Shave And Be Proud

Frank Strack intervenes in a hairy situation for a smooth outcome.

Dear Frank I’m a recent convert to cycling. My wife is prepared to put up with me disappearing for hours at the weekend, and spending my spare cash on gear, but she draws the line at me shaving my legs. What do you suggest? Harry, by email 

Dear Harry

Let me answer your question by asking a few of my own: How much do you love cycling? How much do you love your wife? And is your name really ‘Harry’, given this hairy situation?

As cyclists, we generally look for reasons to justify why we shave our legs. There are heaps of them: aero advantage, road rash, massage. The fact is, for most of us who shave our guns, we do it for one reason: we want to be part of the tribe, and in our dysfunctional tribe we shave our legs.