As far as I'm concerned, noise is noise while on a bike. I'd rather hear the dangerous noises and avoid them rather than having my music turned down so low I can barely hear it with one ear. I've also found that music tends to distract me from what I'm doing - cycling. I did think about the radio/news deal for my commute to work, but then, see line one of this response. It's not a criticism of those who do listen while on board, it's just not for me.
An example is this morning's commute - coming upon where the offramp for the interstate meets Circle Drive. This lady had several hundred yards to see me. Me on my glossy blue bike, yellow gloves,
Primal Hot Head, white helmet, Heineken shorts. she still just about drove into me. I would not want music or any other distraction keeping me from concentrating on avoiding potential hazards such as this.
EDIT: And yes, I dress myself
