MP3 players
 

Do you use an MP3 while you commute? If so do you use both head phones or just one? If not why?

Elvish

Let me get this over with:

One side: Headphones while riding are teh stupid!!!!11

Other side: STFU no0b! I ride with headphones. You can't really hear anything when riding anyway.

/thread

Seriously, I happen to think headphones are asking for trouble and generally not a good idea, but no less a cyclist than Lance Armstrong uses them while riding so who am I to say that? (BTW, I predict his first big post-retirement endorsement deal is with Apple to pimp their next iPod)

Sorry didn't mean to start something, I was jsut curious, as I may be getting an MP3 player and I was wondering if anyone uses them while riding, I would just use the one ear piece so I can still hear traffic (and see it in my little mirror)

Elvish

I have a IPOD. I put the ear plugs in both ears. The problem is that when I get to speeds over 18 mph the roar of the wind in the ears is so loud that I can not hear the music.

I use my ipod sometimes. I use both ears and the volume is low enough that I can hear cars. Its hard to hear the music anyway because of the wind.

When I get to busier traffic, I will pop my left ear bud out.

I won't sell out and get an Ipod, yet I bought one for my girlfriend. I use a Sony Minidisk that fits in the pocket of my messenger bag strap.

I'll tell you this, I won't use anything when I'm driving a night.

YAY Another NO IPOD FOR ME person! 2 points

Elvish

sony makes some that are like earplugs..

http://www.kalyx.com/store/images/YMDREX71SL.jpg

..it might seem like they would make outside noise harder to hear while listening but i can keep the music at a much lower level and thus hear more on the outside of the phones much better.
they are about 40 bucks and worth every penny as they get the best bass sound of any small bud style headphones i have ever used.. which is a considerable number.
maxell makes a set too but steer clear as they sound awful.

Everytime I think about getting an MP3 playe, I remember how happy I am w/ the mini-disk player I have. If anything, I'd like to get one of them CD MP3 players with a radio and remote control.

But this is a thread about MP3 player. Honestly, I'd get one with enough storage and a radio (you never know when the weather might change).

Hey..it's pretty hot here in Chicago

i would agree but it's hard to put 600 hundred songs on random when listening to a minidisc player...

Would you also ride with your eyes closed? :eek:

Would you also ride with gloves on? :eek:

Not all senses are equally important.

Flame on.

Yep, iPod here. I usually stuff it in my riding jacket pocket, fit the headphones and away I go. There's nothing quite like bombing through town with your fav tunes pounding in your ears.

iPod shuffle is real nice for biking.

My Clie UX50 stores my life and also a bunch of tunes. Put it on shuffle, kick up some Jungle Brothers, and awaaay we go!

But of some value - yes? In an urban environment full of much larger, heavier vehicles (especially busses) I want to be able to see, hear, and smell them.

When one listens to music (or talks on a cell phone) one tends to focus on that and tune out outside distractions.

I suppose this falls into the same category as the helmet/no helmet debates and I have no desire to flog a dead donkey.
:D

My minidisk player has shuffle on it.

Is there a difference between listening to music full blast vs listening to music at a volume that you can still hear everything else?

Me? I never wear headphones on at night. When I commute I keep the volume down to the point where the music will be more like background noise w/ melody.

I actually think I need my hearing LESS at night because I can see when a car is coming up behind me by the spill from his headlights in front of me.

Is my thinking skewed or something? Maybe it's different in urban environments.

That said, I've used headphones while on the road only a few times, and once I got buzzed by a minivan I had no clue was coming... I took a break from it.

i think it is different.

in my neighborhoods you have to ride like there is always a car coming because there most often is a car coming.
i know this is a tired subject but i will reitterate what has been said before and point out that there is not much that your ears can save you from if a car is going to hit you from behind.
if you are one to crank the headphones to a point where the noise around you is completely drowned out then the main difference i can imagine is that you will know a fraction of a second later that something is terribly wrong behind you.
i have done some miles on country backroads and can't see much that would be different there either unless you are one to ride in the middle of the road or watch the cars approach from behind when you hear them.

the only point worthy of debate, IMO, is the one of the riders attention being compromised and i can't see how this could be applied as a constant. many people claim to be more attentive when listening and i recall some studies done on college students and headphone use and i seem to remember that many people retained knowledge better while listening to tunes.
i also recall that some retained less.

I guess what I don't get is why you all want to listen to your tunes while riding? I've never felt the desire (it's not a need, I don't care what you say).

Speaking of headphones, a dumba55 jogger today almost caused me to crash into him. I was zipping down Riverside Drive to hop on the Greenway at 96th St, and this dude with the headphones starts to cross the street (jogging) without looking. I have a clear green signal, and am screaming at him, but of course he can't hear me until I'm a few feet away. We're both lucky there were no cars behind so I could maneuver around him. I know all of you here who use your headphones are always perfectly aware of your surroundings and never let your headphones get in the way of safety, so don't take this anecdote as being accusatory. :rolleyes: :D ;)

I use a Creative Movo TX FM, 512mb. Very light, reasonable price, holds about 10 CDs worth of music, plus the FM radio function is very handy for listening to the news on my commute. Batteries (AAA) last about 12 hours, I use rechargeables. I highly recommend it.

he should have been watching where he was going.. if he were not listening to music he still shouldn't of been walking into traffic without looking first.. no fault of the music there.
i can honestly say that there isn't much that i can hear better with the headphones off in noisy environments like metro areas and such.. it sounds like BS but until you have tried it yourself you prolly won't believe it.
i wear them at work in place of hearing protection and i converse with coworkers while listening to music.

as for why i listen to them on the way to and from work while riding, it is the same as asking why someone would want a stereo in a car.
i spend a lot of time on my bike and music makes it more enjoyable.

You must have missed the part where I was screaming at the guy to get out of the way and he couldn't hear me. :)

You're kidding, right? Instead of hearing protection? Dude, that makes no sense. Or do you have those fancy "noise-cancelling" thingies? (which I guess would be good at work but bad on the road).

I tend not to put tunes on when driving (my better half will usually initiate the tunes), actually. I would think that the bike ride itself was enjoyable enough. Again, no less a person than Lance Armstrong digs the iPod while riding, so who am I to say anything?

I don't listen to music whilst riding.

When commuting I listen for car noises behind and beside me. Headphones are TOO dangerous and I don't want any surprises.

When there's no traffic around I listen to birds, lawnmowers, the clicking sounds of the bike, :eek: and my singing or humming. The humming is always better than the singing. :o