How To

Beginner’s guide: five reasons why cyclists shave their legs

Five of the most common reasons why the razor and two wheels have so much joint history

It's part of the cycling tradition

While it might look 'pro' to shave your legs, there are also potential performance benefits to be had (Pic: Sirotti)
Fausto Coppi, the first post-war rider to win both the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix (pic: Anefo/Presser, via Wikimedia Commons)
The work of the soigneur can often go un-noticed outside of the peloton
As Cav showed in the Giro a few years back, road rash can be extensive...

It's part of the cycling tradition

Cyclists shave their legs. Serious cyclists. Coppi, Merckx, Lemond, Hinault, Indurain, Wiggins, Froome, you name them, they shave their legs.

Doing it marks you out as a cyclist just as it has for riders almost as long as cycling has existed as a sport rather than a pastime. It’s tradition, and lots of cyclists shave their legs for that very reason: to be a part of that.

Whether you choose to become part of this particular tradition or not is totally personal. Most of us don’t ride quickly enough – or aren’t competitive enough in either sense – for shaving our legs to provide too many marginal gains.

But if it makes you feel a little bit more like you’re part of the great tradition of cycling, then maybe it’s worth it.