Bike_13

Well, do you wear a portable stereo on your commute? If so, this thread is for you.

I've put some questions below. In your reply, answer them like I have in my follow up post.

1. What's you commute like?

2. Is it more dangerous?

3. What are the best headphones?

4. What's you favourite album, under what circulmstances?

Bike_13

1. 22km, very little flat, busy roads about 50%, 2 x long (1 mile plus) steep climbs.
2. Yes, I think it does leave you a bit more vulnerable. I think you need all your senses active sometimes. I tend to be very "possessive" on the road (ride in the middle of the lane, ride at or only slightly slower to car traffic). I try not to max the volume.
3. The iPod headphones sound very good, but the cord is long (hassle to manage) and it's white (don't like that). I have some really short (about 18in) lead in ear headphones off an old CD player that I use - works well with the iPod in a mobile phone pouch on the strap of my messenger bag (therefore sits in the middle of my chest when riding).
4. Rain - no tunes
Feeling really good/fresh legs - Audioslave (Audioslave); Evil Empire (Rage Against the Machine); Doin' It After Dark (Groove Armada); Homework (Daft Punk); Better Living Through Chemistry (Fatboy Slim)
Feeling flat/day after hard training ride - Remixes and Rarities (Morcheeba), Artcore 3 (Various D&B); Electric (The Cult); Greatest Hits (INXS); No-one Every Really Dies (NERD); Screamadelica (Primal Scream); Back to Mine (Talvin Singh)

That's just the stuff in the iPod at the moment.

genec

In CA it is illegal. Either on bike or in car. Although a motorist in a car with windows rolled up and "thumping" sure can't hear a thing.

Treespeed

You don't know what a can of worms you've opened yourself up to.

I ride with an MP3 player and I don't feel like it interferes with my commute one bit.
There are some great discussions on this topic in other threads but I'm way too lazy to hunt them down. Most of it boils down to whether or not you believe the old wives tale that cycling with music is inherently dangerous. I think the role that hearing plays in safe cycling is highly overrated, plus I'm riding through South Central Los Angeles so I'm not missing any of the nuances of the natural world by rocking out.

On to your questions:
1.My commute is urban, high traffic and high speed, but mostly polite motorists.

2. It is not dangerous as long as you are a good rider to begin with and don't zone out.

3.Best headphones are the earbud kind as they don't shut out the world and don't interfere with my helmet.

4. Rage Against the Machine, "The Battle of Los Angeles" of course.

I-Like-To-Bike

1. I always listen to my Mp3 capable CD player on my 24 mile R/T commute. Half the miles are on a busy 55mph road and I have no interest in listening to the whine of pickup truck tires on macadam so I turn it up! My mirror tells me all I need to know about relevant traffic.

2. No; but definitely more enjoyable.

3. I've been using the headset that came with the $50 Phillips player for two years and it still works fine. In addition it helps keep my ears warm in the winter. Ear buds would allow too much wind noise. Helmet interface is a non-issue for me.

4. I burn new sets of songs or radio shows broadcasts every couple days on CD-RW disks from an extensive mp3 collection that I have. Favorite Music for cycling in shuffle mode for endless variety-Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Stones, Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, all Motown Artists, Stax-Volt Artists, James Brown, Aretha, Madonna and Whitney Houston - especially club remixes of the latter two. For variety I listen to olde time radio broadcasts of Jack Benny, Suspense, Gunsmoke, Lux Theater, Phillip Marlowe and CBS Mystery Theater.

ivan_yulaev

I'm settling into my commute, and do it every once in a while. Much of my commute is in a bike lane, and if you keep the volume low enough, I believe it is reasonably safe.

TrevorInSoCal

My commute is mostly wide streets with little traffic (except for around the schools I pass en-route), with some 50 MPH sections, and one kindasketchy section of 50mph traffic with no shoulder.

I don't think it's any more dangerous riding with earphones, and I've never seen anything other than anecdotal evidence to support the claim that it is.

I use Sony MDR-EX71 earbuds. The iPod earbuds blow. They're totally uncomfortable and would never stay in my ears.

I don't generally listen to albums on my iPod. I have my whole collection on there so I just hit random play and go. This sometimes backfires when I get something weird like a comedy stand-up routine, or a 20 minute lecture, but most times I like the variety.

-Trevor

dobber

-10 miles of rural roads, usually only one or two other motorists heading to the same destination.

-Probably

-One side only for maximum unbalanced aerodynamics

-Bob & Tom. I download the preceeding days shows onto my old Rio500. Since the shows are in mono I clipped a cheap set of buds and only wear one.

In general I only listen to tunes during the winter months. During the spring/summer/fall I much prefer the sounds of nature or the gunfire of the hunters.

arboc!

im getting my shuffle in 8 days im exited

groove10

I love my iPod and use it every day.

Without it the commute seems to be like 2x as long.

Sometimes I set it for the full album before I leave, but most of the time it's on random.

potus

on a related note I had my iPod fly out of my pocket and go skidding across the road. scared the crap out of me but the thing continues to work fine.

dbg

I think it is dangerous. Numerous times I've been nearly knocked off my bike when overtaking a rider under the influence of headphones. They don't hear you coming and don't seem to pay attention to their line.

But I love to listen to music on the trainer and often wish I had some along on workout rides. I've tried riding the tourer with powered speakers duct-taped to the rear rack. It's not actually that bad. And other riders sure hear me coming. But I keep looking for the perfect compromise.

slvoid

1. 25 miles round trip, split in 3 sections, moderate-heavy-light traffic (going to work).
2. Doesn't feel any more dangerous than not wearing headphones.
3. Sony MDR-888LP's. They used to have a MDR-838 version that had a non-paper driver which worked better, the 888's provides probably the best sound in a pair of earbuds under $100 but the drivers degrade.
4. Bunch of mixes between juda's priest and ozzy.

I think what you have to ask yourself is, how much wind noise are you experiencing and can you hear cars anyway with so much wind noise.

Hawkear

I used my pod occasionally when I was commuting on the Santa Ana River Trail. Pedestrians and other cyclists were very sparse. Plus, my phones weren't even in my ears, just nearby, so most of the ambient noises were still available to me.

On the road, it's just too risky.

Raiyn

Illegal in FL foolish anywhere else

I-Like-To-Bike

Legal enough in Iowa for me. Raiyn is entitled to his opinion of what is "foolish anywhere else."

And I think will determine for myself what is foolish. Maybe Raiyn cares what I think about bibed lycra, gaudy jerseys, medusa hats, cycling shoes, and camelbacks for cycle commuting, but I doubt it. So I will keep my opinion about other cyclists' preferences to myself.

Nicodemus

I LOVE my iPod. All day every day, on the bike, at work, on the train, in the rain, I love it everywhere!

1. nice, peaceful, safe. this is Holland, after all
2. no. Even in normal (i.e. on road) circumstances I don't think it makes much of a difference if you're attentive and volume not too loud
3. I'm happy with the standard iPod phones.
4. High energy trance, dance, club, classical, Pink Floyd, hip-hop, R&B, Depeche Mode, anything but country! But for a good fast pumping ride, definitely intense trance baby!

I'm an iPod junkie, and proud!

bostontrevor

I loves me my music on my commute and it's not illegal in Mass. So in order:

1. 5 or 6 miles through the center of Boston.

2. Is it more dangerous? I honestly don't know. I suppose I feel like it may put me slightly more at risk, but not enough to concern me. More along the lines of, riding without a rearview mirror is risky, riding 23mm instead of 28mm tires is riskier, etc. John Allen has an interesting article on it, nothing earth shattering, but a light enough read: https://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/hearing.htm . At any rate, those who zealously proclaim the dangers of riding with headphones have exactly zero information that actually supports that claim. Why is hearing less important to a motorist? Can the hard of hearing safely operate a bicycle? The deaf? Meanwhile it helps keep me happy and road rage free, and frankly I just assume that there's a car behind me because usually there is.

3. What are the best headphones? Probably those expensive custom-fit Sennheisers or some of the truly high-end boutique brands. What are my preference? Well I really liked the sound and fit of the MDR-EX51LP. But they're dead now and I believe the thin little cables are the reason. At $40 a pair that's just not acceptable, so now I'm back to the cheaper but not as nice Koss "The Bud". Only $20 and beefier design all around.

4. Too many to name. In addition to the many playlists for riding on nice days, I have playlists named things like "music for a snowy bike ride". Just put it on shuffle and go.

qmsdc15

I'm addicted to my 1 gig. I reload every night with a random mix (2.7% of my library, about 13.5 hrs of music). Actually I randomly select from a smart playlist in itunes that leaves out any spoken word, holiday musuc, or songs I have rated 1 or 2 stars. I turn it on in the morning and it plays all day (maybe about 15hrs was the longest I left in on).

EnigManiac

I may be in the minority, but I am an experienced commuter in the downtown area of a large city, coping with heavy traffic, many other cyclists, road hazards, harsh weather and pedestrians and I feel that listening to music on an iPod, MP3 or anything else while riding is negligent and unnecessary. We cyclists, being the most vulnerable of road-users, need to exercise even more caution, awareness and alertness than other users because even a minor accident that isn't our fault can be fatal. If being able to hear all the sounds around us makes us more alert then we should do everything we can to avoid impairing that hearing. It may be possible to hear loud sounds when listening to music but someone calling out to you in warning or the voice of a small child may not be audible. Perhaps for those commuting in a rural areas with little traffic and few hazards, it might not prevent such a danger, but for the rest of us it is simply foolish selfishness that has potentially catastrophic implications. I'm a musician and musicologist. I love my music; but I love to listen to it in an environment where I can appreciate it: at home on a quality system. I have a responsibility on the road to operate my vehicle as safely as possible. I can't do that if I'm groovin' to the tunes and being distracted. Just my humble opinion.

GTcommuter

As baseball spring training gets started up, I've dug out my Grundig pocket radio so I don't miss any of the Braves' season. I've found that if I put the radio in my chest pocket, the little 1.5" speaker is just loud enough to hear on quite neighborhood streets or at stop lights. Any car traffic drowns it out, but if I'm moving slow I can catch enough baseball and NPR to keep me informed.

H23

My riding is urban w/traffic. I don't wear headphones unless I know traffic is going to be mellow (ie saturday morning or rural). I think it is certainly more dangerous to wear headphones, it is a risk.

The best headphones for riding are these https://tinyurl.com/4zepe

1) They go behind your neck, so they are out of the way of helmets and hats.
2) They do not block out loud ambient noise
3) THey don't fall out because the flexible U-shaped plastic keeps them firmly but lightly in your ear (but not ear canal).
4) No foam that gets saturated and stinky with cold sweat

YMMV.

eubi

I don't like ipods in the first place, so that's my bias up front.

Here is CA law, edited by me for brevity:

27400. No person operating any motor vehicle or bicycle shall wear any headset covering, or any earplugs in, both ears. The prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) Persons operating authorized emergency vehicles.
(b) Any person engaged in the operation of construction equipment.
(c) Any person engaged in the operation of refuse collection.
(d) Any person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of custom earplugs that are designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The custom plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) Any person using a prosthetic device which aids the hard of hearing.

I'm with Raiyn on this one.

Also, I find unencumbered hearing very useful in traffic. I find it's possible to determine exactly what's happening behind me.

I think GTcommuter (post #21) has a good idea for those that just have to listen to the radio.

Don't we get enough music all day long? I love music, but I also like the sound of just the wind in my ears while cycling. I do some of my best thinking and reflecting while cycling.

I'm constantly fighting the Scouts to leave their ipods at home when we backpack in the wilderness. I guess "The Sound Of Silence" was before their time.

I-Like-To-Bike

I'm with BostonTrevor on the value of music when cycling (for some cyclists anyway), and the non-issue of an alleged "safety" problem. I'll worry about it AFTER the safety nannies provide some significant information rather than personal opinion and speculation

This morning's commuter musical selection was from 120 shuffled songs (copied this morning from my computer) from Luther Vandross, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and Al Green. Think I'll "foolishly" listen to more from these crooners this afternoon on the way home.

Others may enjoy listening to the wind and traffic noise; I prefer the "Power of Love," "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "Let's Stay Together."

jimbrown

I sometimes listen to my Sony MD player.

1. What's you commute like?
Urban 45mph roads

2. Is it more dangerous?
I don't believe so.

3. What are the best headphones?
Ear buds

4. What's you favourite album, under what circulmstances?
Anything Pro-pain

I don't believe in the stuff about hearing what is going on around you. When there is plenty of traffic I can't hear what is happening behind me. I just hear cars/trucks all the time. I have yet to be able to hear the car that is too close. It sounds just like a car that is passing with plenty of room.

My mirror tells me everything I need to know. Visual is better then audio as far as I am concerned. Not that I trust my mirror. I will always look back when I have to move left. The mirror is where I look first but then I always glance back also.