With regards to driving, I listen to music on motorways and dual carriageways, but when about town the music lowers and so does my window.
💡

I do when riding solo in the dark (off road) I get seriously distracted and paranoid otherwise. At least now I can’t hear the boogie man as he comes to get me.

The boogie man?

I agree, Michael Jackson stalking you in the woods at night would tend to freak a person out.

Because it reduces your ability to hear other road users before you can see them.

True, but it does force you to focus more on visual cues, a more useful tactic when trying to avoid certain death on the roads.

but then people with impaired hearing are used to it and alter their behavior accordingly

And yet….

nickc – Member

And yet….

…you have a point?

No. MTB’ing is the only time I get peace from the kids or work and like the peaceful sounds of the countryside.

Sometimes when commuting, as soon as I go over about 15mph on a road bike all I hear is the wind anyway.

DanW – Member
Is cycling really so boring you have to listen to music too?

No, but just like a good film, it can be enhanced with a good soundtrack.

I always have music on, be it commuting or out in the trails.

Never – tried it once, hated the feel of having one of my senses removed. I like having time with my thoughts when I ride, music would just interrupt that.

i do on the Road bike left ear only though so i can hear approaching traffic

I listen to music if I am doing a long road ride of more than three hours. I find it helps with the concentration and takes my mind off the pain. 😳 I only have the music very quietly though so I can still hear traffic around me. Never feel the need for it on the mountainbike.

Always on the road bike. Doesn’t affect my ability to hear traffic particularly, and I can’t actually tell the difference between the sound of a car that’ll pass me and one that’ll hit me. I also don’t ride like a dick because I think the road is clear behind me.

YMMV.

Horses for courses me thinks – I’m rarely without music in my life but very rarely when riding, like many others I like to hear the countryside around me, I like to be able to hear the imagined ‘crazy lunatic’ chasing me through the wood on night rides, I like to hear the bike beneath me, I like to be able to hear cars coming up behind me on country lanes. Having said that there is a time for me and that’s any ride that gets past 80 miles or so, music takes my mind off the feeling that my legs just want to give up and in a weird way gives me something other than food to look forward to. Each to their own.

sbob – Member
nickc – Member
And yet….

…you have a point?

A good one…

sbob,
I was trying not to be too rude by hoping you’d see…but hey ho…

but then people with impaired hearing who have been listening to music quite happily on their bikes for years, are used to it and alter their behavior accordingly.

OK?

i do on the Road bike left ear only though so i can hear approaching traffic

What do you do differently when you hear approaching traffic?

Yep. Only time I get to listen to music.

Mainly for commute but also on longer xc rides where the riding is tame. I need a distraction on the ups!

For jumps and stuff I might take em out. Or if I join a group.

I also get a better gps track trace. I think the headphones work as an aerial.

I listen to music road, trail and commuting. Don’t use the ear blocking headphones, so can still merrily have a conversation with someone or hear a car nearby. Done it for years, never been an issue.

Even around events like Mayhem I’ll have an earphone in. Didn’t ever have an issue with riders shouting to pass.

I am a Hearing impaired rider. Been caught out a few times on the road by traffic I had been unaware of. Don’t think its about changing your behaviour but about giving yourself every advantage

I can’t hear traffic when I get above about 20kmh an hour anyway, the wind noise if far louder than the sound of approaching cars.

Give it a few more years and electric/hybrid cars will make the “can’t hear cars” argument null anyway.

Probably better to continue doing all your life-saver looks and being visually aware of everything anyway. Relying on, or using sound to augment your primary sense could lead to you missing out on something…

I listen to music while riding to stop random crap from going round inside my head!

Morning

I can point out the bleeding obvious all day long, should you require it

Except (for me) you didn’t really ,did you 😉

My tiny brain is usually quite good with the bleeding obvious ,so that’s why I struggle to understand why the sound of an approaching vehicle would alter my riding style.

As njee says

I can’t actually tell the difference between the sound of a car that’ll pass me and one that’ll hit me. I also don’t ride like a dick because I think the road is clear behind me.

That’s also why I tend to go for Peyote’s advice

continue doing all your life-saver looks and being visually aware of everything

🙂

Nope, never have and never will. I like to use all my senses to keep me alive!

I only listen to music on the bike to keep out the wail of immigrants being chased by Daily Mail readers, and daft reasons for why people think that cutting off one of their five senses in potentially lethal situations is a good idea (which have to be shouted to get heard above the music in their ears).

I can guess the contents of the above so I’ll save myself the irritation that would likely come from responding to some if it…

For myself, yes I do. At a lowish level (such that when going down hill at speed the wind in my ears is louder), and only with cheapish phones of the non canal variety. The sound of a car is quiet different to most music, music is usually middle and higher pitch, noises with a narrow bandwidth, the cound of a casr, apart from from being much louder than most people realise, is a low pitch almost white noise, with a wide bandwidth. As such the two do not interefear with each other. The headphones I use do not block atmospheric noise. If I don’t hear a car, with or with out headphones its usually because of the wind.

Also vision is my primary sense, and I would not ever assume there’s nothing behind me just because I can’t hear it.

I bought one of those tool bottles that go in a bottle cage an put my ipod and a cheap speaker in there. At worst it lets pedestrians hear you. Don’t use often on commutes though, just pootling about.

Could you explain why it adds more risk please.

Because (IMO) you’re removing or reducing the ability to hear potential danger. If you’re happy with that then fine, I’m not that’s all. You can’t deny that listening to music might mean you don’t hear something else, and that that might put you at greater risk? For example, some of my commute is down narrow country lanes with high hedges, I can generally hear an approaching car long before I see it.

Again, you manage your own risk so it’s up to you, I’m not telling you not to do it.

Oh , and does this also mean that people with a hearing impairment should never cycle on a road?.

Typical STW response.

Thanks

You’re welcome, and sorry for having an opinion different to yours.

For example, some of my commute is down narrow country lanes with high hedges,

This, and a junction near me where I turn right but have really poor visibility is when the earphones come out. Its an automatic reflex to be honest.

At the same junction when driving i drop the windows and silence my music, for the same reason. My primary sense is impaired, so I must rely on my others. Having phones in doesn’t mean you can’t bob them out when its advantageous.

I personally don’t but on my morning ride today (about 5.45am) on a road/residential section I heard Jacko blaring out loud behind me and thought “bit loud for this time of morning” and with that, expecting a car to overtake a communter cycled passed me with happy “morning” as he went past me with a ipod and full speaker set attached to his pannier.

You can’t deny that listening to music might mean you don’t hear something else, and that that might put you at greater risk? For example, some of my commute is down narrow country lanes with high hedges, I can generally hear an approaching car long before I see it.

Your hearing’s better than mine, I find I can hear cars better with headphones because of the reduced wind noise.

I also think there’s a huge amount to be said for having to really actively look over your shoulder to see cars, rather than assuming it’s clear because you can’t hear one. If you’re prone to changing direction without looking then you probably deserve to be flattened anyway.

Always listen to music when riding solo, I have some of those all in one sony mp3 players to easy to adjust volume and switch on and off (the controls are on the ear)

Usually it is at a volume where I can easily hear the outside world.

I ride with tempo music downloaded from podrunner – it helps me with getting into a rhythm and cadence.

Is cycling really so boring you have to listen to music too?

No, but its a good opportunity to catch up on music I’ve bought recently. And I don’t really get why you think you only listen to music because what you’re doing is boring. That makes no sense.

I also think there’s a huge amount to be said for having to really actively look over your shoulder to see cars, rather than assuming it’s clear because you can’t hear one. If you’re prone to changing direction without looking then you probably deserve to be flattened anyway.

Not wearing headphones doesn’t mean I can’t use my eyes too does it?