Music on the move

[bobbyg]

I cycle on my own, sometimes for a few hours at a time and I would like to listen to some music to relieve the monotony. Or maybe play upbeat playlists to spur me on.

For safety reasons I don't want to wear headphones for fear of blanking out all noise but was wondering if anyone has a Bluetooth speaker set up on their bike? Give some background music but not dominating the ears?

Anyone?

[meic]

I have a cheap* mobile phone either in my pocket or on a lanyard around my neck blasting out music as I ride.
It is a rather old phone but it is loud enough (many are not) and the battery can last two or three days.
Music on a micro sD card.

*free for me as it was obsolete for its last owner.

[Freddie]

Monotony....is there no nice countryside, architecture or churches to explore in Lanarkshire? Please don't pollute the air with any more noise, there is already enough from noise pollution from other traffic. If you don't find the thrill of riding in modern traffic enough, then you may need to take up sky diving or free climbing or some such pursuit to get the adrenalin rush you are after.

[Redvee]

I have a cheap* mobile phone either in my pocket or on a lanyard around my neck blasting out music as I ride.

I did that with one of my older phones when they were small enough to go in my pocket and the battery lasted more than 2 minutes like modern smartphones do.

[Brucey]

I used to hanker after 'music on the move' like you wouldn't believe, and similarly didn't like the idea of headphones. I'm sure that there are all kinds of technological methods of mounting a speaker about your person or on the bike but

a) where there are other people I'd not want to inflict it on them (and indeed I'd feel somewhat conspicuous) and
b) the sound quality is nearly always 'disappointingly tinny'.

The second of these made it 'not at all like music' to me, so I went off the idea in the end. These days I like listening to the sounds of the countryside around me, the slight tick and whirr of my gears, the hum of the tyres on the road....so I don't hanker after music when riding my bike in the same way; the modern world is noisy enough the rest of the time, and polluting my own 'quiet time' seems a bit weird to me now.

Of Bluetooth speakers I have experience of, I have been impressed (considering the size of the thing) by the sound from a little Bose unit I've seen recently. It is small enough that it could be mounted on the handlebars, but I don't know how easy this would be or indeed how weather proof it would be either. However, like most such devices it is really designed to be 'in a room' (or at least sat on a hard flat surface) when it is working so the sound gets somewhat 'lost' if the speaker is outside, suspended in mid-air, as it would be on a bike.

cheers

[eileithyia]

Dark dank winter evening commutes i have used ear phones, they haven't prevented me from hearing other sounds around me... but i guess that depends on the volume level of the music.
Most of the time i prefer to hear the music of the countryside..... bird song and wildlife...

[Batears]

I use aftershokz bone conductive headphones so they don't block my ears and I can still hear everything around me

[bobbyg]

Cheers for the input so far guys. True re the small Bluetooth speakers, these are usually designed to be on a solid base like a table for maximum sound effect.

[Sweep]

Monotony....is there no nice countryside, architecture or churches to explore in Lanarkshire? Please don't pollute the air with any more noise, there is already enough from noise pollution from other traffic. If you don't find the thrill of riding in modern traffic enough, then you may need to take up sky diving or free climbing or some such pursuit to get the adrenalin rush you are after.

What a spectacularly grumpy response.

PS - i tend to agree with you

[[XAP]Bob]

Bone conduction...

[millimole]

I've never found wearing small over-ear headphones a barrier to hearing traffic.
Single earpiece headphone is my preferred option when I want sound (which is rare) but it makes you look like a bouncer! I use one for a GPS device to give me cues.
On-bike speakers don't work at all well in my experience.

[al_yrpal]

I like engaging with people and having a chat. We arrived in Lima yesterday. We met a lot of people of a similar age already. The best one was a Peruvian guy of Italian descent in the supermarket. His granny came from Essex and he spoke really good English that he learned at her knee. He reckoned he hadnt spoken English for 10 years or so. We were buying wine and some chocolate for an after dinner treat. He told us where to go for better prices and a lot about the city.
I do like music a lot but this modern business of cocooning yourself with a phone or music player leaves me cold. It kills human interaction. Suppose I am old fashioned but theres nought so interesting as people.

Al

[Heltor Chasca]

How about this http://www.outdoortechnology.com/Shop/Turtle-Shell/ ?

[beardy]

I like engaging with people and having a chat. We arrived in Lima yesterday. We met a lot of people of a similar age already. The best one was a Peruvian guy of Italian descent in the supermarket. His granny came from Essex and he spoke really good English that he learned at her knee. He reckoned he hadnt spoken English for 10 years or so. We were buying wine and some chocolate for an after dinner treat. He told us where to go for better prices and a lot about the city.
I do like music a lot but this modern business of cocooning yourself with a phone or music player leaves me cold. It kills human interaction. Suppose I am old fashioned but theres nought so interesting as people.

Al

They do have an "off" button you know!
Besides you can easily talk over them if you want. It certainly doesnt stop me interacting with other people.

[al_yrpal]

It might not stop you, but it does with lots of people. The only interaction they seem to get is when they bump into you whilst staring at their phone or when they walk into a lampost and get picked up by a passer by.

Al