I'm not entirely comfortable listening to music while I ride, mostly because I don't trust the drivers around here and I've had a couple of close calls already with people not looking before pulling out of parking lots or through an advance turn. I just prefer to feel as if I've got all my senses working for me when I'm commuting alongside traffic. Also, there are other cyclists and foot pedestrians on the road, they're not always as noticeable as a car, and I feel like it's common courtesy to do your best to stay aware.
When I'm mountain biking solo, which is rare, I'll sometimes listen to music but I only keep one earbud in because there are usually a decent amount of people on the trails and if someone is coming up behind me I want to be able to hear their 'on your left' or whatever. A lot of the trails are narrow and no one wants to have to struggle to get around someone who's unaware that they're holding people up.
It can be risky too because if I can't hear and don't realize that there's another cyclist trying to pass me and I decide to turn at the wrong moment and we collide, suddenly my choice to listen to music becomes someone else's problem, which isn't cool. That goes for both the trails and the road.
When I'm mountain biking solo, which is rare, I'll sometimes listen to music but I only keep one earbud in because there are usually a decent amount of people on the trails and if someone is coming up behind me I want to be able to hear their 'on your left' or whatever. A lot of the trails are narrow and no one wants to have to struggle to get around someone who's unaware that they're holding people up.
It can be risky too because if I can't hear and don't realize that there's another cyclist trying to pass me and I decide to turn at the wrong moment and we collide, suddenly my choice to listen to music becomes someone else's problem, which isn't cool. That goes for both the trails and the road.