radio and biking.

Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal radio
while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the etiquette.
For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use a headset?
Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

jon wrote:
Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal
radio while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the
etiquette. For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use
a headset? Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

This is a rather contentious subject. If I'm solo, I'll almost always
listen to a radio (often just sports talk or a game with a single earpiece).
However, on group rides I generally don't, in order to be "sociable" (and,
to a lesser degree, just to hear).

Road riding is different, IMO, and I'll usually listen to something (radio
or cassettes -- old school, I know!). Still, I often leave the left ear
clear, to better hear traffic and riding partners (like they'd ever be
behind me!)...

Bill "packed two tapes for tomorrow's semi-epic roadie" S.

"jon" wrote in message
news
Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal radio
while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the etiquette.
For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use a headset?
Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

I wouldn't consider it rude, but I would think it raises the chances for a
collision since as has been mentioned you may not hear clues about another
trail users or if you're on the road other road users. I never wear
headphones, but I don't make a big deal about other people wearing them. I
think its makes conditions a little more dangerous, but cyclist aren't the
only one to use the trail or the road while listening to potentially
distracting noise. Car drivers can have loud radios and runners walkers on
the trail seem to use headphones more than cyclist. On the trail runners or
cyclist wearing headphones can't hear a passing warning given in a normal
voice. I choose not to attempt to shout over their headphones and I pass in
safe manner hoping they don't make any unexpected movements.

I do most of my riding on rail trails and all of the ones I use are mostly
rural, running through forests. I enjoy the natural sounds of the forest,
including the wildlife, which tends to rustle in the bushes along the side of
the trail, staying just out of harm's way and usually out of sight.

It's not an etiquette thing, nor safety, but just a part of the enjoyment of
the peaceful, though active, countryside.

YMMV


Bill, riding bent in Florida
(hence the screen name)
To e-mail, remove undies

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 04:17:58 GMT, jon wrote:

Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal radio
while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the etiquette.
For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use a headset?
Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

I used to wear headphones on the bike trail, and never had a problem
and could easily hear ambient noises. The nice thing about it, is it
gives you motivation when a fav. tune comes up. A fav albumn was .38
Special.

Nowdays, I listen to a tune before I go out, and that tune sticks with
me when I ride, so I don't need headphones; it's playing in my head.

I might start wearing one again, as I have a nice very small MP3
player, and pretty good earbuds, but it can be a hassle getting all
the gear together, shoes, hat, sunglasses, bike shirt and shorts,
jacket...ad infinitum, not to mention spare parts, emergency CO2
gadget, water, horn, dog spray, haha. ;-p

Soon it will be spring, and it'll just be me and the bike...mostly.

-B

I consider radios as being car-related. When I ride a bike, I leave behind
car-related things behind, like gasoline, traffic jams, pollution, and radios.
There is plenty of time during the day for me to listen to a radio when I'm
off the bike. To me a radio is a symbol of the world of
power/gasoline/electronics that I can ignore when I'm on a bike riding under
my own power. The sounds of birds and other natural sounds are what I listen
to on my bike.
Also, some people can't go anywhere without a cigarette, others without
coffee, and others without radios/headphones.
Are you one of them - are you addicted to your radio?

jon wrote:

Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal radio
while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the etiquette.
For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use a headset?
Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

On 17 Jan 2004 14:58:41 GMT, ndies (FloridaBent)
wrote:

I do most of my riding on rail trails and all of the ones I use are mostly
rural, running through forests. I enjoy the natural sounds of the forest,
including the wildlife, which tends to rustle in the bushes along the side of
the trail, staying just out of harm's way and usually out of sight.

It's not an etiquette thing, nor safety, but just a part of the enjoyment of
the peaceful, though active, countryside.

YMMV


Bill, riding bent in Florida
(hence the screen name)
To e-mail, remove undies

Great reply. Minor quibble. Everyone should ride their bike, enjoy a
run -with- a radio/mp3 and headphones at least _once_.

In 1957 the rage was a little hand-held AM radio, with a wrist strap.
We'd put it in the basket of our bikes and ride around sometimes, but
the reception would drift.

Sure, most people have tried a headphone radio thing once and it's
taken-for-granted now, but I remember the first time I made one out of
a cheap old mono cassette player and some big honkin headphones, and
carried it around in a small backpack. It was awesome, and I'm sure I
made a fool of myself dancing around - fortunately I did it at night.
The year? It was 1966. ;-)

It wasn't until about 10 years later that the first cassette players
and headphones came out designed for carry with belt loops on the
leather case, and it was a beyotch taking it out of the case and
changing a tape.

At any rate, just like in the movies, we all should be followed around
by orchestras, playing our "Shaft" theme music, eh?

-B

Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal
radio while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the
etiquette.

Legal? Not in DC.

Etiquette? Poor.

Safety? Not recommended.

The reasons are that your hearing is vitally important in traffic
riding, you should be able to correlate A-V signals when it comes
to traffic events such as emergency vehicles, people gunning engines
to pass or threaten, etc.

The basic rule is that you shouldn't add anything that is going to
compromise your perception of the world around you.

If you're all ready hearing impaired you have likely worked out a
compensation strategy, and that is fine, but if you don't need that
you shouldn't induce perceptual loss under any circumstances.

If you miss a signal because you are listening to the radio it is
too bad, hey, you should have been paying attention.

Would you wear dark glasses while riding at night?

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

At any rate, just like in the movies, we all should be followed around
by orchestras, playing our "Shaft" theme music, eh?

Yeah, but in my case it is mostly the Clash playing "Guns of Brixton".

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

In article , Kevan@mouse-
potato.com says...
On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 04:17:58 GMT, jon from Comcast Online
wrote:

Hi all, a quick question. Is it considered "rude" to wear a personal radio
while biking? I'm not asking about legality, just more of the etiquette.
For example, when riding on a trail, is it improper to use a headset?
Wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

Let's define rude in this instance as being inconsiderate to other people.

If you think that wearing headphones would somehow not let you hear cues to
alert you to othre people so you can safely cycle near them, then yes, the
headphones would be a bit rude. Perhaps on the order of belching at dinner.

I prefer not to wear headphones while riding in the city or on paths. I rely on
auditory clues for what is happening out of my sight. On rural roads, I often
dig listening to tunes.

I like to hear nature on the rural roads: crickets, grasshoppers, birds,
etc. I's like to drown out the city noises when riding but feel safer
when I can hear them without distractions. Therefore I don't wear
headphones at all while riding.

--
Dave Kerber
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