General Cycling Discussion - What do you "Jam" to?

What's up bikers! Was just outside recently cruising the streets on my set of wheels while I was jamming to some great tunes on my Walkman. Then suddenly out of nowhere a question came to mind. What do other people like to listen to when they cruise on their bikes? Who are their favorite artists? What is their favorite genre to ride to?

I'm into all types of music but have my favorites while I'm riding around in my wheelchair. Here are a listing of the different styles and artists which come to mind at the current moment.

Genres: Metal, Hard Core, Punk, Hip-hop, House, Industrial, International, Kodo, (Japanese Drumming) and anything with a strong Percussion base!

Artists: (in no particular order)
Pantera, DJ Irene, U2, Pennywise, BeastieBoys, Kodo Masters, Sepultura, Chuck Berry, DMX, D.O.C., Prodigy, Photek, Van Halen, G n R, Bob Marley, and 311! I'm sure I can come up with plenty more and will post them as they come to mind.

How about you?

I don't listen to music while riding, but after a good ride I like to chill with a homebrew and some Santana.

Well, typically, I don't listen to music when I ride. I have on occasion. My favorites are Tool (hard rock), and techno. I like such a variety of music. But for me, I think fast and hard goes with riding.


Peace

Dave

When I 'm riding on the road, I don't listen to CDs. When I'm on bike paths where the speed is slower, I'll listen to books on tape. You can usually get them from your library.

I listen to nothing but the wind. Wearing a walkman while riding is very dangerous. You can not hear what is going on around you. There are radios designed for bikes though but you do not wear the speakers over your ears. I have even seen a MP3 player for bikes. So if you must listen to music while riding, either sing your favorite songs, or use one of the music players designed for bikes.

But my music of choice is country. Especially the old legendary and outlaw style country of the '70's.

I don't listen to music when I am riding but when Iam surfing the internet I listen to soft rock CHFI 98.1

i don't/won't listen to tunes while riding, but yesterday i did a 2 & 1/2 hour monster air guitar jam (extended play, of course) repleat with 1/2 hour guitar solo and a very special solo on my new imaginary 20 piece drum kit i just got while riding last week.

i must agree with Dwagenheim tool, pod,corn, etc anything hard the harder the tunes the more you push yourself for a personal best.

theres really nothing worth listening to on the radio player and CDs are to bulky. What you need is a small mp3 player that will fit under your bike shorts, run a wire from there all the way up your clothing for the headsets and your ear pieces.


Now make sure you listen to it at a low level so that you can hear things around you when there is stuff around you. Then turn it up when you need that extra push and listen to some oakenfeld.

IMO:o

What's up bikers! Was just outside recently cruising the streets on my set of wheels while I was jamming to some great tunes on my Walkman. Then suddenly out of nowhere a question came to mind.

Your last sentence should read "Then suddenly out of nowhere a car/another bike came..."

Riding with music tops my list of really stupid and dangerous things you can do whilst on a bike. Rather cycle without a helmet ,pal, then you are only a danger to yourself....

I find i'm more manuverable and aware of my surroundings on a bike then i am in a car... and i listen to music when i'm in the car and nobody seems to have a problem with that. I fail to see how its more dangerouse on a bike.

I don´t listen to music when riding, that´s dangerous. I also don´t talk in my mobile when riding without helmet in the city with my eyes closed. That is also dangerous. But afterwards I like to listen to Jazz- or New Age- music. For example:
Spyro Gyra
Pat Metheny
Bernardo Rubaja
Chuck Mangione
Andreas Vollenweider
Checkfield
Max Lässer

Anders K
Sweden

I fail to see how its more dangerouse on a bike.

Let me help you....cars have airbags. side impact protection bars,anti-roll cages, safety belts, ABS brakes etc.

Yes, you indeed fail pal....

What's up bikers! I just got a chance to check the forums today and noticed there were quite a few responses in regards to the posting pertaining to what you "Jam" to. Thank you for all of the feedback you have given me. The posts made me think deeper about the issues you brought up. I'd like to respond.

There were several responses stating that listening to music while riding was dangerous because of the impairment and sensory complications involved. I agree that safety is one of the top considerations for any form of physical activity. However, I believe that the severity of physical harm while listening to music could strongly hinge on the type and style of bicycle riding.

A person who is riding a bicycle in a major metropolitan city might be more prone to not listen to music while riding because the volume of automobiles would be large, and the potential for being harmed by a driver could be high. Just as a person riding a bicycle through the mountains on a designated highway could also be extremely dangerous. However if the style of riding was Vert BMX or Dirt BMX would hearing impairment be as much of a factor? There probably would be close to no automobiles around those areas. Although trying to do flips and such while trying to accompany a listening device could be fairly difficult and potentially dangerous as well.

My original post was more or less centered around what types of music gets people psyched to ride. Yet I'm glad others contributed their thoughts and time to the post, it heightened my awareness on many different levels. I can relate to many riders because we both use sets of wheels. Yours just happened to be on a bicycle and mine happened to be on a wheelchair. There are many similarities and there are many differences between the two.

Thanks for the posts! Keep riding!

To psyche up for a ride, if it is needed I fire up the Winamp and just listen to the rotation of MP3s on the HD. Mostly Drum and Bass, like Dieselboy, Goldie, DJ Mia. Then there is the Boards of Canada and Squarepusher.
I've had a lot of fun on some climbs where I listened to Fugasi.

hmmm, whenever i listen to music outdoors, I use "open-air" headphones, with these, i can hear what's going on around me, as well as the music. however, i don't ride with music, mostly because i'm having too much fun riding.

Originally posted by poululla


Let me help you....cars have airbags. side impact protection bars,anti-roll cages, safety belts, ABS brakes etc.



well thats given even with out headphones too, as long as you dont play your music loud you still can hear whats going on around you. So your saying because a car has safety features its ok for them from your point of view to be careless and listen to music because they have lots of safety features although the cyclist and other pedestrains they may come across on their drive don't.

AutoAudio, you said that you fail to see how it is more dangerous
listening music on your bike than it is listening to music in your car.

I responded to that statement, I do not see where you deduct your last conclusion from - ...."ok for cars to be careless...." What are you talking about?

I merely pointed out that failure to hear other motorists or cyclists, when driving a car with the music loud, is not as terminal (life threatning, call it what you want) as it would be doing the same on a bike. Cars have numerous safety devices to help in the case of a accident. We the humble cyclist, if we are clever, have only a helmet......

Read my first reply and you will see that I am pro-bike, not pro-car
It is never ok for anyone to be careless, cyclist or motorist, am I clear enough now...

:mad:

well you also stated how you shouldn't listen to music because not only are you a danger to yourself but your a danger to others and then you stated its safer in a car, i was just pointing out that even though your in a car you may be safer but your still a danger to others who may not be in a car. All i'm really saying is people often complain about listening to music while you ride as being some terrible danger, but i think if you listen to it at reasonable volumes you can still hear whats going on around you, and its not a distraction. To me riding with somebody distracts me a great deal more from my surroundings then music. I'm more likely to get caught up in saying something to somebody else and miss hearing something or lose attentiveness then i am if i'm just listening to music. To each his own.

This is my last reply. Cycling is a dangerous sport at best. My believe is that we the responsible cyclist should do all that is in our power (within reason) to try and minimize, or at least manage some of the risks involved - to ourselves and others.

Failure to wear a helmet harms only the idiot who isn't wearing his. I call it a "Darwinian culling of the incredibly stupid" The usage of personal stereos while cycling has the potential to harm other cyclists...( I believe that this is illegal in some US states) Here is where I believe that we should take a stand and say - "You could harm others, and that is not ok, reasonalble volume my arse!"
I pointed out the differences between cars and bicycles only to show how ludicrous it is comparing these two. What goes for the one, certainly does not for the other. Even though it is just as dangerous listening to loud music in a car, at least you would be spared some injuries at least (and for Gods sake I am not advocating careless driving here, or what ever people want to read into this!!). You do not have this "luxury" on a bicycle, and therefor should be even more carefull.
Now I have had enough of this pedantic nonsense for one day.

Good bye, oh and before I forget, Take Off those headphones before you kill someone!!!

Oh, dont worry, i dont ride with head phones :D

I wear headphones when I train on the road or trails but not when I commute or ride with others. For an experienced cyclist, I don't believe that headphones are a safety issue. Singing tires, rushing air and rumbling big rigs are music to my ears .. but I also enjoy a little Fugazi, Prodigy or Widespread Panic. To each his or her own. If you are going to clobber someone for something you consider a safety issue, start a new thread in the appropriate forum. :rolleyes:

People who purposefully reduce their situational awareness when operating a vehicle in traffic deserve what they get, which will eventually be an accident. Sad that their victims usually don't deserve what they get.

RichC

I would argue that headphones do not reduce my "situational awareness". I put very little faith in my ears while riding. The key is to be aware, fast and polite while you are riding in traffic.

I have to add that some make waay too big of a deal of listing to music while riding.

Personally I do not listin to music when riding just out of prefrence (I like sounds of nature better), but I'm not gonna get all rilled up and say "Take Off those headphones before you kill someone!!!"

that's just silly.

You have to remember that different people have different awareness of their surrounding. For example, one person can't understand why someone doesn't see the distraction music can cause, the other person may wonder how does that guy figure that music affects your awareness at all.

It's the same thing with studying too. Some like to listin to music when doing intense mental work and say it helps them, and some others can't comprehend how that person can learn anything with music on.

It's not a matter of right and wrong, just personal judgment. The bottom line is to be responsible. Don't fool yourself. If you really see that having headphones compromises your safty then don't wear them. If not, enjoy the tunes on the wheels.

I've only listened to music once while riding. I find it quite debilitating. I'm a musician (drummer, singer, turntablist, etc.) so I get way to into the music. If someone is going to listen to tunes though I would suggest getting a minidisc walkman.

I've had one for a couple of years and wouldn't trade it for the world. Quality is that of a CD **BUT** you can re-re-re-re-record for years without degredation. You can also add text, move tracks from one location to another even edit and take out parts of a song and squoosh the two other parts together. The minidisc is slowly catching on (would have been quicker if it wasen't for the burst on CD burners)


Oh yeah I listen to everything from Buju Banton, Ice Cube, Metallica (ofcourse old not new), Kim Mithcell, Rush, anything electronica, anything classical, etc,etc,etc.

If you are going to clobber someone for something you consider a safety issue, start a new thread in the appropriate forum.

- Yeah right, like that happens a lot in this forum...

Can someone post a link to some staistics of cyclist fatalaties/injuries attributable to attenuated hearing? I can't seem to find any.

Originally posted by Allister
Can someone post a link to some staistics of cyclist fatalaties/injuries attributable to attenuated hearing? I can't seem to find any.

Unfortunately, the guy who was compiling those got clobbered by a pasta truck while jammin' to "La Traviata" on his headphones. It was tragic.

RichC

Most any classic rock/blues will do, depending on my mood. I use a mini disc on mostly protected bike paths. Yesterday was a perfect morning along the water with Jethro Tull (the "Benefit" album), and "Last Waltz" by the Band. Sunday it was The Who and Cream. :)

Originally posted by Rich Clark


Unfortunately, the guy who was compiling those got clobbered by a pasta truck while jammin' to "La Traviata" on his headphones. It was tragic.

RichC

Very droll, but it was a genuine request. If this activity is dangerous enough to warrant laws being made against it, surely there must be some hard evidence around to support the case.

Originally posted by Allister
Very droll, but it was a genuine request. If this activity is dangerous enough to warrant laws being made against it, surely there must be some hard evidence around to support the case.

It is possible to demonstrate how speaking on a cell phone while driving diminishes a driver's concentration significantly. Yet there are virtually no statistics concerning cell phones' contribution to traffic accidents, simply because most police departments don't have a mechanism for reporting them.

I have seen -- and participated in -- similar demonstrations of bicyclists' attention being compromised by headphones. These demonstrations consist of personal experience. I overtake them and they are surprised, even though I called "on your left" as I approached.

For myself, I consider bonehead cyclists much more a danger than bonehead drivers, because the cyclists are more likely to be trying to occupy the same space as me. Some cyclists seem to consider the SUV driver with a cell phone to be the Ultimate Enemy, but they don't scare me. What scares me is a wrong-way cyclist wearing headphones.

RichC

Originally posted by Rich Clark


For myself, I consider bonehead cyclists much more a danger than bonehead drivers, because the cyclists are more likely to be trying to occupy the same space as me. Some cyclists seem to consider the SUV driver with a cell phone to be the Ultimate Enemy, but they don't scare me. What scares me is a wrong-way cyclist wearing headphones.

RichC
I agree with this in essence. However, bonehead cyclists are boneheaded whether they're wearing headphones or not. I'm also not sure how headphones make a wrong way cyclists a significantly greater danger since presumably they will be facing you as you approach. My own experience with wrong way cyclists has told me that they're a menace in that you're never sure which side they're going to pass you on as they're also generally swerving all over the lane, sometimes not even looking where they're going. Their problems go far deeper that whether or not they're wearing headphones. If they knew anything about cycling, they wouldn't be riding the wrong way in the first place.

That said, I don't really see that many wrong way cyclists - maybe three in the last two years, so it's a minor problem for me.

Since the only evidence we seem to have here is anecdotal, here's mine, and I'll try to remain objective here: I haven't been endangered in even a minor way by cyclists because they're wearing headphones. Ever. I also can't see a significant risk to anyone from a cyclist merely being surprised by a passing cyclist. Maybe they could swerve into you in their surprise. Has this ever happened to you? I wear headphones whilst cycling most of the time, and I have never felt in any extra danger because of it, nor have I posed a risk to any other cyclist (although again, this could be because the number of other cyclists on my route is pretty minimal, and few of them are passing me). I use headphones that sit on rather than in the ear. They still admit plenty of external sound in, so I have no problem hearing warning devices, and even individual vehicles if the road's quiet enough. In fact, I keep them on even if I'm not playing any music as they not only keep my ears a bit warmer, but they actually reduce the amount of wind noise.

I didn't really want to get caught up in this subject again, but I'd like to describe some of my experience in this. Wearing headphones could be dangerous if you're diverting too much attention to the music to the detriment of what's happening on the road. It must be said, however, that this doesn't necessarily have to happen. There is a skill in riding with headphones, and that is to not let it be anything more than background sound. It must also be said that this diverting of attention to what's happening on the road doesn't only happen with music. Undue attention can be given to thinking about stuff, watching things on the side of the road that don't have anything to do with where you're riding (eg. pretty girls), talking to other cyclists, fuming about idiot motorists, the list goes on. Listening to music in a way is a lesser evil that these in that it is much more passive ie. you don't have to actively participate in it (which is not to say that you can't), but just let it wash over you so to speak.

Now, it could be asked that if it's only a background noise, why have it at all? To that I respond that compared to the constant racket of the sort of traffic I ride in, music is a far more pleasant and less stressful background noise. It also helps me stay away from the sort of distracting thoughts that in my experience are far more dangerous.

I also pooh-pooh those that say cycling is dangerous anyway, why add even a minute amount to that risk? Cycling is not dangerous. That's exactly the sort of ill-informed prejudice that every cycling advocacy organisation on the planet is fighting against. It doesn't help when cyclists themselves are perpetuating the myth. Cycling is dangerous only if you're not doing it properly, such as those in Rich's examples above. Cycling with headphones is exactly the same. If you're the sort of person that let's yourself get sucked into the music to the detriment of other activities, then don't listen to it whilst cycling. Personally, I've never had that problem.

For the sake of the original subject of the thread: I like David Byrne. Hangin' Upside Down and The Cowboy Mambo have the perfect rythym for cycling and are nice and upbeat, like cycling.

Amen Allister. :thumbup:

There is something quite different about having speakers around you in a car and having headphones shoved up your ears. I tried headphones on a motorcycle(ONCE)---its waaayy too distracting.

I'll never use headphones when riding.

When overtaking a walker or roller blader on the trail---I'm always checking for headphones---if the headphones are on-they are in their own-little-world----I've found it better just to give them a wide girth and fly past them than to anounce my presence and startle them into my path.

On the Thursday Night Rides---several riders have taken to attaching boom boxes to their cycles or pulling a boom-box on a trailer this seems to be a good compromise---as long as you're not in a hurry.

Anyway---TOOL and Perfect Circle are current favorites when listening at home.

Alister, what a load of bull!!!

The supreme myth is that of man believing that whatever he does is somehow deprived of the proven risks the rest of us face. We are all bloody experts arent we...?!!

For exp: No: 1 "I can drive a car perfectly well even though I had a few beers"
No: 2 " I do not need to where a helmet because I know how to handle a bike..."
No: 3 "I can hear even though I have headphones on"

Ask any cyclist and he could possibly tell you a frightning story of near misses or real crashes. Read and remember some of the threads in this forum relating to dangerous driving by motorcars, threatning behaviour by pedestrians, dogs, people with guns etc, and then tell me that cycling is not dangerous. Sports who require helmets are inherently dangerous. Just because it does not seem to happen in Wynnum, does not mean that the rest of us do not face it in some way or the other.

But hey, you are a expert, somehow, unlike the rest of us mere mortals, you have extra sensory perception. Sound deprevation does not affect you. The laws of nature do not apply to your hearing abilities. You sense that car coming around the corner
every time. Just like that helmet-less idiot you are always in control. I will not waste my time trying to advocate safer cycling for your own sake.

O.k., this is riduculous. I'll admit it, I am largely deaf (dual mastoidectomies as a child that left me without eardrums). I ride a fair distance daily (16 mile rt commute and 20 to 30 mile training ride on a racing mt bike with knobbies - at top speed). As I said earlier, I don't wear headphones on my commute but routinely wear headphones on my training ride ( I like the beat). I have had a few accidents over the years but NEVER because I couldn't hear. Your argument implies that deaf people shouldn't ride. Safety nazis. Gloves and helmets are important, stick carrots in your ears for all I care. :D

Please don't lump me in with the safety Nazis----I don't wear a helmet and NEVER will---bicycle or motorcycle. I don't wear seatbelts and NEVER will----I can't stand them.

Life is a risk and like it or not we're ALL going to die someday. I would rather be free and die younger then to live under the safety Nazis rules.

They would have you believe that man would never survive if you didn't follow their rules---how did mankind ever survive while riding their horses helmetless?? SHEEESH

I say --Quit being such a weinie!

My position is that the idea of encountering cyclists who aren't devoting 100% of their attention to the traffic around them disturbs me.

I readily concede that this comes from someone riding in a very congested, highly urbanized environment that is inherently bicycle-unfriendly, where even 100% of your attention is sometimes not enough.

(And by the way, I don't suggest that hearing-impaired cyclists have less attention to devote to their riding, just one less sense to focus that attention through.)

Yes, of course many drivers do the same thing, distracting themselves and making stupid mistakes. They're dangerous, too. They cause most of the accidents. The fact that drivers are distracted simply supports the contention that being distracted in traffic is a Bad Thing.

Allister's experience with wrong-way cyclists and mine are different. I normally encounter several of them every single day. Many of them are wearing headphones, and most of them don't seem to be paying much attention to their surroundings. It seems to be a behavior common to a certain urban subculture, and while I don't know how widespread it is, in Philadelphia these riders are a menace. It appears they are actually being taught to ride against traffic.

Riders with headphones on multi-use paths are a hazard as well, just as much as the inline skaters and joggers in headphones sharing the same path are. I used to see these people get tangled up with each other frequently, before I stopped riding anywhere but on the road, which is far safer.

I don't much care what people do except when it affects me directly. When a cyclist wearing headphones does something that creates a hazard, it's hard for me not to presume that he's distracted and not focused... and since the donning of the headphones was a conscious and purposeful decision, not to blame him for being irresponsible.

RichC

I happily wear headphones while riding. I am able to find a volume which does not interfere with hearing approaching cyclists/motorists/people saying "on your left". Yesterday I rode for the first time in a long time without my walkman. I found a couple of things. 1) That the wind causes as much of a sound barrier as headphones. I had to turn my head (right or left) to hear cars when approaching a road (from a bike path). I also do this while riding with headphones as a safety precaution. 2) When someone (another cyclist) passed me and said on your left, it startled me more than when I use my headphones. 3) The people who are talking are less likely to hear me approaching. They are more invested in their conversation than in what is going on around them. (Twice I had to say "on your left" three times before they responded). Does this mean that people should not have conversations while riding/walking/rollerblading? It is the same principle as not talking on the phone while driving. People get more involved in conversations than they do while listening to music. (Hence stereos are not illegal in cars.)

The implication that those who listen to music while riding are irresponsible is irresponsible. I have been riding bikes consistently for over 8 years wearing a walkman 98% of the time. I have gotten in ONE accident 5 years ago, which had NOTHING to do with my walkman (though was all my stupidity).

Unless you ride ALWAYS ride without listening to music or EVER having a conversation with a buddy, you are in no position to criticize. Realize that just because one does not agree with listening to music (or wearing team jerseys), one does not have to preach. You live your life as you would like and I will live mine the way I see fit.

To answer the question original posed. I listen to Dave Matthews Band, U2, Brave Combo. Also the best thing to listen to is Red Sox baseball. Joe and Jerry rule!!!!!!!! (Baseball's version of Phil and Paul.)

I jam to System of a down, Eminem, Dr. dre, Sex pistols, and some other hardcore rock and rap. This music really pumps me up on rides and it gets my adrenaline going. It gives me an edge while on fast rides.


To OmahaRider...you should pray that one day your head doesn't get squashed like a watermelon! I wear a helmet because it not only protects my head, but it looks cool and it holds my headphones in place. Im talking about my Giro Pneumo though, most other helmets look ugly.

Originally posted by poululla
I will not waste my time trying to advocate safer cycling for your own sake.
I really wish you would.

Originally posted by OmahaRider
Please don't lump me in with the safety Nazis----I don't wear a helmet and NEVER will---bicycle or motorcycle. I don't wear seatbelts and NEVER will----I can't stand them.

Life is a risk and like it or not we're ALL going to die someday. I would rather be free and die younger then to live under the safety Nazis rules.

They would have you believe that man would never survive if you didn't follow their rules---how did mankind ever survive while riding their horses helmetless?? SHEEESH

I say --Quit being such a weinie!

Wow, you must have a VERY boring life to get a feeling of "freedom" out of not wearing helmets and seatbelts.

I feel for you, truly.

Originally posted by poululla
Alister, what a load of bull!!!

...

Ask any cyclist and he could possibly tell you a frightning story of near misses or real crashes. Read and remember some of the threads in this forum relating to dangerous driving by motorcars, threatning behaviour by pedestrians, dogs, people with guns etc, and then tell me that cycling is not dangerous. Sports who require helmets are inherently dangerous. Just because it does not seem to happen in Wynnum, does not mean that the rest of us do not face it in some way or the other.

But hey, you are a expert, somehow, unlike the rest of us mere mortals, you have extra sensory perception. Sound deprevation does not affect you. The laws of nature do not apply to your hearing abilities. You sense that car coming around the corner
every time. Just like that helmet-less idiot you are always in control. I will not waste my time trying to advocate safer cycling for your own sake.

Interesting. I didn't know an ounce of "advice" warranted so much bashing and sarcasm. No need to be such a mom.

This is not a black and white issue like wearing helmets or seatbelts. You can still hear cars perfectly with the headphone volume at moderate levels (depending on the headphone type also). In case you haven't noticed car engines are pretty damn loud. Even when neutral, the sound of the car tires on asphalt can be heard.

Not really all that boring---just bristling(sp?) from the general PC tyranny---whether legislated or not.

Originally posted by Rich Clark
My position is that the idea of encountering cyclists who aren't devoting 100% of their attention to the traffic around them disturbs me.
I'd say that it is highly unlikely that anyone devotes 100% attention to anything we do. We're simply not trained for it. Try it sometime and test yourself on how much attention you pay to riding. Remember that any thought is dividing your attention. 100% attention means sensing your surroundings, and acting without any interpretive thought getting in the way. It's actually quite difficult to maintain for even a few seconds.

Despite being used for an advertising campaign, the words 'Just Do It' are some of the wisest you'll ever hear used in popular parlance.


Originally posted by Rich Clark
Allister's experience with wrong-way cyclists and mine are different. I normally encounter several of them every single day. Many of them are wearing headphones, and most of them don't seem to be paying much attention to their surroundings. It seems to be a behavior common to a certain urban subculture, and while I don't know how widespread it is, in Philadelphia these riders are a menace. It appears they are actually being taught to ride against traffic.
All I can say to that is: Ye Gods!


Originally posted by Rich Clark
Riders with headphones on multi-use paths are a hazard as well, just as much as the inline skaters and joggers in headphones sharing the same path are. I used to see these people get tangled up with each other frequently, before I stopped riding anywhere but on the road, which is far safer.
I'd have to agree here that multi-use paths are a hassle. There's one that follows the foreshore in Wynnum that I've used on occasion. I don't recall seeing significant numbers of people wearing headphones, but strangely they still somehow manage to be oblivious to their surroundings. The road is indeed much safer. Funny how non-cyclists (both the bike riding and non bike riding variety) somehow believe otherwise.


Originally posted by Rich Clark
I don't much care what people do except when it affects me directly. When a cyclist wearing headphones does something that creates a hazard, it's hard for me not to presume that he's distracted and not focused... and since the donning of the headphones was a conscious and purposeful decision, not to blame him for being irresponsible.

I appreciate your honesty. The word 'presume' in the above passage is telling. I realise it can be hard not to let our presumptions colour our judgement, but part of that giving 100% attention you discussed earlier is not letting our presumptions cloud our view of what is actually happening. Ulitmately there's not much you can do about the irresponsible actions of others, other than modify your own behaviour accordingly to stay safe. I try not to hold a grudge against others for acting irresponsibly, I just keep an eye on them and if they do endanger me I do my best to act responsibly myself - usually this simply means avoiding them.

It's pointless taking on the burden of worrying about the motives and responsibilities of others - that's far more distracting than music. The best thing to do is simply deal with the situation as it presents itself and then forget it, since the next situation to be dealt with is only moments away.

I haven't ridden with headphones in years--don't want to feel like a hypocrite when I'm having mutilation killing fantasies about cell-phoning drivers, but speaking of rock'n'roll--RIP DEE DEE RAMONE!
GABBA GABBA HEY!

I too, do not listen to music while I am in town, but when I get out to the designated trail, i have a portable walkman cd player that also plays mp3 discs, it has a 45 second skip to it. I just duct tape it to my handlebar, and let the good times roll, I normally don't have a favorite, as I have over 50 mp3 discs. On lousy weather days, I just stay at home and crank up the stereo hooked to my puter, and ride about 50 miles on the stationary bike, and it is a good idea to never listen to dueling banjos on a staionary bike, i damned near had a heart attack.

If i were to listen to headphones while riding, i would probably listen to The Lord Of The Rings sound track... maybe ac/dc, sammy haggar, or enya

Don't listen to music when I ride, but if working on the bike, CD of choice is The Proclaimers Greatest Hits.