Your Portable Music

[lilred]

What portable music player do you use when you ride?

I'm looking to move into one with a lot more gigs. I've not owned an Ipod yet. I heard they could skip a bit when jogging, cycling, etc. Not to mention. the classic (most gigs) are so big. If anyone uses this one, how do you secure it while riding?

I'm not interested in hearing how unsafe they can be, I'm aware of the necessary precautions. And, it won't be used all the time.

I do greatly appreciate any and all input.

Thanks so much.

[kermit]

I have an apple ipod nano, it's about one inch by one inch. I usually clip it on my jersey and only use one earplug. The cool thing about the apple is you open an itunes account and download or buy songs. I was not sure about the whole safety thing but tried it. I ride in a very bike friendly area and on a long ride the tunes really help.

[Geonz]

My voice

[alpinerabbit]

the voices in my head

[smilingcat]

Sorry to be a party pooper but only time I use my iPOD nano is when I'm on a trainer. I also have iRiver player with FM radio. but that too stays on the trainer.

Road riding for me is still training. (I don't race) but I still train. I'm too busy about riding and all my concentration is on riding. I prefer not to have junk miles in my training.

If you ride leisurly, and you can hear the sound around you, AND you are aware of your sourounding, I see why not.

Besides, if I'm taking it easy, I want to hear the sound of water cascading over rocks, rustling of leaves in the wind, birds singing...

[indigoiis]

A kid here just got seriously injured while biking with headphones on.

And a guy got killed on Rt 1 by a woman who passed another car and then came back too far in and went into the breakdown lane. If he hadn't have been wearing headphones, he would have heard her car and gotten out of the way.

When I first started out, I used a mp3 player until another bicyclist, as she passed me, yelled at me. I took out my plug and she said, "you're all over the road. You shouldn't wear those things."

I was very embarrassed and didn't ride with them again.

On the trainer I listen to tunes. What I've found works for rides is to play a CD I like right before riding. The tunes tend to stick in my head.

[mimitabby]

i have lots of music in my head.

since most of the t threats to my life on the road are coming behind me, my ears are what i use to stay alive. I can't IMAGINE putting anything between me and my "early warning system"

[tulip]

With cars and trucks on the road, I need my ears for safety. On the bike trail, I also need my ears to hear what's going on. Plus, I like to hear the sounds around me and be in the world as fully as I can. No music while riding here, but I love spinning classes with good tunes.

[Becky]

I have a Sandisk Sansa 4GB player. It uses flash memory, not a mini hard drive, so no skipping. I like it, and the price was right, but I think I'd buy something bigger if I had it to do over again. Maybe 8 GB?

I don't ride with it except on the trainer. The other posts in this thread have pretty much stated all of the reasons why I choose not to.

[Pedal Wench]

I'm not interested in hearing how unsafe they can be, I'm aware of the necessary precautions. And, it won't be used all the time.

I put one earbud on my shoulder, wrapped around my bra strap. It doesn't block the sound of anything, just adds a bit of motivation and keeps my training on focus by keeping me moving faster. I use a Samsung player that only has songs that are upbeat. It's so soft that I can't hear it when cars are approaching or when windnoise is too loud (on descents) but I hear just enough to get the beat of the song to keep me moving.

[bluebug32]

I have a Sandisk Sansa 4GB player. It uses flash memory, not a mini hard drive, so no skipping. I like it, and the price was right, but I think I'd buy something bigger if I had it to do over again. Maybe 8 GB?

I don't ride with it except on the trainer. The other posts in this thread have pretty much stated all of the reasons why I choose not to.

+1 for the Sansa. I have the 6GB, which can be cheaply expanded (I think they all can), into an 8GB. No skipping ever is nice. I can plug it into my car, and I bought a case with a clip so I can clip it to me while on the trainer (I've never taken it on the road, but have used it in the gym). I got mine from woot.com, kind of the Steep and Cheap of electronics.

[sfa]

I have a classic iPod and have never had a problem with it skipping. Not sure how it would, really since there's nothing TO skip. I've never tried listening to it while riding, but I do while jogging, which is a lot more bumpy, and I plug it into my car's stereo system with no problems (unlike a CD that will skip on bumpy roads). If you're really concerned, though, get a player with a flash drive (like the iPod Nano, which is also nice and tiny) since it'll have no moving parts to bump around.

Sarah

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Aside from my feeling strongly about how unsafe it is to ride with earphones/earbuds....

I like to feel like I am a connected part of the world around me when i ride my bike. All the sounds stimulate me in many various ways- weird sounds, pretty sounds, sounds that jog my memory to my past, sounds that make me think and wonder. I love feeling so intimately connected to the world when I' am riding my bike!

[MrsB]

Sometimes when Im out in the woods I will bring my sansa with me to listen to some tunes, but I have this little adapter case that is a speaker. I plug the sansa in and listen to it while its in my "under the seat" bag. I dont turn it up very loud but its just loud enough to get me moving when I need a jolt. Its just loud enough to cover up my cursing when Im doing a hill that Im huffin and puffin on. LOL

[ttaylor508]

Another party pooper here...bicyclist are bound by many of the same laws as automobiles and it is illegal in many States to listen to an Ipod while driving. So you may find yourself getting a ticket by using one.

Here is an article worth some consideration: http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...890771660.html