Mo'Phat

I listen to music when I ride...I ride the same training loop 3x per week...If I left the music at home and listened to the wind, trees, birds, and cars, I'd be listening to the same song over and over. Bringing music gives me the option to commune with nature, or give it a kickass soundtrack.

I'm firmly convinced that a car can hit me anytime, anywhere, regardless of whether I have my music going, if I use a mirror, how much of the lane I take, what time of day, what clothes I wear, whether I use a blinky light, or how deserted the roads normally are.

adam

Dodging mail boxes? Are you riding on the road or on the gravel/dirt beside the road?

When I see a pothole coming up, I take a quick peak behind to make sure I am free to move left around it.

If a car is speeding up behind you - how can you tell (by listening) that he is going to pass you or hit you?

I agree with superslomo, you have to be out off the white line a little, or people think they have ample space to pass you. Tres dangerous.

I wear my iPod all the time now and can hear almost everything (I'm on mostly rural roads) coming up behind, from the sides, etc. But hearing anything doesn't change my riding habits - I just keep a straight line, look behind me before making any changes.

mixtery

My story why you should not do it. I'm a musician and always listen to every style of music all the time, except on the bike.
Last year I was doing my ride in prospect park. Going on the fast down hill session I went into the drops and somehow my earbud wire got tangled in my handlebars. I pulled up and the ipod pulled out of my jersey pocket and went flying down the hill next to the bike, I shimmied the bars going 25mph down the hill and just barely regained control instead of wrecking myself and $1000 worth of bike. My only loss was the ipod, a hard drive failure... it's ok it was a 3rd generation and now I have the iAudio player which kills the ipod in every way. Everyone crashes on a bike at some point. Why increase your chances by one more thing going wrong. And I'm not even talking about riding in traffic either. That is an obvious no-no.

Invent this if you have to. Mp3 player with wireless ear buds that has sensitivity to traffic as it's passing you the music quiets so you can judge distance. I won't sue you for the patent I promise.

Shemp

Um, just wrap the ear bud once or twice around the helmet strap....

reinventingevan

I roll with my 'pod cranked in downtown seattle traffic. Always.

CrimsonKarter21

Does nobody else here use shadows? They're not always there, but they help. Also, don't put the music on so lound, I've got a "Creative" MP3 player that isn't all that loud at full blast, I can still hear cars.

richardh

We all take risks. If I wanted to make sure I was never in a car accident or a bike accident, I would stay inside my house 24/7 and have all my food delivered. Hardly anybody lives like that so we all take a certain amount of risks doing certain things. Some people will only drive during the day. Some people will make sure they get a huge SUV so if they ever do get in a wreck (even if it is their fault or not) they will usually win and not end up getting hurt as bad. Some people will never get on a motorcycle because it just does not seem safe. Some people jump out of airplanes with a pretty sure faith that their chute will open up. Some people have sex with tons of people thinking that they will not "catch" anything.

We all take risks. The question is how much of a risk are you willing to take to make something more enjoyable and something you like to do. On group rides I don't listen to music because I feel it is to risky to myself and my other riders since you have to focus more when riding so close together. When I go solo I listen to music because I am willing to take the risk of listening to some tunes or a podcast, knowing that there could be a chance that something could go terribly wrong because I have headphones on (even though I think the chance is small).

Since I do listen to music, I try and find ways that I can enjoy my music and make is safer. If you have ever tried adjusting your ipod/music player while riding, you know how dangerous this can be. It is very easy to start acting like a squirrel and move all over the road. Also if you have tunes blasting away and come up on a situation (like passing another biker or people on a bike path) you are more at risk if you can't hear anything.

I have posted this before but thought I would post it again in this thread.

I have found something that works for me and even though it does not totally make me safe, it lowers my risks in many situations. I have a little wireless remote that goes on my handlebars that allows me to control my ipod. In all of my jerseys I have cut a tiny hole that allows me to put my ipod in back of my jersey pocket and feed my headphone wire between the jersey and my body and then come up to my ears (no wires to get tangled in anything). I then use my remote on my handlebars to control my ipod. I can keep my eyes on the road if I need to adjust the volume or hit pause fast if I need to focus on a situation such as passing another biker or yelling at a group of people taking up the entire bike path.

patentcad

Can you repeat all this? My iPod was cranked, I didn't hear a thing.

botto 

what?

Mo'Phat

yelling over Botto's Ipod, HE SAID, "CAN YOU REPEAT ALL THIS? MY IPOD WAS CRANKED, I DIDN'T HEAR A THING."

stea1thviper

i ride with headphones. and look good doing it.

banerjek

Yeah, but the young 'uns watch too many cartoons so they have no attention span and require constatnt stimulation. It's a pity they choose to fill their impressionable minds with rock 'n roll music......

old and new

It's an age thing. Younger individuals favor music more than most,Ok Ok lots of old folks will call me on this but it's true. Music has a different meaning to younger people,it encompasses more of thier lives,a lager part of thier identity,persona if you will.It just plain meens more to 'em. I'm speaking as a 50 yr.old musician,personel experience,not just theoretical. Anyway,who buys most music? Look at the ages of those posting here when music posts are made. It's percieved by younger people to be more important and to have a profound relationship to their own identity and in relating to other induviduals.

Avalanche325

Hell, I don't ever wear my seatbelt when I ride my bike. I don't have air bags either.

recursive

I have been known to push as many as three envelopes at a time.

Cypress

#10's?

I'm a padded adhesive man myself.

NoGaBiker

Not only do I have stereotypes about headphone users, I have monotypes about people who use a single earbud.

VT Biker

I think they have medication to deal with ADHD. Try it sometime.

VT Biker

Great - not only are all of these Ipod freaks more of a danger to fellow cyclists while riding, but they all have an identity crisis to deal with. Perfect.

VT Biker

Well - your BF Name should help the doctors when they treat you for severe brain injury.

recursive

I think they have an explanation of that comment later in the thread. Try reading it sometime.

Snicklefritz

Sometimes it is so windy on the courses I ride on in the afternoons that I couldn't hear my ipod anyways.

The other day I was glad I didn't have it on. I was in the middle of doing intervals on a road that normally is really safe. HUGE shoulder and very wide roads through a ritzy neighborhood with vineyards. Well about halfway into the interval and a utility trucks dumps its cargo in the bike lane!!! Yes I am serious!! this huge metal ladder falls out of the truck and bounces into the lane about 20 feet in front of me.
If I were catholic I would have crossed myself a bunch of times. Anyways, I won't be skipping church to ride my bike this sunday. That was a close call. It could have been a lot worse. All I lost were about 5 watts, but had I not been paying attention, I could have ended up in the hospital.

VT Biker

Nah - I am off my ADHD meds tonight.

ranger5oh

I ride with music sometimes, it doesnt affect my riding, or hearing at all. UNLESS, i turn it up way too loud. I tend to ride with it at a level I can still hear ambient noise, so I see no real problem with it.

Frugle

all gravel driveways around here spill off into the road, so you have to go around them.


also pot holes are to pleanty to constantly look behind you whenever you see one...

but I will def. try the riding further out route... sounds like a good idea.


BTW: again, for those not reading the thread... this is completely for NEW riders... if you have the experience to know, then don't bother posting.