Ride with music or not?

Blue Gator wrote:
:: This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for
:: asking since I'm new to the group.
::
:: I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides.
:: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

IMO, a very bad idea. You need to listen for approaching cars, or at least
I do.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Blue Gator wrote:
:: This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for
:: asking since I'm new to the group.
::
:: I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides.
:: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

IMO, a very bad idea. You need to listen for approaching cars, or at

least

Quoted message said:

I do.

Some people advocate using an earplug in the right ear, as to leave the left
ear for traffic sounds. I don't know how well that would work. I don't ride
with music either, preferring to listen to the sounds of nature. :-)

....although the drone of a busy 4 lane sucks. I never noticed how loud it
can be until I started riding my bike there. It's awful, with the loud
exhausts and big tires and all.

Gooserider wrote:
:: "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: news:[email hidden]...
::: Blue Gator wrote:
::::: This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for
::::: asking since I'm new to the group.
:::::
::::: I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long
::::: rides. Good Idea or Bad Idea?
:::
::: IMO, a very bad idea. You need to listen for approaching cars, or
::: at least I do.
::
:: Some people advocate using an earplug in the right ear, as to leave
:: the left ear for traffic sounds. I don't know how well that would
:: work. I don't ride with music either, preferring to listen to the
:: sounds of nature. :-)

me too....

::
:: ...although the drone of a busy 4 lane sucks. I never noticed how
:: loud it can be until I started riding my bike there. It's awful,
:: with the loud exhausts and big tires and all.

True, but that's when it's most important to be paying attention, imo.

Besides, one reason I started bicycling is that riding my stationary, even
with an MP3 and TV, was just too boring (even though, since it was raining
today, I did 24miles on the stationary). I find riding outside on new
routes to be just plain fun....

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

I do a lot of riding in a city and I use my ears all the time.
Listening might be as important as seeing to keeping myself alive, or
at least not being in hazardous situations all the time. This
includes hearing other cyclists.

When I am in places with little traffic, I like hearing the world
without motors all around me.

When I am riding with other people, I like to talk, listen, and most
importantly be aware of where others are for their safety and mine.

My life is not a movie. I don't need no stinking sound track.

Hmmm... see the pattern here? 🙂

You might google this issue. Others have given excellent reasons why
listening to music while riding is fine for them and poses no hazards.

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 06:31:37 -0700, Dan Daniel <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

I do a lot of riding in a city and I use my ears all the time.
Listening might be as important as seeing to keeping myself alive, or
at least not being in hazardous situations all the time. This
includes hearing other cyclists.

When I am in places with little traffic, I like hearing the world
without motors all around me.

When I am riding with other people, I like to talk, listen, and most
importantly be aware of where others are for their safety and mine.

My life is not a movie. I don't need no stinking sound track.

Hmmm... see the pattern here? 🙂

You might google this issue. Others have given excellent reasons why
listening to music while riding is fine for them and poses no hazards.

Thinking about it some more, IMO, when jogging, I think the music really
helps, maybe with maintaining cadence and speed, and giving motivation up
hills. Serious runners disdain, but I used tunes all the time.

But I think with biking, since you're moving so quickly in relation to
jogging, and the pedal cadence is more automatic. So, for me, tunes seem
less important, at least at this stage in my development on the bike. The
speedyness of the movement through the countryside kind of is its own
music.

I will say that the few times I've used it, it's been a lot easier to spin,
and times when I might have slacked off, if a new fast paced tune comes on,
I maintain the cadence. But I'm pretty sure as I get more experienced this
effect won't be that pronounced either.

Just a thought.

-B

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

it's illegal in some places, and for a good reason. you need to be able
to hear what's going on around you.

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

Check your local laws. In many areas it is illegal to operate a vehicle
on the road while wearing headphones.

--

-John ([email hidden])

"The Queen of Cans and Jars" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

it's illegal in some places, and for a good reason. you need to be able
to hear what's going on around you.

It would be nice if the same philosophy were applied to rollerbladers. They are
a real hazard to cyclists because they generally can't hear anything over their
music.

Depends on how you listen to it.

In many states, it is illegal to operate a vehicle (bicycle included) on
the streets while wearing headset or earphones. ANY type of headset ear
phone, even "open air". The argument being that it decreases the ability
to hear potential hazards, such as traffic A single ear plug (one ear)
is OK in some of these states.

Yeah, I know. That makes a lot of sense in these days of automobiles
that are advertized to be so well sound proofed they can practically
silence a jackhammer right outside the car, and that which makes it
through can be easily overridden by the gazillion watt sound system that
comes standard! BUT, the law's the law. I actually stumped an El Lay
city police chief who had come to give a talk on cycling safety at a
club meeting with that one! LOL

SO - what I did for my commuting bike was to buy a couple of battery
amplified speakers (Radio Shack) and tuck them into a handlebar bag (I
use the side pockets, so the rest of the bag is still useable). Hook up
the walkman or mp3 player and boogie on down the road, as legal as can
be. They are a lot more comfortable than trying to get a headset under a
h****t, too.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

John Thompson said:

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

Check your local laws. In many areas it is illegal to operate a vehicle
on the road while wearing headphones.

Illegal and stupid--when I'm out on the dedicated bike paths around here,
the no. 1 threat to safety are these devices. I've got a "micro" bell on
my racer and if you can't hear it or me yelling "I need to pass" then
there's a serious problem. I think they're fine for runners and joggers
who don't weave around and don't go as fast as cyclists and bladers. BTW,
they are illegal here, so when folks get miffed at me for yelling at them
to pass, I can just calmly remind them of the law...

What you need is one of those cool handlebar radios like they used to sell
at Radio Shack. Alternately, I think that there are helmets with built in
speakers that don't cover your ears, but it seems this is getting close to
headphone territory.

Personally, I like the sound of my tires and drivetrain, plus I'm a
friction shifting retrogrouch so my ears are the "index". 😄

Try singing while riding--I do at times--it keeps you very safe. Other
folks will just think you're nuts.

😄

cheg said:

The Queen of Cans and Jars said:

Blue Gator said:

This has probably been discussed before, but please forgive me for asking
since I'm new to the group.

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

it's illegal in some places, and for a good reason. you need to be able
to hear what's going on around you.

It would be nice if the same philosophy were applied to rollerbladers.
They are a real hazard to cyclists because they generally can't hear
anything over their music.

in theory, i agree. however since i don't ride anyplace where people
are likely to be rollerblading, it's not something i've personally
encountered.

Blue Gator said:

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

while touring i've used a minidisc player and a headphone in one ear (or two
if on the interstate -- noisier) while in rural areas and in some cases
i would go so far as to say i'd have had a hard time w/o it (south dakota
for instance). i'm pretty unapologetic about it. outside of touring and
even on long rural rides locally and especially urban i would never use
headphones.

plenty of time for both the sounds of nature and music when you're riding
7+ hours a day.

mp3 players suck for touring (but you're not talking about that are you?)
because of the recharge requirement. minidisc players went for a week or
more on a AA. yow! and 6 albums per disc.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

Cheg wrote in part:

<< > it's illegal in some places, and for a good reason. you need to be able

Quoted message said:

to hear what's going on around you.

It would be nice if the same philosophy were applied to rollerbladers. ...>>

How bout motorists??! Stereos blasting, passenger compartments designed to keep
out street noise....Double standard if ever there was one.

Robert

David Reuteler said:

Blue Gator said:

I'm thinking about getting a mp3 player to listen to on long rides. Good
Idea or Bad Idea?

while touring i've used a minidisc player and a headphone in one ear (or two
if on the interstate -- noisier) while in rural areas and in some cases
i would go so far as to say i'd have had a hard time w/o it (south dakota
for instance). i'm pretty unapologetic about it. outside of touring and
even on long rural rides locally and especially urban i would never use
headphones.

plenty of time for both the sounds of nature and music when you're riding
7+ hours a day.

mp3 players suck for touring (but you're not talking about that are you?)
because of the recharge requirement. minidisc players went for a week or
more on a AA. yow! and 6 albums per disc.

How do you get the musics on the minidisc players? I dimly recall that it's
a problem getting the MP3 from the PC to the mini-disc; or maybe there's
some other hang up that kept them from becoming more popular. And how are
they for anti-skip - is there a problem with that like on a CD?

I believe my MP3 player will go about 6-8 hours depending on volume before
a battery change is needed. Then it's not hard, just a single AA, takes
about a minute when sweaty and breathing hard to change it...

-Badger

Badger_South said:

David Reuteler said:

mp3 players suck for touring (but you're not talking about that are you?)
because of the recharge requirement. minidisc players went for a week or
more on a AA. yow! and 6 albums per disc.

How do you get the musics on the minidisc players? I dimly recall that it's
a problem getting the MP3 from the PC to the mini-disc; or maybe there's
some other hang up that kept them from becoming more popular.

i use bsd boxes and macs so i can't use the frou-frou PC interface. anyhow,
i hooked up the digital out of a 5-disc changer to the digital input of a
recordable minidisc player (sony ?), set the record speed to slow, hit play
and went to bed. remember cds?

part of what kept them from becoming popular (ironically enuf) was the sound
quality .. they use a lossy compression. the reason that's ironic is that
they were completely annihiliated in the marketplace by mp3 players. ha ha
ha.

Quoted message said:

And how are
they for anti-skip - is there a problem with that like on a CD?

never had a problem with skipping.

Quoted message said:

I believe my MP3 player will go about 6-8 hours depending on volume before
a battery change is needed. Then it's not hard, just a single AA, takes
about a minute when sweaty and breathing hard to change it...

what's the capacity of your mp3 player? when i last had to worry about this
the mp3 players that took batteries had such small capacities that the
minidisc player was a better option (@ 6x6 = 36 albums). there may very well
be cheap 2gb cf mp3 players with good battery life. if there are use them.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 14:38:30 -0400, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

How do you get the musics on the minidisc players? I dimly recall that it's
a problem getting the MP3 from the PC to the mini-disc; or maybe there's
some other hang up that kept them from becoming more popular. And how are
they for anti-skip - is there a problem with that like on a CD?

http://www.minidisc.org/

I believe that there are minidisc players now that will play mp3s,
like CD players. And even without that, it's a pretty easy process
these days. Many minidiscs come packaged with simple interfaces for
just this.

One problem is that MD is a real-time recording medium. You can't burn
a minidisc like you can a CD, or dump data like you can to an mp3
player. Maybe they have solved this problem, also?

Skipping is pretty well not an issue.

David Reuteler wrote:
:: Badger_South <[email hidden]> wrote:
:::
::: On 13 Jun 2004 17:27:22 GMT, David Reuteler <[email hidden]>
::: wrote:
:::: mp3 players suck for touring (but you're not talking about that
:::: are you?) because of the recharge requirement. minidisc players
:::: went for a week or more on a AA. yow! and 6 albums per disc.
:::
::: How do you get the musics on the minidisc players? I dimly recall
::: that it's a problem getting the MP3 from the PC to the mini-disc;
::: or maybe there's some other hang up that kept them from becoming
::: more popular.
::
:: i use bsd boxes and macs so i can't use the frou-frou PC interface.
:: anyhow, i hooked up the digital out of a 5-disc changer to the
:: digital input of a recordable minidisc player (sony ?), set the
:: record speed to slow, hit play and went to bed. remember cds?
::
:: part of what kept them from becoming popular (ironically enuf) was
:: the sound quality .. they use a lossy compression. the reason
:: that's ironic is that they were completely annihiliated in the
:: marketplace by mp3 players. ha ha ha.

Not all lossy compression is created equal....

::
::: And how are
::: they for anti-skip - is there a problem with that like on a CD?
::
:: never had a problem with skipping.
::
::: I believe my MP3 player will go about 6-8 hours depending on volume
::: before a battery change is needed. Then it's not hard, just a
::: single AA, takes about a minute when sweaty and breathing hard to
::: change it...
::
:: what's the capacity of your mp3 player? when i last had to worry
:: about this the mp3 players that took batteries had such small
:: capacities that the minidisc player was a better option (@ 6x6 = 36
:: albums). there may very well be cheap 2gb cf mp3 players with good
:: battery life. if there are use them. --

My iPod has a 30 GB HD in it and can last for at least 6 hours (I've never
listened to it that long and would never take it on a bike ride).

Roger Zoul said:

:: part of what kept them from becoming popular (ironically enuf) was
:: the sound quality .. they use a lossy compression. the reason
:: that's ironic is that they were completely annihiliated in the
:: marketplace by mp3 players. ha ha ha.

Not all lossy compression is created equal....

well, that's true. and the lossy compression used on minidisc players is in
general *BETTER* than what's used on mp3 players (mp3s compress smaller for
a given compression ratio, but atracs sound better). that's kind of moot
anyway because early minidiscs were 4:1 and most mp3s are on the order of
8:1 or 10:1 which clearly sound worse.

Quoted message said:

My iPod has a 30 GB HD in it and can last for at least 6 hours (I've never
listened to it that long and would never take it on a bike ride).

i have the same ipod, btw. pretty hard to charge that in the tent, tho.
well, unless you have a generator. which was my point .. battery powered is
nice while touring.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

R15757 said:

Double standard if ever there was one.

not really, you'd have to have your stereo in the car at a pretty painful
volume to equal the immersion effect caused by headphones. Around here,
cops pull over such cars...

😄