Music when riding

MancMissile

I've just come from mtb'ing to road riding and always used to ride with an ear piece in blasting my favourite tunes as I found it helps keep me motivated.

Just wandering what your views are listening to music as you ride on the road as I know its important to hear the road and cars etc..

Interested to know what your preferences are on this one.....

danowat

Hear that?, thats the sound of a large can of worms being opened.

anto164

If i ride with others, i don't listen to music, if i do ride on my own, the music is put on.

You don't need it on loud, so you can still hear cars etc.

keef66

well he would've heard it if he didn't have his headphones in!

Phil_D

I like to listen to music in my clycle to work in the morning. As loud as possible because those lorries make the most annoying sound.

jus71n

I get the impression its not favorable to listem to music while riding, but if i'm on my own I do tend to stick the iPod on :roll:

Wacky Racer

Not a chance, unless you like taking a huge risk. Many cars these days are very quiet, it's way too easy to be caught out. Sometimes you can have enough problems hearing cars behind you when you are on a downhill with the wind whistling around your ears. Surely a short-cut to A&E?

IShaggy

One bud in my left ear, so I can hear my music but still hear the traffic on the side that counts.

danowat

In before the "deaf riders" and "well car drivers listen to music" comments :roll:

Seriously guys, this has been done to death, the rotting corpse of this dead ol' horse is starting to stink up the place......

Jason82

Wacky Racer wrote:

Not a chance, unless you like taking a huge risk. Many cars these days are very quiet, it's way too easy to be caught out. Sometimes you can have enough problems hearing cars behind you when you are on a downhill with the wind whistling around your ears. Surely a short-cut to A&E?

I don't just rely on my hearing I also use my eyes and nose for instance you can spot their shadows coming up behind you and smell the diesel from lorries and buses assuming you haven't already heard the deafening air brakes and loud exhust note. Like some of the posters above I don't have my music on that loud anyway so I can still hear most cars and I always look over my shoulder periodically anyway.

mbhuw

I wouldn't listen to music if i was you. If your going at some speed as well it's quite windy and you'll struggle to hear the cars anyway let alone with music playing. Of course you can just repeatedly look behind you if you have music in but i find i swerve into the road when i look behind me and it gets annoying after a while.

Thebigbee

Wacky Racer wrote:

Not a chance, unless you like taking a huge risk. Many cars these days are very quiet, it's way too easy to be caught out. Sometimes you can have enough problems hearing cars behind you when you are on a downhill with the wind whistling around your ears. Surely a short-cut to A&E?

Sorry but that is a load of crap. 90% of the time I am "plugged in" because it motivates and amuses me.

For all the people that are so against listening to a walkman - does that mean that deaf people shouldn't cycle?

Because that is basically what you are saying!

The times I have nearly been wiped out have had NOTHING to do with me not being able to hear. More to the drivers being utterly uselesss and blind.

If I wasn't so visually aware I would have ended up under a few morons tyres. And probably they wouldn't have even noticed then!!

MountainMonster

Eyes are the most important sense, I rely on them, by looking over my shoulder and being smart when crossing intersections. So yes, I do ride with headphones in.

Peddle Up!

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

Jason82

Peddle Up! wrote:

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

That would be his fault for driving straight into my back wheel because that's the only way I wouldn't spot him with my eyesight on the roads I ride. Do you ride around blind only using your ears or something cars are fairly big you know they can't just jump out at you.

mouth

Rule no. 62


http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

danowat

Thebigbee wrote:

does that mean that deaf people shouldn't cycle?

HOUSE!!!!

Peddle Up!

Jason82 wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

That would be his fault for driving straight into my back wheel because that's the only way I wouldn't spot him with my eyesight on the roads I ride. Do you ride around blind only using your ears or something cars are fairly big you know they can't just jump out at you.

I'm a bit raw on this having been carved only two hours ago up by a car that followed me for a short time, overtook in the face of oncoming traffic, then pulled back in right across my front wheel (almost). The point is, I knew there was a car behind me, and I was prepared for the overtake, because I heard the car.

Must....... resist....... posting....... replies to postings to......... "done to death topic".

Jason82

Peddle Up! wrote:

Jason82 wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

That would be his fault for driving straight into my back wheel because that's the only way I wouldn't spot him with my eyesight on the roads I ride. Do you ride around blind only using your ears or something cars are fairly big you know they can't just jump out at you.

I'm a bit raw on this having been carved only two hours ago up by a car that followed me for a short time, overtook in the face of oncoming traffic, then pulled back in right across my front wheel (almost). The point is, I knew there was a car behind me, and I was prepared for the overtake, because I heard the car.

Must....... resist....... posting....... replies to postings to......... "done to death topic".

I think I would've spotted him overtaking me and heard even with headphones especially when he is coming alongside it's not like you need reactions of a ninja to find the brakes. I have also driven for ten years so I am fully aware of the stupidity shown by other drivers which helps me get ready for the worst.

Thebigbee

Peddle Up! wrote:

Jason82 wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

That would be his fault for driving straight into my back wheel because that's the only way I wouldn't spot him with my eyesight on the roads I ride. Do you ride around blind only using your ears or something cars are fairly big you know they can't just jump out at you.

I'm a bit raw on this having been carved only two hours ago up by a car that followed me for a short time, overtook in the face of oncoming traffic, then pulled back in right across my front wheel (almost). The point is, I knew there was a car behind me, and I was prepared for the overtake, because I heard the car.

Must....... resist....... posting....... replies to postings to......... "done to death topic".

Yes - and if you had of glanced over your shoulder regularly - you would have SEEN the car. I think visuals are more important and make you more aware.

Relying on your hearing IMO is naive.

andy46

i tried it once but didn't even make it out of the village where I live before I switched it off and put the headphones in my pocket, it just felt wrong but each to their own I guess.

nferrar

This old chestnut again, when training solo I usually have iPod on pretty loud and am perfectly safe, you see I have these things called eyes. If you need your ears to ride safely then you must be doing something different to me. I mean if you hear some muppet in a Nova roaring up behind you do you leap into a hedge to avoid imminent death, or do you just tense up, wobble a bit and actually put yourself at more risk? Even with volume up fairly loud (to overcome wind noise) I can still sense cars coming up behind and my frontal perception is just fine (again those pesky eyes doing their job...)

bill57

Thebigbee wrote:

For all the people that are so against listening to a walkman - does that mean that deaf people shouldn't cycle?

Most riders have a choice - the deaf are denied that luxury.

walsht1105

why would you want to remove or impair one of your senses?

walsht1105

Whilst listening to music, why not use some of these.

http://www.paramountzone.com/virtualvisionglasses4.htm

Plug them into your Ipod and watch some videos while riding and listening in with your headphones, only turn the screen on for one of the eyes though!

Speedmenace

Listening to music increases riding enjoyment by 37.3987% and adds 1.3mph to your average speed.

Hearing a car hit you isn't going to save you from a car hitting you

Valy

Thebigbee wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Jason82 wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Must....... resist....... posting....... to......... "done to death topic".

Too late! :roll:

If nothing else convinces you not to listen to music on a ride, think about this...

You might be knocked off by an electric car.

How would that feel?

That would be his fault for driving straight into my back wheel because that's the only way I wouldn't spot him with my eyesight on the roads I ride. Do you ride around blind only using your ears or something cars are fairly big you know they can't just jump out at you.

I'm a bit raw on this having been carved only two hours ago up by a car that followed me for a short time, overtook in the face of oncoming traffic, then pulled back in right across my front wheel (almost). The point is, I knew there was a car behind me, and I was prepared for the overtake, because I heard the car.

Must....... resist....... posting....... replies to postings to......... "done to death topic".

Yes - and if you had of glanced over your shoulder regularly - you would have SEEN the car. I think visuals are more important and make you more aware.

Relying on your hearing IMO is naive.

Well, relying on solely hearing is just like riding blindfolded... so in other words it's used in conjunction with other things.

Gimme a high five!

mouth

TBH personally I won't listen to music, use the phone etc whilst riding based on an incident a couple of months back:

By trade I'm a bus driver and regularly see the suicidal activities performed by other road users on a daily basis including the learner car which entered a roundabout whilst I was going round it in my double decker. An emergency stop (by me) and some new eggs for Mrs. Brown later all was okay.

The incident I refer to basically was down to the cyclist in question. I was driving a rural route (along the A612 in Nottinghamshire) and as I approached a bend I spotted a cyclist a few yards ahead. Being a solid white line there was no real chance of an overtake on the basis that Lance Armstrong was going faster than 10 mph. So anyway I'm following him along this lane (national speed limit, 50mph for me) and after a coupla hundred yards the road straightens and the broken white line comes back. Cyclist still swerving away from the kerb but it is obvious that he doesn't realise there's a queue of traffic behind him from the body language. Gave a bit of a blast on the horn and the guy looked like he'd literally cacked his pants. He obviously had no idea I was there in my bus. At this point it became apparent to me that he had earphones in.

The upshot is it might be safe to ride plugged in as long as you perform the obvious observational tasks to replace your hearing.

A personal choice but good luck in getting someone else to admit liability in the event of a collision.

beeroclock

"For all the people that are so against listening to a walkman - does that mean that deaf people shouldn't cycle?

Because that is basically what you are saying!"


Yes - but deaf people do not have the distraction of the music and their other senses are usually heightened as a result of their condition. So not really a fair correlation is it?

MountainMonster

beeroclock wrote:

"For all the people that are so against listening to a walkman - does that mean that deaf people shouldn't cycle?

Because that is basically what you are saying!"


Yes - but deaf people do not have the distraction of the music and their other senses are usually heightened as a result of their condition. So not really a fair correlation is it?

It is actually a rather fair correlation though. Deaf people can't hear, therefore are not aware of the sounds around them. As you say, wearing headphones does the same. May not be on the same level, but it is the same principle.

StillGoing

Listening to music whilst riding is for people who get too easily bored. I used to do it when I first started but now I just listen to the surroundings.and mull things over in my head. I don't need this or that tune to motivate me; just turn the pedals. Even on long rides there's plenty to keep me occupied without having to carry an iPod around and add that extra risk to my well-being.