Your thoughts on MUSIC (speakers) on an organized ride?

[Hell And High Water]

Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.

Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers, but
I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.

This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)


What are your thoughts on this?


I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
keep it to themselves.


Thanks,


-Bob

 

[Zen Cohen]

"Hell And High Water" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
> speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>
> Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers, but
> I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>
> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
>
> What are your thoughts on this?

I've seen a couple riders on their beach cruisers along the beach path doing
this but those people are usually pretty trashy. Even in that setting it's
rude.

 

[Bill Sornson]

Hell And High Water wrote:
> Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
> speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>
> Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers,
> but I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>
> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
>
> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
> keep it to themselves.

Definitely rude and inconsiderate. Once went on a mtb ride with a guy who
had speakers in his Camelbak, playing the same Led Zeppelin song over and
over and over. I and a few others wanted to kill him.

BS

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

| Definitely rude and inconsiderate. Once went on a mtb ride with a guy who
| had speakers in his Camelbak, playing the same Led Zeppelin song over and
| over and over. I and a few others wanted to kill him.

The Song Remains the Same

Oh, wait, that's a soundtrack to a movie. Oh well...

(More seriously, I would find it pretty annoying and good reason to put some
distance between myself and the music. I don't look forward to cell phones
on planes either.)

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Bill Sornson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| Hell And High Water wrote:
| > Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
| > speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
| >
| > Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers,
| > but I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
| >
| > This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
| > back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
| >
| >
| > What are your thoughts on this?
| >
| >
| > I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
| > keep it to themselves.
|
| Definitely rude and inconsiderate. Once went on a mtb ride with a guy who
| had speakers in his Camelbak, playing the same Led Zeppelin song over and
| over and over. I and a few others wanted to kill him.
|
| BS
|
|

 

[Leo Lichtman]

Saw a bike yesterday that had so much bulky electrical stuff on board that I
thought it was motorized. When I looked closer, I discovered that it was
all batteries, amp and speakers. Three fairly large oval speakers without
baffles, of course. The sound would have to be awful. And the brain that
put it together.

I put it in the same category as the guy sitting in his car at a stop light,
with all the windows down and bass so loud it shakes my car. And the person
who holds a loud cell phone conversation in a quiet restaurant.

 

[leebossa]

if you're alone, fine...but not in a group. It's rude and totally
inconsiderate.

usually i see people with those and they are usually riding beatup old
bikes or landriders, smoking while they ride and go abouat 2 miles an
hour; they listen to yakking talk shows or really bad music.

Bill Sornson wrote:
> Hell And High Water wrote:
>> Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
>> speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>>
>> Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers,
>> but I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>>
>> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
>> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>>
>>
>> What are your thoughts on this?
>>
>>
>> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
>> keep it to themselves.
>
> Definitely rude and inconsiderate. Once went on a mtb ride with a guy who
> had speakers in his Camelbak, playing the same Led Zeppelin song over and
> over and over. I and a few others wanted to kill him.
>
> BS
>
>

 

[Larry Farrell]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> Saw a bike yesterday that had so much bulky electrical stuff on board that I
> thought it was motorized. When I looked closer, I discovered that it was
> all batteries, amp and speakers. Three fairly large oval speakers without
> baffles, of course. The sound would have to be awful. And the brain that
> put it together.
>
> I put it in the same category as the guy sitting in his car at a stop light,
> with all the windows down and bass so loud it shakes my car. And the person
> who holds a loud cell phone conversation in a quiet restaurant.
>
>

I was recently running some errands in my car and pulled up next to
one of those. At the next stoplight, where we were also next to one
another, I rolled down the windows on that side of my car and turned
my music to maximum (I was listening to a violin concerto).
Surprisingly enough, the teenage drive grinned at me and began to make
conducting motions! I did not hear his music any longer, after I
turned mine back down to a normal level.

--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

 

[Percival Cornelius]

Hell And High Water and I are about to drop the following dope collabo::

> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
> keep it to themselves.

It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all group
rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides like LA's
Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other urban rides, one or
more of the riders will pull a powerful sound system on a trailer and play
celebratory music for the group. I've never heard any of the riders
complain.

--
Percival Cornelius

 

[Bill Sornson]

Percival Cornelius wrote:
> Hell And High Water and I are about to drop the following dope
> collabo::
>
>> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
>> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>>
>> What are your thoughts on this?
>>
>> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
>> keep it to themselves.
>
> It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all
> group rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides
> like LA's Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other urban
> rides, one or more of the riders will pull a powerful sound system on
> a trailer and play celebratory music for the group. I've never heard
> any of the riders complain.

Critical Mass riders being rude and inconsiderate? The hell you say.

BS

 

[Chalo]

Hell And High Water wrote:
>
> Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
> speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>
> Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers, but
> I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>
> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
> keep it to themselves.

A hundred meters does wonders for diminishing the intensity of any
objectionable sounds.

I have a buddy who uses a Long John-style bike outfitted with a 50W
amp smaller than a box of kitchen matches, and a speaker mounted in
the end of a five gallon plastic carboy. He is the life of any
rolling party. Don't know what we'd do without him.

Would you feel the same if the selection was Satie's Trois
Gymnopédies? In my experience, the "music" of the countryside is just
the sound of cars near and far-- hardly something I'd miss.

Chalo

 

[Percival Cornelius]

Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:

> Percival Cornelius wrote:

>> It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all
>> group rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides
>> like LA's Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other urban
>> rides, one or more of the riders will pull a powerful sound system on
>> a trailer and play celebratory music for the group. I've never heard
>> any of the riders complain.
>
> Critical Mass riders being rude and inconsiderate? The hell you say.

What part of "I've never heard any of the riders complain" failed to
penetrate your blood/brain barrier?

--
Percival Cornelius

 

[Marz]

On Apr 21, 10:54 am, Hell And High Water <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
> speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>
> Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers, but
> I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>
> This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
> I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
> keep it to themselves.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Bob

On a quiet country group ride I'd consider it rude if someone was to
play music over speakers. In fact, I'd think it's odd when folks on a
group ride wear earphones, and I like wearing earphones when riding
solo.

Laters,

Marz

 

[[email protected]]

On Apr 22, 4:05 am, Chalo <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hell And High Water wrote:
>
>
>
> > Several times lately, during organized rides, I've seen people with
> > speakers mounted on their bikes, playing loud music.
>
> > Sometimes they're very small. Just an ipod and some tiny speakers, but
> > I can still hear them from a bit of a distance.
>
> > This past weekend, some guy had a fairly large speaker mounted on the
> > back of his bike. (Facing backwards, BTW)
>
> > What are your thoughts on this?
>
> > I kind of like the quiet of a country ride, and would prefer them to
> > keep it to themselves.
>
> A hundred meters does wonders for diminishing the intensity of any
> objectionable sounds.
>
> I have a buddy who uses a Long John-style bike outfitted with a 50W
> amp smaller than a box of kitchen matches, and a speaker mounted in
> the end of a five gallon plastic carboy. He is the life of any
> rolling party. Don't know what we'd do without him.
>
> Would you feel the same if the selection was Satie's Trois
> Gymnopédies? In my experience, the "music" of the countryside is just
> the sound of cars near and far-- hardly something I'd miss.

In my experience, the music of the countryside is more likely to be
birdsong, the cry of a red-shouldered hawk, dogs barking in the
distance, and the soft hiss of my tires on the pavement. And I like
it that way. Yes, cars pass - but I choose my countryside routes to
minimize traffic.

Satie can certainly be pleasant. So can Irish trad like Altan, and
medieval music like In Mulieribus, and African pop like Angelique
Kidjo. But the pleasure of music has a flip side, and that is, what
sounds fantastic to one person at one time can sound terrible to
everyone around them.

I don't think one should subject everyone within 100 meters to one's
taste in music, unless they've let you know they want to hear it.
IOW, performing on a stage for the people who came to hear you is
fine. Blasting an amp at the world as you're rolling along - whether
the amp is in a car or on a bike - is not fine.

I think the natural way to fix this is to forbid amplification. If
someone wants to sing, whistle, or play harmonica as they roll along,
fine. If someone wants to tow a piano on a trailer, fine. (But who
would do such a thing?? ;-) Going acoustic means people can easily
ignore you if they choose, or get closer if they prefer.

But the instant you start pumping out YOUR musical taste using
electrons, I think you're crossing a line.

And BTW, our club once had a guy who showed up with a boom box on the
back of his bike. The guy wasn't exactly shunned, but everyone was
obviously uncomfortable with the idea, and he picked up on it. Nobody
actually complained, but I don't think he ever brought his boom box
again.

- Frank Krygowski

 

[Bill Sornson]

Percival Cornelius wrote:
> Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:
>
>> Percival Cornelius wrote:
>
>>> It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all
>>> group rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides
>>> like LA's Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other
>>> urban rides, one or more of the riders will pull a powerful sound
>>> system on a trailer and play celebratory music for the group. I've
>>> never heard any of the riders complain.
>>
>> Critical Mass riders being rude and inconsiderate? The hell you say.
>
> What part of "I've never heard any of the riders complain" failed to
> penetrate your blood/brain barrier?

That no oh-so-hip-slick-and-cool people complained about a clearly rude and
inconsiderate behavior is hardly evidence that it isn't indeed crass and
intrusive.

Please have someone explain this to you.

HAND

 

[leebossa]

it's occurred to me lately that idiotic cell phone conversations have
made situations that used to be just tedious into annoying, aggravating
situations. Waiting for a bus, standing on line, being on the bus or at
the supermarket- yesterday it was some braindead teenager yakking at the
top of her lungs on her cell phone while bus driver smoked a cigarette
outside. I got out and walked!

Larry Farrell wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
>> Saw a bike yesterday that had so much bulky electrical stuff on board
>> that I
>> thought it was motorized. When I looked closer, I discovered that it was
>> all batteries, amp and speakers. Three fairly large oval speakers
>> without
>> baffles, of course. The sound would have to be awful. And the brain
>> that
>> put it together.
>>
>> I put it in the same category as the guy sitting in his car at a stop
>> light, with all the windows down and bass so loud it shakes my car.
>> And the person who holds a loud cell phone conversation in a quiet
>> restaurant.
>>
>>
>
> I was recently running some errands in my car and pulled up next to one
> of those. At the next stoplight, where we were also next to one
> another, I rolled down the windows on that side of my car and turned my
> music to maximum (I was listening to a violin concerto). Surprisingly
> enough, the teenage drive grinned at me and began to make conducting
> motions! I did not hear his music any longer, after I turned mine back
> down to a normal level.
>

 

[Percival Cornelius]

Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:

> Percival Cornelius wrote:
>> Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:
>>
>>> Percival Cornelius wrote:
>>
>>>> It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all
>>>> group rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides
>>>> like LA's Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other
>>>> urban rides, one or more of the riders will pull a powerful sound
>>>> system on a trailer and play celebratory music for the group. I've
>>>> never heard any of the riders complain.
>>>
>>> Critical Mass riders being rude and inconsiderate? The hell you say.
>>
>> What part of "I've never heard any of the riders complain" failed to
>> penetrate your blood/brain barrier?
>
> That no oh-so-hip-slick-and-cool people complained about a clearly rude and
> inconsiderate behavior is hardly evidence that it isn't indeed crass and
> intrusive.
>
> Please have someone explain this to you.
>
> HAND

Your concern for the delicate ears and rural sensibilities of the people
who choose to be in major urban areas at rush hour on Friday nights is
touching. However, I can assure you that in my experience, none of those
bystanders has yet complained about the crass intrusion of upbeat music
into the usual symphony of car horns, air brakes, sirens, and revving
engines.

Try another angle.

--
Percival Cornelius

 

[Bill Sornson]

Percival Cornelius wrote:
> Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:
>
>> Percival Cornelius wrote:
>>> Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:
>>>
>>>> Percival Cornelius wrote:
>>>
>>>>> It depends on the context of the ride. Believe it or not, not all
>>>>> group rides take place in the country. On urban social bike rides
>>>>> like LA's Midnight Ridazz, and often on Critical Mass and other
>>>>> urban rides, one or more of the riders will pull a powerful sound
>>>>> system on a trailer and play celebratory music for the group.
>>>>> I've never heard any of the riders complain.
>>>>
>>>> Critical Mass riders being rude and inconsiderate? The hell you
>>>> say.
>>>
>>> What part of "I've never heard any of the riders complain" failed to
>>> penetrate your blood/brain barrier?
>>
>> That no oh-so-hip-slick-and-cool people complained about a clearly
>> rude and inconsiderate behavior is hardly evidence that it isn't
>> indeed crass and intrusive.
>>
>> Please have someone explain this to you.
>>
>> HAND
>
> Your concern for the delicate ears and rural sensibilities of the
> people who choose to be in major urban areas at rush hour on Friday
> nights is touching. However, I can assure you that in my experience,
> none of those bystanders has yet complained about the crass intrusion
> of upbeat music into the usual symphony of car horns, air brakes,
> sirens, and revving engines.
>
> Try another angle.

Well, to be fair, I can see how speakers wouldn't be too unwelcome in a
"festival setting" like a Critical Crass ride or one of the various
parade-type events (costumes, themes, etc.) that take place for any number
of causes/reasons/occasions.

Still, the OP asked about "organized rides" and others mentioned "group
rides". A bicyclist with some sound system attached to his or her self or
rig is being obnoxious, rude and inconsiderate to other participants. Don't
believe me? Try showing up for a club ride or a century or a race and
blaring some songs. You'll get tons of stink-eyes and then be left to ride
alone, as no one will want to be near you.

Got tunes? Fine. Keep 'em to yourself.

HTH! BS

 

[Tom Sherman]

[email protected] aka Frank Krygowski wrote:
> [...]
> I think the natural way to fix this is to forbid amplification. If
> someone wants to sing, whistle, or play harmonica as they roll along,
> fine. If someone wants to tow a piano on a trailer, fine. (But who
> would do such a thing?? ;-)

Paging Chalo. Paging Chalo.

<http://youtube.com/watch?v=0DRGPSP4ulg> (1:45 to 2:12)

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

 

[Percival Cornelius]

Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:

> Still, the OP asked about "organized rides" and others mentioned "group
> rides".

And I answered his question, and those of the other posters as well.
Believe it or not, there are other kinds of organized and group rides than
club and training rides. Both of the rides I mentioned (Midnight Ridazz in
Los Angeles and Critical Mass worldwide) are group rides, and the former
is organized.

--
Percival Cornelius

 

[Bill Sornson]

Percival Cornelius wrote:
> Bill Sornson and I are about to drop the following dope collabo:
>
>> Still, the OP asked about "organized rides" and others mentioned
>> "group rides".
>
> And I answered his question, and those of the other posters as well.
> Believe it or not, there are other kinds of organized and group rides
> than club and training rides. Both of the rides I mentioned (Midnight
> Ridazz in Los Angeles and Critical Mass worldwide) are group rides,
> and the former is organized.

You removed all context from my comment, so I invite the reader to scroll up
a bit and see what was really said and why.

HTH