Do people think headphones are okay when cycling?

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Beeblebrox wrote:

I voted that I don't care, but it's not something I would do. While hearing the traffic doesn't let me know if it's safe to manoeuvre at all, it's useful to be able to mentally prepare myself for the numerous artic lorries that I share the road with on my commute.

This is part of the point I think. Buses just don't creep up on you silently. You've still got to look round in case there's a psycho Prius driver or milkfloat up your 4rse but the more preparation, the better.

Oh, Jash - I take it your SS addiction means there's a Prince on the market? If you can name your price in three figures I might be able to help you with that...

O nononononononononnononononono, nice try though!

lost_in_thought

I think another point on this interestingly even split is (given that I was a no to headphones arguing against myself) the point that if you say no to headphones, would you also prevent the deaf or hard of hearing from cycling?

biondino

No, but as with headphones, the hard of hearing would definitely have to look around them more and cycle more cautiously because they didn't have the advantage most of us are blessed with.

Lif30057840

yes but only thru the left ear so i retain a bit of incoming traffic noise

That Petrol Emotion

Never in-ear earphones as they block out too much noise.

Have experimented with a pair of slipstreamz (earphones that sit on the straps of your helmet so the buds aren't directly in your ears and you can still hear traffic and listen to music), but as someone else posted earlier, they still block out the sounds of nature which I am lucky enough to have accompany on my daily commute and which is far nicer than anything else I could play.

alfablue

steve_pushbiker wrote:

I voted no. I like to hear when reaching a T-junction, it can mean you don't need to stop if you can hear that the coast is clear. Slightly off topic: I've seen a few drivers wearing iPods on my commute! What's going on there. Can their car stereos be broken?

This is what pedestrians do when walking in front of bikes without looking (i.e. assuming the coast is clear). And what about electric cars? It'll end in tears...

alfablue

I am usually very cautious when cycling, but I do sometimes wear headphones, most;y listening to BBC Radio 5 for sport or news, and I do still hear some outside noise, and most of the commute is on a railway path, however, I am not too sure of the benefits of hearing traffic behind me - I know it's there, what am I going to do? I am not going to stop, pull in to the kerb etc, if they are going to drive into me, my hearing won't determine that, I always look behind before pulling out for a right turn etc, I just can't see how it would actually make me do anything differently. I tend to agree more with the argument that it is distracting, however I (too easily) forget to listen to the radio properly because my mind is drifting all over the place anyway! :oops:

dirk_van_gently

Tried it for a while, almost had a head on with a van, because I was "away with the fairies" and I couldn't hear it.

DonDaddyD

I've cycled to work listening to my iPod twice now, today and yesterday.

I'm going to stop doing it.

Whilst I'm more than capable of making the journey with iPod, so many little things change. Chief among them my ability to emerge from a side road onto a main road where my visiblity of the road I'm joining is restricted as I tend to listen out for vehicles long before I can see them.

I don't feel as reassured when having my ears filled with sounds other than what is around me. That lack of reassurance makes me feel that every decision, every time I make a move is more gamble than precision. Having my ears plugged with music also hinders my reaction time. I don't know, maybe its me, but I feel that I conciously/subconciously acknowledge my surroundings through sound long before I actually see them (spatial awareness perhaps).

Also I tend to drive with the window down and the radio off.

dirk_van_gently

DonDaddyD wrote:

Also I tend to drive with the window down and the radio off.

This is going slightly off-piste, but it's relevant. When I took my driving test back 19#$, a while back, the examiner was very old school. When we came to the questions section, he posed a hypothetical question, "It's foggy, you are at a T junction turning right, you have lights on and have positioned the vehicle for good visibility, what else can you do to ensure the maneuver is safe or safer?". It took me a while but I eventually blurted out "wind down the window and listen", by this stage I was a nervous wreck of a 17yr old, "Good answer" came the reply. I passed.
You wouldn't wear a blindfold to ride would you?

Littigator

No I wouldn't wear a blindfold to ride, that would be plain stupid. Neither would I handcuff my hands behind my back nor tie my legs together. Any of these would make riding quite obviously and immediately unsafe...not just to me but to other road users as well.

However, wearing headphones is my risk and no one else's, so rather than legislate against it as some people seem to be suggesting can we not let people make their own minds up as to what level of risk they wish to take.

Unless of course you believe it is for central government to legislate on all aspects of public and personal safety. In which case,. welcome to the world without car stereos, iPods for pedestrians, any salt in food, no more then 21 units of alchohol per week (by law) etc etc etc

Clever Pun

Littigator wrote:

No I wouldn't wear a blindfold to ride, that would be plain stupid. Neither would I handcuff my hands behind my back nor tie my legs together. Any of these would make riding quite obviously and immediately unsafe...not just to me but to other road users as well.

However, wearing headphones is my risk and no one else's, so rather than legislate against it as some people seem to be suggesting can we not let people make their own minds up as to what level of risk they wish to take.

Unless of course you believe it is for central government to legislate on all aspects of public and personal safety. In which case,. welcome to the world without car stereos, iPods for pedestrians, any salt in food, no more then 21 units of alchohol per week (by law) etc etc etc

exactly.... plus with in GAME training you know someone is there be it car or bike.

if you're expecting something to be there and frankly it generally is what's to surprise you?

jedster

FWIW

Not OK for me personally but I wouldn't stop others from doing it.

I like to have all my senses on my side when going through London traffic. I do wear them for running and to be honest, I do feel slightly more at risk crossing roads, avoiding other peds stepping out from doorways, etc. But those are smaller risks. Sacrificing my hearing while cycling amidst lots of hard, heavy, fast moving boxes, some of them driven by idiots? No thanks.

J

Nick6891

i always wear mine when cycling on my own, its a nice distraction from the fact you could be doing a difficult ride, but i am always still paying attention to the road and i have never had any near misses due to having them in, the trick is to have them on enough so you can hear then but not so much you cant hear anything else

CiB

There's probably no clear-cut answer either way. I wouldn't wear them in built-up areas personally, but when out & about I don't see a problem with them one jot. My commute must be one of the best around though - 20 miles across back roads and country lanes, virtually zero traffic most of the way and those vehicles that I do encounter are generally well-behaved, holding back until it's safe to pass, plenty of berth etc. In those circumstances h/phones are a nice accompaniment.

I tend not to anyway these days, unless I've got some R4 comedy or Fighting Talk from 5L to listen to for a change from my aging CD collection. But as general view - h/phones aren't a major problem or distraction. And if it came down to it, a ban would be overly harsh for those situations where it's nice to have them.

biondino

64 answers - quite a lot of people read this forum it seems! Wonder how many have read the whole Game thread though....

One day I might try it somewhere safe and quiet, just for research purposes. Pretty sure I'll feel handicapped beyond my comfort zone, though. Also my earbuds are all either broken or cr4ppy and I think big noise-cancelling headphones aren't quite the best option...

alfablue

Biodino, try these. The sound quality is good, they fit in the ear so don't keep falling out, they come with three different sized silicone rubber ear buds, and despite what you might think, they don't block out all road noise if you don't crank the volume up. They are said to be as good as the £30 Sennheiser ones.

Kieran_Burns

biondino wrote:

64 answers - quite a lot of people read this forum it seems! Wonder how many have read the whole Game thread though....

i must ask better questions

Interesting to see that the nays have taken a clear lead over the ays now.

I still maintain my stance (but have been impressed with the arguments on both sides) that it is a limiting factor: in that you are reducing your effectiveness for defensive riding by reducing the input from an important source

Nick6891

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDREX85LPB ... 538&sr=1-3 i have them you dont even feel that there in your ear

biondino

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/h ... mount.html

That looks pretty wicked for under £50! Even though I disapprove of course.

singlespeedexplosif

I use in-ear phones for almost all my riding - unless I'm in a group.
commute 48k per day, including Manchester city centre at rush hour. I've never had a problem with not being aware of what's going on around me. I'm still able to hear cars/buses around/behind me. Fail to see why there should be a problem unless you have your music on at a level which would damage your hearing anyway!

janm399

Being able to hear what's around me is crucial when I'm riding in traffic. Even though I think that listening to my favourite music would be nice, I'm not going to give up my 360degree WVM / boy racer radar.

biondino

What might bother me even if i listened to music/words quietly is not knowing whether a sound was coming from the headphones or reality, and often you don't get a second chance to find out.

janm399

biondino wrote:

What might bother me even if i listened to music/words quietly is not knowing whether a sound was coming from the headphones or reality, and often you don't get a second chance to find out.

I thought about listening to music quietly, but you're absolutely right!

rhext

I'd love to wear them, but I'd feel blind. Like most people, I use my eyes to work out whether it's safe to manoeuvre - but I know I don't even need to bother looking behind me if I can hear something's there. Given the inevitable slight wobble, coupled with the fact that occasionally some drivers have such important business that they simply have to squeeze past you at speed with only inches to spare, I reckon that's enough of a safety argument for me.

TiNuts

Tried it once - scared the hell out of me! I commute in London (where lunatic drivers abound) and need all of my senses available. The only time I listen to music on the bike is indoors whilst on a trainer.

alfablue

janm399 wrote:

biondino wrote:

What might bother me even if i listened to music/words quietly is not knowing whether a sound was coming from the headphones or reality, and often you don't get a second chance to find out.

I thought about listening to music quietly, but you're absolutely right!

But I am still at a loss to know what the sound of a car behind me is going to make me do different - they are there all the time, I'm not going to pull out for right turn without looking, regardless of what I can or can't hear, and I am not going to pull over because I can hear a vehicle.

sc999cs

alfablue wrote:

But I am still at a loss to know what the sound of a car behind me is going to make me do different - they are there all the time

Luckily not where I live, quite often the road behind is clear. However when cars do turn up they inevitably do so at speed. Being able to hear their approach adds to my sense of security - especially with the right hand turn I have to make half way down a hill.

Steve C

Kieran_Burns

A simple analogy would be to walk directly up behind someone without trying to hide your approach.

If they are wearing headphones and you grab their shoulder, we're talking new underwear time.

Do so without and there is no surprise.

alfablue

Kieran_Burns wrote:

A simple analogy would be to walk directly up behind someone without trying to hide your approach.

If they are wearing headphones and you grab their shoulder, we're talking new underwear time.

Do so without and there is no surprise.

Well I may still get knocked off, but it will be less embarrassing in hospital when they rip my pants off. :oops: