Then use a mirror. Duh.

Never leave home without it...

I don't use the noise maker. I really want to hear the car that kills me, as opposed to listening to hippity-hop. Also, I love the swoosh sounds bikes make when they pass you.

I tried a couple times. Seemed more of a hassle to me. When I ride, I enjoy the peace and quiet. The last I want when trying to get a good workout, is more junk strapped to body (like an HRM, what a pain that was).

I'll ride with my iPod and SHURE E3Cs (which are isolating) pretty much all the time. The only exception to this is riding at night on country roads, because they have little, if any lighting. Really, if the car is gonna hit you, its gonna hit you regardless of whether you can hear it or not. If you use sound as an indication of approaching cars, then that's just silly: its far safer and more reliable to shoulder check every minute or so.

I hate passing riders who have an Ipod. They can't hear me coming and weave into my path. If they don't do that then they can't hear my greeting.

If you're going to wear an ipod, pay attention to traffic. Please don't bring them to a group ride.

I've tried riding with music and hated it. It cut back significantly on my ability to hear traffic, to an extent that I felt was dangerous. I'm one of those people who can hear traffic behind me. That's saved me from getting hit a number of times.

Bringing one to a group ride is just stupid, as the whole point of those rides is social. Also, people that don't ride right, pass left deserve a pump in the spokes.

When I started riding to work, I did listen to music for a while, then started riding with just one in the ear - found it confusing to listen to traffic/warnings in one ear and listening to music in the other. After riding on the MS Bike ride that states you are not to listen to an IPod while riding, I quit doing it and haven't looked back sense.

Can you hear a car coming up - perhaps not on some cars, some you can. When I ride the bike trails, I HATE PEOPLE listening to their IPods - do they hear me when I announce "On your left"? Sometimes yes, sometimes I don't know - still announce myself, but sometimes it's tempting to just blow by them - but that would be rude and I don't want to get Peds/Joggers ticked off anymore on bicycles.

What I don't understand is WHY does everyone have to be entertained ALL the time? Everyone has an IPod going with whatever they are doing. People texting/talking to their friend while walking/driving. Kids watching DVD's while Mommy is going to the store. TV's everywhere while eating/shopping. Society has gotten to the point that we are expecting to be entertained every waking second.

I even recently "participated" in a conference call using my iPhone for about an hour. It was one of those situations in which I didn't have to interact...just listen. (It was also incredibly boring.) In general, I sometimes ride while listening to an iPod/iPhone/whatever. However, I only turn up the music to the point at which I can rub my fingers together in front of my face an still hear the sound of them rubbing together over the music. Much louder than that and I feel like I'm missing out on the sound around me.

My other thought, however; has often been. Am I really agile enough and is my hearing so incredibly astute that hearing a car as it barrels down on me makes any difference in my likely survival? I really doubt it.

99.999% of all bicycles I see weaving are ridden by people who are not wearing ipods. The absolute worst and most dangerous riders are people with their families. You'll see some guy that looks like Chevy Chase with his wife and 3 kids and they will do the most unpredictable and stupid things. All without the help from an ipod.

Then the answer is to stop riding on MUPs.

Is that the answer? Thanks, I was hoping somebody would have the answer.

You should learn how to ride a bike properly on roads. You shouldnt be changing your line everytime you hear a car.

I listen to pre recorded car noises so I can keep right.

Every time I'm on the bike, I'm listening to my iPod. It's the first thing I wear. Second is my helmet.

Only when outside of town and riding solo.

I don't move over when I hear a car coming since I am always as far over as possible anyway, nor do I look behind me. So what good does hearing do me? If a car is going to hit me from behind, its going to happen anyway whether I hear it coming or not.

I don't listen to an ipod. I don't like the idea of cutting off my sense of sound. Hearing the cars coming is fairly important in a number of areas on my normal routes, when having to move across lanes to make a left, for instance. More importantly, I can hear where other cyclists are, which I'm convinced that people listening to earbuds cannot.

Beyond this, I get enough music driving to and from work, and really enjoy hearing the wind and the sounds that come with pedaling and shifting.

First, your assuming adding music eliminates all other sound. Wrong, this makes most of your argument mute and pointless.
Then you say you need to hear when you change lanes left. Turn your head and LOOK. I cant believe you use your hearing to change lanes, talk about dangerous.

I've only been coming to BF for a couple months, but this is a recurring thread... do you guys ever think that this is just someone being a troll... wanting to stir the pot just to watch the arguement?

The bottom-line is that it is dangerous in some circumstances... others it's not... if someone gets taken out because they did something stupid... then the gene-pool is a little cleaner!

Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing after 65k bike miles

The point is that I'm extra careful to hug the side of the road when I hear a car.

-murray

Ipod=Ichabod.


S.

Umm half the posts here are troll attempts.

As I ride listening to my ipod, in my superman costume, not acknowledging waves or nodes, passing too closely people who can't ride their bikes, without announcing myself on a MUP, going more then 5 miles an hour, I always wonder how would other BF members feel about this. Oh I also like to take candy from little kids.

+every bit of matter in the universe

I can hear cars exactly the same with one ear in as without, but I've still not heard a reasonable description of the sound a car that is going to hit is going to make. If you are really that concerned about getting hit from behind, go party with the mirror fanboys.

I'm picturing you naked with a helmet and ipod. I hope you don't mind that I'm imagining you are a hot woman.

I do in traffic, but I keep it very light, I don't attempt to block out sounds, especially sounds that could save my tail.

I do it mainly so I can hear my phone ring and can pull off the road and just talk on the headset instead of digging the phone out of the bag.