Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 80 total)
  • Cycling while listening to music? – Faux Pas?
  • PlopNofear
    Free Member

    So, is it ok to cycle while listening to music. I assume that while on the road it would be a bit dangerous as you could not hear cars. But while on the trails or off road it would be acceptable?

    Discuss

    Three_Fish
    Free Member

    Trolltastic!!

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    some do some dont. I dont on or off. I suspect more dangerous on the road but I assume some deaf cyclists ride safely. Soem car drivers drive with very loud stereos
    I assume each individual can decide for themselves
    OH was that little too uncontroversial?
    PS what style of music do Faux pas do is it art house?

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    Lifer
    Free Member

    I do sometimes, not on the road though.

    trout
    Free Member

    IMHO it is stupid to ride with one of the senses turned off
    as I like to also hear what is about to try and kill me

    MSP
    Full Member

    I do it fairly often, depends on my mood, sometimes its nice to just get back to nature sometimes a bit of music can enhance the experiance.

    I also like to listen to the soundtracks from the earthed films when I am sessioning downhilly type stuff, it just seems to help a little psychologically.

    MSP
    Full Member

    trout – Member

    IMHO it is stupid to ride with one of the senses turned off
    as I like to also hear what is about to try and kill me

    When I am riding through the forests in winter, I prefer not to be able to hear the beasts and monsters lurking in the shadows.

    ronjeremy
    Free Member

    Er controversial here, however off road no, as I like to tune in to my flow, on road yes as I find the bpm helps me to maintain my cadence,

    hels
    Free Member

    I used to be all “Down With This Kind of Thing” but then when I started with the motorbike one of my buddies handed me some earplugs ! You really can’t hear anything, your own engine is about it.

    I now use my walkman with left ear only when cycling, offroad and on quiet roads. Can stil hear the odd truck or motorbike that passes. Would never wear it in the city or on busy A roads thats just daft.

    Singing along to it – now that is a faux pas !!

    transapp
    Free Member

    When riding solo, yes to both on and off road. If I’m going to be cleared up from behind by an hHGV, I doubt that I’ll realise it’s going to hit me using hearing before I’m spread bug like on the grill…. Tunes make me smile so I even listen when I’m doing 10 tt’s.

    anto164
    Free Member

    Tunes on the road bike when soloing, no tunes when on the mtb.

    brakes
    Free Member

    I rely on sounds a lot when riding on the road and commuting so wouldn’t want to be without my hearing
    might do offroad if I was riding particularly boring trails/ fireroads etc. – but love the sound of the trail under the tyres

    ron jeremy –
    I like to tune in to my flow

    you like to what?

    meadowedge
    Free Member

    I use a left earphone for the boring commute/road training but find enough on the trails to keep me entertained!

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    bit dangerous as you could not hear cars

    Why do you need to hear cars? What are you going to do if you hear one that you won’t if you can’t? What if there’s so many cars that you’re sick to the back teeth of hearing them? Why does it matter?

    Rorschach
    Free Member

    I tried tuning into my flow once….it sounded like radio 4.

    hels
    Free Member

    For me, it’s not so much not being able to hear cars that is an issue, always assume there is one right behind you unless you know there isn’t, if you know what I mean.

    It’s more that you aren’t concentrating properly if you are listeing to music. But I have to turn the stereo down in the car when I get to the 30 signs otherwise I can’t focus on the task in hand.

    Blower
    Free Member

    never done it,not that bothered for doing it.

    hear whats around me i like.

    Garry_Lager
    Full Member

    Don’t really like it for mountain biking. Even climbing I find it sort of distracting. Like it for sustrans type rides on the cross bike.

    Some riders will listen to music whilst leathering a DH track, so it really depends on what you like.

    daveh
    Free Member

    If you’re going for it properly you shouldn’t be able to hear anything other than wind noise!

    brakes
    Free Member

    Why do you need to hear cars? What are you going to do if you hear one that you won’t if you can’t?

    for me it’s hearing a type of car, as this will change the way I might pull out into traffic if I’m going round something or where I’m positioned in the road
    ride in bus lanes a lot and I’ll change my behaviour whether there’s a motorbike, taxi or bus coming past and I will hear it before I see it and can distinguish by the sound, also you can tell the speed by the engine note too – whether they’re accelerating to get past or revving down to let you out
    it’s kind of a precursor to looking at what’s coming

    Frankenstein
    Free Member

    At least you won’t hear whats going to hit you…

    If you must listen to music, try the near-side ear and then you can still hear vehicles coming up to overtake at least.

    (Don’t listen to music while I ride although do big ear headphones must be snug in cold weather)

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Yes if out on my own. Earbud type with volume at a level I can hear traffic but not hear conversation unless I’m looking at their face. No probs with it myself but some common sense is needed I.e. don’t have it so loud you can’t hear anything…

    Mintman
    Free Member

    Apart from my 2mile commute down a straight road to work which is incredibly dull, I don’t cycle with earphones in, I get distracted too easily without all some of the sh*t on my iPod distracting me…

    Teetosugars
    Free Member

    Always when on my own.

    Both on, or Off road..

    Find a nice bit of LTJ Bukem helps out no end..

    🙂

    yunki
    Free Member

    Music is soooo last millenium..

    Transcendental meditation and ritual blood letting is where it’s at now..

    Northwind
    Full Member

    On the road, I do… I know the arguments against, but I don’t act any differently when I hear a car coming, what do you do “Uh oh, a car, better stop veering madly all over the road?” Off road, it spoils it a bit for me but ymmv.

    DrJ
    Full Member

    On the road – faut pas.

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    It’s a no on the road for me, but I often listen to music while mountain biking.

    Woody
    Free Member

    I really don’t feel comfortable if I can’t hear what’s around me. That goes for cycling, skiing and boarding as hearing is a very important aspect to safety eg. changes due to ice etc. I would definitely hate to block sound out on the motorbike as the mwaaaaaaaah……….mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah or baaaaaarp…..baaaaaaarp is music to my ears 🙂

    nixon_fiend
    Free Member

    MTB solo (ie. racing) = Yes – I have a special ‘fast’ playlist on itunes 🙂

    Road/City/Commute = Yes – almost always.

    ^ I ride into central london everyday and don’t see why I need to ‘hear’ anything? There’s always cars on every side of me – so I don’t need to hear them coming!

    Although if I was road cycling on the North York moors – with long winding roads and a bunch of idiots racing about at 60-odd mph then I think I’d want to hear them coming up behind me

    Sawyer
    Free Member

    Used to while BMXing, and do occasionally while riding off road. To be honest I find the cabling to just be hassle.

    Used to all the time on the way to work as well.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    I saw a guy with speakers on his bike the other day, genius! 😀 somebody should punt micro sound systems to cyclists!

    dr_death
    Free Member

    http://mycyfi.com/

    Like this?

    emsz
    Free Member

    On the commute I ride with ear phones in, off road I don’t, I like to hear the birds and my tyres. 🙂

    Olly
    Free Member

    i decided against going for a spin along the river as my MP3 player has a flat battery 🙁

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    I’ve tried it, but it was pointless as I simply did not not hear it and had no recollection of it either.

    I get some useful aural feedback from the bike – stuff rattling and creaking under strain, gear meshing etc. I think you sense something about what your tyres are doing to, particularly in cornering.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Why do you need to hear cars?

    We’ve done this before.

    Apparently, some riders use all their senses to tune into their surroundings, some don’t. The advantage of my hearing is that it tells me what’s happening behind me when I am looking forwards. Quite useful I find 🙂

    I have tried it, and became pretty sick of being startled all the time by things happening that I didn’t know about. I really felt like I had tunnel vision, even though my vision was unaffected. I need to be hyper aware on busy roads, and I don’t feel I can be with earphones in.

    TooTall
    Free Member

    I find the haughty look of disdain I get from off-road cyclists who didn’t hear my bell (due to their earphones) makes me want to punch them even more. They are usually the ‘elite cyclist’ or gnarcore types anyway.

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    Always listen to music on road and trails. Otherwise 6 or 7 hours can be a bit boring. Don’t get the ‘its dangerous to listen to music on the road’? Cars come from behind so what what could I do if I could hear them?

    Badger
    Free Member

    On road comuting – yes
    Off road – not usually as I like to either take in the environment around me (if on my own) or be chatting to others I’m riding with.

    enduro races – yes – helps stay motivated on solo efforts and I have several playlists for different moods to help: (fast pace, chill pace, positive motivation tracks, and tunes to trudge through the mud and rain dragging a 60lb lump of mud caked bike to!)

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