How many listen to music while they ride???

Just curious, I usually never do when I am on the road, to many crazy ppl where I live that I would rather hear coming. WHen I am in the gym or training inside I do listen to music and I get used to it. Just wondering what the general populus does?

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As far as I know around these parts its illegal to wear headphones while cycling or driving so on the road the only music I can get is in my head. At the gym I always used to(gave up the gym for a brandie new bike ) use headphones, because it can drive a body nuts listening to the whirr of the treadmills. At home on the trainer I listen to the radio.

A significant portion of the reason I enjoy riding is the "escape". For me anyway, escape means some quiet time. I don't think I would listen to music for safety reasons anyway, but I actually have no desire to do so while riding.John

For me Music can add motivation depending on the tune. During hard rides I like to listen to upbeat dance tunes and find it helps keep my tempo up especially during the later portion of the ride.

No laws regarding the use of headphones that I know of here.

Chump...

A forty something racer died last year in our area because he was listening to his i-pod while hammering through some congested areas. Sometimes I can't hear cars approaching and I know I wouldn't be able to hear them with earphones. It's just a distraction which can be dangerous. I suppose it could be relaxing when noodling out in the middle of nowhere.

I do listen to music when I ride. But I make sure I can hear the "click" of the rear hub and freewheel over the music. I figure if I can hear that (it's fairly soft) I'll be able to hear any traffic. It usually works out.

L

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Pick any Two.

I just started listening to music while riding this year. Helps keep me focused on the longer rides. I just try to keep it quiet enough so that I can hear cars coming or I just use one earpiece.

Listening to fast music on the trails is awesome. Helps your timing. i keep the volume low so that i can hear riders around me.

i do when i ridebymyself so i don't get boared and take the headphone out of the ear closest to traffic

I seen a lot of people snowboarding this winter wearing ipods. Many of them only used to earbud to help maintain awareness. If I was to take my ipod this is probably what I would also do. Keeping the one closest to traffic out sounds like a good idea as well.

I listen to music virtually all the time while riding as I do while driving in the car. I can still hear traffic and other noises perfectly well with both ear pieces in. I don't find it distracting, I'm still concentrating 100% on the road and traffic and I don't see any difficulty in having background music on at the same time.
What I do find distracting is checking things like HR, speed, cadence, power, altitude etc on my other gadgets.

The thought of riding without music.....I wouldn't do it....boring!!

Before all the do-gooders get on and tell us how deadly riding with music is (which always happens when this topic comes up): just because someone wears headphones doesn't mean they are turned up to 11!!

dont see a problem riding with music... i do it when im out by myself normally with just one peice in... i reckon i stay out a lot longer than i would without it...

just picking up something from an earlier thread about gadgets etc... i use a polar 520 and i never flick through it while riding... way too distracting as your not looking at the road but some tiny numbers on your bars... way more distracting than music...

I used to listen to music all the time when I rode my Mountainbike on the trails.When I got my road bike I just started riding without the tunes. I find it almost a necessity to be able to hear everything thats going on with my bike and the traffic. My road bike is much more finicky about derailer position and I would never hear the chain rubbing the front derailer with headphones on. It is fun once in a while to ride the mountainbike and just crank up the tunes..It really helps keep you motivated...

I usually end up out on the road by myself and this year I started listening to the radio or other music. I'm with some of the other guys that posted above though, I only keep one ear piece in and I leave the one closest to traffic out. I don't listen to it when I'm in town or if traffic is high though, I'm too afraid I might not hear a car coming up behind or something. Around here once you get out on the highway though there is no traffic to speak of. Once I get out there the music helps me keep my mind off the fact that I'm getting further and further away from home and eventually have to turn around....HAHA. I seem to stay out longer when I have something decent to listen to.