noglider 

This is a concern. Some won't use anything while riding. Some take no precautions. Most of us are in the middle. Some states allow the use of one earphone. That's what I used to do. But now I have earbuds that are also a hearing aid, and it pumps in ambient sound through microphones on the unit. I still take them out when traffic requires my full alertness. So it depends.

Hypno Toad

There are so, so, so many threads addressing this topic.

I ride roughly 5,000 miles every year, for decades, mostly roads, all seasons ... I have zero collisions with cars [/knocking on wood]. My keys to 'safety' include: defensive riding (trust no one), keep your head on a swivel, right ear bud only, volume at a level that allows me to talk with people around me, and using a Garmin Varia (radar). Like driving a car, listening to music doesn't compromise safety.

The end of this story is: you do you.

noglider 

I use a rear view mirror attached to my glasses, and I check it every few seconds.

cjenrick

i used to have a really nice sounding GE 8 Track Radio strapped to the back rack of a Stumpjumper for trail rides. Kind of heavy but awesome sounding even in the outdoors. It was great on night rides, listening to The Doors while way back in the woods at midnight, and it helped scare away mountain lions and deer.

During the day it helped warn hikers when we were approaching from their backs while on a decent or climb. And you never had to flip tapes!


The one drawback was that every time I hit a bump, the 8 track tape would change programs! So I would have to hop the wheel three times to get back to the right program.

It ran off a DIY battery in an extra large water bottle, which eventually failed because Nicads need ventilation. They emit corrosive gas. this gas is inside a water bottle with foam, it has no place to go.

Looking forward to a Bluetooth rig that I can run off of micro Sandisks.

This is now my garage radio, but the trail dust is still there and will not come off the speaker area.

canklecat

Hey, I had that same radio/8-track player! It was tough as nails and sounded good for a mono portable. I finally left it in the newsroom at my junior college paper where I was an editor in the early 1980s, after I transferred to a four year college. When I peeked inside several years later it was still there, on a top shelf gathering dust.

That thing was the New Wave/Power Pop soundtrack machine of my college years. I never bothered to buy many tapes but had Patti Smith Group's "Easter" and maybe a Missing Persons tape.

canklecat

This thread finally provoked me to get a cheap Bluetooth ear bud kit for my new phone. Sounds great for only $7. I haven't taken it on a bike ride yet. I don't mind when other folks play music during group rides. But I listen to music and news all day and night at home, so when I'm on a ride I usually enjoy the ambient sounds. But now that I have a wireless earbud I might use it on a ride.

noglider 

I took a 22 mile ride with my new speaker today. It worked great. It's just what I need. I can hear the audio and the road sounds I need to hear. I was in very light traffic, and I heard vehicles approaching from ahead and behind. I didn't test it on fast downhills. Typically a speaker is not loud enough on those, so I pause the audio for them. And normally, I listen to spoken word on the bike, not music.

Monster Boomerang Neckband Bluetooth Speaker

Cmichini

I use a pretty simple set up. I bought a cheap cell phone holder off Amazon that I put on my handlebars.
When I start riding I start Strava to capture my data & run Siriux XM radio on the phone with it playing via speaker.
That way, I can enjoy music but also stay plugged into my surroundings. I don't play it terribly loud so I can pretty much hear traffic bearing down on me from behind, can hear people, cars and, well, the world.

BikeLite

I would probably opt for a small mp3 player in shirt chest pocket with a single right earbud in place.

Smitty2k1

I've been using the Clearon bike speaker for two years now. The mount works well, but requires an extra velcro strap to keep the speaker from falling out on rough bumps. I use it on top of the top tube behind the stem, like a gas tank style bag. The sound quality and volume surprised me, it's very good. I don't use the remote as I can easily reach the onboard controls. Battery lasts long enough and connection has always been reliable. I've ridden in the rain and dropped the speaker several times and no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Bluetooth-4-0-Speaker-CLEARON/dp/B01MTK45ZO

noglider 

@Smitty2k1, could you please check that link and post if you have a working one? I can't find it with the item number or your link or your description. Thanks.

Smitty2k1

Edited, should work now.

Some seller on ebay also offers them refurb for cheaper.

caloso

I listen to podcasts or ballgames through the MLB app on my phone. One earbud away from traffic (usually the right). I just used the wired earbuds that came with my phone.

Vismund B

I have a Klein Tools Bluetooth speaker that I found on a jobsite a few years ago. I have it strapped to my front rack with bungee cords. It works well there. I can reach the controls if need be, I can hear the music clearly and still hear everything around me as the speaker is not right on top of me.

As for safety, in your car you can listen to music as loud as you want with the windows up and not hear anything going on outside and that’s considered ok; so my little speaker on my bike while still being able to hear everything around me should be ok.

noglider 

I noticed that the law is hypocritical, allowing motorists to be surrounded by sound which totally blocks ambient sound. On the other hand, I think a cyclist needs to be more auditorily aware than a motorist. In fact, I have caught myself after missing an important auditory cue and realized it was because of my sound device. I have used many devices and try to find a reasonable compromise. At first, I had leaky headphones, and they worked well. They were the around-the-neck kind, and I was able to hook one side on one ear and let the other side drape on my neck. That let me hear ambient sound with both ears, one better than the other. Earbuds are a little too good at blocking out sound. But having just one in makes it hard for me to hear the content. Maybe it's because my hearing is starting to fail, and having one earbud in feels like I hear with 1/3 of the volume, not 1/2. When I am in heavy traffic that requires a lot of attention, I do not listen to anything at all. Safety is most important.

hsuBM

My brain.

it not only intuitively pauses & skips, but it also has most of the functionality of a DAW so I can speed up, slow down and fully edit tracks as I please.

“Hmm, I wonder how ‘Godzilla’ by BOC would sound at a bit lower than the Fu Manchu cover’s bpm with the guitars replaced by cellos and bari saxophones and the solo performed on a koto and all of the backup vocals done by CS&N circa ‘71 and lead vocals by Alina Baraz with J Dilla percussion & bass...” done. “I think this section of road calls for a little thing called ‘Blackened’ by a few scruffy left coast dudes done a bit faster than they did it with slightly more thoughtful drums and run the master bus through a Rat copy plug-in to imitate playback at beyond max volume in an ‘89 Mustang with Pep Boys two way speakers and a Radio Shack sub.” Awww yeah. “Hill cleared, time for Count Basie’s 1970 version of ‘Kilimanjaro’.”

bonus: there’s no concern of BT connectivity or earbuds’ batteries dying. It’s like the DeLorean in BttF2- it runs on salad, pizza, beer, steak, whatever.

canklecat

Well, my $7 bluetooth ear buds run only about 90 minutes per battery charge. But I like the concept. And it's not hard to hear traffic when I listen Milton Waddams style -- at a reasonable volume. But I'm probably gonna buy another set with better batteries.

Davespix

I got one of there from Amazon for less than $15 in August. Look for waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker. I stream Pandora from my phone but it also can take a memory card.
Sounds good, can still hear traffic by adjusting volume. Also helps announce your arrival to pedestrians as long as they don’t have earphones in.

Davespix

Deleted

atwl77

On a related note, I found out about these recently: https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...mes-tempo.html

On paper, it looks interesting... but, those oversized temples look downright ugly. Also unsure of the sound quality, and it carries the typical Bose price premium (not to mention the additional cost of prescription lenses on top of it, for those of use who need prescription lenses).

Daniel4

I carry a radio in my pack or in my pocket. The noise alerts pedestrians on park trails when I'm approaching.

Garfield Cat

Getting a bluetooth speaker to work with music is one end of the system. But what about the content, the music itself? Do you have a play list? And how do you customize it for the different types of riding? Do you use iTunes to create a play list or do you pay a monthly subscription to a service?

For those who don't always do music, is it audio books, news like NPR stations?

atwl77

I'm lazy, so I mostly use one of Spotify's "workout" playlists. If I'm doing intervals or some other form of hard ride, I might put on a Dragonforce or Super Eurobeat album on repeat, but eh... mostly Spotify workout playlists.

Milton Keynes

I would feel unsafe with headphones in, so I don't ride with them. But I'm not going to tell everyone else that they can't, either. I see it as a personal preference, like wearing a helmet.

Cyclist0100

I use a Sony SRSXB33. It's not the smallest or lightest speaker, but it sounds excellent, has long battery life, and it's built like a tank. .

As for the JBL recommendations... JBL speakers sound awesome! However, I have purchased a total of 4 JBL bluetooth speakers (different models) and 3 started to malfunction within 30 days and had to be returned. I love the JBL sound, but due to quality control issues I will not buy any more JBL's.




NO, absolutely not! I feel totally safe because I'm still very much aware of my surroundings. That's the advantage of using an external speaker over ear buds (although some ear buds are much safer than others).