Headphones Megathread

endagibson

beauf wrote: »

Threads like this.

Agreed. Very similar thread on this subject 14 months ago. A lot of the same posters in it too.

NiallBoo

buffalo wrote: »

What does a drunk driver sound like, compared to a sober one?

if you listen carefully you can hear them saying "ah sure I'm grand, not a bother on me" and " well I've only had the five, you'd need a mortgage to get a taxi these days anyway"

beauf

endagibson wrote: »

330 posts in and I'm still not clear what the exact danger caused by wearing earphones/headphones while cycling is.

It will distract the voting public from real issues. So they'll forget to tackle the local politician on real issues.

shansey

If your spinning along with earbuds and a car/truck etc comes fom behind and you don't hear it.. it will most likely slow down and overtake you.

If its coming up behind you and can't slow down earphones are the least of your worries

tomasrojo

beauf wrote: »

It will distract the voting public from real issues. So they'll forget to tackle the local politician on real issues.

I guess Labour politicians in particular might hope that cyclists are less popular than Irish Water. They're probably not.

DirkVoodoo

I sing badly to myself sometimes when on the bike. It should probably be banned for other reasons, but aren't I distracting myself from what's going on around me as much as a pair of headphones would?

I used to cycle more with headphones, I feel a bit odd when I use them now, but I never felt that they compromised me at a moderate volume.

Wind noise is far more debilitating to your hearing. Maybe the Gardai should fine people who cycle into a headwind for "cycling without due care"?

droidus

Ive cycled with headphones for nearly my entire life. Without them, road noise seems far too loud and close.

On the other hand, I find if I wear sunglasses whilst cycling I feel far too detached from what's going on around me and have to take them off.

So my common sense solution would be to ban sunglasses and make headphones compulsory.

ThisRegard

The potential to be fined for wearing headphones while cycling will be discussed on the Last Word soon.

Synode

I've been cycling (to and from work) for years with headphones as I love listening to audio books. I'm going to be sick if I get a fine for it. Absolute madness.

Dowee

In my opinion, all things being equal, ie. assuming competent and safety conscious cyclists and drivers, I have no more need to hear what is coming from behind me when I'm on my bike than when I'm in my car. If I want to know what's behind me I turn my head, or if in my car I look in the mirror.

This is just a continuation of the norm of targeting the behaviours of cyclists in the misguided belief (based on little if any statistical evidence) that they are the harbingers of death and chaos on the roads and the cause of all motorists woes.

It will be a very slippery slope if gardai start targeting this.

Beasty

Dowee wrote: »

It will be a very slippery slope if gardai start targeting this.

They are not going to target it without a change in law. If the law is changed we will have to follow it or face the consequences. Can't see such a change triggering a raft of anti-cycling legislation (although it is possible that a wider review of cycling laws could be undertaken -- if that were to happen who knows what certain politicians (as well as other public figures) would try to throw into the mix)

colossus-x

I've observed on country roads rear traffic gives me a much wider girth when overtaking whenever I wear my large headphones.

Apart from this being a continual supply of amusement for me it also makes me feel a bit safer with all the extra leg room.

tomasrojo

Is this our earphones/headphones thread?

Anyway, here's a recent study (sort of):

In 2012 Ride On magazine of Australia discovered that cyclists listening to music or podcasts while riding hear more ambient traffic noise than motorists listening to an in-car stereo or even listening to nothing at all. Cars - with windows up - are inherently sound-proof.

Equipped with a decibel meter ("and a synthetic model ear specifically created for us by our regular collaborator at RMIT Industrial Design, Dr Scott Mayson") Ride On magazine measured the traffic noises that could be heard by cyclists wearing ear buds and motorists listening to music or no music at all.

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/aa-warns-about-listening-to-music-on-the-move/019361

Fian

Deedsie wrote: »

In my opinion yes, it is as irresponsible to wear headphones cycling as it is to e.g. have faulty lights on a car. A motorist should take responsibility for their vehicle and maintain it to the appropriate standard. A cyclist should equally respect the fact that they share the road with other road users and do everything they can to make the roads as safe as they can for them and other road users. Jamming headphones in your lugs to block out all sounds is the opposite to that. I can't believe I have to argue this point. Is it not just common sense? Courtesy to other road users?

Got it. So cyclists should walk their bikes along the footpaths waving a flag to "do everything they can" to minimise the chances of an accident. Presumably cars should also travel at no more than walking pace to reduce the risks they pose as well. I think that originally they were preceded by a flag waving pedestrian as well, right? Bring that back so.

You make an absurd argument and then you express disbelief that you have to argue it?

Of course cyclists don't have to "do everything they can to make the roads as safe as they can". They, like other road users, should exercise reasonable caution. Whether that extends to not wearing headphones is highly debatable.

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

Tobh I think that's fair enough. I also think people should be able to endure the solitude of their own heads without having to be distracted by some kind of outside stimulation every waking moment, even out cycling. And if they manage to get over the awfulness of their own silence, they might discover it's not so awful after all.

Generally I am in one of 3 moods, listen to the silence of my own thoughts, or listen to Off the ball on Newstalk, or listen to some music. I don't think wearing of headphones should be banned. I do agree with you though that riding without any distractions can certainly be good for the soul.

cdaly_

I find earbuds very helpful on the bike. They cut down/out wind noise and reduce the high-frequency noise of passing vehicles. I can generally hear more with earbuds in than out...

07Lapierre

cdaly_ wrote: »

I find earbuds very helpful on the bike. They cut down/out wind noise and reduce the high-frequency noise of passing vehicles. I can generally hear more with earbuds in than out...

Not sure about hearing more, but agree completely regarding passing vehicles, especially if the roads are wet!

cdaly_

I mean I can hear more variety with them in. With them out it's very much wind and road noise overwhelming anything else.

On one occasion, I rode Waterford to Wexford on the N25 and the high-frequency roar of passing cars was deafening. I put in the earbuds (without music) just to deaden that noise.

smacl

tomasrojo wrote: »

Is this our earphones/headphones thread?

Equipped with a decibel meter ("and a synthetic model ear specifically created for us by our regular collaborator at RMIT Industrial Design, Dr Scott Mayson") Ride On magazine measured the traffic noises that could be heard by cyclists wearing ear buds and motorists listening to music or no music at all.

The implication here seems to be that being able to hear traffic is as important to the motorist as the cyclist. I'd suggest this isn't the case, as motorists make more use of mirrors than hearing as a primary mechanism for detecting oncoming traffic. As such, I'm not sure where the value lies in the comparison.

07Lapierre

smacl wrote: »

The implication here seems to be that being able to hear traffic is as important to the motorist as the cyclist. I'd suggest this isn't the case, as motorists make more use of mirrors than hearing as a primary mechanism for detecting oncoming traffic. As such, I'm not sure where the value lies in the comparison.

The reality is that hearing is not that important to either a motorist or cyclist.

All My Stars Aligned

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I would wonder if this is a knee jerk reaction to people using closed back headphones while cycling. I see it most days on my commute. Now that is dangerous... I wouldn't be the biggest fan of having earphones in at all either tbh.

I was thinking exactly the same. With headphones makers now focusing on headphones that block out background noise. Surely cyclists using these would be essentially def to whats going on around them.

As said before, cyclists don't have mirrors to rely on as so comparing headphone to car stereos is not comparing like with like.

Personally I rely quite heavily on my hearing when cycling in the city.

Danjamin1

I always cycle with earbuds in, it makes the commute more enjoyable. Realistically I don't think I rely on my hearing that much when on the bike as much as my vision, I look around & behind me frequently when cycling. As others have said it's mostly the wind whipping past you can hear, it's not like you can hear a car 50m back without earphones in. I do try to keep the volume to a level where I can hear the general sound of the road, it's never deafening music I listen to, mostly podcasts. Think it's been mentioned before in this thread, but if hearing is that important to cycling then how do deaf people cope?

OleRodrigo

I use earphones all the time. Saves me having to listen to pass-remarkable cyclists. :pac:

_cdaly is right, they are great for regulating outside noise ( wet road traffic, wind etc ). The only time I got caught out with them was on the back roads of NCD when I didn't hear a truck behind me, missing an opportunity to pull in to let him and the cars behind pass.

Aside from that scenario, I can't see the value in listening for traffic. If you're gonna get rear-ended, it makes no difference if you hear it coming or not. Besides, with ambient noise the signal would hardly be that loud as to be significant.

Unless people are confusing earphones with noise-canceling headphones which I keenly felt to be dangerous. I took a pair around Howth one night and not being able to hear a thing was disconcerting.

C3PO

Everyone to their own but I constantly listen out for traffic approaching from behind when I am cycling and really believe that anything that would reduce my ability to hear would be a safety issue!

BoatMad

ban cyclists, far easier then banning headphones

Beasty

BoatMad wrote: »

ban cyclists, far easier then banning headphones

I note you are an "infrequent" poster around here. Please read the forum charter before posting again. Any questions PM me - do not respond to this post in-thread

Thanks

BoatMad

sorry , Ill be clearer, to suggest that some one , a cyclist , can better hear the ambient noise while wearing headphones ( and perhaps listening to heavy metal or whatever) is nonsensical in the extreme

its like saying sailors could hear the sails better with headphones , or jockeys could hear better with headphones


its just a ridiculous argument . a distraction in your ears is just that . cycling requires an awareness of your surroundings, arguable more then many other forms of transport as you are more exposed to danger. The human body is designed to sharpen its senses when exposed to dangers, thats hardly consistent with pounding music into your ears at the same time

Carawaystick

BoatMad wrote: »

its just a ridiculous argument . a distraction in your ears is just that . cycling requires an awareness of your surroundings, arguable more then many other forms of transport as you are more exposed to danger. The human body is designed to sharpen its senses when exposed to dangers, thats hardly consistent with pounding music into your ears at the same time

If the human body is designed to sharpen its senses when exposed to danger, and you believe it's more dangerous to cycle while using headphones, then it follows that the human body sharpens it's senses *more*
when applying a tiny little bit if sound energy(milliwatts are hardly the order of magnitude that a pounding needs) to your ears.

Wind noise is much higher with bare ears when travelling at speed, than with headphones in.

07Lapierre

BoatMad wrote: »

sorry , Ill be clearer, to suggest that some one , a cyclist , can better hear the ambient noise while wearing headphones ( and perhaps listening to heavy metal or whatever) is nonsensical in the extreme

its like saying sailors could hear the sails better with headphones , or jockeys could hear better with headphones


its just a ridiculous argument . a distraction in your ears is just that . cycling requires an awareness of your surroundings, arguable more then many other forms of transport as you are more exposed to danger. The human body is designed to sharpen its senses when exposed to dangers, thats hardly consistent with pounding music into your ears at the same time

I doubt sailors or jockeys can hear anything except wind!

07Lapierre

C3PO wrote: »

anything that would reduce my ability to hear would be a safety issue!

why? Do you have an example where hearing is vital?