Question for you all here

jeawan

who here listens to music when cycling ? i sometimes do when im up cycling in the mountains above my house , ive never done commuting though , and i was wondering who listens to music when they are commuting to work , also do you think this is dangerous or not .

Ghost Rider

I never do. I think it's dangerous to remove, or even attenuate, the all-important auditory cues that give cyclists so much information about what's happening on the road at any given moment.

How important auditory cues are for one's general awareness of other road users is hammered home to me every time an iPod-wearing dunderhead steps obliviously onto the road or cycle path in front of me, causing me to swerve or brake suddenly.

jeawan wrote:

who here listens to music when cycling ? i sometimes do when im up cycling in the mountains above my house , ive never done commuting though , and i was wondering who listens to music when they are commuting to work , also do you think this is dangerous or not .

Hungrycol

Yeah I listen to music when commuting but it never completely drowns out the traffic noises so I find it safe enough. I don't listen on long rides though. I find it good to just have my thoughts and daydreams...

crashoveroid

I used too. but i found out the hard way so now its all all ears while riding

Membrane

I strap on the mp3 player and plugs for my leisure/training rides, it gets lonely out where I ride. The plugs are the "sports" type designed to let through traffic noise, I keep the volume to a decent level and I don't switch the player on until I've cleared the city. I almost always hear traffic coming up behind me, I regularly look behind me and I always ride as if there's traffic behind me just in case.

dalk

I don't listen to music whilst cycling because i think it is distracting and not because it drowns out the sound of traffic. There are enough distractions in the city. Best to concentrate on whats going on around you. I don't trust my ears very much, considering how sound bounces around streets.

kenmc

I did on my commute up until last week, to be honest I don't really know why I stopped, it was just like I couldn't be bothered with it! I never used to have it so loud that I couldn't hear the cars behind, but I did notice that there used be more of a wind whistle with them in than without.
Never found them distracting or dangerous though.

Agent J

I think its dangerous if you are blasting out heavy metal while flying along the quays and not paying attention to whats going on. Like most of the idiots who just step out on to the street with loud earphone stuck in their ears.However they tend to show no interest in having an awareness of whats going on.

Having said that I use my earphones all the time while on the bike. usually tends to be talk radio and not very loud. I keep a constant eye on whats going on and don't get lost in my own little world. I treat what i'm listening to
very much as background noise and it doesnt hold my attention.

I would find cycling quite tedious if i didnt have something to listen to. With something to listen to i can do it for ages no problem.

kenmc

Agent J wrote:

I treat what i'm listening to very much as background noise and it doesnt hold my attention.

I was the same, that's a good way of describing it. And also it's nice to be able to giggle at the traffic reports

Raam

I used to listen to music on the bike when I first started as I found that it helped keep me motivated. Now I don't listen to music at all on the bike as I find the cycle itself to be my motivation. I also like to be able to give my fullest attention to the road. I find that I get more enjoyment from hearing everything around me and experiencing everything the cycle has to offer: sights, sounds, the sensation. If you are listening to music, you don't get the same experience as you are more removed from your environment.

daymobrew

It's been 16 years since I last used my tape Walkman while cycling. No such distractions for me now. A geeky mirror on my right handlebar is a very useful addition to my hearing - more info the better.

Agent J

kenmc wrote:

I was the same, that's a good way of describing it. And also it's nice to be able to giggle at the traffic reports

"Traffic is backed up along the N4.. Delays of nearly an hour"

Then seeing the big line of traffic.... and going by it at warp speed while the drivers look on. A Mate of mine who is a driver tells me he always gets tempted to open his door on a cyclist because hes jealous of them whizzing by...

I feel like yelling out " So long suckers!" but i know Karma would bite me in the ass....

pete4130

Somtimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Granted it does cause you to be less aurally aware of your surroundings and to me it isn't as safe as cyling without music. I commute through the city centre in heavy traffic and have done so for many years and would consider myself to be quite competent when it comes to road awareness and reading the road situation ahead of me and keeping check on whats happening behind me regularly.
It is personal choice at the end of the day. I don't consider it to be a huge risk for myself personally. Saying that sometimes I do knock it off/unplug my ears if there is something stupid happening in traffic.

My point being there are no gains to be made by listening to music while cycling.

blorg

Sometimes, yes, but not often and generally only when on a cycle lane though.

Civilian_Target

Nope. Cycling without them makes me feel more in contact with the city, and makes the cycle more refeshing IMHO.

Danbo!

Nope. I just started a job there a while back and finally have money (just out of college). got myself a new bike and thought id splash out on an Mp3 player for the commute. used it once and found it too distracting. Also, theres only certain few types of music i'd like to listen to, so if i stick 6 gigs on shuffle you tend to get the odd dull boring song when you need stuff like queens of the stone age etc to pump up the speed.

reminds me, anyone wanna buy an Mp3 Player?? might stick it on adverts.

Agent J wrote:

I feel like yelling out " So long suckers!" but i know Karma would bite me in the ass....

hehe, i always give a wave to everyone sitting stationary on the M50 when i go over it in the evening. theres so many cars someones bound to see it.

ThOnda

Never! Two reasons - I am on the bike to clear my mind and I am listening to the music wokring on computer. And the second one - don't have protable mp3 player :-D

flippythewarvet

i find its perfectly safe to have your mp3 playing once its not too loud and you ride aggressively. I think a bigger danger are people with hoods on that act as blinkers so when they try to look behind them they cant!

timmywex

yup, i always do, its grand to do it i think if you dont have them turned up too loud and are soncious of whats around you, however, if im going in heavy traffic, i always flick one off so i can catch any cars coming out behind me or anything like that

Morgan

flippythewarvet wrote:

i find its perfectly safe to have your mp3 playing once its not too loud and you ride aggressively.

Shouting and stuff?

I've never worn headphones on the bike (don't really like wearing them all in fact). However, I'm considering getting a cheap MP3 player to bring off-road. Some loud music might just help to drown out conscious thought when you're struck by "the fear!".

BeerNut

timmywex wrote:

if im going in heavy traffic, i always flick one off

:eek:

I'm not a headphone-wearer while cycling. I definitely prefer having full peripheral audio.

tampopo

No don't listen to music, yeah, I'd consider it to be dangerous. Plus, there's no cure for deafness.

jeawan

Morgan wrote:

Shouting and stuff?

I've never worn headphones on the bike (don't really like wearing them all in fact). However, I'm considering getting a cheap MP3 player to bring off-road. Some loud music might just help to drown out conscious thought when you're struck by "the fear!".

i found that i alway jump first and then ask me Conscious what he though later , but aye i wouldn't wear headphones while on the roads in town i find i prefair have all senses , but intresting to see you all pretty much the same in my thoughts

avalanche

i think your ears are vital when on a bike. its essential to be able to hear the traffic around you, especially motorbikes which move quickly along the same areas of the road as cyclists. i think the ears are almost as important as the eyes when it comes to cycling so wouldnt recommend using the aul tunebox at the same time

DITTKD

No headphones for me. I think they add an element of danger that one can do without.
That said, any near misses I’ve seen where headphones have been a factor probably had more to do with the bad attitude of the cyclist in question. Like, I think it’s possible to wear earphones and still be fairly safe, probably, it’s just not for me.

The earphones I own are the ear-bud noise cancelling types. They’re great earphones, but *totally* unsuitable for cycling.

Victor

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=53768629#post53768629

RainyDay

I wouldn't consider wearing headphones, particularly when commuting. Part of my commute is through very quiet housing estates where my ears are just as important as my eyes in identifying other traffic.

When out in in the hills, I think it's a shame to block out nature.