Riding With Music In Your Ear

[Johnelliss]

Listening music is good while you riding on cycle but don't set loud music it may cause accident. So set low music so that you can hear outer traffic noise on road to avoid accident.

 

[Susimi]

This is how I've always had any music I've had playing in my ears.

It's either that or I've left one bud out of the ear so that I've got the music in one ear and the ambient noise in the other.

 

[pwarbi]

I think a lot of cyclists will just have it on as a bit of background noise, especially if they're cycling alone. Like I said though in my earlier post, if your riding anywhere there's going to be traffic, then even at a low volume its going to impede your awareness, and the roads are dangerous enough these days without any more distractions.

 

[[email protected]]

I do not ever listen to music while riding my bike. First, it is a major safety risk for me and for those around me. I feel that it is important to hear everything in our surrounding area and to be able to hear any danger or warning signs. I feel that music is a major distraction while riding a bike. I am easily distracted so I like to be safe and void from distractions. Second, I feel that the entire point of riding a bike is to admire the beauty of nature and to get away from all distractions in our lives. When I ride a bike I want to take in the fresh air and clear my head. Riding my bike without any distractions allows me to relax and to contemplate my thoughts and ideas.

 

[doctorold]

If you want to listen to music, get one of the Bluetooth speakers like the buckshot that will attach to the bike. Please don't use earbuds. I almost witnessed a tragedy due to someone with earbuds in. Never heard the truck coming.

 

[Bike4Him]

I must be the only one.
I have ear buds and listen to music on every ride unless I'm with others and that's not very often.
I crank it up as well. Granted I ride on back country roads and don't see many cars at any time of the day.
I need something to help mask the pain and suffering

I have thought about the safety issues. I'm not real clear on what's unsafe.
Without the music I can hear cars approaching, but so what. What should we do as a car is approaching from behind?
I can sense a car approaching and I often glance back and can tell if the driver is moving over.
I've been hit once by pickup truck mirrors. The driver of the F-250 had the mirrors extended and tried to get close on purpose. There was no traffic and the road was straight and flat. Fortunately his mirror folded back and all I got was a sore back and a broken phone. It shocked me more than hurt me.
Anyway, I didn't have music in at that time, but it wouldn't have made a difference.

Dogs are another story. They can sneak up on you.

 

[Djordje87]

Hello. It can be relaxing and fun. I myself enjoy music a lot but even when you are in the bike lane it is not safe to have earphones. I had an 'accident' so i can confirm that it is not a good idea at all. What happened? Well i was all alone in the area restricted for pedestrians and bicycles and had my earphones. What i did not know was that a kid was behind me and believe it or not he was pacing. All of a sudden i decide to hit the brakes, interestingly enough i did that to turn off my mp3 and put it in my beg. You can imagine what happened next. I felt terrible and of course i helped the poor kid to get his stuff from the ground. It was not a big thing but it could have been so i have never listened to music while riding a bicycle again. Sometimes, when i am alone and in similar location i play music through the phone speaker so i can hear what happens around me and i can hear the music too.

 

[doctorold]

So I was riding in Denver one time and I came to a stop at a traffic light. A girl on another bike comes up next to me with her ear buds in. The light turns green and at the same time a fire engine siren can be heard from the right, but the girl doesn't hear it. She takes off into the intersection while all the other cars and bikes and pedestrians watch as the fire engine narrowly misses hitting her. Luckily she finally heard the approaching truck and hit the brakes mid intersection or she may have bought the farm. Too close for comfort. There's no reason for cyclists or people driving cars to have ear buds in while on the road. Be aware of your surroundings.

 

[tlspiegel]

Some states have already put a ban in place for cyclists wearing headphones, such as Florida, where the law states: “A bicyclist may not wear a headset, headphone, or other listening device other than a hearing aid when riding.”

Some other states like NY, allow a person riding a bike to have only one earphone attached to an audio device.

I personally would never ride and listen to music, because I want to be totally aware of everything happening around me... cars, pedestrians, sirens, etc.

 

[bykster]

Depends on the mood. Sometimes I'd cycle with music mostly because I'm on a dedicated bike path, but other time I will not. I'll probably never cycle on the road with headphones, I am way to over cautious when it comes to traffic.