Originally posted by Susan Repp I was thinking about this thread last night whilst riding the "Tour de kitchen" - weather really sucked and I had no time to go out anyway ..
I have decided when riding nothing with wires, cords, batteries, moving parts (aside from the bike) must be attached to me .. I was wearing a heart rate monitor and watch that wouldn't work, a cd that wouldn't behave itself and to be honest it ticked me off and made my workout a right-off - how the hell can a woman concentrate on her ride. My heart rate was irratic as hell, couldn't get into my 'zone' to save my bleeding life .. so how do you dudes/ettes stay calm when your all hooked up to your equipment and how the hell do you keep it all in place?
I had that problem with the ipod which is why I now use a creative muvo nx 256mb for exercise. I has a arm band and is so light you hardly feel it. Have a good pair of lighht sony headphones that go over the head (not earbuds which fall out all the time). So with all the wires in place (run under my short and get out of the way) I can run/ride and tune in at the same time....
In response to some of the no music whilst riding responses I agree you need to concentrate but I have not found this a problem. Guess it varies from person to person but I have always been able to work/concentrate with music on.
Originally posted by Susan Repp I was thinking about this thread last night whilst riding the "Tour de kitchen" - weather really sucked and I had no time to go out anyway ..
I have decided when riding nothing with wires, cords, batteries, moving parts (aside from the bike) must be attached to me .. I was wearing a heart rate monitor and watch that wouldn't work, a cd that wouldn't behave itself and to be honest it ticked me off and made my workout a right-off - how the hell can a woman concentrate on her ride. My heart rate was irratic as hell, couldn't get into my 'zone' to save my bleeding life .. so how do you dudes/ettes stay calm when your all hooked up to your equipment and how the hell do you keep it all in place?
I had that problem with the ipod which is why I now use a creative muvo nx 256mb for exercise. I has a arm band and is so light you hardly feel it. Have a good pair of lighht sony headphones that go over the head (not earbuds which fall out all the time). So with all the wires in place (run under my short and get out of the way) I can run/ride and tune in at the same time....
In response to some of the no music whilst riding responses I agree you need to concentrate but I have not found this a problem. Guess it varies from [erson to person but I have always been able to work/concentrate with music on.
Reading through the posts, it appears as thought the majority favor riding without the tunage. To that I'd have to ask how many miles the naysayers pedal each month. When I first started out at only 150-200 miles a month, not having music was no big deal. However, since I started putting the miles on, I absolutely cannot do without it. I spend about 30-35 hours a month on the bike. Putting on those foundation miles gets BORING. A little music definitely makes the miles go by faster. I definitely can appreciate the need for paying attention to the surroundings but there is a middle ground. I suggest setting the volume low enough so that you can appreciate the sounds of the birds, a stream, the occasional flock of turkeys (is that a flock or gaggle?) and all of the little nuances that make the great outdoors a true joy to experience. But let me tell you, cranking up the volume and pounding out a climb to the Low Fidelity Allstars "Battleflag" is truly invigorating. I know for a fact that I can climb and pace faster to AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top if You Want to Rock 'n Roll" than I can to the sound of my own heart pounding out of my chest. Plus it's great to see people look at you funny as you're mouthing Kid Rock's "Cadillac [censored]" coming down a hill at 40+ mph. When the ride is coming to an end, it's easy to get your heart rate back down and stretch out your legs to a little Sheryl Crow telling you about her "Favorite Mistake" or "Running off to L.A. and Losing Your Mind." It all depends on what motivates you and music helps me enjoy what I love and that's riding my bike as much as I can. Rock on!
I put close to 400 miles/month on my bike just commuting to and from work on my cross bike. I'm not one to keep track of my milage but that doesn't include training rides on my road bike (30+ miles), trail rides on my mountain bike, and the occasional cetury or club ride. I love music and always listen to tunes when I'm on the trainer in the winter but riding with headphones out on the road is a bad idea in my opinion.
Originally posted by zapper Riding on the rural roads where I live during low/no traffic times, one bud in ear starboard side ear...Riding in traffic? No tunes!!!
That being said, there is nothing like Old Nirvana, Aerosmith or classic Rush to keep you going!
Some of my road rides are in rural areas where there is very little to no traffic. I suppose on those rides I could see doing the "one bud in the starboard ear" thing. Maybe I'll give it a try...
I appreciate the suggestions. I too listen to my MP3 while on longer rides that are generally free of traffic. I keep one ear on the road the other to the tunes. I get such a fantastic ride in while listening to heavier rock, like when lifting weights. Metallica for example. I have also found "punk" to be so energizing! May I also note, I am a solo rider. I try to ride with the local club when I can (obviously w/o the tunes), though it can really be a long week of getting milage in without the tunes. However, there are those evenings when there's nothing more pleasant than the breeze through my helmet!!
Quoted post said:
Originally posted by stealie72 Funny you should ask, I'm filling up my mp3 player for my workout as we speak!!!
Depends where you're riding. I always used to ride along the Mt Vernon trail in DC, which runs down the patomac and under the flightpath of national airport, so I'd listen to the control tower on my little portible scanner with one earbud in (so I still had one ear free to hear what's going on around me). Just like the pros 😄
If you're in traffic, obviously don't ride with the iPod. If you're not, get some good rhythmic type music. I'd start with Kraftwerk's Tour de France Soundtracks. That CD has already added a quarter mile or so to my average run (too much traffic to bike with it on in Los Angeles) and has the obvious bike theme. Then maybe move on to their Mensch Machine. Other non-dance electronica with great beats also includes Air, FourTet and of course the Beta Band.
I find when I'm weight lifting, I like a lot of high intensity stuff like punk/metal/rap, but when I'm doing something endurancy (like running or cycling) I like more electronica-y stuff and classic rock. More of a consistent beat.
and if I had an iPod, I'd make one playlist of really high intensity stuff for when you're bonking or otherwise in trouble. I'd try something like Pantera's "This Love"
Hey, wait, this is the music chat board isn't it? :p
Be very interested to see what others listen to, AFTER acknowledging that headphones and traffic REALLY don't mix.
Hey, I really appreciate all the feedback and safety adivce. I would never ride in traffic with the iPod on, anyone who's driven around Houston would tell you it's deadly enough in a car. I do like to ride along a paved greenway, only foot and bike traffic and I'm usually out in the early morning, not too many folks to dodge.
I haven't taken it out on long rural rides yet either, been nervous about the traffice (as if there is any in rural Texas) but the rides are fairly dull. It is pretty flat here after all.
Thanks again though for the thougts and music suggestions!
