the surface it's passing over; it tends to lazily drift off whenever it gets the chance
- as soon as the flow isn't stuck to the surface anymore, drag goes up dramatically
So laminar flow is bipolar: Either it's staying stuck to the surface and giving you fantastic low drag, or it's drifting off the surface and giving you horrible high drag. And keeping it attached is a very delicate matter.
posted by clawsoon at 3:40 PM on July 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
heh... re-reading bits of that PDF... starting on page 41, chapter 3: In theory, the very best way to shave would be to find out exactly on your legs the airflow is separating, and shave up to just before that point. That way you induce a turbulent flow just before the laminar flow separates, keeping the flow attached for longer and reducing overall drag.
I'm not sure if it would be better to leave everything behind that line unshaven, or to only leave a line of hair and shave everything behind it. Maybe zig-zags or dots of hair right at the transition line.
new cycling fashion ideas forming, brb
posted by clawsoon at 3:49 PM on July 3, 2023 [14 favorites]
I'm not sure if it would be better to leave everything behind that line unshaven, or to only leave a line of hair and shave everything behind it. Maybe zig-zags or dots of hair right at the transition line.
new cycling fashion ideas forming, brb
posted by clawsoon at 3:49 PM on July 3, 2023 [14 favorites]
OMG I know the author!! So cool!
posted by tristeza at 3:58 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by tristeza at 3:58 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
So, that's why there are no mink cars in NASCAR.
posted by Marky at 4:03 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Marky at 4:03 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
Aerodynamics in cycling are hugely important. Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of your speed, so even a small speed increase requires a big power increase.
People are always looking for "marginal gains." A lot of cycling aerodynamics revolves around controlling the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow: if you can introduce a little turbulence early with "trip strips," it can save more later. There was briefly a fad for very high socks with precisely woven trip strips, until the UCI introduced rules limiting the height of socks (yes, really). But you can still buy aerodynamic socks.
Also, velominati is supposed to be read as a joke.
posted by adamrice at 4:06 PM on July 3, 2023 [10 favorites]
People are always looking for "marginal gains." A lot of cycling aerodynamics revolves around controlling the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow: if you can introduce a little turbulence early with "trip strips," it can save more later. There was briefly a fad for very high socks with precisely woven trip strips, until the UCI introduced rules limiting the height of socks (yes, really). But you can still buy aerodynamic socks.
Also, velominati is supposed to be read as a joke.
posted by adamrice at 4:06 PM on July 3, 2023 [10 favorites]
my pug is fast enough thanks
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:21 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:21 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
adamrice: Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of your speed, so even a small speed increase requires a big power increase.
And, IIRC, since Fd/t means that power itself increases linearly with speed, having drag increase with the square of speed means that power required changes with the cube of speed. (...though it gets very complicated at low Reynolds numbers, since drag coefficients themselves often change in nonlinear ways as speed changes.)
There was briefly a fad for very high socks with precisely woven trip strips, until the UCI introduced rules limiting the height of socks (yes, really). But you can still buy aerodynamic socks.
I see my idea was already covered and I am late to the cycling fashion party. Well dang.
Although maybe my carefully shaved hair trip strips would be a way to get around the high sock rules... hmm...
posted by clawsoon at 4:21 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
And, IIRC, since Fd/t means that power itself increases linearly with speed, having drag increase with the square of speed means that power required changes with the cube of speed. (...though it gets very complicated at low Reynolds numbers, since drag coefficients themselves often change in nonlinear ways as speed changes.)
There was briefly a fad for very high socks with precisely woven trip strips, until the UCI introduced rules limiting the height of socks (yes, really). But you can still buy aerodynamic socks.
I see my idea was already covered and I am late to the cycling fashion party. Well dang.
Although maybe my carefully shaved hair trip strips would be a way to get around the high sock rules... hmm...
posted by clawsoon at 4:21 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
I ride my single speed 60 - 80 KM every second day (weather permitting) and nothing pleases me more than passing spandex'd riders and leaving them in the dust. Childish, but fun. (Here she is in the bg. I call her the Prom Queen.)
posted by dobbs at 4:39 PM on July 3, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 4:39 PM on July 3, 2023 [8 favorites]
It's not that amateur / beginner cyclists don't benefit from these aero tweaks. They do.
It's just that it's not the bottleneck for their development and enjoyment of the sport. Comfort on the bike has way more of an effect. So if shaving your legs is too much of a pain to keep track of (she says, laughing in American woman), it's a mistake to focus on it. Anything that comes between you and being out on your bike is a step in the wrong direction.
posted by tigrrrlily at 4:44 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
It's just that it's not the bottleneck for their development and enjoyment of the sport. Comfort on the bike has way more of an effect. So if shaving your legs is too much of a pain to keep track of (she says, laughing in American woman), it's a mistake to focus on it. Anything that comes between you and being out on your bike is a step in the wrong direction.
posted by tigrrrlily at 4:44 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
So just think what they're leaving on the table by not riding recumbents ...
posted by scruss at 5:15 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by scruss at 5:15 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
If I remember correctly, the main protagonist in the bike racing movie "Breaking Away" justified shaving his legs by the fact that it made bandaging injured legs easier.
It's not the bandaging that's easier. It's the removal of said bandaging that's much easier on the patient. Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Apparently.
posted by Snowflake at 5:23 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
It's not the bandaging that's easier. It's the removal of said bandaging that's much easier on the patient. Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Apparently.
posted by Snowflake at 5:23 PM on July 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
I really like the kind of thinking that goes into the aerodynamic analysis, but the knock on effects of trying every possible way of shaving seconds from finishing times of a race that goes on for many days has been a huge disaster for the aesthetics and utility of bikes and bicycling.
I wouldn’t accept a Tour de France bicycle as a gift, or ever wear any of those clothes.
Kitted out cyclists on the streets look like nothing so much as menacing giant insects relentlessly in search of softer-bodied prey.
posted by jamjam at 7:08 PM on July 3, 2023 [7 favorites]
I wouldn’t accept a Tour de France bicycle as a gift, or ever wear any of those clothes.
Kitted out cyclists on the streets look like nothing so much as menacing giant insects relentlessly in search of softer-bodied prey.
posted by jamjam at 7:08 PM on July 3, 2023 [7 favorites]
until the UCI introduced rules limiting the height of socks
Well this is going to be a problem; how am I going to keep my pant legs out of my chain if I can't tuck them into the tops of my socks?
posted by heatherlogan at 7:12 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Well this is going to be a problem; how am I going to keep my pant legs out of my chain if I can't tuck them into the tops of my socks?
posted by heatherlogan at 7:12 PM on July 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Pants with longer legs?
posted by dg at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by dg at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
with my badminton racket case on my back and loose summer trousers. AND a ponytail. No wonder I struggled so much
I'd argue you've already won something pretty valuable!
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:26 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'd argue you've already won something pretty valuable!
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:26 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Happily I haven't experienced that, but the time I went to the ER after a crash (motorcycle, not bicycle, but low speed so the damage was the same) they employed the same plastic bristle brush that you might use to scrub out pots. With a lot of elbow grease. It was horrible.
As a cyclist, I am so slow and out of shape that aerodynamics are the least of my concerns.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:30 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Happily I haven't experienced that, but the time I went to the ER after a crash (motorcycle, not bicycle, but low speed so the damage was the same) they employed the same plastic bristle brush that you might use to scrub out pots. With a lot of elbow grease. It was horrible.
As a cyclist, I am so slow and out of shape that aerodynamics are the least of my concerns.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:30 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
As an amateur out of shape cyclist my TDF simulator was a long downhill towards the sea that had a strong breeze at certain times of day. Pedaling all out with a decent headwind going downhill and a little self delusion makes you feel like you are going 70 kph on a flat. I highly recommend it.
I do not own a badminton case, but I used to carry an archery case with the tails of 30 arrows poking out the top. Maneuvering the case on my back to allow the fletching to catch the wind would make a beautiful noise and enough drag to feel scary.
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:45 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
I do not own a badminton case, but I used to carry an archery case with the tails of 30 arrows poking out the top. Maneuvering the case on my back to allow the fletching to catch the wind would make a beautiful noise and enough drag to feel scary.
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:45 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Happily I haven't experienced that, but the time I went to the ER after a crash (motorcycle, not bicycle, but low speed so the damage was the same) they employed the same plastic bristle brush that you might use to scrub out pots. With a lot of elbow grease. It was horrible.
I’ve had the privilege of several crashes while racing bicycles, notably one where I went down hard in a crash at a velodrome track race (I want to say it was a… miss and out?). I was ambulanced to the local hospital and given fentanyl on the way, and then 100% got the scrub brush treatment. They asked if I wanted more fentanyl and, when I hesitated, showed me the Brillo to which I said yes more drugs please. Then it was scrubby scrub time. Aside from road rash, I got out of that with just a broken clavicle. This was long long pre-fentanyl-epidemic and today I’d definitely take another path but it would be terrible.
Anyway, yes, shaved legs are great for removing bandages without additional pain.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 7:49 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Happily I haven't experienced that, but the time I went to the ER after a crash (motorcycle, not bicycle, but low speed so the damage was the same) they employed the same plastic bristle brush that you might use to scrub out pots. With a lot of elbow grease. It was horrible.
I’ve had the privilege of several crashes while racing bicycles, notably one where I went down hard in a crash at a velodrome track race (I want to say it was a… miss and out?). I was ambulanced to the local hospital and given fentanyl on the way, and then 100% got the scrub brush treatment. They asked if I wanted more fentanyl and, when I hesitated, showed me the Brillo to which I said yes more drugs please. Then it was scrubby scrub time. Aside from road rash, I got out of that with just a broken clavicle. This was long long pre-fentanyl-epidemic and today I’d definitely take another path but it would be terrible.
Anyway, yes, shaved legs are great for removing bandages without additional pain.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 7:49 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
> Everybody.Now I'm wondering if shaved cheetahs look like leggy supermodel-y sphinx cats, and how badly they'd get sunburned. (They'd still be adorable.)
I have an idea.
I think I know how we can make our racehorse faster.
Now hear me out...
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 9:32 PM on July 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
Kitted out cyclists on the streets look like nothing so much as menacing giant insects relentlessly in search of softer-bodied prey.
posted by jamjam at 10:08 PM on July 3
tbh, most of the fully-geared-up cyclists I see are aphids in praying mantis clothing.
posted by ZaphodB at 10:46 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 10:08 PM on July 3
tbh, most of the fully-geared-up cyclists I see are aphids in praying mantis clothing.
posted by ZaphodB at 10:46 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
If it's cross-sectional area that's the problem, I hypothesize racers would do best by just shaving the outside and inside of their legs and leaving the front and back fully haired. I promise this is a good idea. I'm not proposing this to look hilarious.
posted by MengerSponge at 3:39 AM on July 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by MengerSponge at 3:39 AM on July 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
For those of us with minimal leg hair, this seems like more work than it's worth. But it has gotten me to think about the aerodynamic implications of my beard.
posted by tommasz at 6:45 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tommasz at 6:45 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
How much beard would you need for it to act as a sort of aerodynamic snowplough for the air?
posted by biffa at 6:57 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 6:57 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
IDK I really like riding my tricked-out road bike, it feels better than any other bike I've ridden, and while I might only be a 46-y-o female aphid, I like to wear clothes that still let me ride it in the heat of summer.
I've always known just how many drivers seemed to be out to outright kill me, but now I know that if they ever do, metafilter will agree that I definitely shouldn't have gone out wearing THAT.
posted by tigrrrlily at 7:22 AM on July 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
I've always known just how many drivers seemed to be out to outright kill me, but now I know that if they ever do, metafilter will agree that I definitely shouldn't have gone out wearing THAT.
posted by tigrrrlily at 7:22 AM on July 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
Years and years ago in a different land, hell a different continent, I had a motorcycle. It was not a particularly strong motorcycle but it was particularly good looking. To make it even better looking still I got a "cafe fairing" - which is a little bubble that goes around the head-light and has a modest screen. Un-expectedly, it also made the bike demonstrably faster. Which was not actually good because it was a poorly built thing. But still - just earlier, when I was riding over to the store and it's windy as crap out and I was pushing into the wind I thought about why not a simple, minimal fairing for a bike? The answer of course is because it would look goofy - and looks matter, just ask all the millions who would rather not wear a helmet because it makes you look like a dolt. And I don't got that fast anyway...
though I could maybe with a fairing...
posted by From Bklyn at 7:46 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
though I could maybe with a fairing...
posted by From Bklyn at 7:46 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
So, that's why there are no mink cars in NASCAR
Fake grass ftw
the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower
Nurse, hold his hands
posted by flabdablet at 7:56 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Fake grass ftw
the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower
Nurse, hold his hands
posted by flabdablet at 7:56 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I knew some attitude-style bike couriers (more amusing than annoying) who shaved their legs. They insisted it was for aerodynamics, but I got a strong impression that they really just liked the feeling of it. Bit of raised eyebrow from citizens was a slight bonus.
posted by ovvl at 8:06 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 8:06 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
From Bklyn: "I could maybe with a fairing..."
These guys have you covered. The company's been around for ages—I remember there was someone who had one on his commuter bike in my neighborhood in Chicago in the early 90s.
posted by adamrice at 8:10 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
These guys have you covered. The company's been around for ages—I remember there was someone who had one on his commuter bike in my neighborhood in Chicago in the early 90s.
posted by adamrice at 8:10 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I believe fairings (like recumbents) were banned from competition due to perceived unfair advantage. Every so often I see someone on a cross-country trip on the side of the road in a fully-faired recumbent.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:37 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 8:37 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
They insisted it was for aerodynamics, but I got a strong impression that they really just liked the feeling of it.
Personally, I just really hate having body hair. I have zero body shyness, and couldn't care less what anyone thinks of how I look, so I don't think it's vanity. But I've always hated the hair on my head (solved partly by male pattern baldness at 40, and completely by taking up a razor few years later), hair on my legs (solved with a razor), and hair on my chest and back (kept at bay with a pair of electric clippers). Body hair just seems unnecessary since the invention of clothing, and "messy" to my eye, so I remove what I can from time to time. Except on my arms... For some reason that seems "normal". Yes, i'm weird and inconsistent. Being a semi-competitive cyclist means very few people question my legs being shaved.
My sister-in-law was diagnosed with alopecia (which is a genetic condition that makes your body reject your hair) in high school... Didn't have a stitch of hair on her body for over 20 years (eventually fine hairs return but that's about it). I continue to be jealous of the time and money she saves by *not* having to deal with it.
posted by Snowflake at 9:56 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Personally, I just really hate having body hair. I have zero body shyness, and couldn't care less what anyone thinks of how I look, so I don't think it's vanity. But I've always hated the hair on my head (solved partly by male pattern baldness at 40, and completely by taking up a razor few years later), hair on my legs (solved with a razor), and hair on my chest and back (kept at bay with a pair of electric clippers). Body hair just seems unnecessary since the invention of clothing, and "messy" to my eye, so I remove what I can from time to time. Except on my arms... For some reason that seems "normal". Yes, i'm weird and inconsistent. Being a semi-competitive cyclist means very few people question my legs being shaved.
My sister-in-law was diagnosed with alopecia (which is a genetic condition that makes your body reject your hair) in high school... Didn't have a stitch of hair on her body for over 20 years (eventually fine hairs return but that's about it). I continue to be jealous of the time and money she saves by *not* having to deal with it.
posted by Snowflake at 9:56 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
If I remember correctly, the main protagonist in the bike racing movie "Breaking Away" justified shaving his legs by the fact that it made bandaging injured legs easier.
It's not the bandaging that's easier. It's the removal of said bandaging that's much easier on the patient. Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Seconding this...also was told that lack of hair also lowered risk of infection.
posted by goalyeehah at 11:54 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's not the bandaging that's easier. It's the removal of said bandaging that's much easier on the patient. Because when it's serious, you'll get bandaged on site and taken to the hospital. By the time you get there things will have clotted. And the hospital staff will rip that bandage off like they're starting a lawnmower.
Seconding this...also was told that lack of hair also lowered risk of infection.
posted by goalyeehah at 11:54 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Shaving your legs was known to be quantitatively faster long before 2014. It just seems that this article claims the differences to be much greater than they were when I was racing decades ago.
Here's an estimate of differences from 1990: Bicycles and Aerodynamics (Rainer Pivit). It estimates that shaved legs improve your time by five seconds over a 40km time trial. This new article claims it is as much as 70 seconds, or 14 times more!
Even so, the difference is irrelevant for anyone who is not a professional cyclist. Amateur races rarely time trial (race along against the clock). In any group race, tactics (drafting, and attacking at the right time) and fitness are going to be the obvious reason people win. Shaving your legs when you could be training or even sleeping seems like a bad use of time for the average racer who isn't already at peak fitness on high-tier racing gear. I have shaved my legs in the past for cycling and I wouldn't bother doing it again. When some old guy with a beard on a 20 year old bike passes you like you're standing still, your unshaven legs are the least of your problems.
Ease of removing bandages seems like a good reason too; but it only matters the first few times you rip off a bandage, because all the hair is quickly removed whether you shave or not. You're changing dressings on a daily basis, especially for very weepy road rash. Also, I have crashed so many times that hair no longer grows on the outsides of my calves, no shaving required.
It looks cool and is an in-group signaling thing. That's reason enough.
posted by meowzilla at 1:41 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's an estimate of differences from 1990: Bicycles and Aerodynamics (Rainer Pivit). It estimates that shaved legs improve your time by five seconds over a 40km time trial. This new article claims it is as much as 70 seconds, or 14 times more!
Even so, the difference is irrelevant for anyone who is not a professional cyclist. Amateur races rarely time trial (race along against the clock). In any group race, tactics (drafting, and attacking at the right time) and fitness are going to be the obvious reason people win. Shaving your legs when you could be training or even sleeping seems like a bad use of time for the average racer who isn't already at peak fitness on high-tier racing gear. I have shaved my legs in the past for cycling and I wouldn't bother doing it again. When some old guy with a beard on a 20 year old bike passes you like you're standing still, your unshaven legs are the least of your problems.
Ease of removing bandages seems like a good reason too; but it only matters the first few times you rip off a bandage, because all the hair is quickly removed whether you shave or not. You're changing dressings on a daily basis, especially for very weepy road rash. Also, I have crashed so many times that hair no longer grows on the outsides of my calves, no shaving required.
It looks cool and is an in-group signaling thing. That's reason enough.
posted by meowzilla at 1:41 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Well this is going to be a problem; how am I going to keep my pant legs out of my chain if I can't tuck them into the tops of my socks?
Have you not heard of trouser straps?
All the finer gentlemen are wearing them this year.
posted by Katemonkey at 2:50 AM on July 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Have you not heard of trouser straps?
All the finer gentlemen are wearing them this year.
posted by Katemonkey at 2:50 AM on July 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
I did some more reading on this. It can be simplified to the surface area of the hair.
Now I want access to the specialized wind tunnel to test an alternative for cyclists who for whatever reason do not want to shave their legs. Leg hair styling. I want to test hairdos with 80s hairspray, gelatin for the punk cyclists, macassar oil for the real cycling traditionalists…
I am pretty sure a dedicated tibial hairstyleologist could find aerodynamically advantageous styles. The downhill combover, the time trial Mohawk.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:28 AM on July 7, 2023
Now I want access to the specialized wind tunnel to test an alternative for cyclists who for whatever reason do not want to shave their legs. Leg hair styling. I want to test hairdos with 80s hairspray, gelatin for the punk cyclists, macassar oil for the real cycling traditionalists…
I am pretty sure a dedicated tibial hairstyleologist could find aerodynamically advantageous styles. The downhill combover, the time trial Mohawk.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:28 AM on July 7, 2023
how am I going to keep my pant legs out of my chain if I can't tuck them into the tops of my socks?
When I cycle commuted to high school, I did this with spring steel bicycle clips.
posted by flabdablet at 12:58 PM on July 7, 2023
When I cycle commuted to high school, I did this with spring steel bicycle clips.
posted by flabdablet at 12:58 PM on July 7, 2023
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I have an idea.
I think I know how we can make our racehorse faster.
Now hear me out...
posted by Hatashran at 2:58 PM on July 3, 2023 [40 favorites]