General Cycling Discussion - Bitter/sweet sounds of cycling

What are the good sounds, and what are the bad sounds when you're riding?

For me, the good:

:) The morning glory birdsong on Bruny Island (south of Hobart)

:) The almost non-existent hum of tyres on road and "silent" buzz of chain on gears with a well-adjusted road bike.

:) The clipping in of cleats on clipless pedals (probably my favourite sound of all, as it represents a union between body and machine, and the clip-in is so resonant).

:) And one more -- the sound of tyres on pebbled paths... the crunching sound is very soothing.

And the bad:

:mad: The constant roar of a very strong headwind.

:mad: The pop of a blow-out when going over a pothole or big piece of debris (as happened last night -- it's knowing you're in a for a messy 10 minutes or so).

:mad: Fast motorcycles screaming past my shoulder (as with hundreds of them on a 300km ride last December on Tasmania's East Coast).

R

Beautiful. Especially the cleats clipping into pedals. :)

I had two motorcyclists on Harleys buzz me yesterday from about two feet away. Almost popped my eardrums.

I miss the rachet sound from a new freewheel.

The Good:

The sounds (and smells) of a rainforest as you enter it (bellbirds, whipbirds etc etc).

The sound of the wind in your ears as you ride (I just love that).

The sound of rain as those first drops of a relieving downpour start to fall.

The sound of cascading water as you round a corner and come out at a beautiful waterfall in the above-mentioned rainforest

The constant pounding of the South Pacific on my commute

The sound your tyres make when you first hit that dirt road.


The Bad:

The abovementioned Harley's. Why do those darn things have to be so bloody loud? What's wrong with ordinary motorcycles.

The long honk from some fat lard-butt who is too lazy or too out of condition to actually get up off their horn

That ominious skid from your tyres a split second before you crash (I think it has a distinctive fatalistic ring to it).


All in all, the good far outweights the bad, so I'm happy.

Originally posted by Rowan
What are the good sounds, and what are the bad sounds when you're riding?

For me, the good:

:) The morning glory birdsong on Bruny Island (south of Hobart)

:) The almost non-existent hum of tyres on road and "silent" buzz of chain on gears with a well-adjusted road bike.

:) The clipping in of cleats on clipless pedals (probably my favourite sound of all, as it represents a union between body and machine, and the clip-in is so resonant).

:) And one more -- the sound of tyres on pebbled paths... the crunching sound is very soothing.

R Oh man! I CAN'T STAND IT!
My bike is in the shop only one day and I'm missing it.

I agree with 1oldroadie,

the sound of a freewheel is much more satisfying
than the sound of a cassette.
The freewheel is delicate.

For me its the sound of herringbone or cross hatch
tubulars on tarmac.


Marty

ok, heres a least favorite sound for me. that sickening crunch you get when you don't push the left sti lever far enough, and the chain is stuck between the two chainrings...

favorite sound...I kinda like the sound of the wind. when it is realy loud, you KNOW you are going fast. :D

What's with everyone confusing Harleys and motorcycles.

As everyone surely knows Harleys are two wheel tractors.