Biking with ipod (Page 2)

I'm half blind....... I rely on my sense of hearing to survive.... !!!!!!!

Never.  I don't own a iPod.  Sometimes I use my Zune or iPhone though.  I would never do it in a group ride, same with running in a group.  But that's just cause I'm not that rude.  But like many said, I wouldn't alter how I ride, music or not.  The bike lane is the bike lane.  If a car is in it coming up behind me I'm kinda screwed regardless of what song I am listening to.  And I can hear cars behind me.  Even bikes (really, get some oil on those chains people).  As for distractions, well yeah, that's the point really.  Although I am no more distracted then I am listening to music in a car.  I'd only care about that when crossing lots of roads etc and I just don't hit those situations often. 

That being said I hate it when I come up on someone on the bike, say on my left, and they don't hear a thing.  Then get all freaked out when I pass them.  If your slow please turn down the volume a bit.

If people want to ride with ipod, let them do it!

If people don't want to ride with ipod, then don't it!

If people want to run with ipod, let them do it!

If people don't want to run with ipod, then don't it!

People over-complicate stuff...

Biking on the road is dangerous.  Period.  There are a number of things that people do to make biking on the road seem less dangerous.

1.  Flashing Headlight - my wife bought me one for Christmas.  I don't think it mitigates much risk but she is happy that I use it, so I'm happy to use it.

2.  Taillight - again, don't think it mitigates much risk but it might catch a motorist's eye.

3.  High-vis yellow biking jersey.  Probably better contrast than wearing a black biking jersey and blending in with the road. 

4.  Reflectors on wheels - probably a 1 in a million chance of catching the light just right just when it needs to catch a motorist attention.  Useless IMO

5.  Mirrors.  I used a mountain bike mirror about the size of a deck of cards and set for viewing when I'm aero.  I seldom look at it but occasionally movement in the mirror will alert me of an approaching vehicle.  For those that think mirrors are a 'distration', remind me not to be around when you are driving your car since most have 3 mirrors!  ;-)

6.  Biking on very low traffic roads during low traffic times of day and days of the week.  This is probably the single best thing one can do to improve the odds of survival on the road.

We all are taking a chance biking on the road with motorist who are distracted with cell phones and blackberries.  We each have a level of risk we are will to accept.  We all have our opinions about the value of items above.  I've been on BT for a number of years and read numerous incidents of people being hit by a car.  In complete honesty, I can't think of a single case where it was the bikers' fault.  Sometimes accidents just happen.

~Mike

My phone has all my music on it, and can play it at a "hearable" volume from my back pocket.  Even at it's loudest, i can't drown out the sound around me.

Am I the only one who plays Black Eyed Peas on her Android before going up a steep climb?!

I can hear every pebble under my tire AND "I Gotta Feelin'".

What level of safety do you feel comfortable with?

I read a safety study done on highway safety.  There was a stretch of highway that had xx number of traffics per year over 10 years.  So the highway dept decided to make the road safer.  They widened the lanes, paved the shoulders, put up warning signs, etc.  They then looked at the number of traffic deaths per year over the next 10 years and found the numbers virtually unchanged!  Why?  It was theorized that people have a level of risk they are comfortable with.  If the road is perceived safe, they might drive a little faster or not pay as close attention.  They drove according to the level of risk they felt comfortable with.

The first thing I did when I bought my new table saw is throw away the safety guards around the blade.  Why?  Becuase I did not want them to give me a false sense of safety.  Seeing that spinning blade keeps me every mindful that I could lose a finger in the blink of an eye.  The safety stuff gets in the way and might actually cause more accidents than it mitigates.  Been doing woodwork for 20 years and have never had an accident as I never let down my guard, ever. 

Let's be 'safe' out there.....whatever that means to you.

~Mike 

Exactly.

I run and bike with my headphones.  It's mostly on "countryish" roads, but with a bunch of traffic, just no stop signs or lights.  I can hear horns or what have you.  Even without headphones, I wld never hear some car about to plow into the back of me at 60mph and if so, I wouldn't have anywhere to go anyways.  When I am on trails, I just keep it low, so I can hear if someone is usually passing me if it happens.  After 8 tours in Iraq, not wearing headphones just isn't on my list of concerns to ensure my safety.  I also walk and chew gum at the same time.

Who cares if I can't wear them in a race or not, I also run with my shirt off, but can't do that in a race either.

Not all all Maura, I'm sure you have a beautiful voice.

I've never understood the stance that biking with music is dangerous either. If someone relies solely on one of their five senses while on a bike, we are all in trouble. 

When solo, I always have my iPod with me, one ear bud in the ear nearest the curb. That's it. Most of the time, I listen to sports talk radio, not blasting tunes at ear-bleeding levels.

I'm not sure about everybody else but the laws in the areas where I live and bike are rarely enforced. I've seen police cruisers in a Jersey Shore vacation town ride by bikers (including myself) with earbuds in both ears and do absolutely nothing.

In alot of these towns, I truly believe the laws are enacted for liability purposes as well as for discouraging people from doing it if they feel there may be some legal or financial consequence.

When I'm wearing them, I do the same precautions on the trails I would if i didn't have them on if not a few more.

I say to each his own and just be careful, which we should be doing anyway on bikes going 15-20 mph.

damn computers!