brucewiley

I've been debating for a while on what sounds to take with me for riding and I finally settled on this Grundig from Radio Shack. Yes, I have an IPod but IHate those things stuck in my ears while riding.

This radio has great volume from the speaker with decent quality and has 7 Shortwave bands to listen to while laying in my tent at night in the boonies. With ear buds it has stereo sound. Only drawback is the tuning is a bit touchy but FM stations stay locked in on bumpy rides. Only $30 !!!

I have it mounted now just with some velcro but that really isn't secure enough so I'll come up with something better.

Tooling around town now in the snow while singing along with my favorite oldies, not a pretty sight.

gpsblake

Can that radio pick up NOAA weather radio? It looks like the right size to take.

brucewiley

Negative on the weather radio reception. On my years of sailing I learned not to rely on those too much.

gpsblake

Gotta disagree with you on that one. You'll want to know if a tornado watch or thunderstorm warning has been issued if you are bicycle touring... especially if you are in the plains or primitive camp like I do.

Newspaperguy

This looks like a great little radio for at camp. I like the small size and it looks like a durable unit.

I don't listen to a radio while I'm riding and I refuse to use any device with headphones or ear buds on the road. I need to hear the sounds of traffic, especially when I'm on the busier highways. Radios and iPods should be used off the bike.

TehK

The last tour I did I took along a small (by 90's standards) radio and it made the stops much more fun.

Rowan

Waterproof? Plastic wrap (I think you guys call it saren wrap) is one solution that a friend has come up with because he can wrap it around the handlebar and radio all at once and get a good seal. Otherwise a plastic bag. But it does influence how you attach the radio to the stem/handlebar. Otherwise, I popped mine into the handlebar bag if it rained. I used both the main speaker and earbuds depending on the wind and traffic noise.

I acquired mine on my Perth-Adelaide trip back in 1997; as the date implies, it was rotary tune, extendable chromed aerial, and no digital, but it did have AM and FM. It was a great companion and I used it a LOT in training rides as well as touring, and on occasions it saved my sanity in Europe in 2003 as I listened to the Rocket radio station from Holland -- classic rock in English!

I left the radio behind when I left Tasmania a several years ago, and sort of regret it. I have had small pocket radios with just earbuds, but they don't have the pick-up power of a larger radio. I attached it to the stem using zip ties -- it's a bit difficult to describe, but it worked!

And unless you have a really big MP3/iPod player with space for several thousand songs, the selection of music starts to become limited after... oh... three days. And I've found scrolling through song lists to be tedious, too.

brucewiley

Yes, you are probably correct on that account although here in the west it's less of a problem. If weather channels are available, FM stations should also be coming in with weather reports.

My big experience was in the 80's while sailing the gulf coast and carribean when the NOAA weather forecasts were notoriously bad and often so conservative you would never leave port.

So now, here I am riding in the snow every day in Idaho but dang, age 60 and still riding, gotta celebrate.

brucewiley

Gotta agree with you on that. Actually when I'm touring the backcountry I want to be able to hear the sounds around me, birds, traffic, nature, all that stuff. I was legally blind for a couple of years from a chronic disease I have and found out how important hearing all that was to me. When just cruising around town with not much traffic and putting in some miles, it's nice to have some tunes to sing to though. People hear me coming too and wonder about the crazy old fart riding a bike in the snow.

valygrl

40gb 3rd gen ipod, put it on shuffle, not a problem

gregw

The radio looks good, that model was not available when I got mine. But that's not what I concerned about. You got some splainin to do with that double handlebar thing you got goin on. Pictures! you can't just post a picture like that and not follow-up with your handlebar set-up. Pictures!

Rowan

Butterfly bars?

brucewiley

Jeesh, ok better handlebar pics tomorrow Just a Nashbar Trekking handlebar with SRAM X7 shifters on the ends. Over 100 miles on them so far meandering around town and love'em. Ready for a spring overnighter now!