Mountain Biking - walkmans and singletrack good or bad

i always find myself riding alone and just thought would it be a good idea to put some headphones on and have at it.
i remember living on base and it was illegal to wear headphone and run so i never really gave it a thought after it was washed out of my mind
so let me know what u think is it a good idea or bad


thanks

Bad idea you never want to deprive yourself of a sense in a potentially dangerous situation. Being able to hear an animal (think rattlesnake, bear, etc) may give you the slight edge needed to avoid trouble. It's the same for riding on road being able to hear traffic is a good thing.

I go riding in the words to get away from the noises and distractions of the world. I can't understand why you would want to bring that "Noise" with you.

L8R

good point on alertness and good point on getting away from the noise thats one of the reasons i ride but sometime i need a little motivation and it always helps on my stationary bike. i think i wanted to add in my post wether it is poor mtb etiquette

Regarding etiquette, we're mountain bikers, not roadies, we don't give ant's left tit about etiquette.

If you want to ride with music, go ride with music, just keep it down to a low shrill so that others around you that do NOT want to ride with music aren't disturbed.

I don't know about you guys, but where I ride, I rarely see other people. The only time I see other riders is when I'm stopped at an intersection to rest, or we pass each other in opposite directions (maybe 10 secs of total contact).

Go for it if that's your thing!

L8R

I used to mtb with tunes. I stopped riding with tunes on the road bike because of the risks associated. After a month of no tunes... I love the sound of my bike, my heart, my breathing and just enjoy thinking and being able to hear stuff. I don't use a trainer (yet), but If I did, I can say there would be Kid Rock jamming on the house stereo, waking up the neighborhood.
Etiquette is very subjective. I could care less what you do while riding unless it threatens my safety and sometimes etiquette threatens my safety. You hesitate, people die. When in doubt; Attack!

Semper Fi

uh rah

I used my walkman on non technical xc rides. Helps pass the time on very boring and long easy rides. On technical stuff I like to hear my bike.

i have on occasion... but ususally only in places that a desserted, when im getting from one place to another.

im thinkin suppose you get in some thick stuff and a branch gets in the cord and while you are going your headset gets ripped off.it probably will not pull you off the bike but could cause enough distraction to cause you to get a little too much fiber if you know what i mean.if i do not concentrate on where i am going i will without a doubt miss a turn and end up on a the side of a tree or something just as stupid.scares me just to think about going downhill at 20+ and losing concentration.been there ,done that,tore up the t-shirt in the crash!!!

Go to this link and on the page somewhere is a video of Grant going big near my local trails.

http://www.mtbfreak.com/show_article.php?id=115&category=news&type=news&head=Sunday%20Ride%20with%20Grant%20Allen

It says in his interview that he is listening to music while he was doing this so it makes me think that alot of the pro freeriders probably listen to pumping music before doing a huge line to help them get started.

If you search around on this site there are more vids of some cool things.

PS this is an Australian MTB website, mainly about upcoming events, national series and things to do with Grant.

State and local laws regarding bikes and headphones usually only apply to road riding. Who cares about headphones on the trail? It's not like a tractor trailer will run you over in the middle of the woods because you can't hear it.

I wear headphones sometimes when I am alone and doing a not-so-envigorating trail. It's something to get me going and I find that I ride alot further and at a much more enjoyable clip when I listen to my music. I keep it low enough that I can still be somewhat aware of my surroundings though.

As for the possibility of getting the cord stuck on a branch I put it in my camelback and either zip it so the cord is right along my neck or I feed it through my shirt. It stays out of the way pretty well. If they do get caught up then they just pop off of my ears because I have the separated ones that just fit in your ears.

Try it out. If you like it and feel comfortable with it than I don't see why it would be a problem as long as you can still be somewhat aware of your surroundings.

It says in his interview that he is listening to music while he was doing this so it makes me think that alot of the pro freeriders probably listen to pumping music before doing a huge line to help them get started.

Thats cool. But I don't know any other pros that listen to music while they ride...



State and local laws regarding bikes and headphones usually only apply to road riding. Who cares about headphones on the trail? It's not like a tractor trailer will run you over in the middle of the woods because you can't hear it.


Please tell me you are joking. Thats the most absurd thing I have ever heard for a gov't to write a law about. Do they have a law stating shoes must be tied in a double knot too?

Regarding etiquette, we're mountain bikers, not roadies, we don't give ant's left tit about etiquette.


Well, there are some rules of etiquette I do follow....

http://www.4lo.com/treadlightly.html
http://www.imba.com/about/trail_rules.html

thanx for all the input folks i will give it a try tonight if i make it home in time if i like it i'll keep it but it may only be a once in a blue moon thing

Well, there are some rules of etiquette I do follow....

http://www.4lo.com/treadlightly.html
http://www.imba.com/about/trail_rules.html

O.k., you got me. Other than those! It's etiquette schemetiquette!

Actually just live by the Golden Rule: "Do unto others...."

L8R