umd

So don't cover both your ears and you can still hear the boy yell at you one second before you are creamed by the semi...

Changes you equation to X ≈ .999999999X

dunningrb

Same stuff . . . & pop/rock/techno/80s new wave. Movie themes too. Anything upbeat.

On the safety issue, some cars are so quiet I can't hear them until they are already passing me--this is when not wearing earphones. Others I'm going to hear no matter what's in my ears. I ride on rural roads in south-central Virginia. 95% of the drivers here are a danger to other drivers, not bicyclists, because they give us a lot of room but only by passing us on blind curves and hills.

Tsuru

No thanks. I hate listening to one headphone. I rather not listen at all! I love music way too much... Both ears with a nice full sound. If you saw WHICH headphones I wear, all the safety monitors would be aghast times 1,000!

And umd, I wouldn't go to 0.99999999X with one headphone, a distraction is a distraction is a distraction, like the studies of cell phones, texting, music, etc, in cars, if you mind is not 100% on what you are doing X goes down dramatically, quick. Lots of things distract us, music, the cutie on the bike on the other side of the street, the bike the cutie is riding, the roadkill I just passed, the inching car on the right that's taking my focus away from the cars everywhere else, a pothole ridden road making me forget cars even exist, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Every single one of those things takes my mind off of everything else.

But like I said, I take that risk. I'm not besmirching headphone wearers, but anyone who thinks music or headphones or whatever are not distractions are fooling themselves to justify their own actions.

umd

That's your choice but I just like to have a little background music to keep me company. I said in another thread and I'll say it again here, I am not looking for an audiophile orgasm while I ride.

We were talking about hearing not distractions. Hearing the sounds of the environment is nearly as good with one earpiece as it is with none. Ok, maybe not, 0.99999999X but certainly not X-1.

But since you brought up distractions, is listening to music while biking any different than listening to music while driving? Is the gentle sounds of quiet background music any more distracting than wind noise?

If you want to take that risk that is fine, but you are saying that you are cutting off your hearing because you don't like the sound out of one side (and you are probably using sound isolating too from what you wrote above...), and therefore nobody with headphones/earphones can hear either, and that's just not true.

Personally I find that when I am not listening to music my mind tends to wander and if I am listening I am more focused. All the times I've been hit by cars was when I was not listening to music, but I have avoided many developing situations while listening. So I don't agree that the music is necessarily a distraction and I certainly don't agree that I am fooling myself. But then I'm not the one completely cutting off my hearing like you are...

fa63

Metal when riding hard.

Classic rock when taking it easy.

tmass

Ok here are some I like to listen to ...on my ZUNE.

Ain't no mountain High Enough
Life is a Highway
Mona Lisa Overdrive
Freedom
Where the streets have no name
Touch of Grey
Heat is on
Born to be wild
gimme some lovin
10,000 miles
jessica
how far we've come
cartoon heros
gonna fly now
shakedown
desire

These are a few on one of my ride playlists

Tsuru

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....... this is my favourite part of the song!

umd

So what you are saying is you agree with what I wrote. Cool, that was easy

Boatdesigner

Little Atlas, Karnataka, Brand X, Al Di Meola, Dream Theater, Mostly Autumn, Hiromi, John Wesley, Jean Luc Ponty, Flower Kings - basically lots of Progrock and Fusion. Yes I am over 40!

As for headphones, I use those Sony Sports phones that sit inside your ear, but don't plug up the ear canal. I can hear every car coming up behind me. I always wondered though, what should I do differently when I hear the car than if I didn't hear the car? Should I be running off the road in abject fear or should I just keep a straight line and keep on pedaling?

umd

Yes, you should ride into a ditch every time you hear a car approach.

bhamlax

I don't use headphones on the bike, but I always have Kraftwerk playing in my head while riding.

SPlKE 

When I'm listening to headphones, I randomly ride into the ditch, just to be on the safe side.

ok_commuter

No doubt. I thought, "dude doesn't ride enough."

ok_commuter

I'm back to using my Blackberry for bike listening. Imperfect, but it got a LOT better today.

I've been a big fan of Pandora since day one, and I've regularly checked in with them about availability on Blackberry. Finally today, somebody told me to check the new app story thingy.

PANDORA ON BLACKBERRY.

(Maybe somebody else mentioned this in the previous 3 pages, which I haven't read.)

My channel "Apocalpyse-hop" is particularly satisfying in this oppressive heat. (PM me for a share.)

Also on my BB in MP3 format:

Sonic Youth - Dirty
Michael Jackson - Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad
Dave Brubeck - Time Out, Time In
Theolonius Monk - (one of the discs from) The Columbia Years

I also like podcasts, news, etc. But these days I'm all about the music.

I don't run one earbud out or keep it quiet enough to hear around me. Sorry.

SPlKE 

I've used Slacker Radio on the blackberry. The quality is pretty good, but not as good as the MP3s I make.

Occasionally I stream WFMU using MFRadio.

Tsuru

Huh, wha? Sorry, the new Sunset Ruddown was playing and I was having a happy Tsuru moment.

"Well you can take me to the dragon's lair!!!!"

spry

Barry Manilow
It really pisses me off and helps increase my cadence.

ok_commuter

Excellent.

Kleh

Been mostly into post-rock and proegressive rock/metal lately. Typically allows me to easily hear the road, as there normally isn't much for vocals. To name a few bands:

Mogwai
Explosions in the Sky
Isis
Russian Circles
Mono
Pelican

Also throwing in some Nine Inch Nails, Tool, APC, Deftones; but I'm typically pretty selective of their songs. It's mostly all used as background noise anyway.

ok_commuter

I spent four years riding primarily in heavy Manhattan traffic. The sound "information" available from the cars and their drivers was of absolutely no use to me and was, in fact, unnerving. My ipod made it all much better.

Joe Road

[QUOTE=umd;9190061]
That's your choice but I just like to have a little background music to keep me company. I said in another thread and I'll say it again here, I am not looking for an audiophile orgasm while I ride.


+1

Just some background music on some occasions can be a nice touch. Nothing to get bent out of shape about.

If I'm looking for deep listening, I don't ride my bike. Spinning vinyl thru tube amps with horn loaded speakers would be difficult on extended climbs.

Someone mentioned Kraftwerk. Good choice.
..

ILUVUK

Anything from System of a Down to Tool to Glenn Campbell

AlexGSU

Burn
Charge
Mental
Coalesce
Torche

daredevil

I maintain that if you don't ride with music, any claim about loving it is lip service. The older style clip on iPod Shuffle was designed for biking IMO. Clip it anywhere and can be operated even with full finger gloves.

Dick Rhee

While I actually like every band you've listed, all these are too sloooooooow. BTW if you're looking for more in this genre, check out The Cancer Conspiracy, Friends in the Mountains, and Grails. For a more dynamic version of Isis (their new stuff is horrid), check out Cult of Luna.

I can get behind this!

I listen to anything fast when riding - usually metal or 90's metalcore, such as:

Origin
Aborted
Neuraxis
Darkest Hour
Barrit
Forstella Ford
All Else Failed
City of Caterpillar
Circle Takes the Square
Converge
Raein
Fall Silent
Majority Rule
Overcast
Pig Destroyer
Starkweather