Music & Cycling: Am I crazy?

[mtnmunch]

While I am new to riding again. When I rode as a kid, I had a handle bar mounted radio, it was big, but it did the job.

I don't ride on roads, so my 0.02 are only from riding on trails. If I'm not feeling very motivated, I put my headphones in one ear and put some techno on, which usually gets me moving and not so down about the hill I'm climbing up.

With regards to riding on the road. Cars have stereos, and turned up loud enough, which many people do, the driver can not hear a car beeping, a cop coming up or anything else for that matter. With newer cars, sound proofing is done so well you don't hear any road noise.

So you have people behind the wheel of 1000lb vehicles who can't hear any better than someone with headphones on a bike.

With most open ear headphones, I don't think in one ear is going to kill someone. I think eye sight would be far more important than hearing.

Are they going to ban someone who is deaf from riding a bike?

jm2c

Forgot to add...motorcyclists...I don't understand how they can hear anything, or hear for that matter when they get off. It's deafening to me.

[Jo-n-NY]

I guess because this thread keeps getting pulled up to the top I will also add my 2 cents. I do ride listening to music with just one ear (IRiver which I do not recommend, not a good choice if you ask me) plugged. It is legal to ride that way according to the NYS cycling road rules. But to be honest, I consentrate so much on what I am doing there are many times I must tune it out. I get to a song and think of one that was suppose to play before it and oops guess I missed it. So I enjoy it on the peaceful part of my ride and automatically tune it out in traffic areas.

What I cannot do is talk on my cell (using the ear piece) and drive at the same time. If someone calls I either ignore it and wait until I can pull over or talk real fast and say I will call back or if someone is in the car, I have them get it.

~ JoAnn

[PinkRacer]

I like to wear one ear in. I have an iPod but I just got this new toy and love it for my daily commute ride. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3756869 it is so tiny and light!

I agree also tune out the music in high traffic areas, The music helps me concentrate on my pace.

What really gets me the most are the people cycling along while speaking on their cell phone (no ear bug etc... ) I usually have mine on me but have never answered it while riding...

[jjcac1]

I was questioning the whole music thing as a new rider. I plan on doing a lot of back roads training and love to listen to music. It really helps the time fly. I too felt it wasn't safe to wear both headphones, and don't really thing headphones are all that comfy w/ glasses.

My question.. does anyone know if there is any kind of "headphone" type device that you could wear around your neck or helmet that would just play music around your head? I know that a couple of ladies have rigged earphones onto their helmet?? Could you maybe explain this? Would this concept even work?

Thanks so much...

[Duck on Wheels]

I vaguely recall seeing ads for an expensive toy some years back that, claim was, transmitted hifi sound via your collarbone -- lay around your neck and rested on the collarbone in front. Probably kinda heavy. And if it's no longer available that's prob'ly cuz it didn't work all that well.

I've been thinking on this problem since spending all winter doing spin classes to be in some approximation of shape for a ride in March. The music in spin class really helps keep your cadence -- and humor -- up. I've also gone out and bought some of the music our spin instructor plays. I play it on the mp3 while walking (e.g. 6 miles to work). Definitely gets me going faster, but it's also a bit distracting. I'll miss it on the bike, but I don't dare use it. Not even in one ear. At bike speeds I need to have all my attention on the road, the riders around me, the traffic coming up from behind, cross streets, gravel, potholes, remembering to call out warnings, use hand signals ... At walking speeds I can have some attention to spare, but not on a bike.

Too bad tho'. The drums at the start of Paul Simon: Rhythm of the Saints have me imagining the stop-and-go start of a ride with lots of bikes around, lots of enthusiasm and intermittently space to use it. Next piece has an instrument that sounds like a bike-spoke harp: I imagine finding my rhythm, smooth, open road, not too slow but relaxed enough to do the distance. The cadence picks up, slows down song by song. A few pieces later come some wake-up horns just when the music has you in a bit of a trance, or the spin class has you worn down to one. I can envisage a whole ride to that music, or Carmina Burana, or my brother's new blues album Rude Notes Galore, or sailiing along with the most bewinged movements of my favourite violin concertos (Mendelssohn and Sibelius) ... but I don't dare actually have any of it along.

[Trek420]

on rides I prefer the sounds of the great outdoors which is traffic and noise on my commute or birds and chirping on longer rides.

I'm aware of some hearing loss so I don't dare dampen my senses any further with even one ear bud.

Warning: want music on your ride? You'll want to pass me. I sing on hills, and badly too I might add

I can't promise Mendelssohn or Sibelius, usually disco or R&B anything with a good beat that sticks in my mind and yours too if you're nearby

[Duck on Wheels]

Warning: want music on your ride? You'll want to pass me. I sing on hills, and badly too I might add

I can't promise Mendelssohn or Sibelius, usually disco or R&B anything with a good beat that sticks in my mind and yours too if you're nearby

Oh dear! Brain sludge! "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK, I sleep all night and I work all day" over and over. Only cure for brain sludge is replacement -- sing another song until it nudges sludge 1 out of brain, then hope the new song doesn't mutate into new sludge. Everybody who expects to do a hill anywhere near Trek on the Cindy, you are hereby forewarned: better prepare a mental playlist of replacement songs.

[Pedal Wench]

JJ,
I'm not sure if I posted this earlier - sorry if I did.

When I'm on the road, I don't use anything, but I do on the bike path. I have a pair of headphones with a solid band, not the earbud type. I use one side only, but I don't put it in my ear - I just position it 'near' my ear and turn up the level. No, I can't hear every nuance and detail of the music. It's almost just a reminder of what the song is that's playing. I just started to use it to help with training and doing intervals. One song fast, one song recover.

I was questioning the whole music thing as a new rider. I plan on doing a lot of back roads training and love to listen to music. It really helps the time fly. I too felt it wasn't safe to wear both headphones, and don't really thing headphones are all that comfy w/ glasses.

My question.. does anyone know if there is any kind of "headphone" type device that you could wear around your neck or helmet that would just play music around your head? I know that a couple of ladies have rigged earphones onto their helmet?? Could you maybe explain this? Would this concept even work?

Thanks so much...

[LauraPaura]

I listen to music when I ride on bikeroads (don't know what they're called, the special paths made just for riding and walking) but not in the city. I think it's easier to keep up a good pace with some music (I listen to dance/trance music..). I listen to music all the time anyway and I always have my nice small MP3 player with me. I also ALWAYS carry an extra battery with me just in case

Even if I didin't listen to music I would keep those things in my ears because they block the wind very effectively.

I don't think it's illegal here in Finland to listen to these while driving anything.. Not sure though.

[Duck on Wheels]

JJ,
I'm not sure if I posted this earlier - sorry if I did.

When I'm on the road, I don't use anything, but I do on the bike path. I have a pair of headphones with a solid band, not the earbud type. I use one side only, but I don't put it in my ear - I just position it 'near' my ear and turn up the level. No, I can't hear every nuance and detail of the music. It's almost just a reminder of what the song is that's playing. I just started to use it to help with training and doing intervals. One song fast, one song recover.

Now that I can see might work. It would take some tweeking to find a headphone that will sit off-kilter neither disturbing nor disturbed by helmet. Also, when on a quiet path I might rather hear the birds (bike path near my Mom's place goes through a meadow with lots of redwing blackbirds all competing for territory -- maybe not what the other blackbirds like to hear, but music to MY ears ). But for some settings and as musical motivation during a workout ... yeah. I can see the off-ear headphone system working. I'll keep it in mind.