Headphones and Cycling! Is it safe?

[Chamfus Flange]

No. Unless there are no other road users.

 

[MrGrumpy]

You guys should be looking, not listening. Far too many cyclists out there can be seen to be relying on their hearing when pulling out around parked cars and other such manoeuvres.

+1 for me as well.

Although to clarify a bit further, in busy cities I think I might not be as blaze about headphones like I am just now. However my brief forays in motorcycling have taught me how important your eyes are!

 

[martynjc1977]

I find that above 18mph all i can hear is wind noise, I use my music to cancel that out. I always use my eyes and have never had a problem caused by my headphones.

 

[ufkacbln]

You can have a bit of fun with another rider who's wearing headphones. Shout out "Pillock!"

When they then say "what was that?" You can reply with "where's the nearest hillock?"

(What's that Rumpole?- I said where's the nearest hillock m'lud.)

Similar - a friend of mine resorts to sign language when he gets verbal abuse. I have tried it - Look vague, wave hands accordingly and watch numpty's face..... excellent fun

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

My point is not that you have to listen to music, it's that relying on your hearing will likely show that you're simply not looking enough. Rely on your looking, not on your hearing if you want to be a safe rider.Your hearing can only tell you if there is a noisy vehicle nearby. It's not very good at direction, and it can't tell you that there's definitely no vehicle there.

No but it CAN tell you if something unusual is going on behind you the second after you last looked. A skid, a screech of brakes, or a siren, anything which might signify something going on that might need reacting to before you next look ver your shoulder, even it fhat is only 5-6 seconds away.

I don't get how listening = relying upon your hearing

 

[Tinuts]

I don't get how listening = relying upon your hearing

Exactly. It should be listening & looking, not one at the expense of the other.

 

[BentMikey]

Except that hearing can't tell you when there's a silent vehicle behind you, or more likely a normal vehicle whose approach is hidden by wind noise. You need to look anyway, so the very fact that you're so keen on relying on your hearing implies that you're not looking sufficiently.

 

[Bill Gates]

You're all missing the point. If a driver uses a hand held mobile phone while driving it's not the lack of control of the vehicle that's the danger but the lack of concentration. hence the same danger if a hands free is used. Reaction times are shown to be less, and potential hazards go unnoticed.

In the same way, I wouldn't use a headset when riding a bike on the road. Not because I wouldn't be able to hear, although that could be dangerous, but because of the lack of concentration.

I listen to music when riding on the turbo but that's because I want to lose concentration so the time doesn't drag. Think about it.

 

[Dirk Zodiac]

Slipstreamz are what you need,minimal and light they suspend the speakers away from the inner ear,they cut out wind noise but not traffic,
music,podcasts etc come through loud and clear,got them from a internet headphone site[dont recall name]downside is you have to wear them
with a helmet..........oh god wot have I said now!

 

[moggsy100]

Just back form my sunday ride and enjoyed a good 3hrs of radio 1 today... I'm still alive to tell the tale too!!!!! Its only dangerous if you have it on LOUD... I have mine purely as background noise so you can barely hear it.. i can still hear approaching traffic at all times....

 

[Jezston]

+1

I'd rather just listen to what the bike is doing, as I can listen to my music ANY time, but that subtle noise the bike makes might only be heard the once before something bad happens. I don't want to miss it and end up hitting the road with my chin because I'm listening to my Ipod Nana or whatever they are called this week.

Tell me, why do people seem to think that listening to music is VITAL as though their life somehow depends on it?? do you REALLY have the attention span of a flee with ADHD?? do you REALLY have such a lack of imagination that you have to rely on others to get you through the day lest you get bored by a bit of silence?? are you REALLY incapable of doing anything without the radio on??

Music is nice, yes, but I don't HAVE to RELY on it like I have seen with some people in the my time.

I don't HAVE to, I just like to. And I know that I am perfectly safe doing so.

 

[Jezston]

No but it CAN tell you if something unusual is going on behind you the second after you last looked. A skid, a screech of brakes, or a siren, anything which might signify something going on that might need reacting to before you next look ver your shoulder, even it fhat is only 5-6 seconds away.

I don't get how listening = relying upon your hearing

I can still hear all those things with headphones on.

Some people seem to be under the impression that headphones to your ears are like blindfolds to your eyes. Unless you are wearing heavy duty noise-cancellation or deep in-ear headphones, your typical 'open backed' headphones don't cut out external sound at all, they just add some music on top of it, at a level you feel comfortable with. Also, the foam pads reduce wind noise.

 

[BentMikey]

Music/radio in a car is not generally considered to be distracting, and is normal practice. It's not comparable with the distraction of a mobile phone call, so that analogy is not a very good one, IMO.

 

[moggsy100]

Music/radio in a car is not generally considered to be distracting, and is normal practice. It's not comparable with the distraction of a mobile phone call, so that analogy is not a very good one, IMO.

+1...... Very good point well made....

 

[ComedyPilot]

Would the people vilifying the use of earphones please say whether they use a mirror on their bike?

If not, then why not?

After all you are reducing the effectiveness of your rearwards vision, no?

Do you drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike?

Does it have a mirror fitted, and do you find it useful?