Specialized proved they were worth a lot in the wind tunnel. Something like a minute over 40km?
I’m with this nd not sure the Specialized results are anything to bother about. Surely to give a figure you have to quantify the hairiness of the leggs. I know some guys who look like their wearing longs all year round their legs are that hairy, them I can believe. Other not so much. Also, the legs hairs poking through the lycra isn’t a great look IMHO.
1 Like
I actually had a theory that stubble on legs was faster because it created the ‘trip’ effect and then allowed the air to adhere to the legs…you know, like dimples or racing car surfaces 
2 Likes
You could shave them into the trip strip shape
3 Likes
They did talk about the Chewbacca scale. The wind tunnel results do need a bit of scepticism. Usually you have to take a baseline, remove or change what you are testing, then add it back. Which you cant do with hair. I doubt they also spent a great deal of time testing it.
Against any possible gain of shaving was their role in cooling…
Was just about to say this. Michael Hutchinson has said the same thing. I think the specialised data is erroneous somehow.
I’m really not very hairy anyway, and I just wear actual calf guards with specific trip strips on them. I find I run better off the bike in calf guards (likely as a placebo - don’t use them in road running), and they also make getting a wetsuit on and off a lot easier. So there’s only a tiny strip of my knee exposed anyway, and I could probably count the hairs individually there!
ETA - I’m struggling to find where Hutch said this now. But I definitely remembering him saying it also during commentary for some race. He specifically said exactly what Jorgan said about about the rougher surface actually reducing the tension at the boundary layer, or something like that
Here’s a video Specialized made about it. It’s quite light-hearted but very thorough. They said they were shocked at the results. I’m sure I also read something about how they couldn’t believe the numbers and so ran the test multiple times to make sure. I’m sure I also read that they did a follow up test with arm hair and the results were also surprisingly significant. I remember before Wiggins did his hour record chatting with friends about would he shave his beard or not - he did in the end!
The thing with shaving legs for me is how much of a PITA is is when the hair grows back - I had half my leg shaved to be taped up before IM Wales one year and then when the hair was growing back it was horrendous - itchy and sharp and catching on my trousers every time I moved! They say now that the aero calf guards and arm sleeves and tops and shorts and suits are more aerodynamic even than shaved skin.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I
Here’s the arm shaving video. They also talk about having tested a beard…
I’m surprised that Mark Cavendish doesn’t shave his arms for the Tour! His arms are pretty hairy and the air resistance at sprint speed must be significant…!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h_C8K9x47q0
The beard video…!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FkmCLOjk2h8
There are a whole pile of “win tunnel” videos, they’ve done a lot of testing…
Do you not think about this for the 100m/200m running races as well though. Flappy vests, chains bouncing everywhere, silly hair. Surely when you’re winning gold or finishing 4th on potentially 1000/s, then you’d be all up on that stuff?!
1 Like
Yeah I have often thought that. They’re running at around 20mph. If you could even save half a tenth of a second by wearing a skin suit and aero spikes and shaving all your limb hair and wearing some sort of new aero headgear, surely you’d do it, at that level every half-tenth counts…
1 Like
Early March to the end of November for me. Not for Aero, but because I do a lot of off road riding its just easier.
You tend to pick up a lot of small nicks and cuts, its easier to keep them clean.
I use the cream, once a month or so.
veet?
I think that was what always made Bolt seem so impressive. All of the others were in single piece speedsuits. He was wearing a baggy sleeveless
Eg
1 Like
Yes, although I generally have to exceed the recommended time by a few minutes.
When it comes to Reality Vs Assumptions, Reality always has the uphill battle.
took the clippers to the legs today
got quite a fluff harvest
definitely enough to form into a stick on mustache , Scott Tinley style
There will be trouble later as Mrs doesn’t like it for some reason - double standards as she shaves her legs.
10 Likes
The Mrs is definitely right on this one, I’d rather see trotters than shaved legs 
2 Likes
haha , will spare you any pics, there is something of the plucked chicken about them it has to be said.
2 Likes