GlennR

You can't dispute this:
"I bet 90% of the people who ride with music can't name the last song played."

All it does is pass the time.

And when you stoop to swearing, you lost the argument.

texaspandj

If you don't remember the last song you heard listening to music on your bike aren't you "living in the present"?

texaspandj

I remember discussing a song with my son. I said yes the song is good but Why does he have to Curse? My son replied, "Sometimes there isn't a better word to describe your feeling". I learned something that day and am reminded of it when I stubbed my Toe on the kitchen table chair....and also some comments in this thread.i

MattTheHat 

I can remember the last ten songs I listened to whilst riding. I'm not sure what it has to do with safety, but whatever.

GlennR

It's it's a play list or a album, sure. But if its random songs.. I doubt it

It's mindless passing the time.

Live in the present and enjoy the ride. If you want to listen to music, do it with a real audio system.

pcook489

Texaspandj -- good call. My daughters have learned enough bad words from me running into furniture in the middle of the night.

SethAZ 

One thing I've observed over a long time of participation in the military is that there are times and occasions and topics which are best and most efficiently expressed by the inclusion of one or more swearwords. While it's often gratuitous, sometimes it really hits the spot.

I listen to audiobooks for hours each day too, and I used to listen to them while riding as well. I fell out of that practice years ago as I fully appreciated just how much losing my ears during my rides was a bad idea. I go fast enough that I hear that whoooosh too, but the bottom line is that my ears have saved my butt many times, and I'm loathe to lose their situational awareness and early warning system benefits during my rides.

One more thing I've found over so many years of constant listening to something, be it audiobooks, music, or what have you, is that I grow dependent on having something playing so much of the time. One of the minor things I had to deal with after I started riding more and more again since my return from overseas last year is that for that 1-2 hours that I'm riding I've got nothing playing in my ears. There was actually a certain sense of withdrawal for me. I've long recognized that not having headphones while I ride forces me to get back into my own thoughts. After a short while dealing with the mental withdrawal of not having something playing, and relying on me occupying my thoughts entirely from within, I come to appreciate it. This is a personal thing that I wouldn't dare to try to project onto others, but it's true for me.

pcook489

So now you are promoting something from Best Buy? Didn't see that happening.

pcook489

Thanks for your service, SethAZ

MattTheHat 

Can someone...anyone...explain how knowing a car is behind you makes any difference whatsoever? Please?

I've asked this in other threads and never gotten a response. In other words, what do you do with the information? What do you do differently? Are you pulling off the road or something? It seems to me that if you do anything differently based on whether or not a car is behind you is just a recipe for disaster, because you're going to eventually get it wrong.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting anyone ride with music or headphones if they don't feel safe doing so. I'm just tired of people making statements about how unsafe it is without offering some kind of rationale.

MattTheHat 

Nope, random play list. I can remember at least the last 10-12 songs.

I do indeed live in the present and enjoy the ride. That almost always includes listening to music.

pcook489

Matt,
The only thing (In my opinion) regarding area around bike/cars near you, is that you are more aware/cognizant of threats to your health. Using my mirrors, I can constantly assess the situation, especially when I'm on a 4-lane (45 MPH) road. If I see a situation approaching with two cars attempting to pass each other, or just using the roadway as intended, I can look for an escape route, or be ready to bail out to the right (since I'm in the right tire-track on the road). BEING AWARE OF THE CARS BEHIND YOU IS A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE. You can listen to your music on your headphones, but still have a plan when/if someone decides to pass you a little too close for comfort. Just my opinion. I'm sure others are going to chime in and tell me I'm a dumbass.

DrIsotope

Ten thousand since 2011? We’re not even talking about the same activity, guy. The bike I just got off of has 20,000 miles on it, and I got it in the middle of 2017.

Oh, and for the record, Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welch) — Calvin Harris

I enjoy riding a bicycle, and I enjoy listening to music. There’s absolutely no reason I can’t do both. I am in fact living proof.

Hypno Toad

For me, with the Garmin radar, it helps when you need to move into the traffic lane to pass another bike or walker or trash in the shoulder/bike lane or making a left turn. OTOH for just riding down the road, it doesn't change much, just information and being aware of your surroundings ... like checking your mirrors while driving a car.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by SethAZ

...I listen to audiobooks for hours each day too, and I used to listen to them while riding as well. I fell out of that practice years ago as I fully appreciated just how much losing my ears during my rides was a bad idea. I go fast enough that I hear that whoooosh too, but the bottom line is that my ears have saved my butt many times, and I'm loathe to lose their situational awareness and early warning system benefits during my rides.

One more thing I've found over so many years of constant listening to something, be it audiobooks, music, or what have you, is that I grow dependent on having something playing so much of the time. One of the minor things I had to deal with after I started riding more and more again since my return from overseas last year is that for that 1-2 hours that I'm riding I've got nothing playing in my ears. There was actually a certain sense of withdrawal for me.

I've long recognized that not having headphones while I ride forces me to get back into my own thoughts. After a short while dealing with the mental withdrawal of not having something playing, and relying on me occupying my thoughts entirely from within, I come to appreciate it.

This is a personal thing that I wouldn't dare to try to project onto others, but it's true for me.

Thanks for your considered remarks, @SethAZ. In a recent preceding post, I commented, and quoted other frequent subscribers, about how listening to audio input can focus the mind and increase situational awareness. For example, I posted to this thread, All while listening, in my case to usually non-linear talk shows. Not necessarily “deep thoughts,” but introspective. But how deeply does one ponder life's essential mysteries, e.g. while driving a car?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

”Ever contemplate your mortality on the road?”

Actually, in one of my most serious contemplations of mortality, the Road served as a relief...

Hypno Toad

A music-head will likely know the last song that played, the year it was released, the bass player's name .... For me, it's that song that was on at the right time. I have the best memory of Atmosphere's Sunshine playing at mile 210 of the DAMn, right after missing a turn and making a long descent on the wrong road. I got back on route as this song shuffled through, it totally put me back in a good mind frame for the last 35 miles of my day.


How many can name the last song on the radio in their car? & How is naming a song make music good or bad or unsafe while biking??

bargo68 

If you're humming down a slight hill at 28 mph on a rutted mountain road with about half a foot of "shoulder" and you know a car is coming up on you and you see giant pothole/gap/dirtpile/roadkill/injured cyclist/hallucinated leprehaun, instead of swerving into the lane and getting hit, you have to make a very fast decision about how to handle your bike.
As to the discussion at hand, maybe you are used to riding with earbuds in, bluetooth speaker blaring, whatever... and you can handle it. Great, you're rad!!
Me, I'm not that slick. I need to be able to hear what's going on around me.
But that's just me.

texaspandj

Break time.
I said rap song in an earlier post but it wasn't. It's what some have a described as neo soul. It was a song on D'Angelo debut album Brown Sugar. A great album btw. If you look at the track titles it's the one with Curse words. And when you listen to the lyrics you'll see why it's appropriate 😂.
Anyone here ever heard it? Trust me it's worth a listen. The cool laid back vibe of the song, the harsh reality lyrics, the modulating of track title.
I haven't heard the album in years, wish I could post it but if you want to listen to the song it's called
​​S#@#, Damn, M##_&-+(()/%
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

jackb

Why not enjoy the natural sounds of the ride? I never could understand how someone could enjoy doing two specific activities as the same time. If you are enjoying the ride your mind is focused on the sights and sounds of the ride. If you are listening to music via earbuds, thats the only thing you can hear and focus on. Of course, what one does is one's own business, but the whole idea of focused listening via earbuds while doing something else strikes me as strange.

livedarklions

All sensory information makes it just more likely that you will make the right decision in a specific situation. I ride quite a bit on MA Route 4, which has a section in Billerica with a bunch of unevenly spaced potholes on a rolling somewhat curvy hill road. I'm extremely aware of whether or not cars are behind me on that section because successfully travelling that road requires taking the lane at some points. The roughness of that road also makes the cars behind me very loud, while the rolling hills and curves can actually make it hard to see the cars when you turn your head. So yes, I am able to know to avoid taking the lane when I know there is a car behind me that may or may not be able to see me in time to react.

I know you'll quibble with this and I won't care to answer it because I have found it useful and I really don't care why you think I shouldn't. I also have heard cars backing out from places where my view was obstructed. I consider riding anywhere with shrubs and driveways with obstructed hearing a really bad idea for me. You do whatever you like.


Just so you know, I've witnessed a few times where people wearing earbuds went right in front of cars and bicyclists and been totally unaware they had a close call. The other person evaded hitting them, and they never saw or heard it.

MattTheHat 

Admittedly, I’d rather know If a car is behind me. I’m not a fan of the close pass. A really close pass when you don’t know it’s coming is even less enjoyable. I’ve been thinking about upgrading to one of the Garmin radar lights.

MattTheHat 

Firstly, thank you for noticing I’m rad.

I agree with you 100 percent. I’m a big advocate of people determining for themselves what’s safe and sticking to it. I’m also a big fan of other people not trying to determine what’s safe for me.

I don’t ride mountain roads like what you describe. I’m not that tough.

DrIsotope

I classify my Varia radar as one of my best ever cycling purchases. A taillight is used in the hopes it will increase our conspicuity-- while a radar unit will actively tell a rider something is coming up behind them. It's active. I've had much better tire life since the radar went on, because most times I just ride right out in the middle of the lane-- with +500ft of warning, I can easily move to the shoulder when a vehicle approaches. The middle of the lane is clean of debris 99.9% of the time. The space we're usually relegated to is full of glass and everything else. Radar keeps me out of the gutter.

SethAZ 

I can think of several responses to this.

1) In a strong crosswind, the passing of a vehicle can result in a very sharp change in the sideways forces acting on me, the bike, and the modestly deep carbon wheels. This can result in sudden swerving, etc. That's especially true if the vehicle is a large truck, and it is passing me in such a way as to complete block the wind coming from that side. Knowing the vehicle is about to pass allows me to mentally "brace myself for impact", as it were. I'm not saying this is a huge factor, but it's definitely a factor, and is responsive to your question.

2) I try to keep a good situational awareness of the road conditions directly in front of me, at intermediate distances, etc. Despite that, when I hear a vehicle coming up behind me it focuses me more than usual on what's immediately ahead of me, how much margin there is to the right of where I'm riding, etc. in case I do feel the need the move further to right or even pull off the road entirely. I've actually been run off the road before by an assclown who buzzed me way too close. Whether I actually move further to the right or even off the road entirely for every car or truck I hear coming up behind me or not, knowing that it's coming at least gives me the chance to focus on the road conditions and what my options may be. Again, not a huge factor, but it's a factor for me that I value, and is responsive to your question.

3) "It seems to me that if you do anything differently based on whether or not a car is behind you is just a recipe for disaster, because you're going to eventually get it wrong." Yes, eventually I'll probably get it wrong. Not knowing a car or truck is coming up behind me, however, increases the likelihood that I'm already wrong and just don't know it until it's too late. If I get it right even just a few times where not knowing would have meant I was already wrong and just didn't know it, that's a win.

Some of my cycling routes have this one awful choke point where a small bridge passes over a usually dry creek bed. Whoever designed that bridge deserves to be drawn and quartered, because they made zero allowance for any type of bike lane, safety margin, etc. On that road you go from the lane of travel, white stripe, then 2-3 feet of pavement, to the bridge where it suddenly constricts to the lane of travel, the white stripe, and like 3 or 4 inches and then a hard concrete barrier on the side of the bridge. I really hate passing over that little bridge, especially because the road in question is a fairly major north/south artery road here where the speed limit is 45mph which means in practice people are buzzing you doing 50-60 mph. I very much want to know, approaching that bridge, whether there are cars coming up behind me as I assume the safest position I can just on or inside the lane of travel from the white line. Sometimes when I hear cars coming up behind me but still a ways back I'll drift over a foot or so into the lane of traffic from the white line to prompt the drivers to pull left a little more or even change lanes, and then just as I cross the bridge I'll hug that line as closely as I dare to give myself the best chance of not being hit. Others might be fine having music blaring in their ears while navigating this particular road feature, but it would drive me insane. Again, that's maybe a "me" problem and not a "you" problem, but there it is.

MattTheHat 

I do care to answer. I never said anybody shouldn’t care for doing anything that makes them feel safer. You make my point for me when you say “do whatever you like.” That’s what I’m saying too. Do what you feel is safe. I’ll do the same. For the way I ride and the area I ride, hearing more doesn’t do anything to improve my safety.

I think the people you describe as having close calls have more wrong than wearing ear buds. Not wearing earbuds doesn’t do away with the need to watch where you’re going. And yes, I’ve seen the same thing happen.