Music & Cycling: Am I crazy?

[joyrider]

The "on your left" thing doesn't really work when the person you're talking to can't hear you. I've had a different experience - riding frequently on the heavily used Los Gatos Creek Trail, I have many times encountered joggers, sometimes with strollers, who give no response to my signaling that I want to pass - and then when I do pass, I see that they're wearing headphones...
But I'm torn, because I think music would perk me up on a long ride, too. However, I think the bottom line is that even though I think it would be satisfying to combine the pleasure of riding with the pleasure of listening to music, I rely on my ears to tell me what dangers are around me, like it or not. And if I weigh riding with no tunes against being hit by a car or God forbid injuring someone else, no tunes wins.
I have been considering the boom box in the basket method, though. In the right environment, I think it could work.

[Dogmama]

I never wear headphones & steer very clear of those who do because they tend to be in their own little world and startle easily when I come up behind them (read: often jump in my path.) I want to be 110% aware of my surroundings. If I hear a car slowing down behind me, for example, that is a big clue that it might make a right hand turn in front of me.

If wind noise is a bother, you can find small wind-ear blocks that mount to your helmet. It might take a bit of searching but they're out there.

On a personal note, I find music distracting. I want to be able to think, observe and generally enjoy being out in nature. I wear my headphones in the gym where blocking out conversations, overhead music and grunts is important.

[Pedal Wench]

I was thinking about this out on my ride yesterday. As I said earlier, I use one earbud, but only when I'm on a path - it's a rail-to-trail path - incredibly straight, flat, and boring - especially when I'm doing centuries on it. The music keeps me motivated and keeps the pace up. I know that people argue that on the road you need to be focused, and I fully agree. But, yesterday, out on the road, without music, I got so lost in my thoughts that I realized I was paying no attention at all to the road. A pothole caught my attention, and I realized I had drifted far out into the lane. When I'm on the path, with music, my focus stays on the path ahead - the music actually keeps my mind right in the moment. Just my two pennies...

[joyrider]

I think it may be true that some naturally alert individuals can handle riding with headphones. I'm not one of those people.

[snowtulip]

I personally love the quiet when I'm out in the mountains and don't listen to music. I am also easily distracted so I don't believe I could listen to headphones on the road (it would be bad for me and others around me).

But my hubby rides everywhere and he's using one earbud and leaves the other out. He is the most alert rider I know even with one ear with music. It seems to depend on how alert you are as an individual.

Unfortunatley even those that know they are not alert still wear headphones.

[RoadRaven]

Interesting thread

I have been seriously contemplating getting an MP3 player for when I start serious time trial training... however I have only considered using one earphone, which would not give stereo but I would feel vulnerable with both ears covered with music

Like so many others in this thread, I find the whistle of the wind a 'deafening' noise, in that I can't tell on a windy day whether it is wind in the trees or just wind in my ears!

I am experimenting at the moment at making weirdly shaped head n\bands (which I wear wnyway, that cover my ears)

I figure the right material and cut will imporove the path of the wind over my ears without reducing the sound

I have found that positining of helmet straps can have an effect on wind noise too...

[KkAllez]

This is an interesting topic. I am nearly deaf, so I have to rely heavily on my husband to alert me that a car is coming up from behind. That is a BIG reason why I don't ride alone. Having him help hasn't made me lazy though, I tend to constantly check behind and am always asking him, "is a car coming, is a car coming?" I never realized that headphones could be illegal.

How do I make it in nursing not being able to hear well? I've got one darn good stethoscope. I swear, I could hear a gnat fart in Africa with it.

[SadieKate]

Since this was a recent topic of conversation, I thought it interesting that this was recently published on www.velonews.com. Mionske makes some very interesting points, particularly the part about recovering damages stemming from an accident. You can read all his legal disclaimers (blah-blah-blah fine print) on VeloNews' website.

Legally Speaking with Bob Mionske: Listen up!
By Robert Mionske, JD
This report filed August 4, 2005

Hi, Bob,
As a lawyer (corporate securities) and a wanna-be road racer, I always enjoy reading your column. Have you ever covered the legalities of using an iPod or other player, with headphones, on the road? Guys I know get tickets for this in California; I live in Texas. I think somewhere I read it might make a difference if you use one earpiece instead of both. I see more and more guys with 'em in and thought it might make an interesting column.
P.H.
Austin, Texas

Dear Paul,
When I was pursuing my racing career I passed the many, many hours of lonely riding listening to music and talk radio on my earphones. I became so addicted to this form of distraction that I would panic when my batteries ran low. I even wore them on group rides with teammates who took the respite from my constant chatter as a gift and never complained. I was never stopped by police, and the legality of this habit was never called into question.

Many of us have heard about President Bush's much-publicized mountain biking with his iPod, but whether you can listen to your personal music device while riding depends on where you do it. In some states it is illegal to have any sort of headphone covering your ears while operating a motor vehicle or bicycle. Florida law, for example, states, "No person shall operate a vehicle while wearing a headset, headphone, or other listening device" (Section 316.304). In other states the law permits wearing headphones as long as one ear remains uncovered, and in still others wearing both earpieces may be permitted. Finally, in many states there is no law on the books at all. The absence of a law does not necessarily mean wearing headphones is permitted, though; the best course would be to check with your local department of vehicles.

Even in states that have laws on the books, the legality of headphone use while riding is confusing. For example, while Florida bans the use of headphones, there is an exception for using a cell phone with a headset that "only provides sound through one ear and allows surrounding sounds to be heard with the other ear." Is this the equivalent of listening to music with one earpiece out (which, parenthetically, produces an awful sound)? In your question you referenced people getting ticketed in California, where the law states, "A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears" (CA Vehicle Code Section 27400). This would suggest that listening to headphones is permitted if you have only one earpiece in, but again the law is not as clear as it could be.

Much of the recent legislation that has been passed has been driven by the prevalence of people talking on their cell phones while driving. We can expect in the near future to see more and more states enacting laws prohibiting or restricting this activity (such as requiring the use of hands-free devices). Whether these laws will affect headphone use by cyclists remains to be seen, but clearly the risks are not the same. Nevertheless, keep an eye out in your own state for a change in the law that may affect you as a cyclist.

Laws banning the use of headphones while driving or biking assume that headphones will block out important background sounds such as horns and sirens and that such use is unsafe. In addition, nearly every bicycle-safety advocate I have encountered believes it is better to forgo the headphones. Of course, someone telling you that it is not safe to ride with headphones on does not mean it is against the law to do so. It is interesting to note that deaf individuals are permitted to drive and that nothing stops you from battering your eardrums into oblivion inside your car by blasting your stereo.

Lastly, if you are using a personal music device and are injured in an accident with a negligent driver, it is certain that the insurance company will attempt to pin some or all the blame on you, making recovery of your damages more difficult.

Good luck,
Bob
(research and drafting assistance provided by Lewis & Clark Law School Law School student Bryan Rousseau)