MightyLegnano

I have to go to work every day on a 7km route and I'm starting to get really bored just thinking about. I can go to alternative routers but most of them are longer and not so safe. I could also wear earplugs and listen to some podcast (Ricky gervais show is exceptional) but then again, after 10 years of commuting I've never wear them once because I like to be completely alert. So, what do you do?

cplager

Hi,

If you want to listen to something, try an external speaker at not too loud a volume. You'll still be able to hear cars coming. I recommend against headphones for the reason you pointed out.

I often take different routes even though they are longer (I live 3 1/4 miles but usually take 6 1/2 or 9 1/2 miles to get into work).

Cheers,
Charles

acidfast7

i usually ride through a populated area that changes based on the time of year (the route doesn't change unless I go to a biergarten)

for a few months, i rode right by Occupy Frankfurt (they always had good music/entertaining speakers) as they were right outside the European Central Bank.

this time I year, I usually hit the Christmas Market and grab a glass of Glühwein

every Friday evening along the route, there's a really nice wine/cheese/wurst market

the route keeps me entertained

I-Like-To-Bike

If you have such a boring ride what are you so "completely alert" for that precludes listening to some podcast or other non-boring audio program?

ItsJustMe

Audiobooks and podcasts, earplug in the right ear only. It does not detract in any way my ability to hear cars approaching. Been doing this for 8 years now.

agent pombero

I highly recommend the iPod for the commute. 1-2 times a week I'm listening to podcasts while riding. I have the volume set to a little below the halfway point, and with the sound coming from the headphones just being human speech, I'm able to hear approaching cars very well. Listening to cars approach is more difficult when music is playing though. Either way, you need to be more cautious at stop signs/red lights if you're listening to podcasts...

ThermionicScott 

I have two routes (one from my house, one from the girlfriend's) and riding a fixed-gear tends to keep me focused.

Steely Dan

for whatever reason, i find it utterly impossible to be bored when i'm riding a bike. it's so damn fun!

i've been doing the same exact 30 mile round trip route for over 5 years now, just about every single work day. still not bored.

i guess the weather, the seasons, the life of the city, the moods of lake michigan, etc. help keep things changed-up enough for me.

MightyLegnano

I guess the problem with the earplugs is not that they block the external sounds but rather that they distract your attention. You can watch a very informative documentary about brains and multitasking by National Gegraphic. Watch the segment about the myth of multitasking here:https://youtu.be/gi-UsdjFYfk

chandltp

I personally don't wear head phones in city traffic. It's too much hassle for anything less than 30 minutes, IMO, and I never get bored with the stimulation with traffic and people around.

However, the times I do wear them I've never really noticed a significant decrease in my ability to hear cars when they're passing me. Unless it's a curvy road, I usually see them in my mirror before I hear them anyway.

tjspiel

The voices in my head are usually enough to keep me from getting bored.

... maybe I've said too much.

tjspiel

Voices aside, though I'm a social enough guy I can be a bit of an introvert. Riding is great way for me to have that alone time and there's a lot of introspection that goes on during my commute.

The route helps because it's varied. One location we've considered moving to would have meant the middle of my commute would have been on one straight road for about 4 or 5 miles. I could see that getting old.

As for suggestions you could get a second bike that has some different qualities than your current one. Maybe it's sportier. Maybe it's more casual. Maybe it's a bike with ridiculously huge tires. Just alternate.

apollored

I place my android phone in my top pocket and just play music as I'm going along, most of the time I can hear it ok tho in heavy traffic it gets drowned out sometimes tho mind you am not commuting at the moment.

cplager

Very nicely done, sir!

xenologer

explore a different route each day
don't plan it out on a map, just ride and see if you discover alternates
do it on the way home if you're worried about time

sometimes its as simple as learning that the next street over has less traffic, or a shorter red light, or there's a cafe you never noticed, etc



also
if not change the route; change bikes
road bike today, cargo bike tommorow, mtb thursday.... sure feels different each time.
Also seems to me, like switching bikes makes me a stronger rider overall; dunno what causes that. maybe something to do with muscle use or breaking repetition or different posture affecting development...

roby

Bored on a sub 15 minute ride? Isn't there something on the way you can hop, jump off, race? I don't have time to get bored, I'm focused on my cadence and HR, and catching whatever the hell is in front of me!

Roby!

Notso_fastLane

Oh man, I really miss Glühwein this time of year! Have one (or three) for me!

I almost always take the same route to work (4.5 miles), but I vary my ride home between 4 different routes, from 9-14 miles, with the longest also having the toughest hills. Since the ride home is mostly on the MUP, I have some bluetooth headphones I wear for music.

droy45

I do the same 1 hour commute almost every morning and again in the late afternoon except when the weather is too bad. I never get bored because I enjoy riding so much and I can alternate my routes without changing the mileage too much. Constant gear shifting keeps me concentrating and the challenge of traffic keeps me alert. Snow, ice, extreme temps keep it interesting in the winter, fall foliage is nice to peep at in the fall, spring riding brings the smells of freshly cut grass etc. It seems to change all the time around here.

PartsMan

I guess I am lucky. The Oklahoma weather keeps me occupied.
The wind and temperature are constantly changing here.

chandltp

It's when the voices come out of my mouth that pedestrians start to look at me funny..

caloso

Podcasts through Stitcher on my phone. One ear only, of course.

And re the Ricky Gervais Show, I had to stop listening on my bike. There were a couple of times where I nearly fell off from laughing so hard. (Stephen going down to Carnaval; Karl's theory on giving a goat as an Xmas present)

treadtread

The alternative is driving the same route in a car everyday. Bike wins

fietsbob

Consider the miracle that you are alive at all, to be riding your bicycle..

Brain in my head has some music stored in it, and I hum a few of those tunes, as I go..

treadtread

I do that, the problem starts when the humming moves up to singing. Get some weird looks then

fietsbob

how about this one .. https://www.lyricsdepot.com/monty-pyt...laxy-song.html