[Closed] Listening to music whilst riding??

Everywhere, people who ride motorised bikes, have a full face or enclosed helmet on , and cant hear, and most car drivers are deaf to us cyclists shouts.

Not many by the looks of things...

I do while commuting or on the road bike.

all the time, but if i'm on the road I use one of those 'one good bud' things to give myself a fighting chance. Except on the odd occasion i'm out with someone else, I'm not rude.

I do on my commute but only the bit on the cycle path, although that's 12 miles of it. I don't listen to music on the road bit of my commute or on road rides as it does make me feel a bit disconnected from what's going on around me.

Listed to music off road too.

Used to listen to music on my commute, had a nasty shock when I hadn't heard a car coming up behind me so never bothered since. Don;t think I've ever ridden offroad with headphones

Ridden on the road in the past, didnt like being one sense down.
Ridden some of the SDW, didnt like it as I was missing out on nature and the ride felt like it was lacking.

Used to and would off-road but on the road i don't anymore. Roads are dangerous enough without losing one of my senses!

I can't do it on the bike. if I do I feel somehow disconnected from the environment and it just doesn't feel right.

I like to use all my senses when out on the bike.

Couldn't imagine doing it on the trails - would mess with the flow (and my head). Don't even do it on the road, partially H&S viewpoint but usually concentrating on the road conditions and the views, I can barely allocate enough brain to hum a tune let alone have tunes imposed at random.. So, no, not for me..

Sometimes if I'm out for a long one on my own off road. Not normally music, but various podcasts and the like.

never have, never will. Like to hear whats about to hit me.

[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/road-ride-with-head-phones-yay-or-nay ]http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/road-ride-with-head-phones-yay-or-nay[/url]

I ride 6 miles to work and luckily 95% is on a cycle/walk way path, so music on all the time. On the road, no way, too risky for me personally.

Off road on my own I take music with me.
Sometimes I listen to it sometimes not - depends on my mood.
Usually have fast paced music that makes me ride fast so if I'm feeling relaxed I like to hear what's around.

Is cycling really so boring you have to listen to music too?

I always listen to music on/off road unless I'm riding with other people. I find it helps me to focus rather than robbing the senses.

I don't and don't understand folks who do, too risky on the road and too much else to listen to when in the woods.

I saw a fellow cyclist at the side of the road yesterday morning on my commute, looked like he was just finishing fixing something. I slowed and called out to make sure he was OK, nothing, then I noticed he had earphones in and was paying no attention. How rude! 🙂

I do off road, but only on slow fireroad climbs and the like, not on singletrack or where there is likely to be people needing to pass me.

Don't MTB, but very often on road, no problem with it at all, I can still see, you can still hear traffic around you, no more dangerous than listening a radio in the car

Very rarely but on the odd occassion where I'm doing a long ride on my own, all offroad, I have done and quite enjoy it. I do find it affects my experience of the ride though - not better or worse, just different.

I do while commuting or on the road bike

+1

I do, when MTBing by myself

Solo riding yes, never when in a group.

Commuting yes.

I never listen to music while riding, I like the sound of my bike when its ticking along and the birdys singing 😀
Allthough unwillingly I always hear the theme tune to Steptoe and son endlessly while climbing... 🙁

I don't and don't understand folks who do, too risky on the road.

Could you explain why it adds more risk please.
Oh , and does this also mean that people with a hearing impairment should never cycle on a road?.

Thanks

Could you explain why it adds more risk please.

Because the ear plugs are right in your ear and cut out the noise of traffic, not completely but enough for me to feel very uneasy, so no music. Peoples choice if they want to, pretty stupid as far as I'm concerned.

no more dangerous than listening a radio in the car

Bit more dangerous I'd say. Getting a bump in the a car or getting bumped BY a car would be more painful I'd say...

all the time, i would rather listen to my music than the power walking, dog walking moaning brigade, when you ask them to move they make that tut tut sound, when ive got my headphones on i dont hear any of that, thats my excuse when i barge past when thay dont move i didnt hear them moaning lol, 23lb mtb plus 16 stone fat bastard they soon tend to move aswell, works for me.

I have never understood the appeal of music while running or cycling. I never find myself doing either of those things and needing to be entertained or motivated by something other than just enjoying the activity...

Ok, it's a bit like riding somewhere attractive or ugly. It's still the same activity but riding somewhere attractive makes the ride more enjoyable for some people, possibly not for others...

Wearing headphones and listening to music whilst riding has always puzzled me - it's a bit dangerous on the roads, and it 'insulates' you from one of the main attractions of riding when offroad - namely being in the countryside. Quite a few times I've only noticed things because I heard them first - such as a group of birds mobbing a roosting owl about 10m away from me. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

However, what has really annoyed me in the past is the few nobbers who ride around with speakers on their bikes blasting out music. Even if I happen to like the music being played, the assumption that everyone will be OK with this betrays an arrogance and sense of entitlement that grates!

it 'insulates' you from one of the main attractions of riding when offroad - namely being in the countryside

one of the main attractions for you. I'm pretty much the same but not everyone is.

My new shorts have an iPod pocket/headphone opening so I gave it a go when out on some dh runs on my own. Was fine on the way down and I could still hear the bike on the trail but I was really impressed on the pushes/climbs back up, they seemed to go by much quicker.
Deadmau5 and downhill works quite well 🙂

Running yes.

Riding no.

Tried it a few times, but didn't like it. Felt I was missing out on something in the ride, and it felt rude having to 'unplug' when I had to be nice to people on cheeky trails.

On the BMX and on the more well-known-pootle trails one ear for sure.

I can do two ears on the BMX if the park is empty but being totally deaf to the world can be dangerous.

On new or faster/more knar trails I think my earphones would just fall out anyway.

I used to take a cassette player specifically for the descents when out on the mtb in the 90s but not anymore and I didn't when I rode a road bike.

I don't even listen to music whilst running unless it's on a treadmill, the sense of being cut-off from my environment is too unnerving.

On the road sometimes but always fairly low level. You can't here much anyway because of the wind noise. Am slightly put off by the thought of being in an accident and being held culpable because I was using them.
I wouldn't use them for commuting in town though - to many things going on and you need your wits about you.
Never tried for MTB but I imagine I wouldn't like not hearing my tyres grip.

I nearly always listen to music when riding on my own. And when commuting mostly off road or off main roads. Not so loud as to drown out sounds around. Tend to listen to radio shows such as huey morgan. More like background music than being cut off from round about.

fasthaggis - Member

Could you explain why it adds more risk please.

Because it reduces your ability to hear other road users before you can see them.

Oh , and does this also mean that people with a hearing impairment should never cycle on a road?.

Of course not, but then people with impaired hearing are used to it and alter their behavior accordingly.

Thanks

No problem.
I can point out the bleeding obvious all day long, should you require it. 🙂

With regards to driving, I listen to music on motorways and dual carriageways, but when about town the music lowers and so does my window.
💡

I do when riding solo in the dark (off road) I get seriously distracted and paranoid otherwise. At least now I can't hear the boogie man as he comes to get me.

The [u]boogie[/u] man?

I agree, Michael Jackson stalking you in the woods at night would tend to freak a person out.

Because it reduces your ability to hear other road users before you can see them.

True, but it does force you to focus more on visual cues, a more useful tactic when trying to avoid certain death on the roads.

[i]but then people with impaired hearing are used to it and alter their behavior accordingly[/i]

And yet....

nickc - Member

And yet....

...you have a point?

No. MTB'ing is the only time I get peace from the kids or work and like the peaceful sounds of the countryside.

Sometimes when commuting, as soon as I go over about 15mph on a road bike all I hear is the wind anyway.

DanW - Member
Is cycling really so boring you have to listen to music too?

No, but just like a good film, it can be enhanced with a good soundtrack.

I always have music on, be it commuting or out in the trails.

Never - tried it once, hated the feel of having one of my senses removed. I like having time with my thoughts when I ride, music would just interrupt that.

i do on the Road bike left ear only though so i can hear approaching traffic

I listen to music if I am doing a long road ride of more than three hours. I find it helps with the concentration and takes my mind off the pain. 😳 I only have the music very quietly though so I can still hear traffic around me. Never feel the need for it on the mountainbike.

Always on the road bike. Doesn't affect my ability to hear traffic particularly, and I can't actually tell the difference between the sound of a car that'll pass me and one that'll hit me. I also don't ride like a dick because I think the road is clear behind me.

YMMV.

Horses for courses me thinks - I'm rarely without music in my life but very rarely when riding, like many others I like to hear the countryside around me, I like to be able to hear the imagined 'crazy lunatic' chasing me through the wood on night rides, I like to hear the bike beneath me, I like to be able to hear cars coming up behind me on country lanes. Having said that there is a time for me and that's any ride that gets past 80 miles or so, music takes my mind off the feeling that my legs just want to give up and in a weird way gives me something other than food to look forward to. Each to their own.

sbob - Member
nickc - Member
And yet....

...you have a point?

A good one...

sbob,
I was trying not to be too rude by hoping you'd see...but hey ho...

[i]but then people [s]with impaired hearing[/s] who have been listening to music quite happily on their bikes for years, are used to it and alter their behavior accordingly.[/i]

OK?

i do on the Road bike left ear only though so i can hear approaching traffic

What do you do differently when you hear approaching traffic?

Yep. Only time I get to listen to music.

Mainly for commute but also on longer xc rides where the riding is tame. I need a distraction on the ups!

For jumps and stuff I might take em out. Or if I join a group.

I also get a better gps track trace. I think the headphones work as an aerial.

I listen to music road, trail and commuting. Don't use the ear blocking headphones, so can still merrily have a conversation with someone or hear a car nearby. Done it for years, never been an issue.

Even around events like Mayhem I'll have an earphone in. Didn't ever have an issue with riders shouting to pass.

I am a Hearing impaired rider. Been caught out a few times on the road by traffic I had been unaware of. Don't think its about changing your behaviour but about giving yourself every advantage

I can't hear traffic when I get above about 20kmh an hour anyway, the wind noise if far louder than the sound of approaching cars.

Give it a few more years and electric/hybrid cars will make the "can't hear cars" argument null anyway.

Probably better to continue doing all your life-saver looks and being visually aware of everything anyway. Relying on, or using sound to augment your primary sense could lead to you missing out on something...

I listen to music while riding to stop random crap from going round inside my head!

Morning

I can point out the bleeding obvious all day long, should you require it

Except (for me) you didn't really ,did you 😉

My tiny brain is usually quite good with the bleeding obvious ,so that's why I struggle to understand why the sound of an approaching vehicle would alter my riding style.

As njee says

I can't actually tell the difference between the sound of a car that'll pass me and one that'll hit me. I also don't ride like a dick because I think the road is clear behind me.

That's also why I tend to go for Peyote's advice

continue doing all your life-saver looks and being visually aware of everything

🙂

Nope, never have and never will. I like to use all my senses to keep me alive!

I only listen to music on the bike to keep out the wail of immigrants being chased by Daily Mail readers, and daft reasons for why people think that cutting off one of their five senses in potentially lethal situations is a good idea (which have to be shouted to get heard above the music in their ears).

I can guess the contents of the above so I'll save myself the irritation that would likely come from responding to some if it...

For myself, yes I do. At a lowish level (such that when going down hill at speed the wind in my ears is louder), and only with cheapish phones of the non canal variety. The sound of a car is quiet different to most music, music is usually middle and higher pitch, noises with a narrow bandwidth, the cound of a casr, apart from from being much louder than most people realise, is a low pitch almost white noise, with a wide bandwidth. As such the two do not interefear with each other. The headphones I use do not block atmospheric noise. If I don't hear a car, with or with out headphones its usually because of the wind.

Also vision is my primary sense, and I would not ever assume there's nothing behind me just because I can't hear it.

I bought one of those tool bottles that go in a bottle cage an put my ipod and a cheap speaker in there. At worst it lets pedestrians hear you. Don't use often on commutes though, just pootling about.

Could you explain why it adds more risk please.

Again, you manage your own risk so it's up to you, I'm not telling you not to do it.

Oh , and does this also mean that people with a hearing impairment should never cycle on a road?.

Thanks

For example, some of my commute is down narrow country lanes with high hedges,

This, and a junction near me where I turn right but have really poor visibility is when the earphones come out. Its an automatic reflex to be honest.

At the same junction when driving i drop the windows and silence my music, for the same reason. My primary sense is impaired, so I must rely on my others. Having phones in doesn't mean you can't bob them out when its advantageous.

I personally don't but on my morning ride today (about 5.45am) on a road/residential section I heard Jacko blaring out loud behind me and thought "bit loud for this time of morning" and with that, expecting a car to overtake a communter cycled passed me with happy "morning" as he went past me with a ipod and full speaker set attached to his pannier.

You can't deny that listening to music might mean you don't hear something else, and that that might put you at greater risk? For example, some of my commute is down narrow country lanes with high hedges, I can generally hear an approaching car long before I see it.

Your hearing's better than mine, I find I can hear cars better with headphones because of the reduced wind noise.

I also think there's a huge amount to be said for having to really actively look over your shoulder to see cars, rather than assuming it's clear because you can't hear one. If you're prone to changing direction without looking then you probably deserve to be flattened anyway.

Always listen to music when riding solo, I have some of those all in one sony mp3 players to easy to adjust volume and switch on and off (the controls are on the ear)

Usually it is at a volume where I can easily hear the outside world.

I ride with tempo music downloaded from podrunner - it helps me with getting into a rhythm and cadence.

[i]Is cycling really so boring you have to listen to music too? [/i]

No, but its a good opportunity to catch up on music I've bought recently. And I don't really get why you think you only listen to music because what you're doing is boring. That makes no sense.

I also think there's a huge amount to be said for having to really actively look over your shoulder to see cars, rather than assuming it's clear because you can't hear one. If you're prone to changing direction without looking then you probably deserve to be flattened anyway.