If you’ve been around many cyclists, you undoubtedly met at least a few who shave their legs and, possibly, their arms. In fact, as the level of commitment to the sport increases, so does the likelihood of a rider shaving their extremities. This leads to the inevitable conclusion:

Bob is fast + Bob shaves = Bob is fast because he shaves

Obviously, no sane person would put credit for Bob’s speed entirely on the fact that he shaves, but there seems to be a distinct belief that shaving does increase a person’s speed. If you believe this . . . I have some shocking news for you.

Shaving your legs, your arms, your eyebrows, your ears, or any other spot that’s sprouting hair won’t make you any faster. I suppose that you could do a wind tunnel test and discover that a rider might pick up a few hundredths of a second over a 100-mile ride, but it would be inconsequential.

“But, how can that be?” you ask. “I’ve been shaving my legs for years because I thought it made me faster!” The only consolation I have for you is that if you feel faster, you might actually be faster. It’s the same thinking as the placebo effect.

There are, however, some valid reasons to shave. First, I find that it keeps my leg hair from getting knotted and tangled when I ride in tights. It’s a minor thing, but, nonetheless, there it is. It also makes cleaning up after a dirty, muddy mountain bike ride much easier. Sometimes, just wiping off with a towel is all that’s really required.

The main reason to shave, though, is for the moments you try to avoid. If you crash, especially on the road, the pavement will tear out your hair as you slide, often taking sheets of skin with it. Without the hair, there’s less to be torn apart. After the crash, when you stop sliding, hair makes it much more difficult to clean and care for the scrapes and abrasions; it much easier to tend to road rash if you’re skin is smooth.

So, the next time you decide to shave, know that it won’t lower your times or increase your speed. But it will come to your rescue if you go down in the next crit or mountain bike race.