for me all im doing is replacing wind noise. drives me crazy. the head phones i use i can still hear traffic, still less of course. which also keeps me out of trouble IMO. when some cool kid yells somthing profane at me, i cannot understand it and i dont chase the car. when i ride solo only, do i wear my ipod. i dont know what people are thinking when they are listening to music when around other people. i had a guy get upset with me when he was talking to me because he couldnt hear me. go figure

FWIW, When I bought my iPhone, I looked at the earphones that they had in the apple store. They had an interesting (but very expensive) set that simply blocked waaaay too much outside noise. I got the vmoda vibe duo because a) I could still hear conversations around me through them, and b) it had the cleanest mic sound. I can talk into the mic going 30mph and the person on the call can hear me just fine! Uh oh, am I going to start a talking on the phone while biking backlash now?

only if you plan on texting. perhaps in the front a paceline while chatting with the guy who just peeled off.

i always ipod, unless i am on a group ride in which case i never ipod

i ski with tunes, drive with tunes, and listen to tunes around the house. i have a setup that allows me to immediately mute the music at tricky intersections or trafficy areas, should the situation warrant it.

Hmm.. it's got a mic, which my Shure earbuds don't have... and gets decent comments about sound.. I may need to get myself a pair of those.

I don't listen to music when I ride, because really i like the serene nothingness of riding a bike. I can also hear most cars coming, or when they are being patient waiting to get by me (nice so I can give the thank you wave when they finally pass) or when they are waiting right on my rear wheel, not so patiently. Also the beloved redneck is easier to hear, thanks for taking out the muffler Ahole.

This whole thread reminds me of when I worked for a MassHighway. Someone had asked the director why the call boxes were all placed such that you faced traffic as you use them, his response was so that you can see the 18 wheeler right before it hits you.

For me, it's not so much being entertained as it is keeping my interest. I like listening to stuff like "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" -- it gives me a laugh when I'd otherwise be gasping, drooling, or generating snot rockets.

Sometimes, though, I don't ride with an iPod, and I might use earplugs instead. Wind noise gets to be pretty bad sometimes (cruising at 15 mph with 15 mph wind = 30 mph windspeed... which is LOUD), and there's quite a racket on the 14th St. bridge with traffic going 60 mph just a few feet away. Good earplugs like the Etymotics ER20s that I got from work turn down the volume on everything without eliminating the "S"-like sounds that foam earplugs wipe out. I get back home feeling relaxed and without ringing ears -- and still without being surprised by hazards that I hadn't already seen with my eyes or via my mirror.

(new can o' worms, eh?)

I've only been here for a week I didn't know I'd blow up pandora's box.

I guess my main argument is that even though I do like listening to my songs, I also like the meditative experience. Cycling isn't just training but also a stress reliever for me, so having pump up songs in my head while trying to relax is hard, and if it's to slow - well than it's to slow.

Although I should open a new thread about what songs people listen too.... would be interesting.

I also refuse to use a mirror, I find moving images on my handlebars even more distracting than music. Forgive my P.D.D.

As with the "why wouldn't people want to go fast" thread, you have to realize that not everything is the same to all people.

It's been done

If a little music distracts you to the point that you think you are in danger, by all means turn off the music...on your bike, in your car and in your home. Sue any mall or elevator that plays music for reckless endangerment.

Discipline, my son, discipline. If you can walk and chew gum you can ride and listen to music.

More lack of discipline. Please remove the mirrors from your car before you kill someone.

I switched to a helmet mirror so that I sweep it side-to-side, letting me see more than a handlebar mirror could.

F r e d e l i c i o u s .

Yup. I'll Fred it up when I think it helps. That's why I put a cross brake lever on my CAAD8.

That's odd, since after 18 years of first riding with a cassette player and now an iPod I have never failed to hear a car. I'd say that's incontrovertible evidence that you don't have the foggiest notion of what you're talking about, eh?

This poll assumes I have an ipod; I do not. Once upon a time, long ago, ipods did not exist, and humans used such gadgets as the Walkman and Discman. I have never used my Discman for walking, running, driving, or cycling.

you CAN hear cars when you are listening to an ipod

just wanted to clear that up....

let me say it again

you CAN hear cars when you are listening to an iPod

Unless you're deaf, like the young woman who put a deposit on an Allez at my LBS a couple weeks ago.

I usually listen while riding.

A couple of times when I was really suffering the music started to bother me so I had to turn it off.

Oh boy, another iPod thread!

I'm curious, of the people who don't like to listen to music when riding, how many just don't generally like to listen to music period.

On the other hand, if you like music and are denying yourself the opportunity to ride with it at least occasionally, you're missing out. Especially with the ease of mp3's. I would have a hard time believing that somebody with a passion for music would go without all the time.

Also, I think some of the anti iPod crowd is clueless to the extent that some of us are aware of our surroundings without our ears. Many of us have learned how to do it in cars with decades of practice and we are comfortable in our surroundings. I really think that many of you without that kind of experience shouldn't be using an iPod.

And since we are talking about music and riding and the inevitable statement that I need all my senses comes up, anybody care to explain how it is that the deaf, dumb and blind boy played such a mean pinball??

Nice memories, I forgot about those I had to show it to my son. Hes 8 and never saw one of those.

I've had iPods since 2001 and the vast majority of songs in my 4000+ song library have playcounts greater than 20. I listen to my iPod every day at work and a fair amount at home as well.

I've NEVER had my iPod on my bike outside. As I said earlier, I started riding pretty seriously before Walkmans were invented so I've developed my appreciation of riding without the need for music. If iPods existed when I started riding, it might be a different story.

-murray

You are missing one of life's great pleasures. The right song on the right ride is fantastic!

btw, a large library in this day and age only means you have a lot of memory. My teenage daughter has more music than me and I've made a career in the field.