Favorite music while bicycling



In article <[email protected]>,
JCrowe <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> So, what music do people listen to while cycling? I was
> just listening to four Rossini overtures yesterday, William Tell, The
> Silken Ladder, The Thieving Magpie and The Barber of Seville and I
> thought I'd start this thread. I also like the last Dylan album and
> JJ Cale/Eric Clapton latest as well. Anybody else?

IMHO it's unsafe to be riding with headphones or earbuds, so I don't do
it. (In my state it is legal for cyclists to ride with only one earbud
or earphone, but not two). I also find that it disconnects me from the
world around me and that's not why I am riding a bike.

I "listen" to music internally. I have good auditory recall and can
"play" entire records from memory while I am riding. "In Memory of
Elizabeth Reed" (original mix) from the Fillmore East" album has always
been a favorite when riding. Another one- today's selection, in fact-
is "Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Franklin's Tower" as well as a few jazz
tunes. Richard Thompson's "Celtschmerz" CD is also good for cycling.
 
i'm not sure if this is the same thread from a few years ago, so forgive me
if I'm double-dipping.

Two years ago, I rigged up an mp3 player with a speaker that sits on my
handlebars. My biking mix is about 1000 classic pop and rock songs from the
1920s through the 2000s. Essentially, it's every great singalong song that
was ever recorded. Because most of these songs were popular during my
childhood (60s and 70s) they always bring back the joy I felt when I rode my
bike everywhere as a kid.

For those of you who prefer to hear the music in your head, I understand
that sentiment, too. I own hundreds of CDs and my house is wired for sound
upstairs and down. However, I find that I rarely need to turn on my home
sound system - because all the music from my lifetime is playing in my head
all the time.
 
On Mar 25, 11:15 pm, JCrowe <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> So, what music do people listen to while cycling? I was
> just listening to four Rossini overtures yesterday, William Tell,
> The Silken Ladder, The Thieving Magpie and The Barber of Seville
> and I thought I'd start this thread. I also like the last Dylan
> album and JJ Cale/Eric Clapton latest as well. Anybody else?

Mostly Irish trad dance tunes or other Celtic tunes. Or Appalachian
fiddle tunes. Occasionally, Breton dance tunes. Some early music
(pre-1500). All generated internally, unless I'm whistling while I
ride.

- Frank Krygowski
 
On Mar 26, 1:53 am, [email protected] (Dennis P. Harris)
wrote:
> On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:15:40 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, JCrowe
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > what music do people listen to while cycling
>
> I don't. I'd rather stay alive, thank you. I want to hear the
> cagers approaching from the rear, the birds, the dog that's going
> to run out and start chasing me, the surf, the beavers splashing
> in the pond as they try to dam the culvert and flood the road...
> Anyone cycling with headphones on is asking for trouble.

I haven't tried headphones - that is, the over-the-ear things - while
cycling. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen it done. But I've
ridden a little on long tours while using earbuds, with no problems at
all. I could certainly hear cars approaching from the rear, and I
could carry on conversations with my riding partners.

So I'd say it depends on your environment (deserted road or high-
traffic city?) and the volume setting.

We argue about this at least once per year, and IIRC nobody has yet
explained what's wrong with this man's reasoning:
http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/hearing.htm

- Frank Krygowski
 
"Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> JCrowe <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Hi Folks,
>>
>> So, what music do people listen to while cycling? I was
>> just listening to four Rossini overtures yesterday, William Tell, The
>> Silken Ladder, The Thieving Magpie and The Barber of Seville and I
>> thought I'd start this thread. I also like the last Dylan album and
>> JJ Cale/Eric Clapton latest as well. Anybody else?
>
> IMHO it's unsafe to be riding with headphones or earbuds, so I don't do
> it. (In my state it is legal for cyclists to ride with only one earbud
> or earphone, but not two). I also find that it disconnects me from the
> world around me and that's not why I am riding a bike.
>
> I "listen" to music internally. I have good auditory recall and can
> "play" entire records from memory while I am riding.

And you don't think this is less unsafe nor disconnects you from the world
around you any less?

I'm not trying to start a pro/anti ipod while cycling debate. It just seems
to me that the difference between the two would at most be one of very small
degree.
 
Oh, and what I forgot to say is that, regardless of my habits at home, I
still prefer bicycling with music playing. When I first got back into
cycling in 1996, I thought it was going to be a great social thing; but I
soon found that cyclists don't strike up conversations very easily. Thus,
my little music rig serves two purposes: 1. It's a conversation piece that
often results in a nightly nod on the trail or road from other cyclists, and
2. It keeps me company when people aren't being friendly and I want to
appear like someone who doesn't care that much!

Actually, it has also made riding with my wife a lot more fun. As much as
we enjoy each other's company, when it's quiet around us, we end up filling
in the silence with nonsense chatter. That gets old and annoying after a
couple of hours of riding. Now, when I crank up the singalong tunes and
turn on the auxilary speaker I've added to the BACK of my bike, we can sing
along and just have a great time without having to work so hard.


"Papa Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> i'm not sure if this is the same thread from a few years ago, so forgive
> me if I'm double-dipping.
>
> Two years ago, I rigged up an mp3 player with a speaker that sits on my
> handlebars. My biking mix is about 1000 classic pop and rock songs from
> the 1920s through the 2000s. Essentially, it's every great singalong song
> that was ever recorded. Because most of these songs were popular during
> my childhood (60s and 70s) they always bring back the joy I felt when I
> rode my bike everywhere as a kid.
>
> For those of you who prefer to hear the music in your head, I understand
> that sentiment, too. I own hundreds of CDs and my house is wired for
> sound upstairs and down. However, I find that I rarely need to turn on my
> home sound system - because all the music from my lifetime is playing in
> my head all the time.
>
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > I "listen" to music internally. I have good auditory recall and can
> > "play" entire records from memory while I am riding.
>
> And you don't think this is less unsafe nor disconnects you from the world
> around you any less?
>
> I'm not trying to start a pro/anti ipod while cycling debate. It just seems
> to me that the difference between the two would at most be one of very small
> degree.

And you might also think that the difference between driving while
talking on a cell phone would be a very small degree of change compared
to talking with a passenger, but it seems to be significant.

While I won't pretend to have any exceptional music recall, when I do
play a song in my head it requires *concentration*. That is, it stops
when I need to mentally focus on something else, while an MP3 player
would keep playing on as a physical distraction.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, ntli.net, teranews.com, vif.com, x-privat.org
 
"Doc O'Leary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:droleary.usenet-4158E2.06384731032008@sn-ip.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "Tim McNamara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> >
>> > I "listen" to music internally. I have good auditory recall and can
>> > "play" entire records from memory while I am riding.
>>
>> And you don't think this is less unsafe nor disconnects you from the
>> world
>> around you any less?
>>
>> I'm not trying to start a pro/anti ipod while cycling debate. It just
>> seems
>> to me that the difference between the two would at most be one of very
>> small
>> degree.
>
> And you might also think that the difference between driving while
> talking on a cell phone would be a very small degree of change compared
> to talking with a passenger, but it seems to be significant.

I wonder. It does seem apparent that it isn't a matter of hands-free versus
not that makes cell phone use a distraction but the interactivity of
talking. I would suspect that similarly it wouldn't be the affect on hearing
ambient noise that would be the safety issue with headphones but how much it
distracts you - which I would put on a par with listening to music in an
automobile rather than conversing with someone -either a passenger or via
cell.

> While I won't pretend to have any exceptional music recall, when I do
> play a song in my head it requires *concentration*. That is, it stops
> when I need to mentally focus on something else, while an MP3 player
> would keep playing on as a physical distraction.

I've listened to mp3's while riding mountain bike trails and I found that
in a particularly challenging section I tune out the mp3. Afterwards I
realize I have no recall of what was playing.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I've listened to mp3's while riding mountain bike trails and I found that
> in a particularly challenging section I tune out the mp3. Afterwards I
> realize I have no recall of what was playing.

I would agree that music/radio chatter seems to be backgrounded more
easily than an active cell phone conversation, but I don't know of any
studies that investigate it compared to silence. It may well be that
having an iPod playing is no more distracting than simply singing to the
memory of a song, but I would wager that there is at least *some* effect
of having a physical device to deal with that draws your attention away.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, ntli.net, teranews.com, vif.com, x-privat.org
 
On Apr 1, 9:35 am, Doc O'Leary <[email protected]>
wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
>
> "recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I've listened to mp3's while riding mountain bike trails and I found that
> > in a particularly challenging section I tune out the mp3. Afterwards I
> > realize I have no recall of what was playing.
>
> I would agree that music/radio chatter seems to be backgrounded more
> easily than an active cell phone conversation, but I don't know of any
> studies that investigate it compared to silence. It may well be that
> having an iPod playing is no more distracting than simply singing to the
> memory of a song, but I would wager that there is at least *some* effect
> of having a physical device to deal with that draws your attention away.

Surely there is *some* effect of having *any* physical device that
draws your attention away from the road. The pertinent questions are,
how large is the effect? Is it so large as to cause some serious
increase in risk?

After all, there are other well-accepted physical devices that draw
bicyclists' attention away. Your gear shifter is one example.
Hopefully, only a very few fanatics would lobby for outlawing multi-
speed bikes based on safety!

I'm continually amazed by the number of cyclists who seem to put
bicycling in the same category as walking a tightrope without a net.
Really, folks, a _little_ distraction is completely survivable!

http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

- Frank Krygowski
 
Doc O'Leary wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I've listened to mp3's while riding mountain bike trails and I found that
>> in a particularly challenging section I tune out the mp3. Afterwards I
>> realize I have no recall of what was playing.
>
> I would agree that music/radio chatter seems to be backgrounded more
> easily than an active cell phone conversation, but I don't know of any
> studies that investigate it compared to silence. It may well be that
> having an iPod playing is no more distracting than simply singing to the
> memory of a song, but I would wager that there is at least *some* effect
> of having a physical device to deal with that draws your attention away.
>

Frankly, the argument that memory is just as distracting as an MP3
device seemed like just an attempt to deflect criticism from the
potential distraction of an MP3 device. I'm not arguing for or against
MP3 devices, but the memory argument seems pretty far out, and couldn't
be tested, anyway.
 
On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:08:18 -0700, frkrygow wrote:

> On Apr 1, 9:35 am, Doc O'Leary <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>>
>> "recycled" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > I've listened to mp3's while riding mountain bike trails and I found
>> > that
>> > in a particularly challenging section I tune out the mp3. Afterwards
>> > I realize I have no recall of what was playing.
>>
>> I would agree that music/radio chatter seems to be backgrounded more
>> easily than an active cell phone conversation, but I don't know of any
>> studies that investigate it compared to silence. It may well be that
>> having an iPod playing is no more distracting than simply singing to
>> the memory of a song, but I would wager that there is at least *some*
>> effect of having a physical device to deal with that draws your
>> attention away.
>
> Surely there is *some* effect of having *any* physical device that draws
> your attention away from the road. The pertinent questions are, how
> large is the effect? Is it so large as to cause some serious increase
> in risk?
>
> After all, there are other well-accepted physical devices that draw
> bicyclists' attention away. Your gear shifter is one example.
> Hopefully, only a very few fanatics would lobby for outlawing multi-
> speed bikes based on safety!
>
> I'm continually amazed by the number of cyclists who seem to put
> bicycling in the same category as walking a tightrope without a net.
> Really, folks, a _little_ distraction is completely survivable!
>
> http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

All this is true, but most people rely on their hearing when driving or
riding bicycles, and headphones do interfere with that. *You* may be able
to ride safely with them by consciously compensating for lack of hearing,
by looking around more or whatever, but many other people may not.
Earphones do increase risk of accidents.

We just had a fatality in Virginia, blamed partially on earphones. A 15
year old kid was hit from behind when he crossed traffic to make a left
turn, probably without hearing the car approaching from behind, or
bothering to look for it.

More telling is the accident rates which have risen and fallen with the
use of earphones over the years. They've come and gone several times
since the orginal Sony Walkman appeared in the late 70s. I don't have the
stats handy but if you're really interested you could probably get them
from the Cities of Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. You can pretty much
track the popularity of headphones by bike (and pedestrian) accident
rates.

Earphones increase accidents at ski areas too, which is why they've been
banned off and on. A friend of mine worked in risk management for a major
ski resort operator and for him this was an ongoing battle. Earphones are
a known cause of many collisions but banning them is impractical and
unpopular.

Operating any vehicle on a road while wearing earphones is illegal in VA.

Matt O.
 
[email protected] wrote:
>
> After all, there are other well-accepted physical devices that draw
> bicyclists' attention away. Your gear shifter is one example.
> Hopefully, only a very few fanatics would lobby for outlawing multi-
> speed bikes based on safety!

Yet one more selling point for those late-night "Autobike" ads ;)

> I'm continually amazed by the number of cyclists who seem to put
> bicycling in the same category as walking a tightrope without a net.
> Really, folks, a _little_ distraction is completely survivable!

I, for one, think of all those skaters on the multi-use paths who have the
music on at such a high level they can't hear you no matter how loudly you
yell behind them -- and then look startled when you pass.

I'm suspicious of anyone with headphones on -- skater, pedestrian or
cyclist. Maybe they are listening as a low level which provides little
distraction, and maybe they aren't.
 
On Apr 1, 1:21 pm, Matt O'Toole <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:08:18 -0700, frkrygow wrote:
> >
>
> > Surely there is *some* effect of having *any* physical device that draws
> > your attention away from the road. The pertinent questions are, how
> > large is the effect? Is it so large as to cause some serious increase
> > in risk?
>
> > After all, there are other well-accepted physical devices that draw
> > bicyclists' attention away. Your gear shifter is one example.
> > Hopefully, only a very few fanatics would lobby for outlawing multi-
> > speed bikes based on safety!
>
> > I'm continually amazed by the number of cyclists who seem to put
> > bicycling in the same category as walking a tightrope without a net.
> > Really, folks, a _little_ distraction is completely survivable!
>
> >http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/
>
> All this is true, but most people rely on their hearing when driving or
> riding bicycles, and headphones do interfere with that. *You* may be able
> to ride safely with them by consciously compensating for lack of hearing,
> by looking around more or whatever, but many other people may not.
> Earphones do increase risk of accidents.

Hmm. Data?

> We just had a fatality in Virginia, blamed partially on earphones. A 15
> year old kid was hit from behind when he crossed traffic to make a left
> turn, probably without hearing the car approaching from behind, or
> bothering to look for it.

As you might expect, I'd be much more inclined to attribute that
accident to the "not looking" part, plus to the false idea that
bicyclists must always be on the right. I say this partly because
I've been surprised by cars at my left when riding with ears
completely unobstructed, in windy conditions.

Bicyclists MUST merge left before making a left turn; and they MUST
look behind for cars before they merge. This is true whether they're
wearing headphones, cycling into a headwind, stone deaf, or whether
they can hear perfectly. (And I should remind everyone that cycling
into a headwind and cycling while deaf remain legal.)

> More telling is the accident rates which have risen and fallen with the
> use of earphones over the years. They've come and gone several times
> since the orginal Sony Walkman appeared in the late 70s. I don't have the
> stats handy but if you're really interested you could probably get them
> from the Cities of Newport Beach or Huntington Beach. You can pretty much
> track the popularity of headphones by bike (and pedestrian) accident
> rates.

If you'd post the data, we could discuss it. But of course, the
difficulty is dealing with the confounding factors. That is, when
there are more accidents, is it because of more headphones? Or more
bicycling? Or louder sound systems in cars (making drivers pay less
attention)? Or more cell phones? Or more risk taking by less
competent cyclists... and so on.

- Frank Krygowski
 
ZBicyclist wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>> After all, there are other well-accepted physical devices that draw
>> bicyclists' attention away. Your gear shifter is one example.
>> Hopefully, only a very few fanatics would lobby for outlawing multi-
>> speed bikes based on safety!
>
> Yet one more selling point for those late-night "Autobike" ads ;)
>
>> I'm continually amazed by the number of cyclists who seem to put
>> bicycling in the same category as walking a tightrope without a net.
>> Really, folks, a _little_ distraction is completely survivable!
>
> I, for one, think of all those skaters on the multi-use paths who have the
> music on at such a high level they can't hear you no matter how loudly you
> yell behind them -- and then look startled when you pass.
>
Bob Hunt apparently has no problem getting their attention. ;)

> I'm suspicious of anyone with headphones on -- skater, pedestrian or
> cyclist. Maybe they are listening as a low level which provides little
> distraction, and maybe they aren't.
>
Bell first, and if no reaction, use the air horn.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
 
[email protected] wrote:

> I don't use headphones or carry a receiver so my music comes from
> within and rises to a crescendo when I reach summits of great climbs.
> I hear "Joe Green" (Giuseppe Verde) Va Pensiero from Nabucco:
>
> http://ddata.over-blog.com/xxxyyy/0/03/51/43/fond-sonore/va-pensiero.html
>
> http://www.paloaltobicycles.com/alps_photos/f51.html
>
> Jobst Brandt

I can worm Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath, Aqua Lung, and Thick As a Brick,
depending on the conditions.
Locomotive Breath is great for chasing down a bogie in front...
 
In article <[email protected]>,
TomP <[email protected]> writes:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
>> I don't use headphones or carry a receiver so my music comes from
>> within and rises to a crescendo when I reach summits of great climbs.
>> I hear "Joe Green" (Giuseppe Verde) Va Pensiero from Nabucco:
>>
>> http://ddata.over-blog.com/xxxyyy/0/03/51/43/fond-sonore/va-pensiero.html
>>
>> http://www.paloaltobicycles.com/alps_photos/f51.html
>>
>> Jobst Brandt
>
> I can worm Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath, Aqua Lung, and Thick As a Brick,
> depending on the conditions.
> Locomotive Breath is great for chasing down a bogie in front...

Sometimes Rick Wakeman's Merlin the Magician works for me,
especially when followed by Holst's: Uranus. Then there's
ELP's Abaddon's Bolero. And Softer Ride, off Status Quo's
"Hello" album. Tunes with syncopation just screw up my
cadence. One needs a Biopace rig for syncopation.

I mostly favour tunes of which I know the lyrics, so I
can sing along. That rules out a lot of opera (or as
a friend of mine refers to arias: girdle-poppers.)
I'm told I can "do" Alice Cooper's Under My Wheels quite
convincingly, but that, like Tarzan-yodeling, requires a
li'l inspiration. I can also sometimes "do" David Bromberg
if I stick a clothespin on my nose and do the quivery voice
thing. If it doesn't come out right, I can always switch to
doing Neil Young or Corky Siegal. Chuck Berry is impossible
to imitate well. So are Van Morrison and Steve Winwood.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
 
On Sat, 5 Apr 2008 17:16:16 -0800, [email protected] (Tom Keats)
wrote:

>I mostly favour tunes of which I know the lyrics, so I
>can sing along. That rules out a lot of opera (or as
>a friend of mine refers to arias: girdle-poppers.)
>I'm told I can "do" Alice Cooper's Under My Wheels quite
>convincingly, but that, like Tarzan-yodeling, requires a
>li'l inspiration. I can also sometimes "do" David Bromberg
>if I stick a clothespin on my nose and do the quivery voice
>thing. If it doesn't come out right, I can always switch to
>doing Neil Young or Corky Siegal. Chuck Berry is impossible
>to imitate well. So are Van Morrison and Steve Winwood.

For opera you don't have to know the words, just the intonation.
Germanic or Italian sounding gibberish is quite passable. Think about
wine and cheese names while channelling Andy Kaufman and Paparazzi.
--
zk
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:
> On Sat, 5 Apr 2008 17:16:16 -0800, [email protected] (Tom Keats)
> wrote:
>
>>I mostly favour tunes of which I know the lyrics, so I
>>can sing along. That rules out a lot of opera (or as
>>a friend of mine refers to arias: girdle-poppers.)
>>I'm told I can "do" Alice Cooper's Under My Wheels quite
>>convincingly, but that, like Tarzan-yodeling, requires a
>>li'l inspiration. I can also sometimes "do" David Bromberg
>>if I stick a clothespin on my nose and do the quivery voice
>>thing. If it doesn't come out right, I can always switch to
>>doing Neil Young or Corky Siegal. Chuck Berry is impossible
>>to imitate well. So are Van Morrison and Steve Winwood.
>
> For opera you don't have to know the words, just the intonation.

I can "intonate" Bob Dylan-ish real good.
Just gimme a clothespeg to clamp my nose shut,
and a harsh Chinese or Russian cigarette.

Come to think of it, that singer guy from Dire
Straits fits in there, too. A bunch o' raspy,
breathy mumbling.

> Germanic or Italian sounding gibberish is quite passable. Think about
> wine and cheese names while channelling Andy Kaufman and Paparazzi.

Screw opera! Just gimme the wine 'n cheese.


cheers,
Tom


--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
 
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