Listening to Tunes on the Commute
 

Just getting ready to start commuting on my bike and want to listen to the radio or MP3 player on the way in. Reading the laws here in Ca, it seems that earplugs / earbuds are illegal.

Is it enforced? I'm sure that I would be able to hear a horn or siren, but may not be able to hear an engine creeping up on me.

Thoughts???

Oh boy. Here we go again...

I'm sure this topic has been debated over numerous times on these forums, but just to reinforce... DON'T DO IT! It's not just the sirens and the engines, it's the car doors opening and the people shouting at you. If there is any traffice whatsoever, don't use earbuds. There are a few companies that make mini handlebar speakers, if you don't mind the dorky appearance.

Okey-doke.

I found it to be unsettling. I couldn't hear approaching traffic, and that made me really nervous. Even with the one-ear bud method, I just couldn't get used to it. So I stopped, and now I feel safer. YMMV.

I was in the same situation as you when I started commuting.

I don't live in Cali but I imagine that the law is loosely enforced. My girlfriend is from LA and one of her friends usually rode with only one earbud in and never had problems. He said it helped him hear traffic that was creeping up on him.

I wear headphones that just sit on my ear and keep the volume rather low. A lot of times, wind will overpower the music so that I only hear the faintest hint but it's still enough for me. I can still hear cars just as well without them.

On the flipside, I'd recommend not depending on your ears TOO much. A lot of newer cars are so quiet that even without music playing I couldn't hear their engine. It's a good idea to look behind you (or check mirrors if you have them) often.

Also, I'd say to stay away from something you'll be tempted to fidget around with a lot. I carry an iPod shuffle 'cos it has no screen so there's no temptation to pull it out and scroll through my music.

I commute without headphones, and got the crap scared out of me on a long stretch, when I was just riding along in the middle of the car lane (trash in the shoulder). I looked back because I had the weird feeling when someone is watching you, to see a Prius like 3 feet from my back wheel. It was running on full electric, and as such, was making less noise than I was! So yeah, I support the don't-only-rely-on-your-ears idea. However, they're still your 2nd best weapon in traffic.

Exactly!

I still use my ears a good deal but I don't see any reason that listening to music through headphones would detract from my ability to hear vs. handlebar mounted speakers. I hear everything from traffic to pepples that get kicked up by my tire and the squeak of my saddle that needs lubricating.

I think the biggest danger to listening to music at all is getting too caught up in it and not paying attention to what's around you.

If your born funny and somehow the act of listening to soothing music while pedaling causes you to self destruct, implode, spontaneous combust, or get instantly flattedend by passing cars, then DONT DO IT !

If your like most people and actually capable of cycling while chewing gum and seeing with your eyes, and able to actually distinguish two seperate sounds in your brain, such as say...music and a car horn, then by all means, go for it.

A car thats about to run you over sounds EXACTLY like a car thats about to pass you safely.
You should already be traveling as far right as is safe for the current situation, so wether you hear that car 800 ft back or only 400 ft back, it shouldnt matter.
If you play your music so loud you cant hear traffic, then make sure your insurance is paid up.

t minus 1 month for another headphone thread.

BF corollaries:
1.) As t -> 4 weeks, the chance of a headphone/music thread approaches 1

I ride in Los Angeles daily with music, no problems at all. If you don't feel confident of your traffic riding skills, then hey, don't do it. Sounds to me like many of you would have trouble riding and even drinking out of your water bottle at the same time.

Good luck to you all with the nannyism.

i am different than most i guess... What is most dangerous to me in NE florida is people hanging 3/4 of the way out the window as they pass screaming as loud as possible! I ALWAYS use my ipod at a low volume setting... I have found that having some backround noise (music) makes these almost constant happenings less starling, and as a result, safer. I don't buy the whole traffic safety thing... if set at the right volume, the music is no louder than the wind. I can still hear cars coming from behind just as good as without.

I find that I have a tendancy to pedal much harder, and more consistently when there is a nice beat in the backround. For me, it is obviously way more enjoyable to have music in the backround most of the time... that is not to say though that there are not times when I prefer no music at all, and just want to take in the natural sounds of where I am at.

It is illegal in the state of florida to wear headphones, but the police simply don't pay attention to that law. It is probably because they know it is ********, and they themselves use them when they go for a ride.

It is like anything else... use them responsibly, and you will be fine.

Mike

PS....

I do recomend you getting a quality MP3 player with lots of storage. I use an arm band, and have over 1500 songs on my IPOD. I always keep it on shuffle, and have good enough music that I never have to adjust it, or look for a song when I am riding. I turn it on and leave it alone until I am off the bike.

Lawn chair... $10
Popcorn... $2
Cold soda... $1

Watching another headphones on bikes debate and staying out of it this time... PRICELESS. :D

I personally don't feel comfortable wearing earphones when I'm riding.

My suggestion is that if it is illegal and you are in an accident the insurance company may not be willing to cover or it could be considered as your fault. It may be a good idea to check with the police and/or your insurance and see what they have to say. I would call as an anonymous caller or have a friend do it.

Thanks, Jack aka:makeitso

It takes me long enough to get out the door in the morning with the stuff I really need. Don't need to be fussing with things I don't need.

I use this on my commute:

http://www.smalldog.com/product/36324

It fits in my extra bottle cage. The sound isn't the greatest, but it's acceptable. Plus I'm able to put my id, money and other misc. small items in it.

I used to listen to my ipod while commuting but now I don't. An accident a few months back was a wake-up call that on a bicycle u need every form of self-defense possible. If u look at it one way, commuting in traffic is almost like playing one of those 80s videogames. One hit and you're wasted. Passing cars are like guided missiles to us hapless unprotected cyclists.

Now while it's true that wearing headphones will not help u avoid a driver who decides to plough into your back, there's countless other subtle scenarios where they can be dangerous. Just one example: you're riding towards a pothole and due to your iPod can't hear the car approaching behind. You swerve to avoid the pothole....SPLAT.

I would say only do it on quiet roads with minimal traffic.

Frogger

Get an ipod shuffle. Then get a PocketParty for ipod shuffle (battery powered speakers). Then get a broom handle clamp and pop rivet it to the PocketParty. You will end up with the perfect MP3 player for a bike.

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/
http://playlistmag.com/reviews/2005/...huff/index.php

gear - Thanks for the link, I've been looking for something like that for my shuffle.

not trying to sound stupid here, but what do you mean by broom handle clamp?

Does California allow people who are deaf to drive? I see the listening to music law as a form of discrimination. People in cars can have the windows rolled up AND listen to the radio... making their ability to hear other approaching cars nil...

Around here, you do not have to be able to hear in order to get a drivers license, therefore I can't see there being a law that people other than those in cars must be able to hear perfectly.

I find that on longer rides I can pedal faster longer with a good beat :)

Someone above said that they just "set it and forget it" and I do the same, but in my case I listen to dj mixes which are on average 70minutes long, so it can take quite a while to run through 3 'songs'.

I use a single bud, right side only, open-air sideways earbud from Sony (cut off the left side). I listen to books on tape and NPR. I can still easily hear cars coming 1/2 mile away, just as far as without it.

I think listening to music isn't too smart, most people want to turn it up loud enough to be an enveloping experience. I listen to my audio just enough that I can hear the words. It doesn't hinder my ability to hear cars at all (I've tested it, I can hear them exactly as far back, or at least, as close as I can tell, with or without).

Don't assume anyone with an earbud is being an idiot, though probably some of them are (I've ridden by joggers where **I** could hear their music.

Also, as has been said, some cars are pretty quiet. I used to unintentionally scare joggers in my old Ford Probe. Even in a quiet subdivision, if I was going < 10 MPH they couldn't hear me unless I drove over some gravel or something.

+++1 While I believe in having as many senses working for you as you may posess, this is a really good point. Honorable mention goes to the post where someone mentioned that a car passing and one about to hit you sounding the same. Yep, they do. If you can hear the difference between the two, I'm impressed.

mcavana,
A broom handle clamp is a clamp that you mount on a wall inside a broom closet. When you want to put the mop or broom away you just push it into the clamp (its spring loaded) and it grabs the broom (or mop) handle. This device can be found at most hardware stores. They are great for bike mounts as the broom handle is about the same dia. as a handle bar.

So you can wear a earphone.

But whether you do or don't wear earphones, DO get some type of mirror. We teach people in driver's education to use a mirror, checking it every few seconds. If its important for automotive vehicles, that don't need to constantly worry about rear-ending, how much more so for bikes? Don't depend on you r ears. Newer cars, electric cars, hybrid cars, other bikers -- all can be very quiet.