Another vote here for the arm hair test! After watching this, I will be breaking out the clippers and having a go at the legs and arms. Never done it before in my life, but why not give it a crack in the name of science?
Its great to see someone else take on the often quoted Specialized Win Tunnel testing. I'm also high on the Chewbacca scale and find I swim several seconds per 100 faster after I shave for my first race of the year. I only shave for races. I also sport a beard these days and despite the Win Tunnel "it's insignificant" result I always shave that too. Now that I know it is infact a few watts I'm going to keep doing it. 2-3 watts for a free marginal gain matters a lot for me!
Not sure which win-tunnel testing you saw, but this one says shaving legs had a "huge" difference for high Chewbacca scale individuals. ua-cam.com/video/DZnrE17Jg3I/v-deo.html
Definitely not worried about the beard for such a small saving (not at my low level of competing) Hadn't ever really considered shaving my legs, but probably would for races now!
Just saw this video and I was looking if someone had commented about this. The aero socks and calf sleeves being used now suggest, trimmed in a certain fashion is more aero than fully shaved
ok, first things first. Mark with Beard > Mark without Beard. I'm also off the Chewbacca scale. Damn you Mark! I am now considering shaving my legs for my first 70.3 on sunday!! My full 15cm long beard stays. I like it and a random dude on a plane said it was aero for the bike on the TT position. So I'm just gonna trust the random guy over Mark and his "science" :D Thanks for the videos ^^
I'm also high on the Chewbacca scale. I started shaving my legs last year after seeing Specialized win-tunnel test results, but soon realized another significant benefit. It's a lot easier to apply sunblock to hairless legs.
Thank you so much for this video. The beard STAYS :D Would be interesting to know how much drag a beard like yours would impact the swim though, I can imagine that there would be a more significant impact there, since the beard is kinda on the "keel" of the face in the water whilst swimming. Ain't got a clue on how you would go on about measuring this though 😂
Based on the saving measured at 30km/h and 45km/h when cycling I would not expect any measurable savings when running unless you can run at least 30 km/h.
Based on a (questionable) power fit of the data the saving for 15 km/h and 20 km/h respectively, would be 0.7W - 1.0W for the beard, 0.8W - 1.9W for the legs, and 1.2W - 2.4W for both. And the average power for a 72 kg runner might be 250-360W at the mentioned speeds (if Google is to be trusted, the numbers seem to vary a lot!).
Thank you Mark. Will compete next weekend, will shave my legs 😉. But if it do so much, than I also understand how important it is to be aero on the bicycle. Please do one same test in the swim. Then I think the barb will have effect on the speed.
If you are just training and not racing, you actually save way more time overall by not shaving. But then again, you can shave your legs faster if your arms are shaved.
I am also high on the Chewbacca scale plus have been known to sport the full Viking beard! I periodically de-fuzz the body/leg hair and can feel a massive difference when swimming with how the water feels. The biggest time saving I've noticed though is how much quicker it is to dry post swim without!!
Perhaps with a more fitted jersey, the beard might make a larger difference. I believe in now acts as a fairing for the visibly flappy part of the jersey over the chest.
I also find that shaving my legs keeps me cooler. The sweat stays on my legs better and the breeze naturally cools them. This as opposed to the sweat running down my leg hairs thus missing out as much cooling effect.
The hair is there literally to improve cooling. It has a moisture wicking effect and accelerates sweat evaporation, thus improves cooling. Part of the reason you have a lot of it where the main sweat glands are.
What about a test with shaved legs vs aero calve sleeves. All the top pros seem to be wearing them and I wonder that the watt saving it comparative to shaved or non shaved legs.
Hi Marc, arms are quite exposed in the aero position, looking at your hairy arms, I can imagine this could make a high impact as well on savings like the legs.
Remember you are also carrying all that hair in the water and on you run, a bit more difficult to test but its there. Look good while keep your beard in training and take it off in your tapering period :) I take mine off depending on how serious I am in my training. For me it varies from year to year, generally there is a correlation between, the better the shape, the less hair I have on my body. Good video Mark :)
I shaved my legs for my first triathlon. On race day the weather is just terrible - cold and raining cats and dogs - so I had to wear long tights. Not worth the huge effort with a shaving razor 😑
Ah, the age old question, "does shaving your face and body (legs and arms) make you faster?" I remember in the 80's informally testing this out on our team several times with the results showing that yes, it did make us faster. Sometimes a few seconds and at times a couple minutes. Years later as a triathlete, seeing that for the swim and bike shaving makes a big difference, especially in warm conditions where wetsuits are not allowed.
Have always opted against shaving my legs but this does make the argument rather compelling. Also, calf muscles went pop at the last minute in my last race. If I'd be averaging even 10w less over the course of that race then pretty certain my calfs would have made it to the finish line without going bang. Might be time to dig the razor out after all.
I definitely have hairy legs, so this is the perfect video to have my wife watch so I don't get a hard time for shaving for my next race, haha. I am curious though, do you think the savings would be even larger if not wearing any socks, which is super common in triathlon?
Loved the video but was a bit disapointed because the full numbers of the speedmax were not revealed for comparison with previously tested bikes (ie orca aero and the felt)...
If there is that big of gain from shaving your legs... it would not be that far fetched to think that adding a Chain Ring Cover would only add to that savings at a similar amount of watt savings (perhaps?).
All the little marginal gains do add up. So again does vanity. Although looking fast and being fast are two different things. If I add up also the few seconds in transition and being able to swim straight and not slowing too much for water stations I might then gain a few more places in my age group. A clean shaven surface on body parts demonstrated by Mark might get me to podium. Cheers.
I would be interested in how this effects the hydrodynamics in the swim, as most of the events I enter are not wet suit legal (also I don't have a wet suit, because teh water is not cold enough to warrant the cost), and how body hair influences the run. Genrally how much in total can we *shave off* our triathlon time
I would be curious about the calf sleeves - many pro triathles use them. I understand the compression aspect, but is it better/worse than hairy legs? :-)
the latest aero calf guards are for aero benefits not compression. And the concept is to disturb the air in a way that actually reduces overall system drag around the bike with more turbulent air passing through the legs to the back wheel.
For 2 watts I wouldn't shave my beard. Having them there will make many people happier, so they can be faster. Personally, I shave my beard because it doesn't suit me, not to save 2 watts.
I personally wouldn't bother. I don't think there's gonna be enough opportunities to use them to justify the investment and time on a sprint, plus handling is gonna be important with the denser groups of a shorter course.
What if instead of shaving our legs we used 30D women's pantyhose (only during sports)?To feel more like a man, I would rather wear women's stockings than shave my legs. I know, it might seem counterintuitive :D :D :D :D
I think unless you’re looking for those marginal gains, the most of us (well me) can get faster by losing weight, getting fitter and improving technique.
My lower legs are Princess Leia on the Chewbacca scale, so nature already made me aero not haero, but means I'll have to look elsewhere - and have to open my wallet - for those marginal gains.
Would love to see a test like this again with a longer beard, plus a swim comparison!
this!!
Another vote here for the arm hair test! After watching this, I will be breaking out the clippers and having a go at the legs and arms. Never done it before in my life, but why not give it a crack in the name of science?
Just wear a long sleeved skin suit. That will be even better than shaved arms.
Its great to see someone else take on the often quoted Specialized Win Tunnel testing. I'm also high on the Chewbacca scale and find I swim several seconds per 100 faster after I shave for my first race of the year. I only shave for races. I also sport a beard these days and despite the Win Tunnel "it's insignificant" result I always shave that too. Now that I know it is infact a few watts I'm going to keep doing it. 2-3 watts for a free marginal gain matters a lot for me!
Not sure which win-tunnel testing you saw, but this one says shaving legs had a "huge" difference for high Chewbacca scale individuals. ua-cam.com/video/DZnrE17Jg3I/v-deo.html
Would love to know the difference between non-shaven with calf sleeve and fully shaven
Keep the beard, keep the beard 🧔🏻!
No, don't. Don't keep the beard.
Thanks for testing at 30 km/h as well, wich is an actually attainable speed to me as amateur. 😊
Definitely not worried about the beard for such a small saving (not at my low level of competing)
Hadn't ever really considered shaving my legs, but probably would for races now!
I’ve heard a rumour that only shaving the front, and not the back of our legs (aka leg mullet) is even faster! Idea for another video?
Just saw this video and I was looking if someone had commented about this. The aero socks and calf sleeves being used now suggest, trimmed in a certain fashion is more aero than fully shaved
100/10 going through all the transitions of facial hair style 😁 I've never felt more represented
He did miss 'The Handlebar', plus the final one we all do which would most likely be considered politically incorrect............
ok, first things first. Mark with Beard > Mark without Beard.
I'm also off the Chewbacca scale. Damn you Mark! I am now considering shaving my legs for my first 70.3 on sunday!! My full 15cm long beard stays. I like it and a random dude on a plane said it was aero for the bike on the TT position. So I'm just gonna trust the random guy over Mark and his "science" :D Thanks for the videos ^^
I'm also high on the Chewbacca scale. I started shaving my legs last year after seeing Specialized win-tunnel test results, but soon realized another significant benefit. It's a lot easier to apply sunblock to hairless legs.
Or, you should apply Gillette shaving cream (if you only have it at home).
Thank you so much for this video.
The beard STAYS :D
Would be interesting to know how much drag a beard like yours would impact the swim though, I can imagine that there would be a more significant impact there, since the beard is kinda on the "keel" of the face in the water whilst swimming.
Ain't got a clue on how you would go on about measuring this though 😂
Beard swimming drag test?
Is there such thing as "drag test"?
Would be really interesting to see how much (if any noticeable) impact shaving has for running as well
Based on the saving measured at 30km/h and 45km/h when cycling I would not expect any measurable savings when running unless you can run at least 30 km/h.
Based on a (questionable) power fit of the data the saving for 15 km/h and 20 km/h respectively, would be 0.7W - 1.0W for the beard, 0.8W - 1.9W for the legs, and 1.2W - 2.4W for both. And the average power for a 72 kg runner might be 250-360W at the mentioned speeds (if Google is to be trusted, the numbers seem to vary a lot!).
Thank you Mark. Will compete next weekend, will shave my legs 😉.
But if it do so much, than I also understand how important it is to be aero on the bicycle.
Please do one same test in the swim. Then I think the barb will have effect on the speed.
How many watts would you save with aero calf sleeves vs shaved legs?
How about the arms as well, surely gains to be had there??
If you are just training and not racing, you actually save way more time overall by not shaving. But then again, you can shave your legs faster if your arms are shaved.
🤣
I am also high on the Chewbacca scale plus have been known to sport the full Viking beard! I periodically de-fuzz the body/leg hair and can feel a massive difference when swimming with how the water feels. The biggest time saving I've noticed though is how much quicker it is to dry post swim without!!
Didn't gcn do a similar video recently? Also I'd be interested to see the difference it makes swimming, more for swimming galas less for triathlon
Definitely useful hairo video!! Thanks Mark! Will shave legs for sure since now 😅✌🏻👍🏻✊🏻
Perhaps with a more fitted jersey, the beard might make a larger difference. I believe in now acts as a fairing for the visibly flappy part of the jersey over the chest.
I also find that shaving my legs keeps me cooler. The sweat stays on my legs better and the breeze naturally cools them. This as opposed to the sweat running down my leg hairs thus missing out as much cooling effect.
The hair is there literally to improve cooling. It has a moisture wicking effect and accelerates sweat evaporation, thus improves cooling. Part of the reason you have a lot of it where the main sweat glands are.
What about a test with shaved legs vs aero calve sleeves. All the top pros seem to be wearing them and I wonder that the watt saving it comparative to shaved or non shaved legs.
Hi Marc,
arms are quite exposed in the aero position, looking at your hairy arms, I can imagine this could make a high impact as well on savings like the legs.
ua-cam.com/video/pdKSsR50Sn8/v-deo.html
The arms aren't that exposed, since they are more or less horizontal. So while shaving the arms will give some aero gains, it's not that much.
Remember you are also carrying all that hair in the water and on you run, a bit more difficult to test but its there. Look good while keep your beard in training and take it off in your tapering period :) I take mine off depending on how serious I am in my training. For me it varies from year to year, generally there is a correlation between, the better the shape, the less hair I have on my body. Good video Mark :)
I shaved my legs for my first triathlon. On race day the weather is just terrible - cold and raining cats and dogs - so I had to wear long tights. Not worth the huge effort with a shaving razor 😑
Really cool video, thanks! Ill def consider shaving next time i go out for a century plus ride.
I am dong ironman Lanzarote at the weekend and you have just convinced me to shave my legs! However - I no longer feel like a Yorkshire man!!!
Good luck!
I'm intrested to see what the difference would be in swimming and running.
Ah, the age old question, "does shaving your face and body (legs and arms) make you faster?" I remember in the 80's informally testing this out on our team several times with the results showing that yes, it did make us faster. Sometimes a few seconds and at times a couple minutes. Years later as a triathlete, seeing that for the swim and bike shaving makes a big difference, especially in warm conditions where wetsuits are not allowed.
Arm hair test?
Thought the same, would be really interesting.
Agreed, the arms are front and center
Have always opted against shaving my legs but this does make the argument rather compelling. Also, calf muscles went pop at the last minute in my last race. If I'd be averaging even 10w less over the course of that race then pretty certain my calfs would have made it to the finish line without going bang. Might be time to dig the razor out after all.
I still get a laugh every time the "Chewbacca scale" is mentioned. 😅
Did you make this video specifically for me? 🥺🥺🥺
Nice to see this done by a fellow chewbacca! But I think I'll just go with calf sleeves and keep the fur.
So now I'm curious to see what the benefits are for swimming and running. 🤔
I use my hair as a training tool... Train with hair and remove it just before a race. You can literally feel the gains 😁
I definitely have hairy legs, so this is the perfect video to have my wife watch so I don't get a hard time for shaving for my next race, haha. I am curious though, do you think the savings would be even larger if not wearing any socks, which is super common in triathlon?
Question to answer please - are calf guards similar drag to hairy legs or shaved legs?
One middle ground solution is to trim the beard down pre race day
Loved the video but was a bit disapointed because the full numbers of the speedmax were not revealed for comparison with previously tested bikes (ie orca aero and the felt)...
Afaik there’s NDAs from most big cycling companies for sponsored media. That’s why we barely ever see any brand comparisons
Someone needs to have a word with Shaun Conway
Would gains be bigger in the swim?
I'd shave my legs, but it's death before beardless
If there is that big of gain from shaving your legs... it would not be that far fetched to think that adding a Chain Ring Cover would only add to that savings at a similar amount of watt savings (perhaps?).
Im also an 11/10 on the scale - ima go fetch the rasor!
More and more I think, they have really run out of obscure subjects for the videos
All the little marginal gains do add up. So again does vanity. Although looking fast and being fast are two different things. If I add up also the few seconds in transition and being able to swim straight and not slowing too much for water stations I might then gain a few more places in my age group. A clean shaven surface on body parts demonstrated by Mark might get me to podium. Cheers.
Let's get a Beard category going.
I would be interested in how this effects the hydrodynamics in the swim, as most of the events I enter are not wet suit legal (also I don't have a wet suit, because teh water is not cold enough to warrant the cost), and how body hair influences the run. Genrally how much in total can we *shave off* our triathlon time
It would be interesting to compare shaved legs with aero socks. That might save some "chewbacca's" some greif.
GTN: Beard Vs No Beard! Does Shaving Really Make You Faster?
Neanderthal from his Pain Cave: 🪒🩸🩹
So wearing a long bib is more aero than short or 3/4?
Would a Hagrid style beard act as a fairing?
2 watts for probably $1 is really worth it
What about the ARMS you didn’t shave or test them surely that’s another possible 5 or watts of saving 🤷🏻♂️
Beard and hairy legs here, or winning as some might say
And shaving the arms?
I would be curious about the calf sleeves - many pro triathles use them. I understand the compression aspect, but is it better/worse than hairy legs? :-)
the latest aero calf guards are for aero benefits not compression. And the concept is to disturb the air in a way that actually reduces overall system drag around the bike with more turbulent air passing through the legs to the back wheel.
I liked the beard Mark 😊
Don't worry, it's already back! 🧔♂️
What about arm hair?
For 2 watts I wouldn't shave my beard. Having them there will make many people happier, so they can be faster. Personally, I shave my beard because it doesn't suit me, not to save 2 watts.
Mark, Oliie's legs are 2/10, yours are 7/10 but your beard is a 10!!
PS: Hank's beard is a 2/10 😂
I went there last week
quick question, I am taking my first sprint tri but I am struggle if I should get a clip on aero bar. anyone can give me some advices, much apperciate
I personally wouldn't bother. I don't think there's gonna be enough opportunities to use them to justify the investment and time on a sprint, plus handling is gonna be important with the denser groups of a shorter course.
I’ll keep my hair. I’m too old and too amateur to be worried about that.
Q: Does shaving off your facial hairs better than shaving off leg hairs?
Beard is good for cold water days and if you happen to face plant a jellyfish
Bit of protection 😂😂
Forearms too
Firstly, that's not a beard.
Secondly, those legs are not that hairy to start with.
But it was still a hair raising experiment.
Shave your beard and save double a ospw system. Razors cost so much less 😆
I bet the camera man isn't too aero 🤔
What if instead of shaving our legs we used 30D women's pantyhose (only during sports)?To feel more like a man, I would rather wear women's stockings than shave my legs. I know, it might seem counterintuitive :D :D :D :D
Without my beard I look like a 5 year old, so to avoid all complications, I’d rather be slow
No! Not the beard!! 😭 13yr old Mark 😂😭.
Worry not! The beard has returned! 🧔♂️
Please please keep the wolverine!!!
When cyclists shave their fuzz, Gillete goes beyond Marginal Gains!
Put on some shaving cream Mark dear 😘 watching you dry-shave makes me itchy
I think unless you’re looking for those marginal gains, the most of us (well me) can get faster by losing weight, getting fitter and improving technique.
Why not do both?
17W gained in a few minutes is well worth it. Add that on top of your training improvements for race day.
I was referring to just the beard (before the legs bit came on). The legs appear to be a different matter *reaches for the pot of wax*.
My lower legs are Princess Leia on the Chewbacca scale, so nature already made me aero not haero, but means I'll have to look elsewhere - and have to open my wallet - for those marginal gains.
Keep the beard you look bad ass. Beard life 😊