ttibby

Call me strange but I enjoy listening to talk radio. I download some podcasts and go. there are a couple of talk radio shows that run about 3 hours which is about the time I set out to ride. The time passes quickly and I like that it's not a rythm that I tend to follow and when the nest song comes on I change tempo. With talk Rasio, I set my own pace and I learn stuff at the same time.

Just curious,

Eric...

bautieri

I prefer to listen to sound of my tires against the pavement, the trickle of a stream, the birds singing, the gentle breeze, and the sweet harmony of a small block V8 in an SUV that is about to run me down.

Cycling with headphones isn't a safe activity. You need to be able to hear your surroundings when playing traffic or on a MUP. Please be careful!

dscheidt

Having little interest in getting killed, I listen to traffic.

ttibby

Not much traffic in the mountains! I like the trails or the bike paths. That's another reason that I like talk radio it's not music and not overwhelming to the senses, you can still very easily hear the traffic and the ding of bells!

Coopers_Dad

I listen to podcasts but not loud at all. When I'm riding by myself I usually listen to something but not so loud that I can't hear things around me.

Soma Roark

Agree with not listening in the first place... but I like Car Talk and the Kevin & Bean Show...NPR stuff like the Moth (lots of stories), or anything NPR I find pretty educational.

cyclist2000

the environment around me.

nymtber

on my bike: nature. Lots of cars around here, dont want to get killed. Even on the canal path, I prefer to hear what is going on around me.

in my car: It varies. A lot. Everything from Pantera, to Hank Williams to Stevie Ray Vaughan. And I drive faster with Hank Williams or Johnny Cash in than I do with Pantera...explain THAT!

gumbii

my phone is pretty loud... so i load up some mp3's and i'm good to go... no headphones or earbuds... i only hit the river trails, but still... i want to hear "to your right!" loud and clear...


right now i have this in my phone...

sigur ros...
muse...
nujabes...
lauryn hill...
NIN...
radiohead..
D12...

a nice ride mix...

dcrowell

I like to hear the wind in my ears.

I was marveling the other day about a motorcycle with a stereo. I know, they've been around forever, but I don't understand why. I thought that's what cars were for.... sealed environments with decent acoustics

boy scout 161

I like to hear what's going on around me. I recall a news story about a guy running on a beach listening to an MP3 player and getting hit by a small plane making an emergency landing. He never heard the plane, didn't know what hit him. Sad deal. I'll stick with listening to my environment.

jubal117

I have an IHome2Go tube speaker that attaches to my frame with a remote for the handle bars. I only play it loud enough for me to hear it, so I can still hear everything around me. I listen to Tool in the morning and Clutch in the afternoon. I play the heavier songs to help me get up the hills. I hate hills.

tardman91

If I'm riding in traffic I just listen to the noise around me. On the bike trail I'll usually listen my iPhone on shuffle or Pandora radio, low enough so that I can hear when others are approaching or someone is talking to me.

guybierhaus

Well it's talk radio in the car, and via the internet in front of computer. But on the bike, it's mp3's, mostly from the 70's and early 80's. I use behind the head, headphones. Can't quite figure out the ear buds. They don't stay in my ear and/or I refuse to stuff them in far enough. The foam ear piece of the headphones lets in all surrounding sounds. I've noticed no difference in hearing nature with or without them. Actually my day dreaming usually distracts me to the point I don't even recall the music.

Neil_B

Myself. When in a good mood, and at times a bad mood, I'll hum or sing something or other. Bach's music has an incredible 'bounce' to it that works great when setting a cadence.

cyclokitty 

I listen to the sounds of the great, urban outdoors. Mostly because I hate getting squished by cars. Even on the trails I like hearing birdsong and the wind rustling the leaves and tall grasses.

youcoming

I listen to the best sounds in the worls, the gears on the bike, the tyres on pavement, the air going by my ears. I find if I remove one of my senses the ride is just not the same, hell I even like the sound of myself suffering! Off the bike though I'm a huge fan of Blue Rodeo and The Cure.

mdohertyjr

Depends on my mood. Sometimes I zone out and listen to nothing. Other times, my wife if she is riding with me, or my ipod as I have one of them ear pieces that go in just my right ear, leaving my left ear to hear the ignorant people screaming YEAAA as they pass by.

PoulsboRider

I've never understood the argument that being able to hear makes you a safer cyclist. I'm just as safe a cyclist whether I'm listening to my iPod or not. I'm very aware of what is around me at all times. I ride predictably on the shoulder of the road and look before altering my course, even to cross the white line if I have to. I signal every one of my turns and stops, and yes, I do stop at signs and red lights. Personally, I can't see how it's going to make any difference if I can hear the car that is about to hit me or not.

It reminds me of the philosophical question "If you could know exactly when and how you are going to die, would you want to?"

Back on topic, I have a couple of different playlists. I have faster up-tempo songs for when I want to get somewhere fast or get a good workout. Then I have a slower one for more casual riding. I also have one of podcasts from "Wait wait... Dont' tell me" on NPR. I don't like to generalize and put entire CDs on a playlist because I prefer my playlist to be full of songs all around the same tempo.

Seattle Forrest

I listen to the sounds of my chain, surroundings, and whatever it is the world throws at me. When I'm riding with friends, there's a lot of conversation.

Mostly this is due to safety. I want to be as aware as possible of my surroundings, especially when the road ahead of me is rough and I don't want to take my eyes off of it. Riding in the city, I can always tell when a car is coming up behind me by listening; I can hear how far away it is, and roughly how fast it's going. If there's a bump, catch-your-tires grate, or something else in the way, I can usually take the lane in time, or stop if that's not an issue.

I also really enjoy cycling, and want to be immersed in the present while I'm riding. I'd rather concentrate on the sensation of (almost) flying, than the music.

When I'm not on the bike, it's a pretty eclectic mix. I've been listening to a lot of classical lately ( Russian romantic era, like Sergei Rachmaninoff, and baroque, like Vivaldi ), lots of bluegrass ( Alison Krauss's band, Union Station, has fantastic instrumentals, and Yo Yo Ma has some great Appalachian stuff ). Someone already mentioned Tool. There's a lot of great hip hop. And I've been listening to more jazz lately.

It gives you another chance to take evasive action.

ibebikin

i also wear wrap-around headphones and i ride in nyc. i ride mostly on the west side greenway and CP, but sometimes i ride the streets. i guess im slightly reckless - weaving thru city traffic, pumping music..it can really get you going. realistically, the headphones arent noise cancelling, so ive never not heard a honking horn (i guess i can only hope i havent). ive missed a few 'on your lefts' on the greenway, but eh, theyre not killing me. i can deal with it.

Jim from Boston

I'm drawn to these “what do you listen to threads” like a moth to a light, and usually they are more heat than light. As customary the Naysayers chime in more than the Listeners, to whom the Original Question is directed, presuming the query is about artificial sounds. As one urban commuter once commented, if he wanted to listen to his natural ambient sounds, he could just sit at curbside on a busy street.

I was gratified by your comment about talk shows since that is what I mostly listen to, usually broadcasts, to include satellite radio, and some podcasts. I think in two years I’ve read about 10 subscribers admit to listening to talk radio, excluding the greater numbers who listen to audiobooks. BTW, my screen name, Jim from Boston was inspired by how I’m introduced when I (rarely) call into a talk show (“…and now here’s Jim from Boston…”). I occasionally E-mail some local talk show hosts who are open anti-bicyclists, and close my posts as their “Number One Fan among Boston’s Bicycle Commuters.”

I also do listen to music too, and I consider my cycling selections to be a very effective performance enhancer. Last year I started a thread to encourage subscribers to list their cycling playlists on their Personal Profile to exchange suggestions for cycling tunes. Nonetheless, I would not necessarily endorse my opinion to anyone, but to each his own.

chipcom 

I started listening to music when riding when I was still a little kid, using a earphone on my transistor radio listening to WIXY 1260 AM. I think MP3 players are the best thing since peanut butter...I ride with music pretty much all the time, traffic or no traffic, unless I am riding with other folks, in which case it would be rude. During football season, if faced with the choice of watching the Browns or riding, I can do both and listen to the Browns on the radio while I ride...which is probably more dangerous to me and the world than music...cuz sometimes they just really piss me off.

acpeeps

I have a Podio, bike MP3 with built in speakers, I have a Road folder and a Mnt folder.....different rides need different music

LarDasse74

I listen to Bob Marley, The Weakerthans, Johnny Cash, The Who, and podcasts downloaded from (mainly CBC) like Wiretap with Jonathan Goldstein or Vinyl Cafe or Quirks and Quarks.

THere is a great radio station a few towns over that specializes in local music and fiddle music and oldies. I love it, but I only get good reception when I am much closer to that town. The local 'Hot Country' station gives me the best reception, so I have also become a fan of 'Hot Country.'