Headphones while riding?

I used to ride in country Vic all the time with a Walkman but stoppe
totally in Melbourne

This morning, for some unknown reason, I decided to use them again an
it wasn't too bad at all. Something different. It _was_ 6am Sunda
morning though and not weekday peak hour so traffic volume (not db :P
was very low

Is it illegal? Is it dangerous? Who does it? One or both ears? I
traffic volume (number of cars not db) an issue for you

As cfsmtb would say... Discuss

hippy singing going to the track worlds today, i'm going to the trac
worlds today, the aussies will make other nations pay, i'm going to th
track worlds today, even if skys are gray, some time at the end of May
i'm going to the track worlds today.


-

hippy wrote:
Is it illegal? Is it dangerous? Who does it? One or both ears? Is
traffic volume (number of cars not db) an issue for you?
As cfsmtb would say... Discuss.
hippy singing going to the track worlds today, i'm going to the track
worlds today, the aussies will make other nations pay, i'm going to the
track worlds today, even if skys are gray, some time at the end of May,
i'm going to the track worlds today..


Ah, 2Gb of pics awaits from todays proceedings...

In response to your question, no sir, I don't like it. Not sure o
legalities, but in the city/suburbs, nope, wouldn't us
earphones/buds whatever

Sorry, but everytime I see a cyclist with earphones, it sh*ts me as muc
as if they had stubbed out a ciggie and left the butt on th
ground.:rolleyes


-

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 30 May 2004 07:44:58 GMT
cfsmtb wrote:

Sorry, but everytime I see a cyclist with earphones, it sh*ts me as much
as if they had stubbed out a ciggie and left the butt on the
ground.

Not sure why.

I've used headphones on the pushbike and the motorbike, and the problem
is hearing the music over the traffic, not the other way round.

Yes, you can get so absorbed in the music/audiobook that you stop paying
attention. This isn't mandatory....

One interesting thing I discovered... on the motorcycle ride to work,
I take McCarr's Ck road, a nice few km of twisties, with rather bumpy
tarmac and quite a few blind corners. I find I'm smoother and more
controlled with the Mp3s playing than without. I *think* it's because
the bit of my mind that over controls and over worries and generally
interferes is occupied just enough that I can relax and get into it.

It is a balancing act, and there have been times when I've been slower
and more ragged because I was paying too much attention. I've caught
myself and rebalanced and all is fine again.

I advise easy-to-reach volume control - the busy roads make hearing the
music/book very difficult, the quiet areas hurt your ears if you have
the volume up for the noisy bits. I use a volume control from Jaycar
that goes between the MP3 player and the headphones.

Zebee

On long rides I wear the Uncle Arthur ear plug/phone, in the left ea
of course

I tend to think it would be dangerous to wear headphones and not hea
wotz goin on around you. But I don't get annoyed if I see others wearin
them, it's their life

powin


-

"hippy" wrote in message
.. .
I used to ride in country Vic all the time with a Walkman but stopped
totally in Melbourne.

This morning, for some unknown reason, I decided to use them again and
it wasn't too bad at all. Something different. It _was_ 6am Sunday
morning though and not weekday peak hour so traffic volume (not db :P)
was very low.

Is it illegal? Is it dangerous? Who does it? One or both ears? Is
traffic volume (number of cars not db) an issue for you?

As cfsmtb would say... Discuss.

hippy singing going to the track worlds today, i'm going to the track
worlds today, the aussies will make other nations pay, i'm going to the
track worlds today, even if skys are gray, some time at the end of May,
i'm going to the track worlds today..

yep i use a little usb 128mb mp3 player. i decided to get one after last
years around the bay (it got kinda boring riding by myself between geelong
and werribee).

i havent found it to be any more dangerous than when i dont use them and i
use both headphones.

ps, i find slayer, exodus, metallica, angry ****ed off music good
hillclimbing music

Yeah I use earphones. If some stupid motorist is going to mow me dow
from behind, it'll be done regardless of whether I hear him properly o
not. I find I can still hear most traffic anyway

Yesterday I went on a long ride listening to the Hawthorn carnage al
the way - except when mercifully, reception was poor

If it's good enough for a car driver to be couped up in a sound proo
cabin with the radio, stereo or mobile going then why not for
humble cyclist


-

Originally posted by cfsmtb Ah, 2Gb of pics awaits from today
proceedings...

hehe yeah I actually went through them pretty fast (for me). Mostl
because a lot were crap! :

I've got a new web host and I will try and locate them there along wit
all the other www.thehippy.net crap. I will need to reassign that domai
to the new server.. there will be issues I'm sure.

Sorry, but everytime I see a cyclist with earphones, it sh*ts m
as much as if they had stubbed out a ciggie and left the butt o
the ground

Ahh.. well then you will be please to know that as I listen to music o
the bike I chain smoke and prefer not to stub out the ciggies as ther
is no chance of causing a bushfire this way. If I run out of smokes an
get bored I always carry a 6-pack of everyone's favourite beer - VB
just for smashing onto the road..

BIG ;-

I'm still not convinced it's an entirely 'bad' thing though. I mean,
can ride in a straight line and still hear cars behind me, etc. If on
was going to run me down from behind, they'd do it anyway, even if I wa
'bud-less'. I guess there's an argument there if I DO crash, in that,
might find it harder to argue my case because a driver will claim it wa
the headphones that caused me to do insert bad thing here

Will ponder in dreamland..

hipp


-

"Spider1977" wrote in message
.. .
Yeah I use earphones. If some stupid motorist is going to mow me down
from behind, it'll be done regardless of whether I hear him properly or
not. I find I can still hear most traffic anyway.

Yesterday I went on a long ride listening to the Hawthorn carnage all
the way - except when mercifully, reception was poor.

If it's good enough for a car driver to be couped up in a sound proof
cabin with the radio, stereo or mobile going then why not for a
humble cyclist.


I don't get very good radio recption in my part of the country so I rely on
a an MPG player to keep me company. It's one of the best things I ever
bought. I listened to one track of the Kraftwork "Tour de France" album. I
might try a few more.

Marty

"Spider1977" wrote in message


[...]

If it's good enough for a car driver to be couped up in a sound proof
cabin with the radio, stereo or mobile going then why not for a
humble cyclist.

Their cabins are not soundproof. It's as illegal for a cyclist to put
themselves in a position where they cannot hear what's going on around them
as it is for anybody else on the roads.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 31 May 2004 04:15:55 +1000
DRS wrote:
"Spider1977" wrote in message


[...]

If it's good enough for a car driver to be couped up in a sound proof
cabin with the radio, stereo or mobile going then why not for a
humble cyclist.

Their cabins are not soundproof. It's as illegal for a cyclist to put
themselves in a position where they cannot hear what's going on around them
as it is for anybody else on the roads.


Good thing that complete silence is so hard to achieve then, isn't it.,

If course it's quite legal to ride or drive even if you are deaf
so I've no idea where you got that factoid from.

Zebee
--
Zebee Johnstone ), proud holder of
aus.motorcycles Poser Permit #1.
"Motorcycles are like peanuts... who can stop at just one?"