I won't use good in-ear phones on my bicycle. They seal out too much ambient sound. I NEED to hear the ambient sound on the road. The cheap headphones that come with iPods or $10 Radio Shack phones (better still) let me hear the music and the cars. That's why I consider it safe. I do hear the traffic with my iPod playing at moderate levels. I always hear the traffic.

So anyone that thinks you can't safely ride with an iPod is incorrect. But as always, none of them really do. And it is quite hazardous in my view if you ride with the volume too loud or earphones that seal off the outside world.

I don't have a mirror and rely mainly on hearing to know what's coming up behind me. I actually have pretty good hearing for my age (48), I didn't blow out all of my high frequency hearing with loud music when I was younger.

I'm pretty observant when I ride but I don't make a habit of looking behind me unless I hear something coming up. I mainly ride along Pacific Coast Highway, which is a popular roadway in San Diego. There have been several bike fatalities on that road in the last couple of years. I'm trying to avoid being the next one.

As a recording engineer I can tell you that you do not measure sound pressure with a microphone. You do it with a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter. So that figure about 105 dB is absurd. A jet engine produces 110 dB, levels above 85 dB can be damaging for sustained periods of time. I also believe that even at the speeds above 40 mph you are probably receiving about 40-60 db max to your ear, which is the same as a conversation.

I do agree there can be too much of a good thing. But there's a happy balance between not hearing everything and not hearing anything. Even the best isolating phones only block out about 30db of sound, which means a 130db car horn will just sound at 100db in your ears, which is more than loud enough to hear. Basically, no matter what you wear, you won't be able to not hear traffic. It's just about how much traffic you want to hear.

Dude - don't go confusing everyone with science and facts. It takes all the passion out of the discussion.

Incorrect. When I have the volume too high on the cheap headphones, I sometimes won't hear the cars coming up on me (road and engine noise). That's why I keep the volume quite moderate. You'll always hear a car horn, but you may not hear other sounds you want to hear.

It might have been an SPL meter; I'd have to find the thread. But I strongly disagree with your estimate of 60db at 40mph+. The first hit on google in this topic for motorcyclists already points out wind noises are well over 100 db at highway speeds, which are slightly above 40mph.

This is precisely why cheap headphones aren't the best idea for listening in traffic--they result in you turning the volume even louder to overcome the already loud sounds of your external environment. Good phones don't require you to turn the volume up nearly as much because they're already cutting out a lot of background noise.

You are correct. In ear head phones can be highly damaging to the ear. Way more than any wind could be. The wind may damage high frequencies in your hearing over a long period of time (e.g. truck drivers who drive with the window open for years. Their hearing gets 'worn-in' you could say in the frequency range of the wind they hear all day.)

An in ear head phone could damage any part(s) of the frequency range in your entire range of hearing. Even at a tolerable level, headphone use for over an hour is not recommended without a break because of the damage it can cause to your eardrum.

I don't ride with earphones because riding is one of the few activities I do without music. As for the safety factor I think it's fine if you keep the volume at a level where you can hear the important sounds like cars and fellow cyclists.

#2 = all the way. Hearing has saved my life numerous times.

Like was said earlier, they probably all died off.

Sorry to break down everything you are saying but if your music is loud enough in your headphones, you won't be able to hear anything else. Sound becomes half as loud every time the apparent distance doubles.

I think it's ok to wear headphones if you keep the volume low enough so that you can hear what's going on around you. Although I personally don't listen to headphones at all while riding. Plenty of other time to enjoy music.

This really seems to depend upon your definition of "loud enough". When my music is loud enough, I can still hear things around me. But since the main thing I'd hear without earphones is the wind, I'm more than happy to dim that slightly, though it's impossible to get rid of it entirely.

Man, you seriously don't get it. You will after the car flattens you, if you happen to survive, but you won't, so never mind.

And the rest of you don't know what you're talking about either. So why do you even start these idiotic threads? Wait, why am I posting here? Oh that's right, to inflate my post count.

Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree. You keep riding your way, I'll keep riding mine.

information overload baby, mmmmm =D

Oh, like they have traffic in friggin Missouri.

Yes! *fist pump* I win at BF!



Mac

Oh, and for those that are curious, I don't ride with an mp3 player, but I don't care if you do.

Mac

Traffic?

They're still waiting to get music in Missouri.

Other than races and when I ride with others, music or podcasts 99% of the time tingle the ears. I ride my motorcycle on occasion with music as well.

It is absurd to ride a road bike with an iPod plugged into both ears. It is too dangerous.

About a month ago I found an iPod shuffle just lying in my driveway. I asked everyone that I knew who could have possibly dropped it there if it belonged to them, but nobody was missing one. The music on it gave me no clue. I figured that it was a gift from the cycling gods.

So I loaded some tunes on it and went for a ride. I noticed pretty quickly that you could hear traffic and the music well enough below 18 mph. Riding 22 mph and up generated enough wind noise that the iPod was more of a nuisance than a pleasure.

Maybe someday I will wear it while riding again, but only on recovery ride days.

What about Branson?

https://www.reservebranson.com/details.asp?id=629&t=S