canklecat

I'm considering ear buds on solo rides now, mostly to preserve my remaining hearing. Those are discouraged on most local group rides, although speakers are okay. Several folks use speakers on casual group rides and I enjoy the music. It doesn't interfere with hearing the ride leader, road warnings, etc. It's only a little disconcerting when two or more people are playing completely different styles of music. Moving a few feet away helps. Bike speakers sound great up close but don't carry far.

Earbuds would help to hear incoming phone calls (I don't talk while riding, but do need to hear the phone so I can pull over) and audio cues from my training app. I'd guesstimate my left ear has about 25%-33% hearing loss. Wind noise is contributing to that. Mostly, I'm getting older and it's the cumulative effect of noisy recreational stuff.

As a result the advantage I'd had for years -- detecting the direction and speed of vehicles -- is vanishing. I'm finding it more difficult to quickly identify vehicles by ear. Often when I think I'm hearing an approaching vehicle it turns out to be completely wrong -- going the other direction, or I'm hearing the highway several blocks away.

So in suburban and urban areas I can't depend on hearing anymore. It's still somewhat useful in rural areas where I can hear the difference between vehicles approaching on the road I'm riding, vs the busier highways miles away with sound carrying across open prairie.

I've always used mirrors anyway. An old neck injury limits my head movement so I need the helmet and/or handlebar mirrors. I check 'em often and most useful input I receive comes visually.

I may try my existing phone/earbud set next ride. The other concern I have is how it might affect my balance. Lots of sinus and ear congestion from allergies and asthma. And occasionally wearing snug fitting earbuds gives me a headache.

canklecat

Nah, most folks here are good.

Use the "ignore" option generously. Really cuts down on the useless noise. Often I find the people I put on ignore are returning trolls who've been booted before under others aliases. No point debating them. Just hit the mute button and carry on.

linberl

I have those earbuds and absolutely love them! Btw, check Costco if you are a member; sometimes they have them at an amazingly low price.

sweeks

You just made the best case for using a rear-view mirror. Thanks!
Steve

Sy Reene

You make it sound like it's pretty unlikely to hear cars coming from behind you. There's no "even if".. I always hear cars coming up behind me. And.. that gives me the chance to ride a bit closer to the shoulder if the situation seems to make sense to do so.. It also is a good early indicator that at least tells me a quick left turn is probably not a good idea.

DrIsotope

Come try that with the newfangled CNG powered buses around here-- even the drivers know how quiet they are, because they give a little horn toot when they get about 50 yards back of me. On anything hybrid or electric, the tires are usually louder than the powerplant, and those aren't very loud either. My bottom line is headphones or no, won't make any difference to a distracted driver. I pay attention to everything. Not being able to hear the lady in the Nissan Altima texting isn't the dealbreaker.

I genuinely and honestly find other cyclists to be more dangerous than cars. Cars never come down the bike lane against traffic, or weave around like drunkards, effectively occupying the entire river trail. Just as not every driver is paying full attention, neither is every person on a bike. Having speakers in my ears won't alter the behavior of anyone but me.

Estacado

No, I do not use earbuds. I do not have anything against them. To explain, yes I can hear cars coming from behind. I know they are there. So what! I ride to the right of the fog line if there is one, if not I ride as far to the right as possible. I am doing all I can to prevent motorists from hitting me. I can see motorists behind me, but I cannot accurately judge their actual distance and position.

Wind noise bothers me. I live in one of the windiest places in the nation. I have been tempted many times to wear buds to block out the noise. If I did wear them I do not believe it would significantly increase my chances of being hit from behind.

It's the people who pass me then immediately turn right that scare me!

Wileyrat

Yes on mups or single tracking. No on the road.

canklecat

Same with many modern trains. I have to cross a couple of fairly busy rail crossings on every trip to and from the city center. I never assume I can hear them -- often they're as quiet as passing cars. So I always slow down and look both ways carefully.

I'm more concerned about the cars behind me failing to slow or stop when I do for trains.

They do in my area. I've often seen oncoming cars dart across traffic and into the bike lane heading toward me so they can park without the hassle of turning around.

Or they'll use it as a passing lane. Happens often with drivers going both directions.

Even when I've caught it on video the police won't get involved unless the driver actually hits you. Problem is the bike lanes are considered all purpose bike/parking lanes. So for some reckless drivers there's a thin gray zone between a bike/parking lane and just another regular traffic lane for them to drive down the wrong way.

But earbuds wouldn't make much difference. This stuff happens so quickly, often with last second herky-jerky moves by drivers, I wouldn't have time to react defensively anyway.

Milton Keynes

No on earbuds. When I started riding I realized I had a hard time hearing vehicles coming up behind me, and I decided on no headphones ever while on a bike. I do use a rear view mirror mounted on my helmet, but I often forget to look.

When I'd do my morning rides and started to get bored, I mounted a speaker in the middle of my handlebars and would listen to old radio programs. I haven't done this lately but might start up again. However, on windy rides I tend not to do this since the wind in my ears makes it hard to hear the speaker anyway, and on long rides sometimes I just enjoy the quiet and solitude.

I know we have state laws against driving with headphones on. I've read the statutes and it doesn't seem to apply to bicycles but I'd rather not waste time and money fighting it in court if some overzealous cop happens to be one short of his ticket quota.

indyfabz

Lots of women shout their digits at me while I am riding around the city, so I would be a fool to wear buds.


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pickettt

I'm not giving my opinion about earbuds or no earbuds. I do, however, think it's foolish to break the law and then document it.

WNCGoater

1. *Yes
2. No
3. N/A

* I wear them sometimes. I have some wireless bluetooth & play Pandora radio. Sometimes classical, sometimes CCR. Just depends on the mood. Sometimes I just want to hear the wind in my ears and zone-out. About wind noise. I have found the earbuds actually seem to quieten down the wind noise and I have found no sense of handicap in hearing cars. And about that...
I hear probably 90-95 out of every 100 cars. But most of the time I see them first in my rear view. I CONSTANTLY watch and monitor what's coming up behind me.
Then there is the the other 5 - 10 that catch me in a moment of inattention, something quiet like a Prius that sneaks up behind me before I realize it.
But overall, I have felt no diminished ability to constantly monitor my surroundings, other traffic, cars approaching from behind, etc. from wearing earbuds. I do however, fully understand and respect anyone else's reluctance to do so, just don't tell me I'm endangering myself when I choose to wear them.

pesty

I've pretty much skipped every comment in this thread because this typically becomes a heated debate and lots of people getting bent one way or another. But, since you asked for input... here's mine.

1. Yes... one ear only, side away from traffic, and never when riding in a group where others may be on both sides.
In the rare event that I'm on a MUP and not on the road, I'll pull it and let it hang until I'm back on the road because pedestrians are a squirrelly lot and can't be trusted.

2. No, never had an incident. I can hear every car that honks at me perfectly fine. I can rarely hear cars come up behind me because of wind*. Trucks, those I can hear perfectly fine. *exception for cars with loud exhaust or big V8s. IE: most Honda Civics, 370z's, Mustangs, Camero's, anything from Dodge, etc.

3. N/A.

Now I'm going to run and hide because no doubt someone will go off on me for their safety concerns.

caloso

I can only speak for myself. It does not break the law to wear a single ear bud on a road in California.

However, I don't know if that's the law everywhere.

burnthesheep

I can't approve of bikes and headphones/buds. Best I've seen is people buying those little soda can sized speakers that charge via USB and are bluetooth. Put one in a bottle holder and just keep the music rated PG if around kids or on a cycle path.

I just find the buds/phones to isolating.

MinnMan

Yeah, this is a long-standing debate on BF, and I know I'm not going to change any minds here, but put me strongly in the camp of no earbuds ever. I want to hear the cars as soon as they are audible and the crunch in the woods before an animal jumps in front of me - this happens. I want to be as aware as possible of the "on your left" if another cyclist is going to pass me or the sound of an uninvited person who has decided to use my draft. I want to hear the ping that tells me that I just broke a spoke or the or the subtle grind that tells me that my derailleur may need an adjustment when I get home.

And, I am sure this goes without saying, no earbuds ever on group rides.

Besides, the music in my head is already pretty loud.

Hiro11

I've used them on deserted rail trails in the winter. Very enjoyable as is supplants wind noise with Spoon. However, I didn't feel safe personally on the road with earbuds.

Also, if you tried to wear earbuds on my group rides, I think you might be subjected to a little Team Cinzano pump-in-the-spokes action.

tagaproject6

GTBruiser

This is, mostly, my reason for practically always wearing ear buds. The Apple branded EarPods are the ones that do the best job for my ears. The perfect size, shape and aerodynamic quality. I've been riding with earphones/earbuds since the 1970s.

No close calls because of them.

avole

Crazy to wear them, both for your own sake and the safety of all other road users. The noise cancelling ones are great for planes but suicide material for cyclists.

Laurido92

I only use them while on the greenway. On the road I use a bluetooth speaker attached to an extra water bottle cage. This allows me to listen to music but still be aware of the traffic around me.

Milton Keynes

I just looked it up, and apparently there aren't any laws on the books in my state about driving (or biking) with headphones or earbuds on. I did have a friend once tell me that he got a ticket for driving with headphones on but that was quite a few years back, so either the laws could have changed, the cop may have been mistaken, or he could have been driving in another state. Who knows.

At any rate, I still don't want to ride with earbuds in.

jefnvk

Yes, every now and then I wear them. Generally in the summer when a ball game is on, but often for music as well. As with many others, a single earbud in the right ear. I can still hear just fine out of the left, where most of my sensory input of road users is coming from anyhow.

No, I've never had any issues or close calls because of the earbud. Yes, I'll use them on MUPs and the road.

avole

Then you are pretty silly. I'm partially deaf, and you have no idea the trouble I have because I can't hear what traffic behind me is doing.
Still, it's your suicide, not mine, so, hey ho, go for it