can you atleast hear someone if they yell "to the left?" or "watch out" because if you cant then i dont think you should be wearing them and i would definitely not recommend it to a noob

I used to listen to ballgames all the time on my old AM/FM transistor radio...mostly on AM, on the bike or under my pillow for night games.

When the walkmans came out, it didn't take them long to come out with the 'sport' headphones (ear buds)...but the only walkman that was suitable for riding were the am/fm only jobs. Cassettes were too bulky and went through batteries too fast - and fogetaboud CDs...even bulkier and they skipped with every bump.

I remember wiring up the old 8-track to my first cars...thing is, driving didn't get me away from biking for long...I was always getting in trouble for drag racing, smoking, drinking, drugs, etc. and Dad would take the car keys from me...so my bike was still important to me!

Listening to music while riding really isn't any different that doing so while driving. Indeed, as a teen, the music in my car was much louder and impaired my hearing (and the hearing of anyone near me) much more than anything ever did riding a bike. I wonder how all these folks that consider hearing overtaking traffic as so important to safety manage to drive a car, where you can hear overtaking traffic even less than you can listening to music?

Not many car drivers holler out "on your left".

The original poster wanted to hear less, I want to hear more, and another wants to hear music. Its all good though, or should be all good, at least in the land of the free.

edit: it was a measly nine bucks to have the slipstreamz sent right to my door. I couldn't resist. Might try the hacked up sunglasses in the meantime though.

no reason to have to hear someone say "to the left" if you LOOK before you move left and I do.

Ha, my hearing is shot anyway...too many years of things going BOOM around me with no ear protection and bouncing in bars that had live music.

We do agree...to each his/her own, screw the safety nannies.

...not to mention being able to hold a line. Arrrr mate, ye makes to much sense for a pirate!

91.333% of statistics are made up.
Your anger makes you ignorant. GRRR!

I don't ride with earphones. I have an mp3 player with a speaker on it. It is a zen stone. I like being able to hear my music, but also listen out for cars, peds, and other cyclist.

Usually I can hear a cyclist coming up on me...this is important because my road in filled with rocks here, screws there, nuts and bolts...dirty diapers..glass..etc. So I am constantly moving my wheel to get out of the way of some of this stuf...oh and potholes...
some things i can do a sharp little move that barely pushes me off my line, but other times I really have to make a move

Now if another cyclist was coming up and didn't say on your left or good morning etc..we would ram into each other. Because I am usually not looking behind me in the bike lane. Or sometimes things come upon you suddenly..and listening out for a car to know if you need to brake or you can make that slight move is something that comes in handy for me during my commute.

I use an isolation earbud in my right ear to listen to audiobooks. I could ride fine with both ears plugged too; I use a mirror very heavily and see cars many seconds before they get to me, whether they're making noise or not.

yay, i'm not the only one

wind usually makes it hard for me to hear anything, but i would be uncomfortable with plugs. a little nervousness can keep you safe.

Part of cycling in general to me is the minimalism involved with it. I carry a leatherman (always), multi-function bike tool, patch kit, and pump when cycling for enjoyment. Other than that I have daily commute stuff, like laptop etc. But to me it's about thrusting a combination of steel, rubber, and plastics at a decent speed with nothing other than my body. Having all the sounds involved with riding my bike is part of my enjoyment. The drive train, cars, tires, and wind is part of my enjoyment. With out those aspects I would feel cheated.

Other people are clearly different. Suggesting to use ear plugs to new cyclists as an advantage is only doing them a disservice. It is clearly a highly subjective matter.

There is more than you and drivers on the road...what about other cyclist?

No troll, baby! I just like to ride my bicycle. In the past, I have been totally freaked out by traffic sounds, and it has inhibited my ability to truly ride safely. I still hear things, but it's not as loud. I rely more on the visual, which seems more accurate than hoping that a Prius will make a sound.

Thank you! That is my point. There is no way I could possibly hear which cars were behind and beside me, between their noise and mine. I've always used visual to deal with traffic.

With the new recumbent, I've been going further and faster than I could go on my old bike. I hear more wind, and I've been in more traffic situations. ...My speed and distance on the recumbent, by the way, is nothing compared to the speed and distance described by some of the posters here. It has been enough for me to consider my hearing, which led to the earplugs in the first place. Using them has led me to a much better quality experience while riding.

I've never ridden with music, but if it helps block out obnoxious sounds, I guess it's OK. I prefer to see things while riding. Personally, I am highly distracted by music. I am one of those people who cannot read a book while listening to music. I have also heard that the music earbuds don't really protect the ears. But I guess it all depends on your reasons for wearing them.

Absolutely. I'm just throwing out an option.

Probably makes sense to take them out "on the trail (MUP)," since things are much quieter and nicer there. It's something that's been working for me in auto traffic, even on the small streets, which I have been taking.

Not a Noob, by the way. Noob to the board, but not to cycling. I've done it on and off for over 20 years, some of which were spent entirely car-free. (In fact, all the discussions about peoples' reactions kind of blow me away, since I've always done it, in some way or another, and never gotten a whole lot of hassle, other than "Can I give you a ride?" and "I hope you are safe.") What's new to me is riding out in the street and bike lanes, as I previously had access to an awesome MUP.

I have a set and no matter how I try to set them up, following the directions exactly..they make no difference at all....

Not really, most cyclists don't dare venture onto the the road, unfortunately...they confine themselves to MUPs, bike lanes, shoulders, sidewalks and such. But either way, they ain't gonna sneak up on me any more than a car because I PAY ATTENTION to what is going on around me and give a look before making any moves.

Back in '59 when I got my new 3 speed English Racer, I also sent off for a 2 transistor radio ($2.98 in a comic book) that I could mount to my handle bars.....AM sounded so much better then...
Just picked up an old Archer bicycle AM radio (Radio Shack) for my old 3 speed English Racer..anyone have the handlebar mount for one of those?

I guess I just wasted nine bucks. Maybe I can modify them somehow, such as mating them with something more effective. Ah well. I am a sucker for gizmos.

I saw someone else post in another thread that they worked for them so they may work for you.
Like their web site suggests, holding your finger next to your ear makes a dramatic difference. So I just wrapped some foam around my strap and duct taped it on to simulate my finger...