Originally Posted by
gldrgidr
Do you realize that no matter what kind of music you like, most people along your ride will consider your music as a major irritation.
Major irritation may be pushing it a little. I don't expect that every person within earshot at any given moment will
love my music or even appreciate it but I imagine most will just ignore it for the 8 to 10 seconds I'll be within earshot then they can go back to living their lives as usual. What I built is not like a jacked up car stereo full of subwoofers with bass that rattles the dishes inside peoples houses from 3 blocks away, this just playes music at a volume where it can be enjoyed by multiple cyclists riding close together.
Originally Posted by
gldrgidr
This would be in the same category as a boom box on a subway.
Originally Posted by
gldrgidr
Do we want the public to hate bicycle riders?
Bartender, I'll have whatever he's drinking...
(A) We don't have subways in Knoxville, TN so I wouldn't know anything about boomboxes on subway cars?
(B) A subway car is an enclosed space where the music will remain in close proximity to the other passengers for several minutes with no way for the other passengers to avoid the noise, a trailer being pulled behind a bicycle will only be close to potential bystanders for a few seconds at most. Apples/Oranges.
(C) Cars already hate bikers around here. I think it has more to do with cyclists slowing traffic, running stopsigns, saving money on gas, and jelousy over our spectacular leg muscles but not so much our noisy trailers.
And most importantly...
(D) As mentioned in my original post, this trailer was only built for use at ceratin rides, not everyday cruising. Many of the rides are sanctioned by the city and usually end up with nearly 200 riders under full police escort. We even have an iPod playlist of family-friendly and largely bicycle-themed music to use. Although it began as an idea for use on the Critical Mass rides; an employee with the city's Transportation Planning Organization saw what we had built and invited it to the city-sponsored rides because it is so awesome.
I hope you can tell that I'm just teasing you.
I understand the intention of your post and it is certainly something to consider.
We actually decided not to bring the trailer to an upcoming ride because it will be largely on greenway trails and the trailer and it's noise might be a nuisance to folks wanting to enjoy a scenic nature ride. We're saving it for some of the "rowdier" city rides later in the summer. It'll be a huge hit there fo' sho'!