Listening to music whilst riding.

[BlackPanther]

I've had a few comments from people when they notice that I have my MP3 player on whilst riding. I don't have it on loud, it's usually not music anyway, just Chris Moyles in the morning, and some podcast on the way home. At the ATM yesterday, some old chap even said I SHOULDN'T be listening to music whilst riding! WTF! I pointed out that almost all drivers have their stereos on, and that you're allowed to drive if your deaf! Besides, I hear more on the push bike with the MP3 on than I do on the motorbike with my helmet on. Low music good....loud music, maybe a bit of a distraction? I wonder what percentage of us listen whilst riding, and has anyone had a lapse in concentration because of it?

 

[Simba]

I don't listen to music or the radio, I prefer to hear everything around me clearly with no distractions.

 

[aberal]

A friend of mine also listens to his MP3 player on his bike. I think it's madness. One huge party of your safety on a bike relies on listening out for traffic - there are subtle changes of sound that can tell you something is coming up behind you which you will miss listening to something else. But hey, it's your funeral.

 

[Hawkeye]

I don't listen to music or the radio, I prefer to hear everything around me clearly with no distractions.

+1

 

[3narf]

I don't do it. I wish I could, but I don't want to add another risk to what is probably the most dangerous activity I participate in.

 

[numbnuts]

there are subtle changes of sound that can tell you something is coming up behind you which you will miss listening to something else.

a mirror is far better....if you use it

 

[thomas]

I've got some cheap mini speakers from Bangkok which I selotaped onto my rucksack. I then put my mp3 player on shuffle or picked an album and listened to it (and sung along).

No safety issue. my ears weren't blocked in the slightest. I wouldn't use my posh shure sound isolating ones though ....not even on low volume.

I agree with the MB comment. Can't hear naff all with a helmet on.

 

[ComedyPilot]

This old chestnut again..........tick, tick, tick........................

 

[MontyVeda]

we could use the same argument for pedestrians... if you're listing to music via headphones you may not hear that bus mount the pavement just before it flattens you, or my be distracted by the latest Lady Ga Ga track as you step onto the zebra crossing, just before that bus flattens you... plus the chances of you hearing the mugger behind you are also reduced.

I do occasionally, but the practise does make that little bit more nervous, regardles of whether I'm walking or cycling

 

[GrasB]

I've tried it on & off. In all honesty with decent open headphones you can hear almost everything around you & I'll quite happily listen to music when walking. I've found when riding problem not the music, it's the amount of wind & fabric noise generate with exposed ears. At 15mph in basically still air I'm getting about wind noise than I would if I was travelling at 45mph. However if I have something protecting my ears (say a cycling cap or my face mask) then there's little to no difference in wind noise, unfortunately I then find that every little movement of my head is translated into a very loud noise which masks all external noises.

 

[MrGrumpy]

A friend of mine also listens to his MP3 player on his bike. I think it's madness. One huge party of your safety on a bike relies on listening out for traffic - there are subtle changes of sound that can tell you something is coming up behind you which you will miss listening to something else. But hey, it's your funeral.

I`ve tried both ways and to be quite frank for my journey it makes sod all differance, I can`t hear sook when not got them in due to wind noise. Now I suspect that a few of the commuters in here fall into the slow lane category and also commute in busy town centres and if that is the case then yes I would be hesitant to listen to anything in my ears whilst riding.


Just my opinion, but ears are only part of the safe riding, I would say visual awareness is well higher than what you can hear! Maybe not enough of the folks on here actually look behind from time to time or side to side to engage fellow road users.

This topic always divides opinion and its been discussed at length countless times

 

[BlackPanther]

II've found when riding problem not the music, it's the amount of wind & fabric noise generate with exposed ears. At 15mph in basically still air I'm getting about wind noise than I would if I was travelling at 45mph.

I had the same problem, and as I'm a Mr Bodgit.........
I glued a 4 inch piece of plastic triangular window beading on to my helmet straps, then added a bit of reflective tape. This pushes the air around my ears and eliminates almost all wind rush. It doesn't look pretty, but it does mean I can listen to stuff without having to have it on loud, and I can still hear traffic.....and it keeps my ears warmer so I don't have to resort to the neck tube quite so often.

 

[barongreenback]

Tempting...

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/mp3-...rce=google&utm_campaign=artemis8&utm_content=

 

[gaz]

I used to listen to music when i cycled.
I decided it was a bad idea and stopped.
A month later i was hit by a car through no fault of mine.
In the time that i had cycled with headphones, i had never been hit by a car.
Ergo... cycling with headphones is safer than not.

 

[marzjennings]

I listen to music on most rides because I don't think I'm affecting my safety that much. I'm always impressed by these ninja cyclists who claim they can determine the threat level of the cars around them by their engine note.