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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
Trolltastic!!
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?
I do sometimes, not on the road though.
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
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.
trout - MemberIMHO 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.
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,
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 !!
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.
Tunes on the road bike when soloing, no tunes when on the mtb.
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?
I use a left earphone for the boring commute/road training but find enough on the trails to keep me entertained!
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?
I tried tuning into my flow once....it sounded like radio 4.
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.
never done it,not that bothered for doing it.
hear whats around me i like.
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.
If you're going for it properly you shouldn't be able to hear anything other than wind noise!
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 [u]type[/u] 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
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)
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...
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...
Always when on my own.
Both on, or Off road..
Find a nice bit of LTJ Bukem helps out no end..
🙂
Music is soooo last millenium..
Transcendental meditation and ritual blood letting is where it's at now..
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.
On the road - faut pas.
It's a no on the road for me, but I often listen to music while mountain biking.
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 🙂
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
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.
I saw a guy with speakers on his bike the other day, genius! 😀 somebody should punt micro sound systems to cyclists!
On the commute I ride with ear phones in, off road I don't, I like to hear the birds and my tyres. 🙂
i decided against going for a spin along the river as my MP3 player has a flat battery 🙁
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!)
Cars come from behind so what what could I do if I could hear them?
I hear lots of information. Closing speed, an estimate of position, what kind of vehicle it is, if they are gunning it or not, which might be relevant if there is a car say coming the other way and they are going to cut in front. If it's a lorry or bus for example I might know if they are going to squeeze by or wait behind me.. lots and lots of useful information that I like to have.
Soem car drivers drive with very loud stereos
I reckon this is a red herring, driving a car and riding a bike on the road are so far removed it's a meaningless comparsion IMO.
Anyway, on the road I like to hear what's going on around me. As someone further up said, there's a lot of useful information in engine sounds.
On the trail, personally it doesn't feel right to me, it feels like I'm not quite engaged in it if I can't hear all the sounds that come from riding an MTB. I don't feel like I'm riding quite as well.
The advantage of my hearing is that it tells me what's happening behind
No it doesn't. It tells you that there's a noise behind you, nothing more. The noise might mean the car will hit you, it might mean it will miss you, but without looking or being mown down, you have no idea which it is.
My commute is'nt on the road apart from about a metre before the lockup at work.
Headphones ahoy.
Although just one when i feel i need to hear more.
No it doesn't. It tells you that there's a noise behind you, nothing more. The noise might mean the car will hit you, it might mean it will miss you, but without looking or being mown down, you have no idea which it is.
It tells you, for example, whether the car that's coming onto the roundabout from your left from behind a building is likely to be going too fast to be ready to stop. Or whether the car coming up behind you sounds like he might be planning on turning across you into the entrance you're just approaching.
Obviously they're just hints but I reckon they're worth having.
No it doesn't. It tells you that there's a noise behind you, nothing more. The noise might mean the car will hit you, it might mean it will miss you, but without looking or being mown down, you have no idea which it is.
listen to the to the sounds you must young jedi
only hearing leads to suffering
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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.
Perhaps listening to music might make you less uptight?
I'm happy to wear headphones any time, but I don't cycle in a massively built up area or surrounded by ****s like in that Londons famous London. Without them there's plenty of wind noise anyway at decent speeds so there's not much difference anyway, especially given that I can still hear revving engines etc. above the music. I'm happy to admit that it's marginally more dangerous but I can live with that. 99% of the time I rely on my eyes for hazard avoidance anyway. The other 1%? Jedi, obv. 🙂
No it doesn't. It tells you that there's a noise behind you, nothing more.
Well, whatever works for you 🙂
I found that when I cycled on open roads with headphones turned up enough to hear over wind noise, I could only hear cars when they were right behind me, not from any distance back.
whether the car that's coming onto the roundabout from your left from behind a building is likely to be going too fast to be ready to stop
Vision does the same thing, more accurately.....
I'm REALLY struggling to think of a corner or junction ANYWHERE where a vehicle could surprise me at cycling speeds, to be honest.
(PS, I'm playing devils advocate here, don't take it the wrong way 🙂 )
Good god man! Music when riding? Are you insane?
I always listen to the cars behind me, changes in engine noise, changing gear, etc. Up to and including the screeching tyres behind me, listening to the noise gave me options on how to react, and my reaction was to close my eyes and pray!! Maybe music might have been a good idea. as you were.
Tried wearing 'phones when riding, found it distracting. I like to hear everything that's around me; buzzards calling, the wind in the trees, rustling noises in the trees that indicate deer running towards me, and I like to be aware of any traffic around me.
Up to and including the screeching tyres behind me
And what would you do in that case, pray tell?
Close my eyes and pray! 😕
I love my playlists whilst riding. Always worry about flying over the bars tho and the I phone snapping a rib as I land on my back!!
I'm REALLY struggling to think of a corner or junction ANYWHERE where a vehicle could surprise me at cycling speeds, to be honest.
So if you are riding along and a car appears in your peripheral vision without having had any warning at all, you don't get surprised?
Haha! this rubbish turns up again.
Been commuting for at least 15 years, started with cassette Walkman, then minidisc player, now iPod.
Not ONCE has having music on caused even the slightest of issues. The main problem is when the battery is dead and I have to listen to the woosh wooosh woosh of shitty cars going past.
tried it and didnt get on with it. so now dont bother.
riding on the road to friends house, gym or to the woods = yeah, better than the constant draggy sound of 2.3s rolling over tarmac and cars.
riding on flat or uphill fire-roads = yeah
riding on singletrack or downhill on pretty much any surface apart from tarmac = no, i like to hear the bike... adds to the experience for me.
my ears appear to be shaped in a weird way that collects an overpowering wind noise whether i'm going 4mph or 40mph, i need to turn my head to the right or left to get it to cut out. this means i cant hear friends talking to me or cars approaching until they overtake anyway so music doesnt get in the way of anything 🙂
Erm.. I never used to listen to music when riding, then I started commuting to the station on my foldie.. the things so slow that I now listen to Chris Evans on my 15min pootle.
I tried listening to a few podcasts of a DJMate whose into DeepHouse stuff with a decent BPM, but that didn't work as it started to disrupt my trainng rythum, so ditched that and I couldn't hear the Skylarks anymore, I kinda prefer listening to Mother Nature when proper riding.
I reckon this is a red herring, driving a car and riding a bike on the road are so far removed it's a meaningless comparsion IMO.
Leave it to Mr Fish to point out another fish!
I ride with left earphone in (cos I'm partly deaf in that one anyway) and loud enough to just hear over traffic. Off road unless its a fireroad then no music.
Haha! this rubbish turns up again.
Been commuting for at least 15 years, started with cassette Walkman, then minidisc player, now iPod.
Not ONCE has having music on caused even the slightest of issues
It's caused me issues, that's why I stopped doing it.
Seems our brains all handle cycling differently.
So therefore it's not rubbish, simply a personal matter.
Thankyou for your contribution though - it wouldn't be a forum without it 😉
commuting 7 miles each way into london - ipod everyday, im lost without my tunes!
riding, cant get on with it really, maybe for dh its ok but too much faff with the helmet etc
So if you are riding along and a car appears in your peripheral vision without having had any warning at all, you don't get surprised?
No. I'm on a road. There are cars on roads. I expect to see them. Duh!
Trumpet blowing time! I have bonkers good peripheral vision, and good spatial awareness: I know what's happening around me. And apart it's VERY rare I'm surprised by anything when driving. It's like some sort of 6th sense, I just know what people are going to do somehow.
I'm trying to think of the last time something caught me out unawares..... err.... nope, sorry. It's been a long time, shall we say? 🙂
EDIT
Oh yeah, on a motorbike, 3-4 years ago. Woman turning right decided not to as I went up her LHS, I braked too sharp and went down. Lack of skill on the brakes, but I wasn't expecting that to be fair.
I too am very good with all round awareness on the bike, even if I do say so myself - however for me, my hearing adds to this.
There might also be something psychological going on because even on the trails music makes me feel penned in, claustrophobic, and tunnel-visionified. I've tried and it really does stress me out for some reason.
Ok Molgrips, this is what I meant by rubbish:
[i]IMHO it is stupid to ride with one of the senses turned off[/i]
and
[i]It's more that you aren't concentrating properly if you are listening to music[/i]
ie. Those who think they know what is better for others.
Well tbh that was what I first thought when I saw people doing it, but having read the carefully thought out posts on this thread I think I've learned a bit about how our brains can differ.
It does make me a bit nervous though (rightly or wrongly). I think perhaps some less experienced cyclists (ie not those here) would do well to take the earphones out to begin with. I expect that most posters here were already experienced cyclists before the iPod became so ubiquitous.
molgrips - MemberSo if you are riding along and a car appears in your peripheral vision without having had any warning at all, you don't get surprised?
Of course not. In the same way that when a car comes along and you hear it, you don't get surprised.
They surprised me by wearing headphones because I was oblivious to their existence until they were 2ft to my right. Without, I can hear them from 10-100 yards away depending on ambient noise.
But molgrips, what do you do differently when you hear a car approaching from the rear? If I'm approaching some kind of obstacle I'd normally glance over the shoulder anyway, never relying on hearing alone. Indeed I find that not using the hearing makes me focus on visual awareness.
I'll admit to experiencing the surprise thing initially, but it dissipated. As you say, I think it's more of a personal preference thing.
So... Consensus so far is:
-You don't need to hear cars
-Some people like to listen to the wildlife/environment around them.
-The music distracts you from the joy of hearing your tyres on the ground
But molgrips, what do you do differently when you hear a car approaching from the rear?
If a car's coming up then it puts me on alert. For instance, I know straight away to say bunnyhop that drain cover instead of going around it, for instance. If I hear a car coming along side me as I pass a junction, then slow when he's clearly at my rear quarter, I know I'm about to get side swiped for instance. I can tell if it's a lorry, which means it's wide, and if there's something coming the other way I can tell if he's going to slow down and wait or just squeeze past anyway. If the latter I can just be that bit more prepared and closer to the kerb.
It's often fairly subtle, but sometimes clear that I need to look behind me and take evasive action pronto. Often it's just a cue to look behind actually, thinking about it.
molgrips - MemberFor instance, I know straight away to say bunnyhop that drain cover instead of going around it
Not trying to be funny here but why be in that situation in the first place?
What, having to traverse drain covers? Because there are drains on the roads on which I ride 🙂
For instance, I know straight away to say bunnyhop that drain cover instead of going around it
Because having both wheels off the ground and landing is so much safer than looking behind you and judging the situation. Don't get this argument.
I cycle with phones, nice and quiet a bit of background I can hear Endomondo every mile, keep a keen eye on any roads, but live in the sticks so don't see that many cars.
Because having both wheels off the ground and landing is so much safer than looking behind you and judging the situation.
That's not what I'm saying. If space is at a premium and some bugger is going to come through and squeeze you into the kerb, you don't want to be swerving to avoid it because you'll get hit. I'm not advocating not looking, clearly. I'm not saying REPLACE vision with hearing, I just like to use both, that's all.
So for those who ride with music - how often do you routinely look behind you? Every drain cover?
I can still hear traffic as I am not blasting the tunes out, but i just am in the habit of regularly having a peek over the shoulder. Don't really think about it, more of an instinct. Still do it when I'm on the bridleways.
molgrips - Memberhow often do you routinely look behind you? Every drain cover?
I think maybe you missed the point... You don't need to check behind you every time you move out for a drain cover, if you just position yourself better in the first place so that you don't [i]need[/i] to move out. The gutter is the wrong place for a bike. I could be wrong but your posts give the impression that you're very passive/reactive on the road. "I can just be that bit more prepared and closer to the kerb" also suggests that- if there's a chancy gap, I'm not getting ready to move to the kerb, I'm establishing a strong position to prevent the stupid move that would force me over.
When I tried it, headphones made the wind noise very loud indeed, which necessitated turning the volume up very loud. I searched quite hard for cycling earphones - mainly for use on the outdoor track (which was always deserted) - but I could only find these little wind deflector things that you clip to your helmet straps and then you fit your earphones to them so that they are near but not actually in your ears. Supposedly you can hear traffic as well as your music. Not a bad idea really but I couldn't get them to work very well, too flimsy.
Re road position - I usually don't ride in the gutter of course, but sometimes drain covers/potholes/whatever are not in the gutter. Plus I don't like to hold up car drivers too much by riding further out when it's not needed. When I need to I'll move out and claim my piece of road of course, but I don't do it all the time as it gets the haterz hating.
better to keep your eyes open than your ears
better to keep your eyes open than your ears
Yep and both better still, for me 🙂