I have been shaving my legs for so long that I don’t even remember why I do it. It’s just instinct. Kind of like putting on my helmet or lathering up with chamois butter, I don’t think about why I do it, I just do it. And hey, it works fine that way.

But there are so many myths and misconceptions about leg shaving, and so many articles that don’t quite get it right, I decided to put on my thinking cap and remember exactly why I shave my legs. You should always be able to make informed decisions, even if your information comes from some loon on the internet! So all my reasons to shave are listed below…

Shaving Your Legs for All The Wrong Reasons

First, we’ll start with a few reasons people give for shaving their legs that are actually myths or just dumb reasons.

To ride faster (due to better aerodynamics.)

The first thing most people think of with smooth legs is better aerodynamics. Surely a smooth leg slices through the wind much, much faster than a leg covered in thin little hairs!

But guess what – this lack of leg hair does not make you more aerodynamic. While there are a variety of wind tunnel tests for time trial positioning, along with big studies about air turbulence for golf ball dimple designs, drag from leg hair has not been studied. Why? Because it is way too minimal to even matter.

If you are a triathlete or swimmer, though, you’re dealing with water, and that’s a different story. (One which doesn’t even matter these days, thanks to super fast suits that even smooth skin can’t compare to.)

For sheer joy and excitement.

You might be thinking “hey, that might be neat to shave my legs once.” Trust me, it’s not. Ask any cyclist (or any female, for that matter) that shaves their legs how fun and exciting it is, and you’ll get blank stares and confused looks.

The first time is alright, and smooth legs do make for a good conversation piece, but then you have to shave again at least twice a week. It’s a hassle, and if you don’t do it, well, the stubble is not fun. So then you are forced to keep shaving or deal with stubble for a couple weeks.

Good Reasons to Shave Your Legs

Now here are the real reasons to shave your legs that actually justify the time, expense, and possible ridicule you’ll experience once you begin shaving your legs.

Reason 1 – To look good.

This is what it’s all about right here. You can have a fancy kit, sleek helmet, and top-of-the-line bike, but if you pair hairy legs with tight spandex, the cycling fashion police will be forced to haul you away.

Best of all, hairless legs emphasize your muscles. With hair, your legs will still be big, but once they’re shaved, every little ripple in your muscles stands out for the world to see. (Just look at Bobby Julich’s legs, pictured above!)

Reason 2 – To feel like a pro.

All the pros shave their legs. Not once have I seen a professional racer (on the road, at least) that foregos shaving, and even the majority of recreational roadies and amateur racers shave their legs. If you shave yours, too, it makes you feel like part of the group.

You’ll feel faster, too, just like the pros. Heck, you might even get motivated enough that your mind is driven to ride faster. This is a placebo effect, not aerodynamics, but it could very well result in faster times!

And not only do you feel like a pro, you just feel good. That’s probably because hairless legs keep you cooler (think of hairy legs like wearing a cotton t-shirt.) Plus, you actually “feel” the air moving around your legs, which is very neat.

Reason 3 – To treat road rash easily.

The less you race or do group rides, the less you’ll have to worry about road rash, but it’s always a concern. But if you do a lot of group rides and races, there’s a good chance you’ll experience road rash first-hand.

The previous two reasons (looking good and feeling good) will help you on each ride, but the (hopefully) rare cases when you get road rash will be the most memorable “I’m so glad I shaved my legs!” moments. That’s because cleaning your raw skin is much easier if you don’t have hair in the way. Not to mention, the hair will likely trap more dust, dirt, bugs, and gravel in your wounds.

If you end up in the hospital to get your hairy road rash cleaned out, chances are a tired, unsympathetic nurse will bust out what feels like a wire brush to scrub your wounds. Ouch! So in this case, leg shaving is kind of like wearing a helmet – you hope you don’t need it, but it’s there just in case.

Smooth legs also come in handy if you’re a mountain biker and get scratched up or cut; then you can put a band-aid on your wounds without it pulling out your hair (which can sometimes be more painful than the cut itself!)

Reason 4 – For better massages.

Again, this probably doesn’t matter on a day-to-day basis (unless you’re a pro,) but getting a massage feels so much better if your legs are smooth. Part of the reason is that the hair gets sticky and creates friction, which makes it harder for the masseuse, which translates into a sub-par experience for you.

Try it yourself: rub some massage oil on a hairy leg, and then do a little self-massage. Then try the same thing on a smooth leg, and you’ll see a big difference. Your hands will glide easily, and it will feel oh so good!

Reason 5 – To deter ticks.

If you ride in the woods (or even on back roads,) ticks can jump off weeds and grab your leg hair, then make their way around your body until they decide to bite. Smooth legs don’t leave them much to grab onto, so it’s less likely that a tick will stay on your body.

It will also be easier to spot a tick if there isn’t a mass of hair obscuring your vision.

I’ve found five ticks on me so far this year, but with my smooth legs, most have been stuck hiding on my clothes. With hairy legs, I probably would have had at least twice as many ticks, some of which may have crawled through my leg hair and made a nice home somewhere on my upper thigh!

(One did stick itself into my hamstring, but that bugger got there one evening when I was sitting around in the grass. I don’t think he would have made it there had I been wearing lycra!)

So there you have it. Five solid reasons to shave your legs that have nothing to do with aerodynamics.

Photo credits: Bobby Julich by The Dublin Reeds | Aero cyclist by Gaetan Lee | George Hincapie’s legs by TimothyJ | Tick by ninjapoodles

If you have read my guide to shaving your legs, you might be wondering just what to use when you shave your legs. (I don’t actually use what you saw in the video!)

While I can’t say exactly what to use, I can tell you what has worked for me…

A well-lit bathroom. It’s very easy to miss hairs if you don’t have good lighting, so I like a very well-lit bathroom for leg shaving. (And if you miss hairs, you won’t notice until you leave the bathroom and head outside into the bright sun, where your riding buddies will make fun of you for doing such a poor job shaving.)

Bathtub with running water. Sitting on the edge of a bath tub makes things much easier (and safer) than standing in a shower and balancing on one leg while sliding a razor blade across your skin.

Little plastic container. A little plastic container, such as a Cool Whip container, has a few important uses. First, before shaving, I fill it with warm water and dump that over my legs to get them wet. Second, while shaving, I rinse the hair out of my razor by swishing it around in the container. Third, after shaving, I use the container to dump cold water over my legs.

Gillette Mach3 Turbo razor. Skip the girly razors. While they might come in pretty colors and have wider, more comfortable grips, they just don’t cut the hair as well as a mens razor. I’ve been using the Gillette Mach3 for years (along with the 5-blade Gillette Fusion shown above,) although if you like the Shick Quattro or whatever they have now, that probably works too.

I’d also avoid those cheap disposable razors.

Cheap bodywash. No need for true shaving cream for this job. I prefer to lather up with a nice bodywash, which creates a smooth lather that goes a long way. I’ve been doing it this way for years and I’ve had no problems with razor burn. Plus, bodywash is cheap, especially if you get a store brand.

I’m partial to scents like vanilla and mango, which might sound girly, but they smell pretty good. If you go with something like “alpine fresh” you’ll just smell like cheap cologne!

Lubriderm skin lotion. My Nivea aftershave balm is too expensive to use on my legs, and I don’t think they need it anyway. I’ve had good luck with skin lotions instead, and I’m quite partial to this Lubriderm skin nourishing lotion with shea and cocoa butters. It goes on smooth and doesn’t leave a residue.

And that’s all you need. You probably have most of this stuff anyway.

There you have it. Go ahead and stock up on whatever you need, refresh your memory with my leg shaving guide for cyclists, and then shave!

(Or, if you’re puzzled, read why cyclists shave their legs in the first place.)

There comes a time in every cyclist’s life where they are going to think about shaving their legs.

You will probably think about it too. Even if you don’t plan to actually shave your legs, you have to wonder why some cyclists do it. But if you do want to shave your legs, you have to ask yourself, “now how exactly do I do this?”

Just look at your legs – they are definitely not your face! You can’t just walk up to a mirror, grab your razor, and go. If you are shaving your legs for the first time, there is a lot to do! But don’t worry, just follow the simple steps below and you’ll have silky smooth legs for your next ride!

What you will need:

• Electric shaver, such as the one I use from Conair
• Razor, such as a Gillette Mach3
• Shaving cream or bodywash, like Edge Gel
• A bathroom, tub, and water bucket
• Old newspapers
• Aftershave balm or skin lotion, like this

How to Shave Your Legs Instructional Video

Or read these detailed instructions:

Part 1: Overcoming Doubts About Shaving Your Legs

You might be worried about shaving your legs, but there’s nothing to be worried about. Sure, people will look at you funny and talk about you behind your back, but in reality they are just jealous of your bulging calf muscles! And anyone that would run you off the road because of hairless legs would probably try to run you off the road just for being on a bicycle.

But on a serious note, what if you want your hair back? Don’t worry, this is far from permanent – your hair grows back fairly fast. And it grows back in just as it was before. Contrary to popular belief, your hair will NOT get thicker and darker because you shaved it. That’s a common misconception, but completely false.

Part 2: Get Rid of the Fuzz

The first thing we need to do is reduce the hair to a manageable level. The ideal way to do this is with an electric shaver (or hair clippers.)

I like to do this on the bathroom floor, and I put some newspaper down to collect the hair. It makes cleanup a lot faster and easier.

Then you just sit on the newspapers and run the clippers up and down your legs, brushing off the long, fuzzy hair. Use long, smooth strokes and go against the grain for a close shave.

It’s hard to cut yourself with hair clippers, but if you press the blades straight down or just push at a weird angle, you can draw blood. So be careful, even with these!

When you’re done, your legs should be relatively hairless, except for some stubble. Yes, they will look funny!

Part 3: Lather Up

Now it’s time to get into the real shaving… with your blade.

Personally I use the Gillette Mach 3 on my face and on my legs. Don’t be fooled by those pink girls razors that are made for leg shaving – they don’t cut as well as a mens razor. I almost bought one, but the girls I have asked prefer to use a mens razor.

So grab your razor and some shaving cream, and take a seat on the side of your bath tub. The shower works, too, but it’s much easier to shave your legs while seated! (Shaving your legs in the shower is like juggling knives while standing on a stability ball – it takes practice and balance.)

Now wet your legs with warm water (or take a bath beforehand) and lather up with shaving cream or a liquid bodywash. I actually prefer bodywash when shaving my legs, but shaving cream is fine. I also split this into four parts – lower left leg, upper left leg, lower right leg, and upper right leg. I lather and shave each section before moving on to the next one so that I’m always working with freshly lathered shaving cream.

Part 4: Shave The Stubble

OK, by this point your leg hair has been reduced to stubble, your leg is lathered up with shaving cream, and you have a razor in hand. Now you can shave, just like you shave your face.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Use long, smooth strokes.
• Don’t shave the same spot twice.
• Do not press down on the razor. Let it glide across your skin.
• Shaving against the grain will give you a closer shave.
• Be very careful around your knee and ankle (and any other bony or oddly shaped surfaces.)

When I shave my calves, I use long strokes going up my leg, which is going against the grain. This gives me a nice close shave. (And by long strokes, I mean that each stroke goes from my ankle to just below my knee.)

After each stroke, I rinse my razor in water to clean it out. I like to rinse it in a little plastic bucket filled with warm water because there will be a lot of hair packed in there!

Next, I will do my knee. This is very tricky and I usually go in about 10 different directions, using short strokes. Just be careful because your knee is bumpy and very easy to cut open.

Finally, I will do my quads and hamstrings. My upper leg is a little more sensitive, so I prefer to shave with the grain (i.e. down towards my knee) to avoid irritation. Otherwise you can follow the same procedure as you used on your calves.

Then move on to your other leg and repeat.

When you’re done, rub your fingers all around your legs to see if you missed any spots. Sometimes a few hairs around your ankles or behind your knee hide the first time around!

Part 5: Soothing Your Skin – Rinse and Aftershave

Once you have completed the shaving, you’ll need to rinse off any excess shaving cream and hair. I do this by filling my little bucket with cold water and pouring it over my legs (while standing in the tub.) The cold water is important because it will help soothe your skin.

Next, pat your legs dry with a towel. And I do mean “pat them dry” – vigorously rubbing them with the towel will cause needless irritation. They should still be moist when you are done.

Then get a handful of aftershave balm or a nice skin lotion and rub that all over both legs. That should feel good!

Part 6: Show Off!

Congratulations, you are done! And you should have silky smooth legs! (If you cut yourself a few times, don’t worry, that’s typical.)

Now you should show off your silky smooth legs to all your friends! Well, maybe only to your cycling friends, because everyone else will laugh at you…

But you can still take pride in your legs when you slide into your spandex! And enjoy the newfound sensation of air moving over your legs, not to mention the up-close feeling of your bed sheets!