Music while biking

Orogogus

I commute by bike, and I find that having music helps a lot. I've been using cheap MP3 player/sunglasses ordered online after originally spotting them on Fatwallet, but the build quality is invariably pretty bad. I'd buy them from different vendors importing cheap Asian goods, but they all look identical and have various problems out of the box (volume control doesn't work, or forward/back buttons are reversed, or won't play certain songs or will cut out part way through the list if there are too many files stored, etc.), and worse, they've invariably stopped working after a year.

I tried just using a normal MP3 player and earbuds I had lying around, but found that they were uncomfortable, tended to fall out, and blocked out much more of the surrounding noise, which I think is bad in this case. The sunglasses I used would have swivel mounts for the earphone bits, while the earbuds are naturally jammed into my ears. I saw on Google there are newer models that seem to have little earbuds dangling down instead of swivel mounts, which seems like possibly the worst of both worlds.

Can anyone recommend something that works, either some kind of audio output hookup for the MP3 player, or a reasonable quality sunglasses/MP3 player combo, or anything else? Actual audio quality isn't an issue outside of something egregious like static or stuttering.

Delzhand

Isn't having headphones on kinda dangerous if you're biking in traffic? I'm pretty sure it's illegal for auto drivers in Iowa. You might want to check.

Skeith

I would really recommend not getting anything. You can't see everything, and headphones by nature are meant to block out surrounding noise, though some models do it better than others. But, if you need your music and you're just planning to use it while commuting, try a portable speaker, something like this. Keep it in a pocket, maybe, or figure out some way to hook it up to the bike frame where it won't fall off or get in the way (maybe like where a bike horn would go or something). Keep in mind I don't have experience with these things, but since you aren't too worried about sound quality, it might be worth trying.

Raneados

in California, it is illegal to wear headphones while you bike

Under California Vehicle Code (27400), it is unlawful to operate any vehicle (including a bicycle) while wearing headphones.

I advise you to not only not do this for the sake of the law, but also because it is ridiculous-level dangerous

Orogogus

Okay, no headphones then. Does anyone have any first hand experience with portable speakers like the ones linked earlier? Are they obnoxious for everyone around you? I bike through a residential area kind of early in the morning.

I've been doing this for a few years, but if I don't have anything to listen to my thoughts gravitate towards how much I don't actually enjoy biking per se (especially up hills), and it makes everything a lot harder.

cooljammer00

I'd think they'd be no more annoying than a car with the radio on and the windows down.

Darkewolfe

Here is a guy who seems to address these points and reviews a couple products.

http://hubpages.com/hub/bicycle-speakers-for-ipod

strakha_7

Preface:

Any sentence that starts "Music while biking" that doesn't end with "is a terrible idea," is a poorly written sentence that contains the seed of your oblivion. It's a really bad idea.

That said, keep an eye out for Skull Candy products. I had them in my ski helmet (also a terrible idea). BEtter sound quality than ear buds of any type, and usually comes integral with a helmet. You could probably get them put in to your existing helmet somehow. But, lacking that, check out an alpine ski equipment store, they will probably have them.

arsonisfun

I dunno, I'm normally too busy making sure cars don't run me over/avoiding idiot pedestrians who step out in front of me seemingly at random.

Horus

What about a helmet with speakers built into it? Just an idea.

Robman

Considering how the number of electric/gas hybrids on the road is increasing, I can't stress enough how shitty and awful an idea this is

Don't do it

If you do want to go ahead though, please sign your organ donor card

Orogogus

Isn't the idea to let you hear if someone honks or yells? The whooshing sound pretty much drowns out all the light background noise. In 11 years of biking to work I've never heard a car coming up behind me or pulling out in front and gotten out of the way, and they do put radios in cars. My understanding is that some motorcycles are so loud that you're supposed to wear noise dampening earplugs for protection.

Mike Danger

I have one of these that I use when just biking around the streets near my house (I live in a really quiet residential area), and I like it. I've never had a problem hearing cars while using it.

DragonPup

I've seen idiots around Cambridge with bike speakers and they have to turn those things up high to hear anything. Unfortunately, people 10+ feet away hear it too. Those bike guys are assholes. Don't be that guy.

Asshole issues aside, almost every single motor accident I have nearly gotten into involved an idiot on a bike who wasn't paying attention. People on bikes who want to share the road shouldn't be dulling their second most important sense.

saltiness

I use Sony Funtopia earbuds. I don't know the exact model of them but they come with different size rubber buds so you can fit the one that will keep it in your ear. I just wear one in my right ear on pretty low volume so I can still hear everything around me. There's no significant difference in what I can hear from my surroundings. Usually wind noise is loud enough to drown out everything else anyway. I only wear both buds if I'm riding on a track.

I'm pretty sure it's legal to wear one earbud otherwise those phone headsets that everyone uses now to comply with hands-free laws would be illegal.

Seattle Thread

Mike Danger wrote: »

I have one of these that I use when just biking around the streets near my house (I live in a really quiet residential area), and I like it. I've never had a problem hearing cars while using it.

I was just going to post that. A buddy of mine has one, and it works great.

They're almost 50% off at Amazon, too.. If you really want to listen to music while biking, this is your safest option.

habika

I don't know the exact model of them but they come with different size rubber buds so you can fit the one that will keep it in your ear. I just wear one in my right ear on pretty low volume so I can still hear everything around me.
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helmet speakers