Biking and Music

[Catrin]

I listen to the world around me on the bike - even if there weren't a safety concern, listening to music on the bike removes one of the reasons I love riding - to connect me to the world around me.

[bluebug32]

I tend to zone out on the bike a bit anyway and miss the occasional turn, etc. So I think music would be a bad idea for me. Plus I would feel like a real idiot if I didn't hear a car because I had headphones on. Great for the trainer in the winter, but I prefer the soundtrack of birds and nature in the summer.

[shootingstar]

I don't listen to any music on bike.

But then I forget to play music at home alot of the time. I actually find music directly going into my ear (via earbuds, etc.) for several hrs., gives me a slight headache. But sure, I listen to it at home.

I have had way too many incidents of enough solo cyclists that don't even saying anything nor ring their bell as a warning (if they have one) ride by me on either left or right (wrong!) side of me from behind me.

I've been cycling regularily for last 20 yrs.

*******There are alot of incompetent, inconsiderate cyclists out there who won't warn you in advice, when they want to/want to pass you from behind. This will increase, as the number of cyclists increase for some areas where cycling among populatin is increasing.

Of course, some of us have cycled in bear country. (I have.) Yea, on Vancouver Island, a cougar jumped from a height and onto a cyclist from behind. It was an attack.

[Irulan]

Of course, some of us have cycled in bear country. (I have.) Yea, on Vancouver Island, a cougar jumped from a height and onto a cyclist from behind. It was an attack.

What does this have to do with anything. It's not like you are going to hear a cougar before it attacks.... they are really good at stealth.

[Veronica]

.... they are really good at stealth.

So are my kitties. That shoe lace didn't know what hit it! And it's so funny when one of them jumps on the other.

Veronica

[Eden]

Ah one of the age old controversies...

It is my personal opinion that wearing headphones while riding a bike is dangerous and inadvisable. I firmly believe that simply plugging your ears (even if you keep the volume pretty low) takes your mind to a different place. It's not just the music.... its the earphones. In this state using headphones in a car is illegal - while certainly listening to the radio is not.

Some people will argue that headphones actually help them concentrate - so they like to use them to study etc. and that is why they feel safe riding with them. Actually, I totally believe that - and IMHO it backs up why I feel the totally opposite way. The headphones *do* help them in that manner. They allow the person to block out their surroundings and focus of the task of studying. Cycling, on the other hand, you need to have an acute awareness of all of your surroundings and be monitoring many things all of the time. Having good focus is not what you want. You need to be able to hear and process a great amount and I think headphones cut down on a person's ability to do both of those things.

[Crankin]

I am not into music at all, never know the names of songs or artists. That said, I usually have the radio on in the car, on a low volume. I never change the station, though!
I stopped using my I Pod for walking and running a few years ago, because I found I was fiddling with it too much and I just wanted to concentrate on the meditative aspects of running. And, the music didn't really help me go faster or inspire me. Not sure why I used the I Pod to begin with. Very occasionally I use it if I am on the treadmill at the gym, which never happens now, since I have a treadmill at home.
I cannot convince DH to not use his music when he commutes. He has one earbud in and is convinced he can hear everything. We have had several arguments over this. He's normally very safety conscious and I have given up. It disturbs me. Maybe, since I already have a slight hearing loss, I know I couldn't be as alert with music while riding.

[carolp]

If I'm listening to music or the radio in the car I am NOT wearing headphones, so I think the comparison is a bad one. More than once I have almost had crashes with cyclists who are wearing headphones. It is just a bad idea.

[grey]

Most times I do not listen to music while riding. I prefer to hear nature. But - once in a while I'm alone and on a really boring stretch of road, I plug in the right ear so the left is still listening for traffic. It does help.

[deeannef]

I know in California, if you have earphones on while riding a cycle, you are automatically at fault regardless of what the other person did. Not worth it. I need to hear what is going on around me and what my bike is doing.

[Owlie]

Riding while wearing headphones is illegal here. I've contemplated taking my iPod with me, draping the earbuds over my neck and turning the volume all the way up so that I have music on long trail rides but can still hear everything.

[Amykins]

I listen to my iPod while riding sometimes. I don't know if you guys are aware, but iPods have an inbuilt speaker and you don't have to use ear buds at all. I just strap it to my forearm in an iPod arm band. The volume is low because the speaker is slightly covered in the arm band, so it can't be loud. Certainly loud enough for personal use though, but not enough to bother other people on the paved bike paths I ride.

I'd say that it is also not distracting me and perhaps even enhances my alertness as I use it when I get a little bored. Usually it is just there on my forearm doing nothing, until the last 30 minutes of a 2.5 hour ride, and I find this enlivens me. I generally (I'd say always, every time) hear bikers coming up behind me before they ring their bell to pass me. (I'm pretty new still and overweight, so I get passed a lot!) I have never gotten any surprises that I can recall because of the music being on. I can hear the birds and the creek, the sound of my tires on the pavement, and really everything imaginable quite well and it's a really nice experience. Riding with ear buds is unnecessary and I'd say extremely dangerous. I can only imagine why anyone would do that is that they assume that you need the ear buds for the device, but turns out you don't.

[Catrin]

I've given up on the whole "ONYERLEFT" thing as even those without buds don't seem to hear me, talking about pedestrians here. Instead I've taken to using my bell - several times - and saying "excuse me...EXCUSE ME", or "passing...CANIPASSYOU"

For me at least those seem to get attention much more quickly, though sometimes I am still forced to come to a screeching stop because someone is paying so much attention to the conversation they are in that they are oblivious to all else around them.

Music is one of those things that will always be debated about I think. I do have to struggle to not be irritated to those who ride with music blaring from their bikes (obviously not using buds) - inevitably it is someone who rides about my speed and I just..can't...get...away from them. I don't want to listen to their music. That is only because they have it much too loud though, I am sure they could set it at a lower volume so they could still hear it without disturbing those who don't want to hear it.

Thankfully this has only happened a couple of times to me, and I am quite sure that an iPod without buds isn't capable of getting near that loud!

[limewave]

I like to say "When you get a chance . . . "

Anywho, throwing my hat in: I choose to not ride with others if they wear earbuds/listen to music. Its a big reason I have stopped going on group rides. These young guys show up, thinking they're the s**t and wear earbuds--on a group road ride! I watched one of them nearly get blasted by a car as he finished his pull, sat up and moved out to the middle of the road. He was completely oblivious to everyone else in the group and the cars on the road.
I just don't believe their is a place for listening to music when you are riding with others.

However, I do occasionally listen to music when I do gravel road grinders or long bike path rides.

[Irulan]

There's always something like this:

Sleek Speak