I ride with iphone buds in both ears and listen to sounds (usually podcasts, but that doesn't matter). The buds that come with the iphone, if protected by the little foam covers, stay in ears moderately well. They stay better when you have both in, too. The dangling one isn't pulling the other one out. These 'open air' buds don't prevent you from hearing road noise at all, and aren't a hazard - not unless you blast the sound, which isn't a good idea by itself. The type of buds that fit into the ear canal are dangerous; they are also uncomfortable while riding.

I get the occasional phone call while riding, slow down, and pinch the switch to answer while I ride at a speed slow enough that I can hear and be heard.

Never in traffic, of course. Always in bike lane. Always use rear view mirror, too.


After you hit a certain speed, however, wind noise is going to mask what's coming out of the buds as well as any specific automobile sounds that you need to attend to, and vision is your most important sense.