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what is this helmet that you speak of?

redfooj

safety-freds occupy the pole opposite to that of the newbie-fred, 2 road IDs, reflective stripes on ankles, jacket, and pants, rear view mirror, jitterbug cell phone.... and a helmet for the occasions they fall from being clipped in (the 1 commonality they share with the newbie-freds)

achoo

I've heard cars overtaking me when I go down a descent at 40-45 mph on a winding two-lane country road with a 55 mph speed limit. If you're going fast, a car also has to be going fast to overtake you. And a car going fast is LOUD.

If you can't hear a car going 50 or 60 mph, it's because you have your head up your ass so far you have to open your mouth to see where you're going.

Grumpy McTrumpy

I don't think that is true. A lot depends on the type of car, wind direction, etc.

Grumpy McTrumpy

I often turn my head halfway to listen behind me when I am on certain roads.

ID64

Why don't you have a cake and eat it? Those headphones serve me well, they over the ear and I still can hear ambience and cars just fine when sound volume is reasonable, also no wires.

EventServices

+1
What sound does a car make when it's about to hit you?
And what can you do about it at that point?

Also, how loud is your music? And how air-tight are the headphones?

Accordion

Dude, WAYYYYYYY too much drag....

ID64

Hmm.. Isn't that about to become more careful when you hear a motor vehicle behind you? Everyone in BF are opposing rearview mirrors and now we are taking hearing out as well? I personally try to be as right as I can when I HEAR car behind me to give him more space to pass me safely. I don't care if my average drops 1 or 2 km/h.

Agave

I ride with buds in playing a recording of traffic approaching.

A helmet is what you sit on while waiting for you wife to pick you up after you've flatted 1-3 miles from home.

Makel

How long does the charge last?
And will they push my ear warmers up?

ID64

Not too much for me, I have a big ears

fly:yes/land:no

perhaps it is a confluence of good hearing and good shielding from my helmet, but i can hear cars coming quite clearly and while cycling at speed. i experimented with this a month or so ago on my commute, and i successfully heard and looked back in time to see 90% of the cars that passed me. on a typical commute, i watch around 75% of the cars pass me. of that, i would say at least 2/3 give me some time to react. and yes, i look back whenever i hear a car coming when riding solo. headphones reduce my hearing slightly. kinda like how box rims reduce my aero profile only slightly. i take every little bit i can while racing, and you better believe that i take every little bit when it comes to safety. things can matter relatively, can they not?

Makel

Tsk Tsk... You shouldn't let "THEM" know that.

patentcad

That doesn't work so well on the Nyack Ride. Just sayin.

gazelle5333

****

jwible

My Lexus is pretty damn quiet. A car accelerating is loud. A car coasting at is much quieter. A car going fast can be either.

Is that a personal insult?

thcri

I have a set of the Motorola head set that is bluetooth. I can hear things around me pretty good. I only use them when I am alone. I have found that the music depending on the song I race to it and I work harder. If with others I don't use them at all. And I only use them on roads seldom used or paths.

achoo

And where are YOU when your "damn quiet" Lexus is moving? Sitting inside the sound-insulated passenger compartment?

Go stand next to a freeway sometime. When the cars are going by at 60+ MPH. The wind and tire noise won't be reduced one bit no matter what the throttle is set to. It takes what? 50 to 100 HP to push a car at those speeds, if not more? And most of that power is dissipated into the atmospheric vibrations as turbulence, noise, and heat.

According to this link, a typical passenger car at 65 MPH produces a sound measured at 77 dB at 25 feet. That's only 3 dB lower than the 80 dB listed for a freight train at 15 ft, the same 80 dB level listed as being able to cause actual hearing damage.

Where is your head anyway if you can't hear that?

If you take that as a personal insult, you have way too much invested in believing that your "damn quiet" Lexus that's "damn quiet" from the inside is also "damn quiet" from the outside.

7bmwm3gtr

+1. Especially on descents that are on "a winding two-lane country road with a 55 mph speed limit" , a coasting hybrid can be on its electric motor. It doesn't even have to be a hybrid, the wind can be louder than the rolling tires of a coasting car/truck/suv.

achoo

You'd just hear the tire noise about a mile away.

Try it some time. Go out near a road and LISTEN. Heck, just go out in front of your house and LISTEN.

Having any car sneak up on you is akin to getting your 20-lb Thanksgiving turkey stolen by a chihuahua - you had to do something WRONG to have that happen.

Then again, how many people reach the head of a check-out line at the supermarket or the toll booth on a highway and are surprised and unprepared to pay - after waiting in line just for that very purpose?

surgeonstone

Complete, utter fail!

LesterOfPuppets

I live 100 yds from Interstate 5. I can hear lots of tire noise all day long but I can't tell if a car is coming up the driveway 'til it's right up on me.

Lotta variables people. The slower you're riding on the bike generally the better you can hear traffic. Once you get up past 25mph or so you can only hear hotrods, bassheads and trucks riding jake brakes.

Check behind you often. Over the shoulder, under the armpit or in your mirror. Headphones or no. Winter hat or no. Diagnosed hearing damage or no.

fly:yes/land:no

in my experience, that is inaccurate.

jwible

What exactly is your reaction time to the car moving so loudly 25 feet behind you? By hearing it do you know if he or she is moving to the left to give you room? Do you ride off the road as soon as you hear a car and the wait until it's all quiet before pricking up you ears and resumming your ride?

The sound of an approaching car does nothing for a solo rider who stays to the right. It's either going to pass safely or not.

Go troll in A&S.