music while riding
#1
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music while riding
I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time. I know that I'll need music to get me through the more tedious stretches and was thinking of an mp3 player. I'm a little reluctant to wear headphones and was wondering if anyone knew of bike friendly speakers that are small and light enough to mount to the handlebars for instance.
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I wear in one ear those small earphones that fit in your ear at a low volume, the other ear is free to hear.
#3
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For a while I had a set of those cheapo walkman speakers that clip together. Lashed 'em to the strap of my messenger bag, and presto!
Then again, I usually just sing to myself.
Then again, I usually just sing to myself.
#4
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I use a sony walkman cd/mp3/tv/fm palyer with a small set of sony powered computer speakers lashed under my handlebar bag. I can fit like 20 cd's worth of music on one mp3 disc that will last for a week or so, and if I get tired of that, I switch to the TV band or FM and listen for a while. The speakers are nice and small and with thier own battery power supply have plenty of volume.
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<Rant>
I think the concept of using open speakers in an open vehicle is disturbing (literally).
I wish particularly nasty things on car drivers (with open windows) and motorbikers who wish to share their particular taste in music with everyone in a two-block radius.
</Rant>
I think the concept is especially bad for bicycles which are inherently quiet.
Why not just use an open style headphone bud which doesn't block your hearing, and keep the volume down?
I think the concept of using open speakers in an open vehicle is disturbing (literally).
I wish particularly nasty things on car drivers (with open windows) and motorbikers who wish to share their particular taste in music with everyone in a two-block radius.
</Rant>
I think the concept is especially bad for bicycles which are inherently quiet.
Why not just use an open style headphone bud which doesn't block your hearing, and keep the volume down?
#6
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Check these out, only $20. I'm sure that they sound comparable to cheap headphones, but they're small and inexpensive. I could rig them to attach to my handlebars.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...#more-pictures
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...#more-pictures
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OK, here's what we use: A CD player with 45 secound anti skip and AM/FM radio built in, so we can get the weather and news when on tour. We set the player to mono and use only the speaker with the built in amp (3 watts) from a set of walkman speakers. We also use rechargable batteries when on tour, we recharge the batteries from the dyno hub we use for lighting.
The speaker is mounted under my seat and the player is slipped into a pocket in the back of my seat, along with a few CD's. We make a copy of CD's (don't tell the RIAA) and take the copies with us on the bike. CD's don't last long on tour...
This works very well, we can hear traffic behind us, or the birds in the trees, we can hear each other. Nothing is lost... unless BentbaggerJan starts to sing along
The speaker is mounted under my seat and the player is slipped into a pocket in the back of my seat, along with a few CD's. We make a copy of CD's (don't tell the RIAA) and take the copies with us on the bike. CD's don't last long on tour...
This works very well, we can hear traffic behind us, or the birds in the trees, we can hear each other. Nothing is lost... unless BentbaggerJan starts to sing along
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"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Arthur Conan Doyle
Bentbaggerlen
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Arthur Conan Doyle
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Next time you ride,just try putting the headphones around your neck and turning up the volume some. I have been doing it like that for several years now. I usually listen to NPR when I tour
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I would recommend getting the ear buds with open air design so you can hear what's going on outside. Ear buds are small too so you don't become a statistic and get stagged by the cops. Listening to headphones while riding a bike is illegal in most states so the smaller the phones the better.
4130phile
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Check out this site: www.bicyclestereo.com. They have an amp / speaker system which attaches to the bottle cage mounts. The speakers attach to
either the handle bar ends or on the handle bar. I have one on my recumbent. Eventually ditched the supplied speakers for Radio Shack CB speakers attached to the handlebars via Minoura mounts. This system is just the amplifer and speakers. You have to supply the music source.
Garry A.
either the handle bar ends or on the handle bar. I have one on my recumbent. Eventually ditched the supplied speakers for Radio Shack CB speakers attached to the handlebars via Minoura mounts. This system is just the amplifer and speakers. You have to supply the music source.
Garry A.
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I've seen the bicycle stereo, looks like the one I'll get. I like the idea of speakers as opposed to earbuds or headphones. The earbuds are uncomfortable and I don't like the feeling of isolation you can get with headphones. I'll probably just place the MP3 player in my handlebar bag as I'll want to use the cage for water. I don't plan on jamming or even listening that much. I'd just like to have the diversion on the more tedious sections of the trail or on breaks.
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that mini-ipod fellow looks amazing. calender, notes, alarm? a thousand songs? small enough to be inadvertently swallowed?
but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.
matt b.
but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.
matt b.
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I seen something on the news a couple of weeks back about the ipods. It had to do with the batteries. Apparently once the battery gave out completely, there was no replacing it. You had to get a new ipod. I don't remember what city it was but one person became upset at not being able to replace the battery, he started a pubicity campaign about it. Supposedly Apple is is going to do something about the battery problem.
Garry
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That doesn't make sense- the ipod recharges itself. It comes with some kind of unit that you plug into itself, and that recharges whatever keeps the power going. My friend showed me hers- I asked her where the battery unit was, and she said there was none.
If some fool doesn't plug in his ipod over a long period of time (which I can't see how that happens since you have to plug it in in order to download the songs at least), then that's on them. From what I've seen, the ipod is the way to go, and as long as you do some basic basic maintenance, you should be able to use that until a nuclear bomb hits you and melts your ipod into smithereens.
Koffee
If some fool doesn't plug in his ipod over a long period of time (which I can't see how that happens since you have to plug it in in order to download the songs at least), then that's on them. From what I've seen, the ipod is the way to go, and as long as you do some basic basic maintenance, you should be able to use that until a nuclear bomb hits you and melts your ipod into smithereens.
Koffee
#17
Yo
The ipod has a rechargable battery. There was an issue with some of the early releases where the battery was lasting only about a year. There is a fix now from Apple and there's a 3rd party fix as well...
My intel is tiny and was state of the art a couple years ago, but has 64M storage, the ipod has up to 40G and the mini ipod has 4G. About the same price too... amazing!
My intel is tiny and was state of the art a couple years ago, but has 64M storage, the ipod has up to 40G and the mini ipod has 4G. About the same price too... amazing!
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Originally Posted by Matthew A Brown
that mini-ipod fellow looks amazing. calender, notes, alarm? a thousand songs? small enough to be inadvertently swallowed?
but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.
matt b.
but alas, not compatible with the voice recorder. blast.
matt b.
I'll tell ya how it works for me.
Dave
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Originally Posted by mjw16
I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time.
No place for a skinny tire bike, but you know that.
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I use an old pair of Sony SRS-A10 speakers; when these are snapped together (at the base), they are just slightly larger than a standard water bottle, and can be easily (though snugly) inserted into the bottle cage. I add a length of heavy duty shock cord and two pinch locks to guarantee it stays on the bike.
I am a bit nervous about having my iPod attached to the bike (in case of accident), so rather than plug it in directly, I keep a small FM radio on the bike, tucked inside the small tool bag I attached to the seat frame. To play (non-radio) music, I use an iTrip radio transmitter and "narrowcast" from my iPod, which is safely tucked away in my panniers. Works like a charm, and I can always listen to the radio, too.
I am a bit nervous about having my iPod attached to the bike (in case of accident), so rather than plug it in directly, I keep a small FM radio on the bike, tucked inside the small tool bag I attached to the seat frame. To play (non-radio) music, I use an iTrip radio transmitter and "narrowcast" from my iPod, which is safely tucked away in my panniers. Works like a charm, and I can always listen to the radio, too.
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In New York state, you are allowed to have one earphone on. I was stopped once by a campus policeman who told me I should use one earphone in the right ear, and listen for traffic with the left ear. I usually listen to NPR. But I generally don't use it on busy roads.
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Originally Posted by mjw16
I'm planning on riding the length of the C & O Canal this spring, by myself this time. I know that I'll need music to get me through the more tedious stretches and was thinking of an mp3 player. I'm a little reluctant to wear headphones and was wondering if anyone knew of bike friendly speakers that are small and light enough to mount to the handlebars for instance.
It's your lucky day!
I'm an AC/DC junkie when I ride, and was using earbuds for the last 5 years... but am FINALLY convinced that speakers are the way to go:
Radio Shack.... $20
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I used my iPod nearly every day in Norway, recharging it in campgrounds or hostels.
I find the small ear buds don't block outside noise much, I can hear traffic very well. In fact sometimes I have trouble hearing the music.
I find the small ear buds don't block outside noise much, I can hear traffic very well. In fact sometimes I have trouble hearing the music.