Music While Riding?



Susimi

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2015
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Do any of you listen to music while out riding? I do quite a lot and the advances in music technology, or the ways you can listen to it, have aided me greatly!

Going 10 years ago and further, I'd take a portable CD player with me and have to deal with the thing skipping all the time. Then came MP3 players and they were quite nice as I could use the built in radio if I so wanted. Nowadays though I use my phone. I've got plenty of music on it and I can also use the radio if I want.

What sort of things do you listen to? my tastes varies a lot. I'll have some rock or some dance on that will get me pumped to go further but just lately I've been taking leisurely rides at a reasonable pace while listening to podcasts.
 
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Bluetooth speaker, iPhone, I listen to a lot of different genres, pop/rock/alternative, contemporary country, some rap and hip hop.
 
I ride in predominantly busy suburban and urban environments in Chicago and I have found that I cannot afford to have music on, especially via headsets. Sometimes the only reason I avoid being wiped out by a car driver careening out of a driveway or taking a turn with a cellphone press to their face is because I hear that telltale hiss of tires on blacktop. But when I was rising more out in the countryisde I liked to listen to music that matched the pace I was going. I have a metal track list for burning along, and a blues/R&B one for cruising at a more gentle pace.
 
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I have to admit that I love country music. I grew up in a small, rural town where muddy trucks would cruise up and down main street with country music blasting from the speakers. I know that country music has changed a lot in recent years, but for me is still a great joy to listen those amazing rhythms.
 
Yep I always listen to music during my long rides. After awhile without music, you just don't feel motivated to go those extra miles, but with music it just keeps you pumping and grinding. I usually listen to old rap and hip hop music from around the 90s, the height of it all. It's very upbeat and gets you working hard!
 
I have to have music on when I'm doing any form of exercising. I really like upbeat music because it makes it more exciting and fun.
 
In town, nope too dangerous.
Outside the city limits or off road? Often! I haven't lately as I broke my headphones and don't have a lot of tunes on the phone (no data plan to strem then either) but I defiantly miss it.
 
Never ever.

I ride a bike to get away from human noises not to find more of it! What's wrong with just hearing what nature has to say? I'm much more relaxed riding a bike without music.

The other issue is that something blaring away in ear buds removes, or clouds your hearing, hearing you need to hear people coming up behind you attempting to warn you, or a car engine racing so they can pass you only to cut you off so they can turn right. Don't anyone give me some **** about how you only put one bud in and have it low volume because wind noise is such you would have to turn up the volume and your mind is concentrating on the music so the open ear is even being paid attention to. How do I know this? Because I can't even begin to count the number of times I came up behind a cyclist with either both or one bud in and I'm screaming that I'm coming on their left only to find complete and utter surprise reaction when I pass them!

The other issue is, I can't stand the sound quality of MP3 players, or the sound of ear buds, or the background sound of wind garbling the music; of course you can get noise cancellation headphones but the sound quality of those are lacking even in an ideal listening environment.

I like to listen to music, I listen to it at home where I have a noise free environment that won't disturb the music. I'm not anti music, I just want to hear the way the artist intended for it to be heard and to hear all that the artist put into it.

disclaimer: just my opinion.
 
Nature doesn't have that much to say where I live. Even at 3 or 4 in the morning - basically human generated sounds dominate here, from the quieter noises such as air conditioning units to the pretty constant noise of planes, trains, and automobiles since I'm close to two major airports, freight rail lines, and a whole mess of freeways - and those sounds do carry at night.
 
I love to listen to music while commuting.

Although I save the music on normal training rides. I think that even if it helps you concentrate and keeps you engaged, there are just sometimes on those climbs where you really have to push yourselves. And if your music soothes you at that moment, you might slow down without even noticing it.

But other than that though, when I commute or when i'm going for a long leisure ride, I definitely bring along my collection of metal, alternative rock and hip hop. :)
 
Music is literally something that I was turned on nearly all the time, I can say that it's part of my life.
While riding I like listening to Dubstep, like Skrillex or Dimitri Vegas at the moment. :)
 
You know what I do like to do that. I treat it like a car though. I only put the earpiece in one ear. You really want to be able to hear what is going on around you to be safer and aware.
 
I do not do it often because sometimes I tend to get oblivious of the world around me. I still do listen to music when I ride a bike but I really appreciate it when I am in the moment where I am at. I just want to be totally present and available and alert with no distractions.
 
I never listen to music while I'm riding unless it is inside on my stationary bike. If I'm outside, there's too much to worry about. Because I drive in the city I need to be paying a good amount of attention, which would be cut in half if I had music on while riding. My ears are just too small for earbuds, too; I can only wear over-the-ear headphones, which can slip off during movement. Even if I did try to use earbuds they'd probably be falling out all the time and I'd be worried about it getting caught on the bike and causing issues, or distracting me long enough that I could fall over or get into an accident. When I'm on my stationary bike I blast some music, though!
 
I enjoy listening to music while riding my bike, usually I listen to dubstep, techno, rap, heavy-metal and rock music. :)
 
MotownBikeBoy said:
Bluetooth speaker, iPhone, I listen to a lot of different genres, pop/rock/alternative, contemporary country, some rap and hip hop.
What are your favourite rock and alternative music bands? Do you like Pearl Jam? :p