IPOD while riding?

pratley

This might sound like a daft question but do people listen to their ipods etc when riding, or is it a bit dangerous when riding around lanes as you cant here cars and traffic etc. :?

Ive not been riding long, i commute to work everyday but dont listen to my pod and go on long rides early sunday mornings and would like to listen to some up beat music to spur me on a little to and push harder?

anto164

i do sometimes, depends on my mood, and what i want to achieve that ride. If i'm pushing it, i get some repetative beats on, if not, i normally leave it at home.

Brindy

If I am riding on my own I almost always wear my ipod. The danger factor isn't much worse (if atall) unless you ride abit crazy e.g. all other the road not looking junctions etc.

giant_man

pratley wrote:

This might sound like a daft question but do people listen to their ipods etc when riding, or is it a bit dangerous when riding around lanes as you cant here cars and traffic etc. :?

Ive not been riding long, i commute to work everyday but dont listen to my pod and go on long rides early sunday mornings and would like to listen to some up beat music to spur me on a little to and push harder?

Well, what do you think?

Bobbinogs

I think it is a personal choice thing. Personally, I find one of the appeals of cycling is to get into the countryside and away from stuff so I never take an Ipod. I also like to hear traffic approaching (wakes me up and stops me from drifting, etc.) and I figure this makes it safer for me. I have seen a few guys with one earpiece in, which doesn't appeal to me but that doesn't make it wrong.

When on the turbo trainer in the basement, loud music is an absolute must to keep the boredom away and spur me on with some inspirational beats.

KingCustard

I've found that if you get some speed up & the wind whistling in your ears that you can't hear a bloody thing anyway!

Rich Hcp

I don't use my iPod on the bike, I prefer to hear what's going on around me.

The bloody earphones would probably fall out at a crucial mment!

pratley

Thanks for the reply's, might take it with me tomorrow and see how i get on, if the wind is too strong then i wont bother again.

Barrie_G

I sometimes do, the way I look at it is, I'm riding carefully, I look around before changing possition etc. so if some idiot is going to hit me from behind or because he's come too fast round a blind corner then me listening to a few tunes isn't going to make any difference :?

danowat

I listen to the radio with a single headphone in.

pratley

danowat wrote:

I listen to the radio with a single headphone in.

thats not a bad idea, maybe il just have 1 ear phone in then i can here for traffic, but i always look over my shoulder before changing direction/ position etc.

acidstrato

its been debated over and over again and the end result is that its entirely up to you

nobody has the right to dictate whether you can or not its solely your choice. sure they can try, call you what ever they want but the FACT is people have accidents regardless. A carefull enough rider will be constantly observing their environment. But music blearing in your ears wont make a bit of difference when someone left hooks you or pulls out of a junction in front of you

I ride almost always with my ipod when I'm solo and there are very few instances when I'll pull out a side to hear traffic

louthepoo

i've never tried it, i'll get my cycling confidence up before i do. I assumed most people didn't but now i think i'm in the minority.

father_jack

if you want to win a darwin award, sure go right ahead and do it.

Bunneh

redddraggon

KingCustard wrote:

I've found that if you get some speed up & the wind whistling in your ears that you can't hear a bloody thing anyway!

+1

toxic 2

i agree with Danowat i wear mine all the time with only one ear phone

verloren

I do, but I only listen to podcasts, which means what I'm listening to never gets too loud. And once I get above around 30km/h I tend to pause it as the wind whistles too loud for me to overcome without making it too loud.

Or more briefly "Yes I do, but sensibly"

richardfj

To be fair i do, often...i ride at 6am on country roads that are often deserted, not tried with just one in but i will...if it's nice and sunny i'll leave it at home and take in all that nature has to offer but if it's cold then i find it gets me motivated...

I think where you could have an issue is that if you have a unsucceefull meeting with a car or similar then the solicitors might argue that you weren't paying full attention to see the idiot driving at you you in the first place..mind you .they also seem to think that you should be clad head to toe in reflective gear...

gkerr4

I use mine - but a commuting ride in the city is entirely different to a ride in the lancashire country roads!

Your choice - there will be many conficting opinions on this!

Rouge Penguin

I'm happy in my own company, so never listen to it. I actually like to hear the sounds of the countryside and also for cars approaching from behind. Its a personal choice really and can appreciate why one would

cougie

I tried it once to see what it was like - and I found I got distracted, and even with it down low - it masked the noise of cars behind. For me - its not worth the risk. Its interesting that its only in the last 20 years or so that we've had this need to fill our heads with music or podcasts etc. Is thinking any more boring than listening to the latest Girls Aloud album or whatever...

KillerMetre

I'll try and control my opinion on this one.But for me it is pretty negligent,we are all up in arms when drivers use mobiles etc but when it comes to our own kind some seem to think that eliminating one of you senses is a sensible thing to do!

It's simple.Tractor/HGV coming around a blind corner on a narrow country lane,if you honestly believe that being able to hear the thing coming is not a significant safety advantage then,frankly,you are a genuine idiot.

gkerr4

KillerMetre wrote:

I'll try and control my opinion on this one.But for me it is pretty negligent,we are all up in arms when drivers use mobiles etc but when it comes to our own kind some seem to think that eliminating one of you senses is a sensible thing to do!

It's simple.Tractor/HGV coming around a blind corner on a narrow country lane,if you honestly believe that being able to hear the thing coming is not a significant safety advantage then,frankly,you are a genuine idiot.

why what do you do if you hear one? stop and pull over?

the genuine idiot bit is a bit harsh mate - it doesn't make "that" much difference - have you tried it? Mostly when you riding you hear wind noise in your ears - the Ipod doesn't really change that - wind is still the loudest thing.

mroli

That's total rubbish. I used to commute with an ipod and in ears - I switched to over ears as I could hear nothing with in ears in and I am now cycling sans ipod and much happier and feel much safer for it. Unless you're doing a consistent 40mph, the sound of wind in your ears is MUCH less than an ipod blaring away.

cougie

You may not stop and pull over if you heard a tractor ahead but at least you'd be ready to brake or take evasive action. Much better than heading blindly into a bend - surely ?

RobG100

I've recently started riding with 1 ear phone in, on Max volume so I can hear the music. I don't put two in so that with the other ear I can hear traffic.

gkerr4

mroli wrote:

That's total rubbish. I used to commute with an ipod and in ears - I switched to over ears as I could hear nothing with in ears in and I am now cycling sans ipod and much happier and feel much safer for it. Unless you're doing a consistent 40mph, the sound of wind in your ears is MUCH less than an ipod blaring away.

maybe "blaring" is the word of note in your comment then?

I'm sorry - you are all on your high horse (again - always are when this subject comes up) - it really isn't "that" big a deal - i;ve never yet been surprised by traffic with or without my ipod on and I much prefer it being on. All this you can't hear a tractor round a bend is a crock of crap - so what if you can't hear it? just try not to ride into it and if it hits you - well it probably would have done anyway....

KillerMetre

gkerr4 wrote:

KillerMetre wrote:

I'll try and control my opinion on this one.But for me it is pretty negligent,we are all up in arms when drivers use mobiles etc but when it comes to our own kind some seem to think that eliminating one of you senses is a sensible thing to do!

It's simple.Tractor/HGV coming around a blind corner on a narrow country lane,if you honestly believe that being able to hear the thing coming is not a significant safety advantage then,frankly,you are a genuine idiot.

why what do you do if you hear one? stop and pull over?

the genuine idiot bit is a bit harsh mate - it doesn't make "that" much difference - have you tried it? Mostly when you riding you hear wind noise in your ears - the Ipod doesn't really change that - wind is still the loudest thing.

Slow down,get ready to unclip,pull in as close to the side as possible and just generally prepare for the potential evasive action to come...much better than having a split second to do all this and maybe overcook something.Plus helps me avoid shi**ing myself when the first thing I know about a 10 tonne HGV is when its 2inches away.

pratley

oops, i seem to have started something here, seems there are many split opinions and arguments for either choice, i guess its just down to the individual rider.

gkerr4

KillerMetre wrote:

gkerr4 wrote:

KillerMetre wrote:

I'll try and control my opinion on this one.But for me it is pretty negligent,we are all up in arms when drivers use mobiles etc but when it comes to our own kind some seem to think that eliminating one of you senses is a sensible thing to do!

It's simple.Tractor/HGV coming around a blind corner on a narrow country lane,if you honestly believe that being able to hear the thing coming is not a significant safety advantage then,frankly,you are a genuine idiot.

why what do you do if you hear one? stop and pull over?

the genuine idiot bit is a bit harsh mate - it doesn't make "that" much difference - have you tried it? Mostly when you riding you hear wind noise in your ears - the Ipod doesn't really change that - wind is still the loudest thing.

Slow down,get ready to unclip,pull in as close to the side as possible and just generally prepare for the potential evasive action to come...much better than having a split second to do all this and maybe overcook something.

OK - thats fair enough - a good comment and point.

I don't think we will agree on this though - for me, the enjoyment the ipod brings to my riding (as the only real time I get to myself to enjoy a bit of music) far outweighs the (IMO) very slightly increased risk of a surprise on the road.