Headphones (who wears them)

[chickwhorips]

chick - I emailed my BF the amazon page of those earphones, and he likes them. He thinks we should give them a try. Personally, the ones that came with my iPod Shuffle are very uncomfortable, so anything would be better. Will let you know if we do try them.

i have rings on the insides of my ears and always have problems with earbuds or ear plugs staying in..... think i'll give these a try. thanks!

[cherinyc]

i have rings on the insides of my ears and always have problems with earbuds or ear plugs staying in..... think i'll give these a try. thanks!

...rings on the insides? I have a ring...as a tragus piercing. Is that what you mean? I can't use an earbud in my left ear for that reason (too sensitive).

[chickwhorips]

no its not that one, i have a daith piercing. the ring sits in the inside of my ear and you can only see it from the side.

[pooks]

And another blogger chimes in from the opposite side:

http://alaskabikeblog.blogspot.com/2...listen-up.html

Hell, you might as well smear globs of Vaseline over your sunglasses, too. Go ahead, order the big plate of glaucoma with a side order of deafness. That way, you won’t be distracted by the sight of the ground rushing toward you as you wonder what that hot, roaring, metallic thing is that just attached itself to your a**.

[lph]

Hee-hee... very funny. Even though I disagree

[BeeLady]

The only time I absolutely MUST wear my earbuds and listen to my iPod is when I am mowing the lawn on my riding mower:

1. Layer one - earbuds
2. layer two - dust retarding bandana
3. layer three - sound deterent full-body headphones (used on rifle ranges)
4. layer four - sun bonnet (like the ones worn in pioneer days) to keep sun off face
5. iPod stuck in top of my cowboy boots (not really - in my jean's pocket)

(I know Apple is secretly trying to track me down and use me for a Tv commercial in this get-up)

Other than that, I can function without my iPod in most situations, especially while on my bike.

[Kitsune06]

no its not that one, i have a daith piercing. the ring sits in the inside of my ear and you can only see it from the side.

I did *not* know that. That's hot. Yow. and it'd hurt, too. yowowowow. cartilage...

On the topic- I don't think anyone will truly change their habits based on the opinions of those on this thread. If I'm going on a long ride in boring territory (empty parks, etc) I play music just so it's audible and cues my memory as to what the song is. (or I end up looping one song for freakin' ever and then it gets stuck in my head, thank-you-very-much-Knot for U2.

[KnottedYet]

(or I end up looping one song for freakin' ever and then it gets stuck in my head, thank-you-very-much-Knot for U2.

"The corner of your lips
is the orbit of your hips
eclipse
you elevate my soul
I've got no self control..."

Now it will be stuck in your head even MORE!!!!

[lph]

On the topic- I don't think anyone will truly change their habits based on the opinions of those on this thread.

I agree with this, but it can be useful to hear other people's opinions sometimes. I was surprised by how many of you were downright annoyed that OTHER cyclists wear headphones. Which doesn't bother me or change my opinion - I know full well how much I notice or don't notice in traffic - but tips me off that other people I meet may treat me badly in traffic solely because I'm wearing headphones. Pissing people off is rarely a good idea, especially if they're driving a SUV and you're sharing a lane with them...

Which reminds me of an online discussion I once read, where a couple of taxi drivers went completely ballistic over cyclists in Oslo. I've given taxis a wider berth ever since, no need to tempt fate.

[Kitsune06]

white iPod headphones are rarely a good idea. First, they're more visible, so if someone has a bird because you're wearing headphones, they can see 'em that much better :P Second, they were acutally listed as a top reason why people got mugged in NYC. White headphones=iPods, and muggers were going for iPods. Lovely.
My headset is dark blue and hooks over my ears. The speakers juuust fit into my ear, and I run the cord into the neck of my collar, the iPod (when I had one...) went into my "napoleon" pocket.

[pll]

OK. This is a long discussion and, as Kitsune remarked, nobody will change opinion. I am one of those people who only uses headphones in airplanes -- I cannot stand them anywhere else. In part, I think they are a little bit dangerous, in part because I enjoy exercising and hearing the surrounding sounds. I agree with Cherinyc that the "idiot rule" applies and it is usually people that swerve unexpectedly while they ride hearing music (or talk on their cell phone). But it can also be someone who, if aware that someone is behind, would move a little further right on a bike path so they can be passed safely. Sometimes a bell and an "on your left!" are not enough.

Anyway, with my rant out of the way, a couple of days ago I saw the following product featured in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/te...ref=technology

If you click on the link to the MacFriends site, there is an Ipod bike mount that looks cool, too (if I ever decide to listen to music and actually buy an iPod)