Short Brian

New guy here.

I've been commuting in San Francisco for about a year now, and I'm starting to notice more and more cyclists riding while wearing headphones. I know it's dangerous because it impairs your ability to hear your surroundings, but noone seems to care, or perhaps they just don't know better.

There was a guy the other day with over-the-ear phones. (something I see a few times a week) When we were at a stop light, I got his attention and told him it was dangerous. He said something about it not being as bad as driving while on the phone.

Granted, you're more dangerous to others when you're in a car, but it blows my mind that in this day in age, when laws are being made to reduce distracted driving, so many cyclists in a city like SF sticking up a big finger and riding with headphones.

Anyways. I guess I'm just not sure how to deal with the issue.

Thanks for your thoughts.

AlmostTrick

Keep calling out the headhone listening riders and posting about it on BF. You'll feel better and it's cheap entertainment for many BF members.

bhop

Never heard this topic before...



Why do feel like you have to?

degnaw

Over the summer, I spent about two hours a day in a car with the windows up and the music cranked up. I couldn't even hear a car horn unless they were right next to me.

mikeybikes

I wonder how deaf people ride safely...

slowandsteady

Didn't your mommy ever teach you to mind your business?

irwin7638

Regardless how deaf people cope, it is unnecessarily dangerous to emulate them intentionally...
Some people just beg to become statistics.

slowandsteady

That is correct. But it still isn't his place to be the world's safety nanny.

mustachiod

i like to look at them, then look over their shoulder and open my mouth in horror as if something is coming at them from behind as i jump out of the way

himespau 

While you're at it, why don't you deal with all the sidewalk riders (another pet peeve of mine). That'll relieve me of all that stress and allow me to focus on getting some miles in.

slowandsteady

Don't forget about the bike ninjas and people who don't floss their teeth.

himespau 

ooh and salmon. gosh do I hate those red-light running ninja salmon in my lane. If you want to push a few of them out of the way for the cagers to deal with, well it's just a little chlorine bleach for the gene pool as my father in law likes to say.








p.s. don't really do that. I'm not advocating murder in any way shape or form.

bhop

I rarely ride with headphones on these days, but that trick wouldn't work with me since I can still hear my surroundings with them on. Volume control is a wonderful invention. Personally, the wind noise does more to deafen me when i'm not riding with my 'phones.

rekmeyata

What?

mconlonx

fify

badbradclark

I clip off the left ear piece so I only have one over my right ear. Left ear is open to hear traffic and other sounds. Volume is adjusted to be just above the wind noise. Keeps me from going insane on long rides.

doc0c

Yup

I've actually used my iPod + earbuds in the car (gasp) when I didn't want to listen to the radio. If the sound level is not set to 'stun' you hear just fine.

BarracksSi

+1000

And another +1000 to what degnaw said about being inside the car with music and closed windows.

Chris516

Isn't it possible, he doesn't feel like he can just sit by and watch it happening repeatedly.

I went to the local mall the other day and noticed something utterly stupid. A guy had locked his very nice mountain bike up AT the bike stand but, NOT TO IT. He had looped his lock through his front wheel n' around the top tube of the frame BUT, he did not secure it to the bike stand. When I saw this, I locked my bike up to the bike stand and, his bike. Then I quickly ran in the mall, made my purchase. When I came back out, he had finally come back to the bike stand. I told him why I did it. He kept arguing, saying what if he had to go somewhere fast. I told him, it would be better that he was late, than his bike getting stolen.

It is one thing if someone has a dumpy old bike and they don't lock it up properly. It is an entirely different situation if the have a really nice bike, but do an awful job of locking it up.

I will keep doing it, as long as I have to lock my bike up at the same place that someone else does, who hasn't locked their bike properly.

electrik

Hey, i think it might be safer to ride with head-phones.. that way you don't get into bad habits of not shoulder checking and assuming you hear a car...

hint: hybrids are veryy veryy quiet when dey is huntin' cwy-colists.

bhop

Good intentions, yes, but just like the OP it's not your place to be the bike police. I would be pissed too if I came back to my bike and it was locked to someone else's bike for whatever reason. Keep doing it your way and one day you're probably going to get socked in the face. If you're set on being a bike safety nanny, a better way would've been to wait till the guy came out then do your own shopping. After all, you said it's better to be a little late than have a stolen bike, in this case, not yours.

degnaw

Why don't you lock your bike up to the bike stand and his bike LOCK? Then he could unlock his lock and be on his way.

Seattle Forrest

I like to ride around with head phones, but they're not connected to anything. They just prevent the La Rouche people from trying to talk to me now that they've adopted 70s road bikes.

Scrabbler

+1, clever solution for those who cant seem to mind their own business.

Keith99

I'm content to use the information gained by seeing who is riding with headphones. I then know who to give a wide berth.

Pretty much the only riders I try to talk to about safety are those wearing helmets incorrectly, and then I open by commenting that I can see that they care about being safe and then go on to saying they are not getting the full value of their safety investment.