I just got my new (used) bike, and I’m also a big music nerd and love to listen to music when I’m traveling. Do you personally listen to music while you’re cycling, and in your opinion is it safe?
Nope, I can’t risk not being fully aware of my surroundings.
My thoughts exactly. I rode a bike for years; commuting to work, groceries, errands, appointments. I rode to everything. No idea how many times being fully aware of my surroundings saved my skin, it probably happened multiple times a day.
There’s a good reason listening to music while biking is illegal many places; they just had to look at the numbers, and it was glaringly obvious that it ups the danger to an unacceptable level. DO NOT DO IT! Your favorite tune will still play just fine when you get home, safely.
And, as for the people suggesting an external bluetooth speaker, think long and hard about becoming that special guy.
I don’t listen to anything while riding my bike. Since I’m going faster and am going with car traffic, I like to be as aware as possible. If I was riding somewhere away from cars, the calculation might be a little different.
In Quebec, it’s illegal to have even a single earpod while riding a bike. So unless someone builds speakers into the helmet, I won’t listen to music while biking.
Congrats on the new bike, hope you have a great time riding it.
As for the question, no I don’t listen to music. I generally ride in two very different environments, either very busy roads or quiet country roads/trails. I’d love to drown out the noise on the busy roads but with the craziness that goes on there, I find my hearing a valuable sense to have and wouldn’t feel safe blocking that out. On the quiet country roads and trails where it’s peaceful and the birds are chirping away, I’d rather be taking in whats around me fully anyway :)
Congrats on new bike day! What color is it??
For the music, I’ve never done it. Not with headphone, earbuds, or a speaker. Usually I ride in places where I might encounter other people or motor vehicles so being able to react to that is important to me.
Blueee
Yep ! Got some open run from shokz and my commute include 10 km cycling path removed from car trafic where I rarely see anyone, so some high beat music is good to keep the pace.
How do you like the bone conduction? I’ve never actually tried a pair.
In addition to the other commenter I agree on the podcast thing but it heavily depends on where you are cycling and how hard it is. If you are in heavy traffic, it’s a bust. But if you are in a fairly quite road it’s fine.
It’s also worth noting that the audio quality is not brilliant but it’s good enough of you are an average music listener.
I basically never take mine off, I wear them at work and even wear them in bed so I don’t disturb my wife.
I like it very much. I like listening to podcast but bone conduction + riding on a bike is not a good mix to really focus on a good podcast. It is good for listening to music with a certain “beat”, like when you exercice or are on a long road. Not really good for more nuance quiet music.
Good to know! Thanks for the info, it sounds like they’re not for me
Bone conduction is great! I use them to ride at a low volume. I can hear it if there is no traffic noise or big wind.
Yes I do and yes it’s safe - the key is to use the correct headphones. I have a pair I love, they’re some type of Plantronics backbeat. They clip to your ear, and they use a sort of downward facing directional plastic that sits comfortably in your ear buy doesn’t press into it much. The reason these are great is because you can hear everything going on around you. They don’t block sound. If someone needs to get your attention, or is honking, or a firetruck ks going by - all of that is still audible, and disruptive to what you’re listening to, and that’s the point. That’s not to say your music is quiet by any means, just that external sound is allowed in as well.
I recommend something along those lines. If you remind me tomorrow (6/20) I’ll look up the exact pair I have. Very important - NO EAR BUDS OR PODS! The kind of headphones that shove a butd in your ear or rely on your ear canal to hold them in place block too much sound. You can absolutely wear them but if you’re worried about safety, I strongly advise that you do not.
Koss KSC-75 are similar earhook open-back headphones. Cheap and decent sound quality, wouldn’t feel bad if they fell off and got destroyed on a ride.
That said I’d rather keep my ears open because I don’t trust people inside colossal rolling metal cages.
I don’t have any issues personally, the ones I use let me hear the world around me just fine. Having my ears completely open isn’t gonna prevent someone from not seeing me, running a stop sign, or swerving into the bike lane. If I’m gonna get run over, I may as well have a soundtrack. 🤷🏻♂️
Hah that’s a positive attitude. Now I gotta create a “songs to get run over to” playlist
Never - i want the hear the sound of the nature on one hand and the risks of cars etc on the other.
Sometimes, using bone conduction earphones.
Honeslty, I love the sounds of nature, so I don’t listen to music nearly as much on my bike as I would on an escooter.
Used to work with a big cyclist, he always used bone conduction headphones as it still gives you full hearing. Bought a pair myself for skiing (Aftershokz Air - stupid name but great piece of kit!)
Yes, full hearing, which is why they work so well while cycling. I even wear them while watching TV and I can still hear the ticking of a clock from the next room 😂
I use them for everything, they’re my only headphones!
Depends. If im commuting and have bike on dedicated bike path and the road, then absolutely not.
If im going for a ride along a bike path or through woods, fields and other non-city-street environments, then yes, I might pop in my earbuds
Nope, much too easy to get lost in a good jam and get en a very real jam.
Sometimes, but only on very quiet roads.
I find spoken word works a lot better, because I can find a volume where I can still hear the road. With music, I can hear either the music or the road but not both.
No, never. I sing sometimes or whistle.
No, never. I sing sometimes or whistle.
I will or typically podcasts, I ride with an airpod in my right ear only (pedestrian side) so I still have awareness around me.
Absolutely. I try not to listen to music while I am on roads or around traffic, but as soon as I get on bike trails, I put my earbuds in and start going. Getting the wind in my face with a bike ride and listening to my favorite music is like therapy for me. It’s definitely important to have situational awareness, though, and I tend to stick to familiar trails for my rides.
