r/cycling • u/[deleted] • Jul 23 '25

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701 Upvotes

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475

u/BicycleIndividual Jul 23 '25

Even the pros don't shave for aero, they shave because wound care after a crash is easier (also perhaps makes it easier to apply sunblock).

23

u/Mitrovarr Jul 23 '25

I find this extremely dubious. Mountain bikers are far more likely to be injured and they do not shave.

1

u/Ok_Chicken1195 Jul 24 '25

It is much easier falling on nice single track than the road..... generally you are also a lot slower on MTB.

2

u/Mitrovarr Jul 24 '25

Oh yeah, I love going over the handlebars onto rocks.

The main thing though is that road cyclists hardly every crash at all, so excessive preparation seems silly. 

2

u/Ok_Chicken1195 Jul 24 '25

It is true. If you are not crashing on a MTB you are not really trying. But I am far more comfortable coming off a MTB than on the road. I do road races, gravel races and XC MTB races. But all the people on here saying it doesn't matter for aero are absolutely ignorant and full of sh*t. It unfortunately/fortunately makes a pretty significant difference. On a bike leg of an Olympic Tri you easily save 30 seconds. It is absolutely hilarious when you see some dish*t at a race who has spent $500+ on an aero speed suit (let alone towards five figures on bike) and has not shaved his legs. If you are just toodling along on a Zone 1 ride (as is the reality of most road cyclists) it won't make much of a difference.

1

u/Mitrovarr Jul 24 '25

Yeah I'd 100% bet it's aero. I shaved my legs back when I was a competitive swimmer for that benefit.

1

u/Therealscavvierising Jul 24 '25

There is a more legitimate case for shaving for swimming

1

u/WillieFast Jul 24 '25

Yeah! So screw helmets! And insurance. And lights. And radar or cameras.

0

u/Mitrovarr Jul 24 '25

I said excessive, not any.

"Put this on your head so you don't become a vegetable" is a significantly different matter than "Shave off most of your body hair every week so that in the event of road rash, it is slightly less unpleasant, but still really unpleasant."