do we really need that?

[FBTrek321]

I have two specific questions about the legs of a MTBr.

first off how many people wear and would recommend knee/shin guards?
and which ones work best.

also why do so many riders shave their legs? does it really improve their speed that much?

[nelsoncycles]

Hi, Well I would say the shin guards are needed depending on where you choose to ride and how agressive you ride. If your doing free ride or if you crash a lot the extra protection is nice. Most XC racers dont wear anything.
I shave my legs and its because of the culture and the shaved legs make you hurt less when you crash. I also like the feel 😀 not really any speed advantage though 😢

[fleetwood]

"nelsoncycles" wrote

…and the shaved legs make you hurt less when you crash.(

Can you explain this further? I’m not shaving my legs, but am curious.

[Inertia]

…for what it’s worth, your knee looks like a cool Rorschach Test. What do you see? 😃

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

leg-shaving is typically a roadie thing.

[nelsoncycles]

maddslacker is right it is mainly a roadie thing… I came from road racing 😀 . The hairs on your legs get ripped out as you slide on the dirt or asphalt… so by shaving you limit the pain from the hair and it makes clean up from crashes easier. the true reason road racers shave has to do with there massage pre and post race… most of us dont get that kind of service. hope this helps… shaving makes your legs look huge too!

[FBTrek321]

"Inertia" wrote

…for what it’s worth, your knee looks like a cool Rorschach Test. What do you see? 😃

is this directed at me? if so thats from a rather bad incident when i was showing off at my GF’s bday party doing a huge stoppie down a hill and some jackass in a car decided that he couldnt wait five seconds for me to pass his driveway and knocked me down the hill where i slid about 25 ft on the road.took me a week to get used to the pain and back on the bike! thats the "good" knee the other knee and my stomach took much of the road rash.

and i can see that if you didnt have leg hair that you would be able to clean your cuts easier..when i did that which is pictured in my pic it was a pain to get all the little hairs outta my knees

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

"nelsoncycles" wrote

hope this helps… shaving makes your legs look huge too!

or exceedingly feminine

[trailrider247]

knee shin guards are good to wear if u ride trails that have knee high cactus or some thorny bushes sticking into the trail where u can clip them with your leg 😆 or if u do some aggersive riding like FR or DH or crash alot. i personally like the Fox Launch knee shin guards as they work the best for me and seem to have really good protection and dont slip or move when i pedal which is something u should look at when buying a pair, a good rule of thumb is if they move around in the store they will be way worse on the trail

[bigguarddaddy]

It was an advantage to shave when I was at road events were after they provided leg massage to the riders coming in. It helped them to easily rub your legs down and you did not feel them ripping the hair out of your legs. I only shaved before these rides just to make the rub down easier but not when just riding and training as it itched like crazy when growing back.

[GALAXY]

Haha,I have a term I like to use for the leg shavers that I’ll keep to myself but rest assured,it would be said with love for other bikers…just always thought the shaving was unnecessary but then again I’ve never been into road biking.

I wear shin guards all the time and the main reason I bought them was to protect the knee to ankle tattoo I have on my left calf.Since I have been using them,I won’t ride without them anymore.Even on trails where the brush is overgrown they keep the scrapes and itches off.Another reason I bought them was to avoid having holes punched out of my shin meat by the socket set screws in the platform pedals when I would miss a pedal on a no footer or something.

If I rode at Santos all the time I’d rock full armor and a full face helmet for those drops until I got the feel for em.

[pinkmtb]

Before i got my shin guards i couldnt wear shorts or skirts, my legs were so black and blue. The shin guards also helped with my confidence, i didnt worry so much that if i fell i would get hurt. The shaving………… i dont think hairy legs and a pink bike go well.

[Beaker]

The other reason to shave your legs is that bandages don’t hurt as much when they are stuck to skin instead of hair.

[fleetwood]

I think you all are missing the obvious solution here: don’t crash! 😆 I’ve yet to hear a compelling argument for grown man to shave his legs to go mountain biking. And until I do, I’m rollin’ hairy!

[FBTrek321]

"fleetwood" wrote

I think you all are missing the obvious solution here: don’t crash! 😆 I’ve yet to hear a compelling argument for grown man to shave his legs to go mountain biking. And until I do, I’m rollin’ hairy!

this is what i was hoping to hear!! thanks guys every question i ask yous always answer fully this site rocks!

[Beaker]

"pinkmtb" wrote

Before i got my shin guards i couldnt wear shorts or skirts, my legs were so black and blue. The shin guards also helped with my confidence, i didnt worry so much that if i fell i would get hurt. The shaving………… i dont think hairy legs and a pink bike go well.

ever been to europe?? 😮

[Author]

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