Headphones (who wears them)

[Cassandra_Cain]

I like how this thread has gone from being strictly about headphones to now encompassing other things.....namely one's mind wandering....and, does such mental meandering count as a distraction???

Good discussion I think, one we should have.

My experience with this is that headphones, thoughts of bubble bath's while on a steep climb, etc - all constitute some level of distraction as compared to being absolutely, totally concentrated on one's every pedal stroke.

I would probably say the level of distraction and how much they affect your road awareness and peripheral sense - vary quite a bit.

Doing the trendy thing - slapping on an ipod to my jersey pocket and riding with headphones - for me, would represent a huge distraction. Like earplugs they block the noise of the road, but then also introduce more distraction in the form of music. That in my mind is openly and blatantly flirting with disaster.

Other things though like thinking about the lovely sunflowers alongside the road, whether some cute new beau or girl is going to return your call, and cherry pie when you are 20 miles from home - do remove you from that absolute, zeroed in, totally focused space. I'll say this though, IMO you can recover your focus a heck of a lot faster than you can with headphones.

I find the harder I ride, the more focused I am. On a recovery ride, I'm figuratively smelling the flowers, but then I'm also going at the slowest speed I ride....at the far end, when I'm doing intervals, I am absorbed by every pedal stroke, my heart beat, the line I'm riding, the road, etc.

[cherinyc]

'SIGH' why why why? why did I stop?

ok - here's the thing. everyone has valid points no matter what side of the debate you are on.
For those of you who talk about the music drowning out the sounds of nature...where I live, there is way too much traffic to be able to even hear nature, so it's good that YOU can enjoy it and you definitely should. Basically, I am used to riding in an area that does not have bike lanes, and we do not have designated bike paths, so my only option is to ride along roads that are too narrow, and not very well maintained. What that means is I am VERY aware of my surroundings regardless of what I hear. I just figure that there is never a time where I can let my guard down...so I don't.
I will listen to my iPod Shuffle w/ 1 earbud in (the one away from traffic) when I feel comfortable doing so. It is only loud enough for me to just hear it. Someone mentioned ambiance music previously. It's like that. For me, the wind in my ears is much louder than my music.

Now what I think is getting overlooked, and creating such passionate views from people who oppose "headphones" is that well.....how do I put this.....let's se.....oh yeah MOST PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS!!!! those not currently on, or associated with TE forum of course.
People who close off both ears with ear/headphones? IDIOTS
People who blast their music while riding? IDIOTS
People who say they listen to music to drown out the sound of traffic? IDIOTS

The experiences that some of you've had where the human obstacle in front of you didn't hear you coming because of said headphones? if, when you got along side that same person and you saw they didn't have headphones? you would just call them what? IDIOTS

The music faintly playing in my right ear is solely to give me a rhythm, a pace when I am climbing or something, not give me a distraction. My brain (when its tooo quiet) will cause me more of a distraction.

On organized rides, where any music is prohibited, I find there is usually a song in my head - and it is playing just as loud (if not louder) than my Shuffle would be. This past weekend, I did a 72 mile ride (my longest by far) and the song in my head was Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" though in my head it sounded more like "don't stop til you get it up". Don't you hate when you don't know the words to a song, but you sing it anyway and make the words up? Anyway, after 4.5 hrs of the same song in my head, I would've liked to be able to hit the "next" button and gone to a different track.

I think there are just some people who are oblivious to the fact that they are not alone on the planet, and that they could potentially be in someone's way, or they could be an IDIOT. That's what makes them such. But for the most part, it is still possible to listen to a little music AND be safe. Not everyone can do that.

I should've done a drive by....darn.

[cherinyc]

ohhh I just thought of another example of how the IDIOT rule applies. I lived and worked in Manhattan for 4 years, and no matter how busy, conjested, or crazy the sidewalks get - there will always be that group (family, friends, whatever) who decide it's a good idea to walk 6 across, irrelevant of the fact that people are struggling to keep sidewalk traffic moving - they refuse to get into a single file line. It's those same people that stop at the top of the stairs leading down to the subway....when it's raining....with 75 people behind them....so they can talk on their cell phone.
Like I was saying, some people are just IDIOTS!

[aicabsolut]

Better than stopping at the top of an escalator out of a subway with 75 people behind them.

I met an acquaintance for a ride this morning to try a new trail. She had her nano strapped to her arm and her headphones on when she met up with me. And she left them on. She could hear me pretty well when we had to communicate --there was a lot of wind today too-- but I was kind of insulted. We both had pretty new bikes looking to try a new route...trying to figure it out together.. and we weren't in traffic much so not getting into that issue, but I didn't like the feeling that she was tuning me out, even though we didn't exactly ride side by side and gab the whole way.

I know it's dangerous. I can also see how it can help someone keep focused out on a long, low traffic, suburban/country loop. Not just focused on the workout but focused in general. I know sometimes my brain likes to check out. I can do that on a light ride on a horse because 1) no cars, 2) the horse has a brain, and 3) I can get the horse exercised and certain things done on a light training day basically on autopilot--I don't have to think about what I do. None of these things apply to the bike unless you're lucky with #1 or until I get many years' experience (re: #3). So something upbeat to keep me tuned in to what I'm doing could be a good thing sometimes. (Note: I do not plan on doing this around my high traffic area. Ever.)

[PscyclePath]

Jef Mallett's cartoon "Frazz" (probably one of the most cycling friendly comics in print these days, haz been weighing in on this the past couple of days:






Me, I'm not so anxious to try out my new RoadID (TM) wristband ;-)

TE

[Pascale]

Personally, I think responsible, courteous people are that with or without headphones, and those who aren't courteous people are the same with or without headphones.

I do wear them on the railtrails - I wear them when it's not busy (and it rarely is when I go). I don't enjoy listening to my own breathing, it simply makes my mind think about whatever problems are on my mind and that is REALLY distracting to me PERSONALLY. Nobody sneaks up behind me, I have a mirror. When someone approaches me from behind, I physically acknowledge them so they don't have to guess whether or not I know they are there. I keep my head up, I look around, if I look like a victim with them, I'm going to look like one without them too - I'm not spacing out and watching my tires roll. I've heard the deer rustling before they've wandered onto the trail with my headphones on - and they are the most likely obstacle I'm ever going to run into on these trails.

I've been stuck behind (usually men) on a leisurely ride who are yapping with each other riding side by side that I can't pass. No, they don't have headphones on, but I guarantee they are far more oblivious to their surroundings than I am.

I don't ever wear them on public roads. I wouldn't wear them when the rail trails are busy. I have been treated far less courteously than I've ever treated anyone else on the trail --

[Mimosa]

I tried it but I didn't like it. I missed out on to much of those little noises that the other traffice makes. So I opted to no longer do it.

[suzieqtwa]

Pascale.............Good point about being just plain courteous, with or without headphones.
I did a 46 mile Charity ride this Sunday ,and there were 2 road bikes side by side ahead of me ,obviously bored with the ride ,just chatting. I was behind them on my hybrid just trying to gain speed to get up this steep hill I was looking at. They were oblivious that I was even behind them ,and kept on chatting.
After all the reading on this subject I chose not to wear headphones anymore...not because of the chirping birds ,or "spiritual experience" I may have ,but for my family ,pets ,and I'm going to be a Grandma in February.
I do believe when I wore headsets I could hear what was going on around me. I had them low ,and I was always riding to the right ,and checking behind me. Bikers get hit around here on a daily basis ,and I don't want to be one of them.
Suzie GO RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!