motosonic

I've been considering getting a bluetooth speaker to pop in a water bottle cage so I can have some tunes while I ride. Anyone else do this? and if so, can you recommend one that fits (and works well)?

I'm typically riding alone on back streets with little traffic.. and to be safer I really want to avoid headphones.. So, I thought this might be a good option. Keep the volume low enough to not annoy residents while still having some tunes to motivate me.
Thanks!

Ogsarg

One of my kids got me a bottle that holds water, has a bluetooth speaker on top, a battery on the bottom with USB for charging a device, and the clear bottle lights up. It weighs a lot more than a regular bottle and I wouldn't use it for any serious riding but I like it on my MTB for pre dawn rides a few days a week. I can't remember who makes it.

Most of my ride is not on residential streets so I don't worry about bothering anyone with music coming out of the speaker.

indyfabz

nycphotography

On the cx/commuter -> UE Megaboom (fatter than a standard bottle) and a wire cage (can take the fat one and not be torn apart).. Loud enough to "entertain" those around you. Snug enough to not pop out over rough roads.

I have a split carbon cage on my backup race bike, and it also holds it securely => alston full carbon cage

NOTE: turn off the "tap to play" feature as otherwise it thinks potholes are divine commands from above and it comes on and off randomly.

UE Megaboom 2 is less expensive, less brick-like in weight, and less fat (being smaller than a standard bottle). I've seen some guys using them, but I've also seen one get ejected (and lost).


My UE Megaboom is/was expensive, but I use it around the house, kitchen, garage, back yard, travelling, etc as much as I use it on the bike. So it wasn't really a bike specific purchase for me. Also, Amazon has refurbs for less than half price.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yeah, that's right. The only thing that annoys me more hiking and biking than loose dogs is . . . you guessed it. One's private space is about the span of one's arms or less in some countries. Beyond that, it's public space. Light and noise pollution are two sins of our culture. And get off my lawn (not that I have a lawn.)

Reynolds 

That's how they do it in Brazil:

Abe_Froman

I got a cheap $20 one off of amazon. Cut the top off a water bottle and popped it in there. Sounds great and the battery life is good as well. More than loud enough for residential streets and paths. Busy, loud city streets you can hear it, but more volume would be nice.

Laurido92

I have a JBL Charge 2+ and use it on my hybrid. I bought an expandable water bottle cage holder and works great. I've seen others use the JBL Flip which fits in the regular water bottle cages.

motosonic

LOL
I know.. but I'm wayyyyyy out in the woods. Where I ride there aren't many cars and the houses have long driveways. My music won't bother anyone for the most part. But it IS a consideration I am taking seriously.. Thus why I have not done this yet.

shafter

I think music is fine in rural settings. I got a cheap walmart speaker that can be smooshed into my plastic cages.

DiabloScott

I got one of these littler ones for my handlebars. Use it on my commuter so people on the MUP can hear me coming rather than ringing my bell all the time. Sounds OK, BT or SDcard.



IVATION

mstateglfr 

is it safer though? This past Saturday I had headphones on and was riding thru a residential neighborhood when a young girl said hi to me. She was on her lawn probably 40' away and I heard her just fine.
Wearing headphones doesnt relegate you to hearing nothing. Its quite simple to hear music and outside noise for safety.

I prefer headphones because too much sound from a bottle cage or behind the saddle gets loose and lost. It then gets raised to loud levels to offset the difficulty to hear.
handlebar speakers seem to be the best since you run into the sound when riding.

nycphotography

Somehow I don't think light and noise are the pollution we really need to be prioritizing.

That said, until "they" decide to enforce the 80db noise limits for cars and motorcycles, I won't even start to think about what volume my bike speaker is producing.

Abe_Froman

Yes. Harleys are a far greater issue. Some of those guys should be thrown in jail for the noise they produce lol.

Sy Reene

This is about the time someone chimes in and asks if you've considered bone-induction headphones (they don't go over or in your ears)? eg. Aftershokz.

But I won't do that, so don't worry.

Carbonfiberboy 

We all thank you for your contribution.

nycphotography

You're welcome.

motosonic

LOL I appreciate you not asking that.

I'm honestly trying to stay away from any kind of headphones as much as I can. Full disclosure..I have pretty bad tinnitus from my service and I should avoid headphones. That of course is in addition to just wanting to be a little safer while riding. I've read conflicting studies about bone-conduction headphones and frankly, I haven't read any studies that have proven them any more 'safe' (for me) than traditional headphones.

jon c. 

I live and ride in a rural area and I sure hope no one does it here. In an urban setting I wouldn't care, but out here it would really be an annoyance.

Although I don't mind music from passing cars or the occasional yard party on weekends. Harleys don't bother me at all. But music from a bicycle in the country is to me like music on the golf course. It just seems annoyingly out of place.

Having said all that, I'd get over it in a hurry.

DrIsotope

Disclaimer: I ride six days and 200-250 miles a week, and will often go days without seeing another cyclist. I ride at least 200 of those miles with Pandora playing over a bluetooth speaker. Because I don't live or ride in some idyllic, pastoral wonderland, I either listen to music, or get to enjoy the non-stop sounds of traffic, construction, and more traffic. If anyone has ever been annoyed by the music coming out of the aforementioned speaker-- during the 10 seconds or less I am in their earshot-- when then it is entirely within their rights to be annoyed, and every bit within mine to not give a crap. Just because someone is annoyed doesn't make them special, or right, or even worthy of consideration.

So I use a Boombotix Boombot PRO, because it's cheap, compact, waterproof, and sounds quite good. (Almost) none of the waterbottle-sized speakers seem an option to me, as they are absurdly expensive by my estimation, and a bit too porky for use on a bike. I mean, the UE Megaboom is $250 ($150 for a Boom 2) and around 2 pounds-- a Boombot PRO is 8oz, and it's the heavy one (the REX is about 6oz.) Even a "cheap" one like a JBL Charge is $75 and weighs 2 pounds. But if you're just cruising the neighborhood, any of them will do, from a $20 Boombot to a $200+ Megaboom.

Bias leans me toward a Boombot, as I've had years of luck with them, but if I were to pick one for a waterbottle cage, I'd lean toward the Scosche boomBottle, which are being cleared out on Amazon-- $35 for blue/black and $36 for yellow/black. The newer model is $125. Several positive reviews from folks using them on bikes.

maartendc

Don't be that guy. Please, I beg you.

Just get some earbuds that don't seal, so you can still hear traffic. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-MX.../dp/B005920DVA
I personally have those, they sounds really good. It won't impede your hearing any more than a speaker would.

Edit: just read you cant wear headphones. Well, how about just enjoying the chirping of the birds and the great outdoors?

f4rrest

I may get one just to play simulated Harley engine sounds at high levels.

motosonic

LOL it's not going to be a super-regular thing.. But, I think many of you don't get how 'rural' it is out here. There's almost no way, where I ride that anyone around me is going to hear my music. lol Maybe a car passing by, but I'm going to hear their music, too. Unless someone is out getting their mail at the end of a long driveway, they're not going to hear my music as I'm riding by. I don't live in some big city where I'm going to encounter other cyclists, pedestrians, etc. I almost never see another cyclist.. rarely I'll see someone doing yardwork. That's about it. Believe me, I'm sensitive to what others might hear/not hear. but there's a LOT of farmland out here and that's where I do a lot of my riding.

Nachoman

I have the JBL Flip which has excellent sound quality in doors. I used it once on my bike and it was mediocre at best.

maartendc

That sounds fine.

I see people with bluetooth speakers here in the city in Atlanta. It is SUPER obnoxious. They crank them up really loud, and then go on very busy trails (I'm talking hundreds of people over a couple of miles). I consider these people real jerks that have no respect for anyone around them.

I find it somehow more obnoxious than a car or motorcycle blaring music (even though that is obnoxious too), because a bicycle is an otherwise quiet, friendly mode of transportation.