I don't have any blind turns on my commute, and the wind blowing in my helmet sometimes makes me hear invisible cars. So, I have no problem with listening to music most of the time. Though in the winter, without peripheral vision, I go music-less.


FYI: Wearing both headphones while biking is illegal in NY state... (according to some cycling advocacy booklet or something.) So I don't ever wear both headphones in, and nor do you if you live in NY.

(Edit: and I haven't had a working iPod since an incident with a waterproof bag, a can of hawaiian punch, sharp track spikes and an iPod touch... I now use a Sandisk Sansa Clip.)