music....dangerous???

cureperry

So, its unsafe to ride and listen to music in headphones, 'cause you might not hear cars, cuase an accident..blah blah blah...but i gotta question: how many of you out there actually listen to that safety rule?

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operator

I ride where there are few if any cars, so I do listen to music. It makes long rides into the country more exciting.

Bop Bop

Like Operator I do the same.

The Rob

Here's one. If I want music, I have a pretty good system already installed. No hardware required and it shuts itself off the very second my full attention is needed elsewhere. The only drawback: At times I can't seem to control what's being played, and since all the workings are internal and are not 'user-serviceable', I'm at the mercy of whatever odd tune it decides to play back.

I wouldn't trade it for any of those awkward outboard models, though.

AndrewP

I cant listen to music and concentrate on my riding. However for a slow putter around town, dropping in at various shops, music makes for a very relaxing afternoon.

zonatandem

We love riding. We love music.
The two do not mix. Full attention is required when riding.

Stor Mand

I think its probably more of a hassle buy why would it be any different than listening to music in your car/truck or while riding a motorcycle?

zoogirl

I used to ride with a little transister either in my basket or attatched to my handlebars. What I'd really like is one of those headlight/radio combo's. I think it's safer than headphones. Since I usually listen to either CISL (Oldies Rock, 50's and 60's) or Rock 101 (Classic Rock 60's,70's and early 80's.), I usually don't get too many dirty looks. Hey, it ain't Rap, right?!

I do find I ride a bit carelessly if something fast, loud or defiant is playing. I nearly got collected by an ambulance once while I was driving a car because I had "Conquistador" by Procal Harum cranked. Oops! I didn't even hear that siren...

I think it's actually illegal to ride with earphones around here. Probably just as well.

slvoid

I wonder why NYC bike laws allow headphones...

"na na na... na na na na na na... breakin' the law.. breakin' the law.."

madpogue

Y'mean, there's a specific exception to the vehicle code that allows the use of headphones while operating a bicycle? 'Cuz in most jurisdictions in this country, operating a vehicle with headphones is illegal. They'd have to have a specific local ordinance overriding the state vehicle code to allow it on a bike. It wouldn't surprise me, though.

khuon

I used to ride with a little transister either in my basket or attatched to my handlebars. What I'd really like is one of those headlight/radio combo's. I think it's safer than headphones.

How about one of these (http://www.bicyclestereo.com/)?

http://www.bicyclestereo.com/GRAPHICS/bike.gif

And if you can stand riding with backpacks, there's this backpack with built in flat speakers in the straps (http://www.fpsounds.com/). Errr... scantily clad model not included.

http://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home3.jpghttp://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home4.jpghttp://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home7.jpg

slvoid

How about one of these (http://www.bicyclestereo.com/)?

http://www.bicyclestereo.com/GRAPHICS/bike.gif

And if you can stand riding with backpacks, there's this backpack with built in flat speakers in the straps (http://www.fpsounds.com/). Errr... scantily clad model not included.

http://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home3.jpghttp://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home4.jpghttp://www.fpsounds.com/graphics/home7.jpg

HOLY! I'LL TAKE HER!

KevinmH9

I ride with headphones, but I usually keep the volume to a setting where I can still hear most of the surroundings around me. I usually ride as close to the shoulder as possible, most of the time I ride where the shoulder is pretty big, I used to be pretty ambivalent towards the headphones but I have used them alot in my rides now, and it's pretty relaxing.

damn

like i said in similar thread: i ride with full volume, but headphones are on the neck. i can hear surroundings and music pretty good :)

Chris L

I've tossed this issue over in my head a few times, and to be honest I still don't know. The "blocking of sound" issue can be abated by adjusting the volume setting on the headphones. It isn't really a problem. In the past I've been more concerned with the distraction factor. However, when I was in Hobart last year someone I was riding with pointed out that music can actually reduce the impact of other distractions such as malicious horns, magpies, morons yelling out car windows, etc etc. So in answer to the question at the top of this thread, I really don't know. Maybe try it out for yourself on a short ride and see.

digger

Just recently, when I am on my touring bike, and taking it slow, I have been starting to listen to the radio. I just have one ear plug in my right ear, my left ear is free to hear traffic. Although, the area I ride in a car will pass every 5-10 minutes. I must say I enjoy it.

The disadvantage is I cannot control what they play, but I don't have to lug around a bunch of CDs for a 4+ hour ride, stop and change, etc. Of course i could get one of those M3 players, but I am not into music THAT much. Radio does me fine.

I do find that the wind noise, especially into a headwind, annoying, so I have to turn the thing up. After a couple of hours I find I have to take the ear plug out, just for a break from the dual noise of wind and radio.

My radio is small with one speaker, I think it best if the thing where mounted on the handlebar in such a fashion so that the speaker is facing you so you can hear it, rather than using headphones.

Plus, I wonder how a motorist feels when he sees a cyclist wearing headphones? They are already of the beleif that since we are on a bicycle we are out of control, so now with headphones we are double that as the cyclist is tuned out of his/her surroundings. I don't think it would instill them with confidence.

Digger

slvoid

Just recently, when I am on my touring bike, and taking it slow, I have been starting to listen to the radio. I just have one ear plug in my right ear, my left ear is free to hear traffic. Although, the area I ride in a car will pass every 5-10 minutes. I must say I enjoy it.

The disadvantage is I cannot control what they play, but I don't have to lug around a bunch of CDs for a 4+ hour ride, stop and change, etc. Of course i could get one of those M3 players, but I am not into music THAT much. Radio does me fine.

I do find that the wind noise, especially into a headwind, annoying, so I have to turn the thing up. After a couple of hours I find I have to take the ear plug out, just for a break from the dual noise of wind and radio.

My radio is small with one speaker, I think it best if the thing where mounted on the handlebar in such a fashion so that the speaker is facing you so you can hear it, rather than using headphones.

Plus, I wonder how a motorist feels when he sees a cyclist wearing headphones? They are already of the beleif that since we are on a bicycle we are out of control, so now with headphones we are double that as the cyclist is tuned out of his/her surroundings. I don't think it would instill them with confidence.

Digger

I sure hope the world forgives me then last week I was flying down the road in midtown traffic when I reached down to my MP3 player and changed the song... Believe it or not sometimes I wear ear buds with no music on, it doesn't block out any sound but it smooths the flow of wind over my ears so I don't end up deaf at the end of a long ride. Flat ear muffs also work in that aspect.

Juha

I sing or hum a lot when riding. Some people would consider my voice very dangerous indeed.

--J

HereNT

Believe it or not sometimes I wear ear buds with no music on, it doesn't block out any sound but it smooths the flow of wind over my ears so I don't end up deaf at the end of a long ride. Flat ear muffs also work in that aspect.

Hmm... that makes me think. I have to wear earplugs most of the time at work, and wind noise often gets to me when I ride. While I'm all for hearing the road while I ride, it would be nice not to try to sort the whoosh of a car from the ambient noise from the wind.

My dad used to run sound in a bar in MT, and he was able to go to an audiology place and have special earplugs made so that he could have a normal level conversation with someone and hear them, but lessen the higher decibles of the band who he was mixing... The way it worked was that it dropped the level over a certain threshold, but left the quiter sounds intact. I wonder if it would work similairly for a biker - take away the loud wind going over your ears, quiet the busses and trucks, but still let you hear that there is a car behind you...

I need to get to one of those places anyways - with the plugs from work I have to take them out to hear people talking to me, and I want to protect what hearing I have left as best I can...

Anyone ever tried this?

slvoid

Try putting on a pair of 180's ear muffs then riding in the wind, it blocks out a LOT of noise just by getting rid of the turbulent flows going on in your ear lobes.

operator

I'd never wear headphones when riding downtown or in places with heavy traffic. That's just my take on it. In the country even if you don't wear headphones what's going to to help you if you hear a car coming from behind? Is there something special you'll do other than keep riding along?

jfmckenna

My girlfriend wears ear plugs when she rides. I prefer to hear whats going on around me and if I really want to listen to music all I have to do is pull up a song from the song list in my head and rock on, actually it drives me nuts some times...

FXjohn

I'd never wear headphones when riding downtown or in places with heavy traffic. That's just my take on it. In the country even if you don't wear headphones what's going to to help you if you hear a car coming from behind? Is there something special you'll do other than keep riding along?

What would you normally do anyway?
Get completely off the road?
I try to ride to the right of the white line or close.
You're still trusting people not to run over you, headphones or no headphones

Laggard

I'm around noise all day long. It's nice to have a few minutes of peace and quiet.

So no, I don't listen.

bluejack

I'm with laggard. One of the *reasons* I ride is to get away from the babble. In city traffic, I just wouldn't wear headphones for safety (although strapping an open-air radio somewhere, or headphones around the neck, as people have mentioned, should be fine).

But out of town? I prefer the unbuffered appreciation of what's around me.

cerewa

how many of you out there actually listen to that safety rule?

I do. Partly because I can't be bothered to use a radio on my bike, but partly because I think A)earbud headphones are almost always slightly unsafe, and B) the headphones that go over the outer part of the ear are unsafe if they're turned up very much. Headphones around your neck sounds like a perfectly sensible idea, though, if you like the sound okay.

khuon

It's interesting the trouble people will go through to hear music. I recently was on a century ride with a woman I met through my bikeshop's weekly ride who decided that she wanted to listen to the radio. She had one of those headphone style radios and because it wouldn't fit under her helmet decided to ride without the helmet. All throughout the ride she was fussing with it to tune it or play with the volume. Several times, she almost lost control or got into an accident. Also, she missed some of the directions and warnings that we were trying to shout to her. She twice almost got clipped by a car because she couldn't hear them when pulling out into the road. She also displayed many unsafe riding practices aside. We no longer ride with this person.

mcavana

not sure what state you live in, but in florida it is illegal. You can be ticketed for having headphones of any kind on.

Allister

It's interesting the trouble people will go through to hear music. I recently was on a century ride with a woman I met through my bikeshop's weekly ride who decided that she wanted to listen to the radio. She had one of those headphone style radios and because it wouldn't fit under her helmet decided to ride without the helmet. All throughout the ride she was fussing with it to tune it or play with the volume. Several times, she almost lost control or got into an accident. Also, she missed some of the directions and warnings that we were trying to shout to her. She twice almost got clipped by a car because she couldn't hear them when pulling out into the road. She also displayed many unsafe riding practices aside. We no longer ride with this person.

That has less to do with headphones than it has to do with the fool wearing them.

First off, when I listen to music whilst riding, I don't constantly fool around with the player. I turn it on and leave it alone. Secondly, I'd never be anti-social enough to use them on a group ride. That's just plain rude, and as you say, you can't hear directions. Thirdly I'd never sacrifice my ability to wear a helmet just to listen to music.

Sounds to me like this woman was an unsafe cyclist irrespective of whether or not she was wearing headphones.

It can be as safe or as dangerous as you like to wear headphones whilst riding - it depends entirely on your technique and skill. If your the kind of person who gets totally absorbed in whatever music you're listening to, I'd say don't do it. If you can have it as pleasant background noise, go right ahead. I will say that in my experience, riding with headphones is no more or less dangerous than riding without them. If you're so worried about being struck from behind, a mirror is a thousand times more effective warning device than your hearing will ever be.

operator

That has less to do with headphones than it has to do with the fool wearing them.

First off, when I listen to music whilst riding, I don't constantly fool around with the player. I turn it on and leave it alone. Secondly, I'd never be anti-social enough to use them on a group ride. That's just plain rude, and as you say, you can't hear directions. Thirdly I'd never sacrifice my ability to wear a helmet just to listen to music.

Sounds to me like this woman was an unsafe cyclist irrespective of whether or not she was wearing headphones.

It can be as safe or as dangerous as you like to wear headphones whilst riding - it depends entirely on your technique and skill. If your the kind of person who gets totally absorbed in whatever music you're listening to, I'd say don't do it. If you can have it as pleasant background noise, go right ahead. I will say that in my experience, riding with headphones is no more or less dangerous than riding without them. If you're so worried about being struck from behind, a mirror is a thousand times more effective warning device than your hearing will ever be.

Thanks for typing it out for me, now I don't have to :)

Chris L

I sing or hum a lot when riding. Some people would consider my voice very dangerous indeed.

I do the same thing, but I'm not so sure it could be considered music.

Redhed

I have a spot on my camelbak in which a anti-skip cd player with AM/FM radio, weather band, and TV band fits perfectly. It also has a remote which I clip to the front of my pack where it secures across my chest. I find that I cannot ride rush hour without them. I have tried, but 18 wheelers honking just about makes me jump out of my skin and nearly wreck. The headphones are at a low volume where I can hear approaching vehicles, but the harshness of the noise is not so bad. I do ride without them sometimes, but usually regret my choice. I have never had problems trying to fool around with it while I ride. If I get sick of the cd, I will stop for a moment and change it, or just listen to the radio. Sometimes I don't turn it on, but I have the headphones in my ears. Just a matter of preference, I guess. If I were to ride with a group, I would not wear them at all.

DanFromDetroit

I think that quiet is really under-rated.

I gave up on commercial radio and the laughing hyenas of morning drivetime a good while back.

I have been doing without radio/music for so long now that I really feel annoyed by it when riding or driving a car as well.

I find a radio or music less a distraction and more of an annoyance. I don't like being bombarded by advertisements and music all the time.

If you can recall the first time you ever saw the scenes in the move "Blade Runner", with Ridley Scott's vision of a future of "wall-to-wall" ubiquitous advertisement and hype; that is pretty much how I feel about modern radio and TV.

Don't get me wrong, I like music. On my bike, however; I just want to ride.

Dan

Radworld

Its one of those things I know I shouldn't do but I do. That said once I have started a ride I don't mess with it. The beauty of mp3s and playlists. I don't listen to it so loud that it blocks out background noise. I can still hear cars approaching. To my defense I bike along rural Wisconsin roads with some long hills to climb. The music helps me "seperate" and even flow with the cadence. On the weekends I'm lucky if 3 cars pass me.

slvoid

Its one of those things I know I shouldn't do but I do. That said once I have started a ride I don't mess with it. The beauty of mp3s and playlists. I don't listen to it so loud that it blocks out background noise. I can still hear cars approaching. To my defense I bike along rural Wisconsin roads with some long hills to climb. The music helps me "seperate" and even flow with the cadence. On the weekends I'm lucky if 3 cars pass me.

No need to defend yourself, I admit I do it a lot too and I'll be damned if I could distinguish anything in heavy traffic in midtown anyway. When you're surrounded by cars, your sense of hearing is just about as good as your sense of sight when you're drunk in a dark flashing night club.

cureperry

well, in all honesty, i listen to music whilst i ride. But Im a music lover; i even intern at Universal. So even if I've been around noise all day (which i mostly have) or if ive had a stressful day ( oh ive had those too) ...whatever some of the reasons ive read, music RELAXES me. I love listening to a mellow tune while being in nature...or listening to something with a little kick while riding thru town. I just find it funner and more relaxing...i end up enjoying my ride a lot more....especially lately, I've been listening to that new Cure CD...oh its great..."Labyrinth" is an awesome track to listen to...(anyone here listened to this CD yet?) Luckily, ive never been ticketed for doing so, and i wanted to see who else around here didnt follow this rule as well, i guess it would make me feel better to know i wasnt the only one...making it less wrong...even though it doesnt, it just makes me FEEL less wrong.

Allister

I think that quiet is really under-rated.

True, but you don't get much of that in peak hour traffic. If I must have noise, I prefer it in a more orderly and pleasant form.

I gave up on commercial radio and the laughing hyenas of morning drivetime a good while back.

I have been doing without radio/music for so long now that I really feel annoyed by it when riding or driving a car as well.

Commercial radio does indeed suck. Fortunately there are alternatives. To be honest, riding is about the only time I get to listen to music these days. I hardly ever have it on at home, and with my new job I'm less inclined to listen to it at work, although I do miss iradiochago.com comedy channel (damn firewall).

I've been listening to Sunrise On Sea from The John Butler Trio all this week. Fantastic album.

I find a radio or music less a distraction and more of an annoyance. I don't like being bombarded by advertisements and music all the time.

If I was restricted to commercial radio, I expect I'd feel the same.

If you can recall the first time you ever saw the scenes in the move "Blade Runner", with Ridley Scott's vision of a future of "wall-to-wall" ubiquitous advertisement and hype; that is pretty much how I feel about modern radio and TV.

Not to mention the overload of roadside advertising. I'm still baffled as to how deliberately trying to attract the attention of people behind the wheel of a tonne of hurtling metal from the task of driving can even be legal.

Don't get me wrong, I like music. On my bike, however; I just want to ride.

Fair enough.

slvoid

Not to mention the overload of roadside advertising. I'm still baffled as to how deliberately trying to attract the attention of people behind the wheel of a tonne of hurtling metal from the task of driving can even be legal.
Fair enough.

What they should do is put ads on the back of cars. When you ram into the guy in front of you, the insurance company that saves you 15% over all other local competitors is right in your face.

Portis

So, its unsafe to ride and listen to music in headphones, 'cause you might not hear cars, cuase an accident..blah blah blah...but i gotta question: how many of you out there actually listen to that safety rule?

I didn't know this was a "safety rule." It seems sort of like common sense to me. I don't ride blindfolded and i don't ride without hearing either. I like to use every sense available to get home in one piece.

Chris L

Hey Allister, how do you get the CD player not to skip while riding over Queensland "roads"? I've thought about giving it a go once or twice, but the state of the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise makes me think the sound of a CD skipping would be really annoying.

KevinmH9

Hey, I got a funny story about my portable cd player. I was riding my bike on a nicely paved road, so no bouncing or need for skipping. All of a sudden half way through my ride my cd player starts fastfowarding through the whole cd and the stop button wasn't working on or anything, I had to hit the cd player itself and open it. It was a rather new cd player. After about 15 minutes with playing with, I had not figured out the problem and it still wasn't working. Frustrated I grabed the cd player I pull the cd out, snapped the cd into pieces, and threw the cd player into the road as I watched someone run over it about 5 minutes later while I was getting some water. Hell I don't need music to give me a boost of energy, watching it get smashed gave me energy to finish my 61 mile ride.

operator

Er ... kind of a waste of a cd player don't you think rofl.

KevinmH9

A matter of fact I have a brand new one at home, I had it lying around. Honestly not much of a waste for me, it was a nice little cd player but it didn't cost me much at all around the lines of maybe $20-$30.

operator

Oh I see, just that I wouldn't think of doing the same to mine ($150) bought a couple years ago, it's been working fine ever since with the only exception is that the remote cable is getting a little forked from wear and tear.

Sony told me a new remote is $40, I told them they can eat it.

khuon

So it looks like the answer here is to go get myself one of those PDA/phone things like the Treo 600 and a 512MB SD card, install the MP3 player software, install the Bikini cycling computer software for PalmOS and for extra fun maybe even get myself a GPS module and then mount the whole setup to my handlebars. Now I can make/take phonecalls, listen to my favourite tunes, organise my meeting schedules, surf the web, answer email, check out my average speed and even get in a game of Palm-Pong (doesn't that sound dirty?) all at the same time. Oh wait, what was that thing I just cut off with the big flashing emergency lights and moving at 45MPH? Ahh nevermind... I guess this is the way to enjoy my cycling.

Redhed

So it looks like the answer here is to go get myself one of those PDA/phone things like the Treo 600 and a 512MB SD card, install the MP3 player software, install the Bikini cycling computer software for PalmOS and for extra fun maybe even get myself a GPS module and then mount the whole setup to my handlebars. Now I can make/take phonecalls, listen to my favourite tunes, organise my meeting schedules, surf the web, answer email, check out my average speed and even get in a game of Palm-Pong (doesn't that sound dirty?) all at the same time. Oh wait, what was that thing I just cut off with the big flashing emergency lights and moving at 45MPH? Ahh nevermind... I guess this is the way to enjoy my cycling.

Nope, just the music man, just the music......there is something about music that moves me, it is my peace and solace. I don't even own a cell phone, or a GPS, however, I thought about the MP3 player, they just want too much money for them right now. Is Palm Pong a real game???? (yes, it does sound dirty)

khuon

Is Palm Pong a real game???? (yes, it does sound dirty)

Here you go... and it's multiplayer too so you can either play against the computer or another human (that sounds even dirtier).

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,7877,00.asp

Allister

What they should do is put ads on the back of cars. When you ram into the guy in front of you, the insurance company that saves you 15% over all other local competitors is right in your face.

Chuckle.

In fact they do have advertising on the back of taxis here. Not to mention those billboard truck I can't believe they allow to cruise around on already overcrowded raods.

Allister

Hey Allister, how do you get the CD player not to skip while riding over Queensland "roads"? I've thought about giving it a go once or twice, but the state of the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise makes me think the sound of a CD skipping would be really annoying.

I don't use a cd player. Until recently I used a portable radio/cassette player. It's small, reasoably light, reliable, and doesn't chew through batteries like a cd player does. I still use the radio to tune into Adam and Wil in the mornings, but I now have a small MP3 player which is wonderful for cycling. It's a 128Mb one I picked up of Ebay for under a hundred bucks. I can load up three albums onto it where before I had a single cassette, and it's incredibly light (my headphones weigh more than it does). The only problem is that the battery is a little prone to losing contact when it's jostled and it turns the unit off. My headphones have thier own volume control, which I HIGHLY recommend, so I can readily adjust the volume on the fly.

Kathleen

I for enjoyment listen to music of the birds, wind, dogs and the crickets. I listen for cars, trucks and morons for my safety.
Those that are listening to music while riding their bikes are usually the same morons that ride without helmets or any kind of lights or reflectors.