Headphones?

vegas76

Does anyone here use headphones and listen to music while cycling?

Is there a safe way to do this?

cgfw201

Yes all the time. I have a pair of these Anker bluetooth ones. Battery lasts a good 6-8 hours. Just use left earpiece, can hear all the traffic and road noise in the right ear. Done it for years, never had an issue.

A lot of people think it's suicidal, but as long as you're paying attention to whats around you as you should be anyway, it's 100% fine. Wearing 2 earphones or over the ear headphones is a different vibe entirely, but even then it's not a crime to be a deaf cyclist.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Headphon ... +earphones

Tashman

cgfw201 wrote:

Yes all the time. I have a pair of these Anker bluetooth ones. Battery lasts a good 6-8 hours. Just use left earpiece, can hear all the traffic and road noise in the right ear. Done it for years, never had an issue.

A lot of people think it's suicidal, but as long as you're paying attention to whats around you as you should be anyway, it's 100% fine. Wearing 2 earphones or over the ear headphones is a different vibe entirely, but even then it's not a crime to be a deaf cyclist.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Headphon ... +earphones

I get your point but a deaf cyclist will have a heightened sense of what's happening around them through their other senses. A headphone wearer won't always take that extra care required through sensory deprivation. I'd rather not take the chance.

slowbike

I use an ear worm ... change track at will - if you can think of another track to play ... though I do find when I'm working hard I tend to listen to between 4 and 8 bars on repeat ....

ryan_w-2

Cutting off one of your limited senses is not a wise thing to do IMO.

That’s a nice way of me saying, if you ride wearing headphones, you’re a complete cnut.

joey54321

Ryan_W wrote:

Cutting off one of your limited senses is not a wise thing to do IMO.

That’s a nice way of me saying, if you ride wearing headphones, you’re a complete cnut.

lol

sloppyschleckonds

I rarely ride without earphones and Ryan is right.
Make sure you get sweat resistance jobbies

weezyswiss

Don't use headphones myself, but if I did I'd use bone conduction ones so there's nothing blocking the ear canals

vegas76

WeezySwiss wrote:

Don't use headphones myself, but if I did I'd use bone conduction ones so there's nothing blocking the ear canals

Has anyone used the bone conduction headphones? How are they?

lettingthedaysgoby

I'm another in the "its a bloody daft thing to do" camp. If I'm cycling in an urban area I want to hear everything around me as clearly as possible, if in the countryside I want the peace and quiet!

That said, if you must have some tunes the bone conducting ones are surely the way to go. You won't get the pristine audio quality you can with proper in ear buds, but some of the newer ones out there are good enough.

darkhairedlord

It's not the "cutting off of one of the senses" that's the problem.
It's the "away with the fairies" not concentrating on what you should be doing that gets you/others killed.

arthur_scrimshaw

darkhairedlord wrote:

It's not the "cutting off of one of the senses" that's the problem.
It's the "away with the fairies" not concentrating on what you should be doing that gets you/others killed.

I get that and to be even handed the same would apply to motorists with their music blaring out, does this question get asked on car forums?

Of course the consequences for rider vs driver are quite different potentially.

darkhairedlord

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

darkhairedlord wrote:

It's not the "cutting off of one of the senses" that's the problem.
It's the "away with the fairies" not concentrating on what you should be doing that gets you/others killed.

I get that and to be even handed the same would apply to motorists with their music blaring out, does this question get asked on car forums?

Of course the consequences for rider vs driver are quite different potentially.

Pedestrians do this a lot, usually students wandering in or out of campus in a daze.

pblakeney

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

darkhairedlord wrote:

It's not the "cutting off of one of the senses" that's the problem.
It's the "away with the fairies" not concentrating on what you should be doing that gets you/others killed.

I get that and to be even handed the same would apply to motorists with their music blaring out, does this question get asked on car forums?

Of course the consequences for rider vs driver are quite different potentially.

I see a lot of drivers where this would most definitely explain their actions.
Away with the fairies is a lot more polite than I have put it in the past.

fenix

Tried it once as an experiment and didnt like it. It definitely gave me less warning of approaching traffic (this was out in the countryside). What's so important that you need to listen to as you cycle anyway ?

vegas76

Fenix wrote:

Tried it once as an experiment and didnt like it. It definitely gave me less warning of approaching traffic (this was out in the countryside). What's so important that you need to listen to as you cycle anyway ?

I'm inclined to agree that it's a bit dangerous. I just find that listening to banging tunes keeps energy going a bit longer.

essex-commuter

Vegas76 wrote:

Has anyone used the bone conduction headphones? How are they?

I use them every day on my bike commute. They are excellent and it takes a lot to impress me. I have Aftershokz Trekz Titaniums. My first pair developed an issue shortly after I bought them, the after sales was excellent and I haven't had an issue at all since and they are just over 2 years old.

You can take/make phone calls on them as well, that was initially the reason I bought them as my Dad was not well and in a care home, I needed to be available 24/7. Unfortunately I don't have that issue to deal with any longer but now I couldn't be without them. Sound good and I can hear everything around me.

cgfw201

Fenix wrote:

Tried it once as an experiment and didnt like it. It definitely gave me less warning of approaching traffic (this was out in the countryside). What's so important that you need to listen to as you cycle anyway ?

personally don't listen to music on the bike, mostly podcasts, bit of radio and the odd audiobook. bit of entertainment on the ride. one ear on the audio, one ear on the road.

as I say, never had an issue. ironically only time I've ever been hit by a car in 80,000km of riding was when headphones had run out of battery.

imafatman

Left ear only, at low enough volume that it doesn't take my attention of the road.

I live in London so anything else is suicidal.

meursault

When I'm cycling, I'm cycling, not doing anything else.

supermurph09

Appreciate we are all different but I have never understood the want to listen to music while riding, surely the act of riding your bike is all the enjoyment you need? Can't help but think people are missing out on the experience by cluttering it with music etc.

kingstongraham

Only ever wanted music while on a proper long climb, and even then only occasionally. Sometimes you want to listen to your thoughts, sometimes you don't. Would never in traffic, and never have in Britain.

darkhairedlord

Vegas76 wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Tried it once as an experiment and didnt like it. It definitely gave me less warning of approaching traffic (this was out in the countryside). What's so important that you need to listen to as you cycle anyway ?

I'm inclined to agree that it's a bit dangerous. I just find that listening to banging tunes keeps energy going a bit longer.

buy a bike with a BB30 bottom bracket and up the tempo.

crankycrank

I always dread coming up on a cyclist/pedestrian/jogger etc. wearing headphones. I'll usually let someone know I'm passing so they don't drift into me. When they have headphones on they often can't hear me unless I yell which is a pain in the arse to have to do multiple times on a ride. You may be someone who's a good rider with common sense who won't do anything stupid but I have no way of knowing that and if you can't hear me you can't acknowledge that you know I'm there. So please either leave the right piece out or keep the volume down or whatever it takes.

TheGardenGnome

Bone conduction headphones. You'll hear much better than if you were in a car.

Poppa Wheelie

I've listened to podcasts before but 95% of the time I don't. When I do, the route I uses is mainly cycleways but to be honest I'm not stupid enough to turn right without looking and I doubt if there's anyone who can 'hear' if the car behind is going to hit them or drive past a foot away.

TheGardenGnome

I don't find the droning of cars beside me exciting, which is why I spice up my journeys with Podcasts and stuff. I like tuning in on LBC and listening to Nick Ferrari and Iain Dale so my journeys are always full of intellectually stimulating learning. Get bone conduction- it's not perfect but it's better than blocking your ears.

svetty

Supermurph09 wrote:

Appreciate we are all different but I have never understood the want to listen to music while riding, surely the act of riding your bike is all the enjoyment you need? Can't help but think people are missing out on the experience by cluttering it with music etc.

Exactly!

cgfw201

Svetty wrote:

Supermurph09 wrote:

Appreciate we are all different but I have never understood the want to listen to music while riding, surely the act of riding your bike is all the enjoyment you need? Can't help but think people are missing out on the experience by cluttering it with music etc.

Exactly!

Spent 713 hours cycling in 2017, that's a lot of stuff I learnt through books, podcasts & radio I'd miss out on otherwise.

mouth

Svetty wrote:

Supermurph09 wrote:

Appreciate we are all different but I have never understood the want to listen to music while riding, surely the act of riding your bike is all the enjoyment you need? Can't help but think people are missing out on the experience by cluttering it with music etc.

Exactly!

I don't, and won't ride with headphones in - tried it, don't like it. Don't like to use headphones when driving or indeed when I had a moped. I just can't get on with it.

I get the point about missing out on an experience and such like, but at the same time when I'm out for a long walk (or indeed any walk) with the dog I'm almost certain to be listening to a podcast or the radio.

TheGardenGnome

Supermurph09 wrote:

Appreciate we are all different but I have never understood the want to listen to music while riding, surely the act of riding your bike is all the enjoyment you need? Can't help but think people are missing out on the experience by cluttering it with music etc.