Touring - music while riding

I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time. I know that I'll need music to get me through the more tedious stretches and was thinking of an mp3 player. I'm a little reluctant to wear headphones and was wondering if anyone knew of bike friendly speakers that are small and light enough to mount to the handlebars for instance.

I wear in one ear those small earphones that fit in your ear at a low volume, the other ear is free to hear.

For a while I had a set of those cheapo walkman speakers that clip together. Lashed 'em to the strap of my messenger bag, and presto!

Then again, I usually just sing to myself.

I use a sony walkman cd/mp3/tv/fm palyer with a small set of sony powered computer speakers lashed under my handlebar bag. I can fit like 20 cd's worth of music on one mp3 disc that will last for a week or so, and if I get tired of that, I switch to the TV band or FM and listen for a while. The speakers are nice and small and with thier own battery power supply have plenty of volume.

<Rant>

I think the concept of using open speakers in an open vehicle is disturbing (literally).

I wish particularly nasty things on car drivers (with open windows) and motorbikers who wish to share their particular taste in music with everyone in a two-block radius.

</Rant>

I think the concept is especially bad for bicycles which are inherently quiet.

Why not just use an open style headphone bud which doesn't block your hearing, and keep the volume down?

Check these out, only $20. I'm sure that they sound comparable to cheap headphones, but they're small and inexpensive. I could rig them to attach to my handlebars.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008ZEKG/102-0895527-9970561?v=glance&s=electronics&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&vi=pictures&img=14#more-pictures

Do a check on ebay and google for the "Bicycle Radio". It actually has velcro that you can attach to your top tube and plug in your headphone radio to. I got one on ebay. It works well.

Koffee

OK, here's what we use: A CD player with 45 secound anti skip and AM/FM radio built in, so we can get the weather and news when on tour. We set the player to mono and use only the speaker with the built in amp (3 watts) from a set of walkman speakers. We also use rechargable batteries when on tour, we recharge the batteries from the dyno hub we use for lighting.

The speaker is mounted under my seat and the player is slipped into a pocket in the back of my seat, along with a few CD's. We make a copy of CD's (don't tell the RIAA) :) and take the copies with us on the bike. CD's don't last long on tour...

This works very well, we can hear traffic behind us, or the birds in the trees, we can hear each other. Nothing is lost... unless BentbaggerJan starts to sing along :o

Next time you ride,just try putting the headphones around your neck and turning up the volume some. I have been doing it like that for several years now. I usually listen to NPR when I tour

I would recommend getting the ear buds with open air design so you can hear what's going on outside. Ear buds are small too so you don't become a statistic and get stagged by the cops. Listening to headphones while riding a bike is illegal in most states so the smaller the phones the better.

4130phile

Check out this site: www.bicyclestereo.com. They have an amp / speaker system which attaches to the bottle cage mounts. The speakers attach to
either the handle bar ends or on the handle bar. I have one on my recumbent. Eventually ditched the supplied speakers for Radio Shack CB speakers attached to the handlebars via Minoura mounts. This system is just the amplifer and speakers. You have to supply the music source.

Garry A.

I've seen the bicycle stereo, looks like the one I'll get. I like the idea of speakers as opposed to earbuds or headphones. The earbuds are uncomfortable and I don't like the feeling of isolation you can get with headphones. I'll probably just place the MP3 player in my handlebar bag as I'll want to use the cage for water. I don't plan on jamming or even listening that much. I'd just like to have the diversion on the more tedious sections of the trail or on breaks.

Have you seen the new mini Ipod (http://www.apple.com/ipodmini/) ?

It's tiny and has huge capacity. I use an Intel mp3 player that's a couple years old, makes a big difference on a long ride...

that mini-ipod fellow looks amazing. calender, notes, alarm? a thousand songs? small enough to be inadvertently swallowed?


but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.


matt b.

I seen something on the news a couple of weeks back about the ipods. It had to do with the batteries. Apparently once the battery gave out completely, there was no replacing it. You had to get a new ipod. I don't remember what city it was but one person became upset at not being able to replace the battery, he started a pubicity campaign about it. Supposedly Apple is is going to do something about the battery problem.

Garry

That doesn't make sense- the ipod recharges itself. It comes with some kind of unit that you plug into itself, and that recharges whatever keeps the power going. My friend showed me hers- I asked her where the battery unit was, and she said there was none.

If some fool doesn't plug in his ipod over a long period of time (which I can't see how that happens since you have to plug it in in order to download the songs at least), then that's on them. From what I've seen, the ipod is the way to go, and as long as you do some basic basic maintenance, you should be able to use that until a nuclear bomb hits you and melts your ipod into smithereens.

Koffee

The ipod has a rechargable battery. There was an issue with some of the early releases where the battery was lasting only about a year. There is a fix now from Apple and there's a 3rd party fix as well...

My intel is tiny and was state of the art a couple years ago, but has 64M storage, the ipod has up to 40G and the mini ipod has 4G. About the same price too... amazing!

that mini-ipod fellow looks amazing. calender, notes, alarm? a thousand songs? small enough to be inadvertently swallowed?


but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.


matt b.

I am bustin up the bank account and going for the big storage ipod. I am especially eager to use it for recording sounds, music and conversation and having it all in digital media. Something I wish I had through the whole tour. The large capacity to store music and data is great too!

I'll tell ya how it works for me.

Dave

I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time.

Sounds like you've done it before! I've done that back in the 80's and also in the spring. Love a duck but it was wet. Also the 17 yr cicadas were out. Those bugs were constantly loud and got into everything. Even woke up one morning with one inside my "inpenetrable" tent, shedding it's wormy skin.

No place for a skinny tire bike, but you know that. :p

I use an old pair of Sony SRS-A10 speakers; when these are snapped together (at the base), they are just slightly larger than a standard water bottle, and can be easily (though snugly) inserted into the bottle cage. I add a length of heavy duty shock cord and two pinch locks to guarantee it stays on the bike.

I am a bit nervous about having my iPod attached to the bike (in case of accident), so rather than plug it in directly, I keep a small FM radio on the bike, tucked inside the small tool bag I attached to the seat frame. To play (non-radio) music, I use an iTrip radio transmitter and "narrowcast" from my iPod, which is safely tucked away in my panniers. Works like a charm, and I can always listen to the radio, too.

In New York state, you are allowed to have one earphone on. I was stopped once by a campus policeman who told me I should use one earphone in the right ear, and listen for traffic with the left ear. I usually listen to NPR. But I generally don't use it on busy roads.

Here is a pertinent article from VeloNews.com

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/8653.0.html

I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time. I know that I'll need music to get me through the more tedious stretches and was thinking of an mp3 player. I'm a little reluctant to wear headphones and was wondering if anyone knew of bike friendly speakers that are small and light enough to mount to the handlebars for instance.

Ahhh....
It's your lucky day!

I'm an AC/DC junkie when I ride, and was using earbuds for the last 5 years... but am FINALLY convinced that speakers are the way to go:

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/1272/dashboard3st.th.jpg (http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/1272/dashboard3st.jpg)

Radio Shack.... $20

http://www.radioshack.com/images/ProductCatalog/ProductImage/40/40-1441.jpg
(http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&category_name=CTLG_007_002_009_001&product_id=40-1441&site=search)

I used my iPod nearly every day in Norway, recharging it in campgrounds or hostels.
I find the small ear buds don't block outside noise much, I can hear traffic very well. In fact sometimes I have trouble hearing the music.

Bikepacker67,

What kind of battery life do you get with those speakers?

Thanks.

Not too bad... it takes 3 AA batts, and it lasts about 10 hrs.

They don't go dead, they just get softer, and softer, and softer :)

My local Radioshack has a 1GB MP3 player on sale for $89.99. Here is the link to the product description:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-8071

Notice that this player reads a removeable SD memory card rather than an internal flash memory or hard disk. I'm thinking about buying this today along with the speakers Bikepacker67 recommends. Being somewhat new to MP3 players, is there any reason to think this particular kind of player would not be good for mounting on a bike? SD is a solid state media, so there are no "moving parts" to cause skipping. Other than that I can't think of a reason why this wouldn't be a good setup. Thoughts?

My local Radioshack has a 1GB MP3 player on sale for $89.99. Here is the link to the product description:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-8071

Notice that this player reads a removeable SD memory card rather than an internal flash memory or hard disk. I'm thinking about buying this today along with the speakers Bikepacker67 recommends. Being somewhat new to MP3 players, is there any reason to think this particular kind of player would not be good for mounting on a bike? SD is a solid state media, so there are no "moving parts" to cause skipping. Other than that I can't think of a reason why this wouldn't be a good setup. Thoughts?

I'm rather fond of my 40GB Creative Labs Zen Nomad jukebox Xtra, which I bought for $200 at Best Buy. I know it's a massive step up in price from $90, but the sheer amount of data allows me to have an enormous music collection for very, very long tours. I wouldn't go with only 1 GB, personally. That would barely cover the complete works of Maurice Ravel at 192 kbps .mp3.

With 40GB, I have a complete range of audiobooks, music, and foreign language courses available to me.

If you can get along with 1GB though, go for it! I know people who've done great with a lot less.

With 40GB, I have a complete range of audiobooks, music, and foreign language courses available to me.

If you can get along with 1GB though, go for it! I know people who've done great with a lot less.


I like the idea of taking books or foreign language courses along. Hmmmm. Maybe I should go bigger. At the very least I need to fit all of my Rush albums. :D

I like the idea of taking books or foreign language courses along. Hmmmm. Maybe I should go bigger. At the very least I need to fit all of my Rush albums. :D

Hehe, but then you need space for the Crimson and Zappa! ;)

That Nomad isn't perfect, but it's great. Some words of advice:

1. The software and firmware that comes with it is proprietary to a fault. It doesn't use the more intuitive folder system, but rather sorts music by ID3 tag data and by user-defined playlists. It's not bad. You get used to it immediately, but it could be more intelligently designed. There's a program called Notmad explorer that's third-party, and it's supposedly much more efficient.
2. The battery is also proprietary. It's lithium ion, and lasts about 10 hours a shot, which gradually decreases over longterm use until the battery dies permanently, like all rechargeables. Fortunately, unlike the i-pod, the batteries are user-removable, and you don't have to send the whole unit in to get a battery replaced. I bought an extra one to rotate recharges. For long, unsupported camping tours, you may want to invest in a small floppy solar panel, so you can recharge the batteries in the sun as you ride along or after you've taken a break. They'll last longer if you top them off after every use, rather than letting them run down fully and then recharging. Turn the backlight off, definitely, as it is a battery hog of its own.
3. It's clunky, comparatively to an i-pod. Still small though! The i-pod is without question better in terms of size, software, and interface, but it's $120 more for the same storage and has a slightly poorer sound quality. And then there's that i-pod battery issue...
4. Like an i-pod, it's got a hard drive in it. Don't run with it and treat it with care.

Still, if you read the Amazon reviews, they're overwhelmingly positive, and there are 85 of them to dig through if you want a second (or 85th) opinion.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002AZNKA/102-8066855-6759352?v=glance

I'm going to be a bit negative on this topic.

Having ridden and hiked along the C&O canal, I would strongly recommend not having a radio that others might hear as you are passing them. I know for a fact that people really take offense to music by others while hiking. I certainly would. In fact, the rangers along the C&O will ticket you if they can hear it more than 50 feet away as posted.

Since you won't have to worry about car traffic (except at MM 84-88 where there is a detour), get a quality set of headphones.

Why are you touring? When I tour it is to get away from all that crap. If you need music to fill your day, something is missing in your life. Not that I dont appreciate good music or NPR radio, but when I listen to a concert, I concentrate on the music. And listening to NPR, I concentrate on the story. If touring in the country, I concentrate on the scenery around me. If riding on a busy highway, I concentrate on the traffic and not having a sharp ear can be deadly. My god, this society has become so music orientated that even NBC had music while showing video of the damage and suffering in New Orleans from the hurricane! Being of the older generation, I wonder about all these drone kids walking around with their ipods or walkmans blasting away, and I certainly worry about them on bikes.
Anyway, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, riding with earphones will get you ticketed or at least scolded.

Are the MP3 players that use tiny hard drives durable enough for bike touring? Or... are you guys talking about the ones that use some sort of memory card? (no moving parts) I have always assumed that the mini-hard drives would fail from the bumping and vibration of a bike?

Why are you touring? When I tour it is to get away from all that crap. If you need music to fill your day, something is missing in your life. Not that I dont appreciate good music or NPR radio, but when I listen to a concert, I concentrate on the music. And listening to NPR, I concentrate on the story. If touring in the country, I concentrate on the scenery around me. If riding on a busy highway, I concentrate on the traffic and not having a sharp ear can be deadly. My god, this society has become so music orientated that even NBC had music while showing video of the damage and suffering in New Orleans from the hurricane! Being of the older generation, I wonder about all these drone kids walking around with their ipods or walkmans blasting away, and I certainly worry about them on bikes.
Anyway, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, riding with earphones will get you ticketed or at least scolded.

mkrabach, maybe you could take a moment and give a full description of how you tour so that we can all get it right from now on. That way you won't have to worry anymore and we won't get any tickets or even scolded. :rolleyes:

My reply on this thread is based upon my observances, and what I have learned. Thus, I won't scold anyone and will speak for myself.

I've read a number of replies about cyclists listening to their music or whatever while they ride. In some ways, I can relate to how it can be enjoyed.

However, I haven't acted on listening to music while I ride because I need to pay extra attention to the condition(s) of the road, trail, or path ahead. I also need to be extra aware of traffic, signs and signals on various streets, as well as any people or animals that are or might be around.

In addition, listening to music while riding is more of a distraction if anything. From what I have learned from others, doing this has not been recommended by some bicycle salespeople, not allowed during various bicycle events, and discouraged by some bicycle clubs.

Therefore, I don't listen to music while riding. For anyone else, the choice is yours.

Hey,

Speakers are important, sure, but what's coming out of them is just as crucial. Don't you think?

What kind of music do you guys listen to while you're riding?

With my trip being a month away, I've been making up a playlist on my iPod. Another great aspect of the ole' pod that no one has mentioned yet is due to its massive storage capabilities, you can shuffle your heart out. Granted that my life pretty much revolves around music, but according to iTunes I have weeks worth of music on my iPod. Plus, the battery life for my standard, old school 10 gig is approximately 10 hours. It takes 3 hours to charge back to life, and can plug into any standard outlet.

Anyways, here are the top 10 in my playlist (with a shameless plug as well)...

1. Fix Up, Look Sharp by Dizzie Rascal (UK Hip Hop)
2. In C by Terry Riley (Minimalist Composer)
3. Rebel Rebel by David Bowie (Essential Listen)
4. Sure Shot by Beastie Boys (Dirty Hip Hop)
5. Avignon by Pinback (Such nice, mellow vocals...)
6. More Than This by Roxy Music (Classic, and fitting in nice places)
7. 4 by Aphex Twin (British Pioneer of Electronic Music)
8. With or Without You by U2 (Joshua Tree is a must have)
9. Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse (Hard working Indie Rock Act)
10. Look's Like No One's Home by The Secret Life of Sofia (MY BAND!)
listen at www.myspace.com/thesecretlifeofsofia

You?

Rock,

ian.

Speakers are important, sure, but what's coming out of them is just as crucial. Don't you think?

What kind of music do you guys listen to while you're riding?.

I rediscovered a liking for pop recently... especially old french pop (e.g. Gainsbourg) but also its contemporary nerdish version (e.g. Stereo Total).

Otherwise, I'm quite out of touch with what's going on in the music world so i stick to my old favorites: Tom Waits, Velvet Underground, Mano Negra, and a few French bands (e.g. La tordue) as well as some contemporary jazz (e.g. Zorn)... I also like a good laugh once in a while and the Arrogant Worms are great for that (especially when cycling in Canada).

I'm trying to find some new stuff but unless you spend hours listening to crap on radio or on TV, its hard to find the interesting tune that was able to slip in the programation.

Hey Magictofu,

Can you recommend a few French bands to me, young and old? I don't know much of what comes out of France, musically speaking, but of course am a Gainsbourg fan.

I find most of my new stuff on www.pitchforkmedia.com and www.epitonic.com. Pitchfork's great because you can comb through the reviews to see which records get the best marks, and can probably find a listen or two on Epitonic. Plus, Epitonic recommends other bands like the ones you enjoy.

Tom Waits, Velvet Underground, Zorn...you sound like a Thrill Jockey fan, an indie label out of Chicago, waiting to happen. Check out a band called "The Sea and Cake." Fittingly, they have an amazing record called "Oui." You might like it. If that floats your boat, Jim O'Rourke's another good way to go.

Cheers,

ian.

Hi Ian,

I'll give a try to the websites you just mentioned.

As for recomendations for French music, I'd go with the following:

- I highly appreciate Brigitte Fontaine, it seems she has been there forever but has just been rediscovered during the last 15 years. Some find her a bit too weird but these are the same who find her too old.

- Yann Tiersen also produce a very interesting music... he somewhat follows the same recipe on all his albums but it works for me. He also sings in English with a terrible accent... at first I was annoyed by it but i grew to like these songs better with time. He is the guy who wrote the music for the film Amelie if I'm right.

- There are tons of small 'pseudo-revolutionary' bands that i really like... i say pseudo-revolutionary because they all tend to be political (left) but they don't go further than song writing (a bit like Manu Chao). Les Ogres de Barback and La rue Ketanou are among my favorites.

- The best songwriters might not be very interesting for someone who doesn't speak French but La Tordue and Vincent Delerme are still worth mentioning.

- For hip hop and rap, little as good as the stuff written by Mc Solaar has been produced... its not new, far from it, but some of his songs are jewels of poetry. The younger crowd seems to prefer a rap that matches more closely what is produced by the american music industry but other bands like Zebda are still incredibly famous (its not all good though).

- Another guy I really like has almost disapeared from the French music scene: Arthur H. It's jazzy, cool and extremely funny... some of his music is pure candy for the intellect.

- From Quebec, the bigs ones were Jean Leloup and the Coloc... I still listen a lot to their music. More recently, a band called 'les Cowboys Fringants' has taken the center stage here... personaly, I find the lyrics of some of their songs to be a bit disturbing (dumb, patriotic and at the limit of racism against the anglophone majority in Canada). In the same 'pseudo-revolutionary' category, we have the excellent Thomas Jensen and many others... most from the extraordinarily vibrant music scene of Montreal.

- Otherwise, for something closer to Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy comes to mind but also the German band Strereo Total (French lead singer)... they dig a lot in the Gainsbourg repertoire. Two cool CD might also be of interest to you: one is called 'Pop Romantique' and the other 'Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg'...

I just did a short 6-day tour from Toronto to Montreal, and I brought along my trusty 3g 40 gig ipod. FWIW, in the 3g ipods, batteries are available from third-parties and can be installed by users, offering up to 16 hrs of playtime. The ipod battery "issue" hasn't been one for the past couple of years.

I used the earbud in the right ear solution, and it worked well for me. I actually was given an ipod belt (made by speck) which held the ipod very snugly and securely, and also offered protection against scratching and a potential fall. When it rained, I just threw on my jacket and the ipod received full waterproof protection.

I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time. I know that I'll need music to get me through the more tedious stretches and was thinking of an mp3 player. I'm a little reluctant to wear headphones and was wondering if anyone knew of bike friendly speakers that are small and light enough to mount to the handlebars for instance.

MP3 players are the best thing since peanut butter, IMHO. I use sport headphones that go in the ear and clamp around the ear. Keeping the volume reasonable I can hear traffic and people coming up from behind just fine (mirror helps too). The MP3 player goes in my pocket (I don't wear them skin tight spandex looking things) and run the cord up inside of my shirt and back out the neck, so no worries about snagging it.

I know this will probably piss some people off but I found for long rides it is the only way for me to go. I converted a cooler into a portable stereo... It has two, 6 inch speakers mounted into the right and left side of the Box. It is powered by an Ipod in my handlebar bag which is inturn hooked up to a 80watt amp mounted inside the cooler that feeds the speakers. I then have a deep cycle sealed wheel chair battery mounted in the cooler that feeds the amp power. I have a trickle charge back into the batter from a solar panel mounted on the top of the cooler. This is all pulled by my bob trailer. This may sound a tad impractical, but whoooo nelly.... The cooler is also a great dry storage for many things. I have alot of other fun things added on to it, such as E-wire for bright visible lighting. A cigarette lighter to recharge cell phones and so on. So far the longest I went till I finally killed the damn thing was a tad over a week with out having to hook it up to a re-charger. But it's tough as nails and when it needs to be for fun, Loud as hell. It works great for groups of people, until they want to start making music requests. It is a tad heavy, but we are bagging people weight is not a factor anymore.

Cheers,

Coco

I know this will probably piss some people off but I found for long rides it is the only way for me to go. I converted a cooler into a portable stereo... It has two, 6 inch speakers mounted into the right and left side of the Box. It is powered by an Ipod in my handlebar bag which is inturn hooked up to a 80watt amp mounted inside the cooler that feeds the speakers.
Coco

Dude, BBB - Bicycle Boom Box, sounds like the perfect thing for urban commuters, but I imagine that after one long climb on a loaded bike, I might stick a 4-sale sign on it while taking a rest - or seeing if it can fly.

"Les, turkey's can't fly!"
- WKRP

Hey Bikepacker. how do you steer that thing?

BTW—Red Sox leading 13 to 2 versus the Devil Rays. Unfortunately the Yanks are winning too.

At times it can be a pain, but made it throught 4 rocky mountian passes..... The biggest pisser with it is more the decent....

Hey Bikepacker. how do you steer that thing?

BTW—Red Sox leading 13 to 2 versus the Devil Rays. Unfortunately the Yanks are winning too.


How do I steer it?
VERY COMFORTABLY (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=126786&highlight=Antler) :)

By all means, take music along! Go with earbuds because: 1)Even cheapies will sound better than more expensive powered speakers; 2)Earbuds are lighter and smaller; 3)No motor traffic to worry about on the C&O. and 4) Earbuds won't bother any of the other folks you will (seldomly) come across.

Hi MJW16,

I don't mean to self promote but check out our product i-RIDE at http://www.active-tunes.com. It's probably exactly what you're looking for and inexpensive as well ($24.95). We're compatible with any iPOD/MP3 player, portable Satellite or anything else with a headphone jack. And our mounting bracket attaches to your handle bars in a few seconds. The mini stereo speakers snaps in and out of the bracket in a second. The speakers have a great sound as well. Let me know if you have any questions. It's worth a look at the website.

regards,
Jeff
jeff@active-tunes.com

Here's a few pix of my bike tunes setup, a Rio MP3 player mounted to a cheap headlight clamp along with Creative Labs TravelSound speakers mounted on the rear rack with Velcro. The speakers are very sweet, with great sound. I bought them to take to the beach on vacation last summer so I could listen to XM satellite radio. The next step will be figuring out the XM mounting to replace the MP3 player. With the MS150 coming up, two days of riding with 100+ music channels will be the way to go :D ....

B'Dog

http://images3.pictiger.com/thumbs/11/22b81770864bfc61dda373b304fa1d11.th.jpg (http://server3.pictiger.com/img/19296/picture-hosting/-mp3-bike-overview.php)

http://images3.pictiger.com/thumbs/af/f2ceaefd697c149785243b3f9faea4af.th.jpg (http://server3.pictiger.com/img/19397/picture-hosting/mp3-bike-handlebar.php)

http://images3.pictiger.com/thumbs/d9/3810d3650059a7e178b8b75ceb1d8dd9.th.jpg (http://server3.pictiger.com/img/19426/picture-hosting/mp3-bike-handlebar-closeup.php)

http://images3.pictiger.com/thumbs/cb/bcdccf2b430f1afbbdae64f868d6cfcb.th.jpg (http://server3.pictiger.com/img/19436/picture-hosting/mp3-bike-speakers.php)

http://images3.pictiger.com/thumbs/ea/4aeaebd447dfb657c7a9da4f1cc935ea.th.jpg (http://server3.pictiger.com/img/19450/picture-hosting/mp3-bike-speakers-closeup.php)

ON YOUR LEFT! Can you here me?