lately I've avoided headphones all together and have strapped a tape player to my bike, with a tape adapter hooked to my iPod. Now I can rock tunes loudly and still be able to hear the world around me, and also not break any laws by having headphones on. And everyone around me gets to hear my music too


the sound system on my SpaceLiner

Koss KSC-75. GREAT sound quality, especially considering the price (even at 2-3 times the price they sound great vs. the competition). They don't tend to slide off for me at all when running or cycling.

https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Por...409100&sr=1-39

My sense of hearing is one of my best safety features. Anyone recommend a good pair of eye shades for cycling? The ones I got on the airplane don't have strong enough elastic to stay on in the wind.

FWIW, I've noticed the same thing. In fact, as someone above suggested, I think my hearing and situational awareness are somehow improved when I ride with one earbud at reasonable volume. This really surprised me when I first noticed it. I had never used phones because of safety concerns, but a few months ago there was something on the radio I wanted to hear. Since then, I've used the one bud about a dozen times. I'm not aware of any plausible physiological explanation, but I've repeatedly noticed that I hear things like bits of gravel crunching under car tires, doors opening at roadside businesses, and other sounds that I never notice when I'm riding without sound.

Before I started commuting, I dreamed of wearing my Grado SR-80s on the road and riding in style to my music, but once I got on the road, I realized that the sound of cars behind me were disparately vital to my survival. Hearing the way in which drivers will pass me has given me a window into the way individual neighborhoods treat cyclists, and this knowledge has saved my life more than once.

While I don't want to tell any cyclist how they should ride, I do recommend not wearing headphones while on the road. I would recommend it if you are on a bike/ped only path that does not involve traffic yet goes along a major street, but if that path involves nature areas, then you may miss that eagle or hawk passing above you, and if more people hear them, their lives may be saved as well.

Cheers!

Search is over people: Pioneer SE-N7-EX1 Biking headphones
you can thank me later

I've done almost 1000 miles since August either wearing the Creative EP630 or the Sennheiser CX300.

They're essentially the same phones. I just buy whichever is cheaper on Amazon at the moment.

A Super Aural design (lets traffic noise in) with a behind the head strap (helmet compatible) is best. I use Philips SHS391 which sound pretty good. You can find more expensive ones with similar design that sound even better.

Noise cancelling earbuds? OK, I can't throw stones, but I think headphones that allow outside sounds in might be a sort of middle ground. I can't hear the music sometimes, quiet passages through noisy intersections. Guys riding brakeless fixies think I'm nuts for wearing headphones. We each make our own choices.

Which is sort of a drag for those of us that like don't particularly want to hear your music, isn't it?

I understand what you did from a safety perspective, but if I had to be near you for any length of time on the road or MUP, it would bother me.

I have been in 231.7 close calls due to wearing headphones and listening to music at the same time. The volume is of course set to 11. When I turn on my music my brain is so overcome with processing audio that I can no longer ride in a straight line and can't distinguish the obvious difference between VVvvvvvrrrrroooosshhhh and VVvvvvvrrrrroooosshhhh of a car 6 inches to the right. I'm sure if my brain were better adapted to handling multiple sensory inputs this wouldn't be as big of an issue, but alas this isn't the case. My death is imminent

I use the crappy earbuds that came with my phone. I want different ones, but it has a proprietary USB-ish adapter for both the charging/data/headphones. I so wish it had a regular audio connector.

answer this safety police....

If you have this new invention called a mirror on yourself which allows you to see behind, is it still a problem if I don't hear the cars I see? I hear all this crap about one ear bud and low volume but what the hell does it matter if you SEE the cars?

It takes skill on the road to be able to listen to music, the nanny's can't wrap their brains around that. Their skill level is like a teenage driver. Teenagers don't know how to use their eyes either. They don't even know what situational awareness is.

Sorry, couldn't resist the beat down.

As for cans while riding, I use some Sennheiser PX 100's when I have to wear a balaclava and some cheap Skull Candy buds when the weather gets nicer.

I just ordered a wireless mp3/headphone combo (a Thomson Jet Stream) because the biggest hassle I have is dealing with the dangling headphone wire getting snagged somewhere.

I sometimes ride with a Kloss radio (stuck on NPR) bungied to the front basket on my cruiser on weekends.