What do you hear when you bike?

[Lakerider]

I've enjoyed reading posts from bikers about, "What do you see when you bike?" How about - what do you hear?

I hear the water, birds, ducks quacking, herons squawking if I get too close, wind, people greeting me as I go by, the high school marching band practicing, church bells, fish jumping, wind chimes...

[CyborgQueen]

Since I'm deaf, I hear nothing. :-)

Actually, I have cochlear implants, but I can only wear one CI at a time due to the helmet pressing hard on the coil that's attached to my head. I usually just hear ambient sounds.

[7rider]

Lots of wind and my own labored breathing as I try to catch on to the back of the group!

[denda]

Wind, Wind and more Wind!
trucks
irrigation motors

[katluvr]

Whew,
I clicked on this thread and read the responses and thought earlier I had posted "what I smell" on the "what you hear". Now that would of been embarrassing!

[nolemom]

Cows mooing and the various sounds of other wildlife; the teasing and bantering between the guys in the group; and today - push, push! you can do it! Take that hill! - one of the riders is a trainer and she can inspire me to work harder than I ever thought possible. It is amazing what I will do to hear - "Good job!" at the end.

[arielmoon]

LOL

Well, I could add a few in the what I smell catagory and none would be terribly pleasant.

I mostly hear the wind, my bike and the cars passing me. Sometimes though I hear a hawk or other birds.

[sfa]

Tree frogs on one part of my commute. At certain times of the year they can be deafening.

Otherwise, lots of my own huffing and puffing, traffic, lawn mowers, and (on Saturday mornings) lots of "on your left!"

Sarah

[sundial]

Tractors, crop dusters, cars, dogs, birds, frogs, and katydids.

[GLC1968]

Wind, the creak of my left break that needs adjusting and cars as they whiz past.


We live on a very popular biking route in my area and I can tell you that when I'm in my yard, I can hear EVERY SINGLE WORD OF CONVERSATION AS CLEAR AS DAY that the cyclists riding by are having. Some of it, I don't really want to hear! (keep this in mind if you ride with friends and have conversations )

[HappyTexasMom]

Traffic, birds, sprinklers. The water going through the canal valves(? not sure what they're called; whatever controls the flow in our canal systems). The sound of my gears changing. The whir of my tires on the pavement. The irritating rattling noise from somewhere in my chain/gear area that my bike makes *sometimes* (grrrr).

[PamNY]

Tonight I heard "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes, and later a banjo. Lots of apartment-dwelling musicians practice in the park next to the bike path. I've heard trumpets, saxophones -- oh, and there's one tap dancer. She brings a piece of plywood to dance on. Otherwise it's traffic and boat horns. Interesting thread idea.

Pam

[kenyonchris]

My ipod. Yes, yes, I know. But it is better than my own dang heartbeat or the trash truck that is getting ready to run my butt over. One bud only, the other is left exposed to hear whatever is coming up behind me.

[tulip]

On some recent rides I've heard bobwhites. I used to hear them all the time growing up, but then suburbia invaded and chased out all the bobwhites. Now I am near the country again and the bobwhites are back! I always answer them, too.

[crazycanuck]

If i'm on the dirt, I often hear wallabies or kangaroos or some type of thing rustling in the bush, kookaburras laughing & other annoying birds squaking.

On the road, i only hear the wind as cars sound the same to me. Good thing I ride with my good ear to the right side of the road!