General Cycling Discussion - music/hearing systems

g'day all

just a quick question about how many of you here like to listen to a few tunes as you ride, and if you do how do you do it.

I figure it would be a little dangerous having a 2 ear system depriving you of aural senses as you go, anyone got any experiences thoughts ???

I had thoughts along the line of buying a little portable mp3 player (no skipping problems, easily portable) and just fixing a single earpiece to that for when I ride.

Again, all experiences/thoughts welcomed

Colin

Headphones are generally not a great idea. If I need tunes, I've got a little pocket radio with an external speaker that I either net to my rack or bungee to my bottle cage. I also keep the volume very low. Watch out though - some people may give you funny looks. :rolleyes:

This topic deserves a search as I remember it as the "Great Imperical Fact Controversy of 2000".

:p

I don't listen to music while I ride.

I don't listen to music while riding. Too dangerous!
But I sometimes find it necessary to hum a tune with a fast beat when climbing a hill. :)

At the risk of being ostracized, I encourage you to try it out Pseudonym! When I first started riding in central Chicago and central Seattle, not really knowing any better, I never rode without earphones in both ears. Then suddenly, after I thought about it, I decided not to ever wear headphones again. Riding in the city has been so much better since then.

However, for recreational rides when the constant cross-flow of traffic is not so much of a problem, I have been meaning to try the one-ear music thing for a while but have just never gotten around to it. Mostly because ear buds refuse to stay in my ears and I haven't gone to buy any in the clip-over style yet.

If you do try this out, let us know what sort of rides you are doing when listening to music, and let us know how it goes. Obviously I wouldn't encourage using earphones in heavy or even moderate traffic. However, there is quite a lot of variety on the spectrum of safety, and one-ear headphones sound like a good compromise to me when going on a recreational ride.

Also relay what your favorite hammering, or cruising, tunes are!

90% of the time I've got music on my rides. Since most of my riding is fast dh single track I do not encounter cross traffic and very few riders who pass me. Most days I never get passed. If I am out on a casual ride I still listen to music but at a level that lets me hear others around me. Some times I will just take the ear piece out and let it sit in front of my ear. I have never encountered any problems.
Slainte:beer:

Yep, this is a topic that has inspired some heated debates hereabouts. I am one who wears headphones when I ride by myself (it's rude and dangerous to wear them in a group). I use a minidisk player and Koss headphones (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00001P4XA/qid=1032298467/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/102-5407834-9420140?v=glance&s=electronics). It is very easy to pull one (or both) of these units out of your ear if necessary.

I use a Rio MP3 player sometimes in the woods, but I can't handle it on the streets. I find music is great to have on skis, snowboard, or MTB--as long as I keep the volume to where I can hear voices.

Whn I first started riding, I carried a radio with a single earpiece. I suspected that riding for exercise would be boring. Subsequently, I saw much advise against such a practice and decided to behave in favor of safety and stop wearing it.

When wearing it though, I did find that I was paying attention to what was going on on the radio rather than what I was doing. I also noticed that I was irrtitated at having to change stations or adjust volume frequently, again distracting me.

The main reason the radio now stays with the weight machine rather than the cycle is that I find that cycling is not at all boring.

In Florida, it is illegal to wear headphones of any kind while riding on the road.

I wouldn't anyway. Just don't need the distractions.

Wearing headphones while cycling is like talking on a cellular phone while driving you car - just because it can be done , does not mean it is safe or even legal, to do so. What bothers me is that in both cases people who do so, are distracted, which could potentially lead to injury or death to innocent parties. (them killing themselves is a natural culling of the incredibly dim...)
In the USA, where people seem to sue for almost anything, it is even more risky to participate in such a potentially dangerous activity.

In life we all have to make choices.. Driving to work the last half year makes me really angry. I wish it possible civillians could anonymously complain to authorites and have idiots drivers' licenses revoked with enough complants. Then I would enjoy driving. The actions I see on the road almost causes road rage in me.. Riding to work, i get there is so much better of a mood..
The point. The choice I make is missing my favorite music. That makes auto commuting almost worth it. We have a really great San Diego station that plays the likes of Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Counting Crows, Van Morrison, David Bowie, U2, Peter Gabriel,Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Springstein, etc., etc.
I miss that on the bike. Very much. I am a music junkie. TV rarely on. It is music that fills my home when I have my way.
But since driving in California traffic is so miserable. My choice- would choose bike commuting to work and missing out on my music. Not safe.
God knows, when commuting on bike- I get annoyed by crap I hear coming out the open windows of autos. Garbage music. So can't force my music on others, because I would have to have an open speaker- not safe.. like I hear on Motorcycles, if that is possible..

I can't stand not being able to hear while I'm riding. Even one earpiece would drive me crazy. I absolutely hate wearing earwarmers in winter because it messes up my hearing. There is no way I'd listen to music while riding, and I wouldn't reccomend it. I rarely listen to music while I'm driving either, and I don't like to drive with the windows up. If they are down, then by the wind noise I can tell how fast I'm going, plus I can hear cars passing me, and I can hear problems with the engine. I like to say to myself, "what you can't hear kills yah!" Taking away my ears is like taking away one of my eyeballs.

Man this place has changed. What a difference a year makes.

For lively converse on the subject check: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3140&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

By the way, it also contains classic ChrisL in the third person. A must read!

*typing on a wireless PDA while riding to work*

Or this thread,http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11712&highlight=headphones.

What bothers me is that in both cases people who do so, are distracted, which could potentially lead to injury or death to innocent parties.

Actually, I find my self more attentive when listening to my music while riding. I have certain cd's recorded for riding that I use to help pedal harder and longer. When I am not listening to the music when out on my own I tend to let my mind wonder and I do not concetrate on the task at hand. Music is a main part of my life and helps me concentrate. Like when I was in school and had to study I would have the music cranked way up, if I did not then I would not retain the information as well. The music keeps me alert and focused.

Slainte:beer:

I can certainly understand the dangers of wearing headphones/listening to music when riding on the road, but (assuming there are no laws against it in Australia) what about on bikepaths ?? ... or do real cyclists avoid bikepaths and take the road at all costs ?? ;)

For me it would be an issue of how much consentration is required, i.e. riding on a dedicated bikepath at 5:30am is probably not going to require as much mental involvement as cruising along a mojor arterial at peak hour, and so I might take a little musical refreshment with me. Is my thinking in some way flawed, waddaya rekon ??

And just for the guy who wanted to know what sorta tunes I'd be pumpin, here goes my top ten bands list (as of now, in no particualr order).

John Williamson (aussie bush legend)
Dave Mathews band (pop/rock/fusion)
Queen (duh!!)
Charles Ives (early 20th century composer)
Blink 182 (their music puts me in a really good mood)
The Real Group (Swedish a'capella)
Mike Stern (cool rock/fusion)
Mortification (Aussie Death Metal at its best)
Eminem (he makes me laugh)
Kirk Franklin (damn he got GROOVE)

oh and a cool Norwegian band called Kaisers Orchestra ... so it was a top 11 after all :p

thanks for the input fellas

Colin

.Anyone that thinks playing music is an idiot.. At is all about degree and volume. I wonder if the people that think it "bad" to play when riding are playing music when driving their car? There is no difference. If your volume of music is high in a car you have just the same case to make. I find this topic to be a continuing conversation that has no point. If you are blasting music on the bike or in the car you deserve to be in an accident. I might add both are illegal and you might want to think about that when a car pulls along playing music for the rest of the world to hear.

There is no difference Oh yes there is datamaan. In a car you are protected by crumble zones, side impact bars, safety belt, airbags etc. On a bike there is none....
In a worst case scenario the idiot listening to loud music in his car, will in all likelyhood walk away from a crash. This discussion has a point, agood point in fact, and it is one you are choosing to ignore.

Try this.

CHEERS.

Mark

Heh Duchy do they make a bigger version ?
This is just what I've been looking for !:D :rolleyes: :D

Look! He's riding with the remote control.

I sometimes listen to music while riding, I never use headphones I use a walkman with a tiny speaker attached to one of the drink holders.
I have the music playing when I'm out on the open road, or in hilly rural areas where it's fairly safe.
I can still hear cars coming etc.
Favourite bike music- Iron Maiden , Manowar , Blind Guardian , Emperor , Bathory , Megadeth and Yes.

Never mind the backpack, that shirt looks comfortable to ride in. And sporty too!

That remote sure has a lot of buttons.

What??? No hydration bladder? :rolleyes:

If you must have music while you ride please try this. (http://www.bicyclestereo.com/index.html)

I see you did not understand my point. There is no difference to both being illegal and idiotic to have noise beyond a safe level. Why do you think deaf people are not allowed to operate vehicles? It does not matter if you are driving a armored tank or walking down the road. I hope that you can understand my writing and take it out of context again.

Originally posted by Dutchy
Try this.

On a recent ride (the STP) there was one group of guys who had one of their riders towing a BOB trailer in which was built out of plywood a boombox that included a car stereo and presumably some kind of internal power source. Attached to the outside of the box were car audio speakers. He controlled the system with a wired remote control complete with detachable connectors that was attached to his handlerbars. There must have been some kind of hi-capacity MP3 player in the system too since he never ran out of tunes and was actually taking requests (he filled a good majority of them). Needless to say, he picked up quite a rolling crowd. I must have followed him for a good 30 miles at first and managed to regain contact with him several other times during the ride.

I enjoy musci while I ride. As for the whole balance idea. I find the intensity I get while listening makes the ride that much better. I have a small mp3 player with ear buds. I listen on a low vbolume and go to it.

I also spend very little time on public trails so usually I am not in the way of or need to hear anyone around me. :)