Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - looking to buy an Ipod

So I am going to purchase an iPod but I can not decide between the nano and the classic. My concern is the physical size of the classic and the fact that it has moving parts. Will this hurt the iPod to use it while biking. I plan on putting it in my pocket so size matters here. The only reason I am seriously considering it is I also go out on gigs with the band and occasionally during breaks it would be nice to have my entire music collection for the times when you get a bizaar request you know you have, but not with you.

I will also be using it for jogging. Will the classic hold up to jogging, biking, and snowboarding?

I have always preferred the shuffle for bike riding and running.. It is super small, good capacity for both activities and very cheap..

I have always preferred the shuffle for bike riding and running.. It is super small, good capacity for both activities and very cheap..

Same here. You need a regular iPod for your library and a Shuffle for the bike although either will work for the bike. The Shuffle is just waay more convenient.

I loved my nano for the bike but then i gave it to my wife and got a 30GB classic. It holds up just fine on the bike, but then i stick to roads so it isn't subjected to much shock. The 30GB is nice to have your entire collection + podcasts. Podcasts rock for passing time on long roadtrips.

Do not have earbuds in your ears while riding a bike, period. You need to be listening for cars... wind noise, tire noise, and the sound of engines slowing down, which will clue in that you are about to be right-hooked!

Do not have earbuds in your ears while riding a bike, period. You need to be listening for cars... wind noise, tire noise, and the sound of engines slowing down, which will clue in that you are about to be right-hooked!

The inevitable Chicken Little and it only took 5 posts! :)

I'm not advocating your use of iPod during a bike ride, but aside from that, if physcial size is a problem, then you answered your own question. Get a nano.

I bought one for my daughter, a 2008 silver one. She was only 14 at the time. 14 *months* that is. :thumb:

I just got a sony mp3 player. the sound quality is amazing, its 8 gigs and was only $120. haven't had a single problem with it yet- and the battery life is amazing- i charged it last thursday, went on a vacation and didn't have to charge it again until last night. and i used it quite a bit.

Do not have earbuds in your ears while riding a bike, period. You need to be listening for cars... wind noise, tire noise, and the sound of engines slowing down, which will clue in that you are about to be right-hooked!

Right on...a pedestrian just ended up with a nasty cut and a mangled shoulder when she stepped off of a streetcar and didn't hear another streetcar coming the other way.

It's not a case of being Chicken Little, rather, it's a case of being smart and being aware of your environment.

i have had almost every ipod made... get the nano if you are going to use one for riding. its small, light, and sounds great. the nike armband is a nice accessory and some new headphones: djays available at www.headdphone.com

I use ear buds and have never had any trouble hearing traffic. Just keep the volume low enough that you can hear traffic. If you have the volume up so high you can't hear traffic your damaging your hearing as well.

Forget the hard drive iPods for riding. Besides the fact that a hard drive is a glorified record player ;) , you don't really need to carry a month's worth of music (at least, not unless you're riding VERY far).

If you can live without being able to easily pick & choose tracks while away from home, get the shuffle. It's tiny, obviously, but it's also easier to operate by touch alone, which is important when you need to turn it down or pause it.

If you are on the roads, I would recommend NOT having anything in your ears. Think about it, we want the same privileges as cars on the roads. Car drivers are not allowed to have headphones. We are more vulnerable than a vehicle driver (although cannot do as much damage to others.) So, shouldn't we adhere by the 'nothing in the ears' law that cars have?
Primarily, think about your safety. If you can't hear a car, you can get hit. I've done 5-80 mile rides without my Ipod, and have fun every time.

Anyway, back on topic...

If hearing everything is still important, and you don't want to visually confirm whether it's safe to make a turn or change lanes (although I can't understand why), you might be able to find a mono earpiece, probably at Radio Shack or someplace that sells old, outdated electronics. That way you'll have one ear open without the extra earphone dangling around.

iPod Classic for the storage but not durability
Nano for durability but not the storage

The Nano is light enough to use it with an iSkin lanyard/neck strap and case that plugs into the dock connector. It hangs upside down and the headphone jack is then right on top where you need it. This is the setup I use and recommend.

http://www.iskin.com/images/nano_cliplanyardimg.png

Car drivers are not allowed to have headphones.

Car drivers don't typically need headphones since they have the car audio but is this necessarily true? I'm not familiar with any law that says drivers can't restrict their hearing if they choose to.

btw, I don't need to hear what I can see.

Back to the topic, the shuffle is extremely versatile. You can clip that sucker on anything.

btw, I don't need to hear what I can see.



Your field of vision is limited to less than 180 degrees.

Your field of vision is limited to less than 180 degrees.

Nope. I know what is happening 360 degrees around me ALL the time. I use a Take A Look in the summer and a Cycle Aware in the winter. :)

I have the 8GB nano and I love it for running and cycling. I use the arm band sold by Apple, and I route the headphones up my sleeve and through the neck of my shirt, so they stay out of the way.

Yeah, I have more than 8GB of music, and I wish I had a device which would store my entire collection, but it's not a problem for me to just delete a few albums when I'm home, throw a few more albums on the thing, strap it on, and then go for a ride.

It's small enough that it doesn't interfere with my running or cycling form at all. It doesn't shift around, it's not restrictive on my bicep, and it's pretty comfortable. I did get a blister on my first couple of runs until I figured out the best place to strap it on. There are other arm bands out there that look more comfortable, but at the time I bought mine, the Apple brand was the only one on the market.

The headphones are OK, but not stellar. My friend has a pair of Bose ear buds that he picked up for around $100, and the difference is definitely noticeable. The Bose have a much better range (you'll barely hear low frequencies with the standard ear buds), and they seal out external sound much much better. They also don't leak sound as much, so those things are great if you're riding the subway, but maybe not what you want when you're on the bike.

Nope. I know what is happening 360 degrees around me ALL the time. I use a Take A Look in the summer and a Cycle Aware in the winter. :)

+1

And, of course, if you can't see in a given direction, the safest assumption is that there's something there already.

It seems like I'm one of the few people that likes the sound of Apple's earbuds, especially when comparing them to other open-air earbuds (I have some Shure isolating buds that beat the pants off of any open earbud I've heard, but I only use them when I'm on the bus or plane at work, and never on the bike). I've got some Sonys that have the hook over the earlobe, but I've lost them, and I don't really care very much to find them since they sounded so bad. ;)

I rarely use an iPod on the bike anyway. I'll bring it along when I go down to spin around Hains Point's 3-mile nearly-traffic-free loop, but I won't put the earbuds in my ears until I get there and out of regular traffic routes. Even there, I still use a mirror (even without the iPod, since wind & wheel noise drowns out any car noise until they're pretty close). Visual confirmation trumps aural guesswork. :thumb: