Cycling UK Forum

Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

DurableAce wrote:Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Do you close your car windows?

You shouldn't because the loss of external auditory input is greater than headphones on medium volume...

SO closing car windows.... Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Cunobelin wrote:

DurableAce wrote:Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Do you close your car windows?

You shouldn't because the loss of external auditory input is greater than headphones on medium volume...

SO closing car windows.... Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Out of curiosity, do you wear a helmet?

DurableAce wrote:Out of curiosity, do you wear a helmet?

Not here, please.

DurableAce wrote:

Cunobelin wrote:

DurableAce wrote:Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Do you close your car windows?

You shouldn't because the loss of external auditory input is greater than headphones on medium volume...

SO closing car windows.... Don't do it. You're adding unnecessary risk to yourself and presenting unwanted extra risk to other road users.

Out of curiosity, do you wear a helmet?

Why don't you respond to Cunobelin's point rather than trying to change the subject?

If someone wants to wear headphones, who am I to say they shouldn't?

if you learned to ride a bike with mirrors on from day one, with no auditory input, and took lessons and then a fairly difficult test to demonstrate some level of competence under those circumstances, then you might be able to compare riding a bicycle (with headphones) with either motorcycling or driving a car. In the absence of that it is a false syllogism.

cheers

Brucey wrote:if you learned to ride a bike with mirrors on from day one, with no auditory input, and took lessons and then a fairly difficult test to demonstrate some level of competence under those circumstances, then you might be able to compare riding a bicycle (with headphones) with either motorcycling or driving a car. In the absence of that it is a false syllogism.

cheers

Compare it with playing paintball wearing a blindfold,,,,

Brucey wrote:if you learned to ride a bike with mirrors on from day one, with no auditory input, and took lessons and then a fairly difficult test to demonstrate some level of competence under those circumstances, then you might be able to compare riding a bicycle (with headphones) with either motorcycling or driving a car. In the absence of that it is a false syllogism.

I agree in as much as I think it is entirely possible to get used to a reduced "auditory input". Any loss of hearing can be more than made up for by concentrating on getting a good road position and by frequent shoulder checks.

I was thinking about this when I was out cycling today. Going along a busy country road with heavy traffic (no headphones), some of whom overtook too closely, I came to the conclusion it didn't make the least bit of difference if I could hear clearly or not.

If I heard an approaching vehicle which sounded unusually loud (say every 30 seconds) what should I do? Slow down? Pull over?

If someone ploughs into the back of you then there's not a lot you can do about it. I'd rather enjoy a ride on my own terms and not be in a permanent state of paranoia.

Also, demonising headphones is just giving drivers another stick to beat us with. If they drive responsibly it should't be an issue, yet it gets brought up all the time as mitigation, along with h****ts!

depends on what you'd rather listen to,,,,,, Deep Purple, The New York Philharmonic, or the 40ton Artic dropping down a cog to squeeze past. you were right it is a no brainer, no earphones and save a trip to A&E

i use my hearing whilst cycling to anticipate when the vehicle behind is going to over take me and what sort of vehicle it's likely to be then reference this against what is upcoming in my path. i.e if i anticipate that it's a bus that will pass me in 50 yard's time when there is something for me to avoid then i'll accomodate that by slowing, speeding up, moving out to slow it down using my own judgement / experience. i would also have the knowledge that the vehicle is likely to pull in to such as bus stops, the truck is wide with a jutting mirror and so on.

Hi,
Like the cyclist who died when the mini bus's wing mirror hit his head, the driver said I thought that I hit a bus stop
If this is so then why so close to the kerb.............................

Could the cyclist have avoided that.............

I am not saying that its OK to wear earphones to a beginner a nervous cyclist or a young child, its not a good idea and I would discourage these vunerable riders from such and say come back in twenty years.

Like said its somewhat a controversial a subject.
I had a delivery van pull out of a blind track which I saw, I was five foot from the hedge (single track) and they pulled out four foot into road.
I just looked at them but was looking forward anyway, on passing they decided to turn it around on me because I just looked at the driver
They shouted at me some abuse......................

On stopping and turning around to the driver I pulled my earphones off so I could hear all his muttering at which he retorted " and your listening to your ipod"

I saw the vehicle bonnet moving slowly from the track which at a distance of say 15 M but it was edging not reving engine, the first thing that idicated them there was the bonnet not the noise which I did not even hear at close with my ear phones off.

They were Royal mail no seat belt I said no seatbelt you pulled out blind and you are representing royal mail

They went on ranting till eventually they calmed down and bent the situation to them not doing anything wrong and me not hearing them on a quite lane.
I left.

Today I pulled out on a driver at a mini roundabout and stopped part over line, I admit I did not see them sooner, they apeared out of no where or maybe they did not indicate early enough, It was busy but without earphones I might have still done what I did, there was several cars waiting, well choco block outside Tesco, dozens actually.

In this instance noise will not be high on the list as all the vechicles are crawling.

I do not and will not condone wearing of earphones for anyone on a bicycle.
Thats my decision.

There are people who can't cycle with music on and there are those who are perfectly fine with headphones. Personally, while wearing headphones (in ear), I still rely on my (very good) hearing. In many cases of 'close overtaking' you are buggered anyway if you wobble for a second. Doesn't matter if you hear the car or not. I don't think it has much to do with experience either, but more with confidence (knowing your ability), and understanding traffic. Those who are new to cycling and feel insecure will probably not even waste a thought about wearing headphones.
I must say that I regularly encounter 'hairy' situations in London. One was two weeks ago, when I was cycling on a busy main road (with another guy behind me), without headphones, and a car overtook me, leaving about 20cm between us. With or without headphones, it wasn't something I could have possibly anticipated. Hearing a car doesn't give any indication on how they'll behave. I still feel safe on the roads because I look over my shoulder more often and I trust in my abilities as a cyclist, and I don't take unnecessary risks. I also rather brake a few times more when I see something ahead that alarms me.
Accidents mostly happen when you don't see something coming. Note the 'see' in that sentence. Anyway, just my opinion--each to their own, methinks.

toontra wrote:
Why don't you respond to Cunobelin's point rather than trying to change the subject?

If you'll give me an opportunity to reply and see where I'm going, I'll happily explain.

I find it curious why there seem to be a portion of cyclists out there who resort to on-the-face-of-it information over what strikes me as common sense when discussing certain topics. Or perhaps that's just a facet of some who are internet forum people.

I asked about helmets because I regard those who are anti-helmet at as another example of stats over individual common sense. I'm not attempting to open a helmet debate here. I know my audience

Well it finally happened to me today. Abuse from from a pedestrian because of headphones. Not because I was wearing them, but because he was.
Cycling to my mums for a visit along the shared use bike path/footpath outside my flat I was doing at most 12mph. Saw the chap ahead of me walking his dog, slowed down and rang the bell. Nothing. Rang the bell again. Nothing still. Slowed down even more to about 5mph and I could hear his mate further on calling to him, "There's a bike behind you."
The chap couldn't hear him and so his mate called again. Hearing this I didn't bother ringing the bell as I figured his mate had finally got through to him and by now I was about 6' behind him crawling along at maybe 2-3mph.
When he turned around and saw me he was clearly startled and jumped a bit, almost losing his balance before holding back the dog and moving to the left for me. I smiled and nodded to him as I passed, slowly.
Just as I cleared him I heard the words, "******* idiot".
I stopped, turned around and said, "Excuse me?"
"What?"
"I rang the bell."
"What?" (Still with his headphones in)
"You have headphones on, I rang the bell."
"Sorry mate I didn't hear you, I've got headphones er.. earphones in."
"Don't call me the ******* idiot then!"
He stood there with his jaw on the floor as if he couldn't possibly be in the wrong and at that I rode off.
It's a rare day when I'm not in the pits of depression and especially lightening when it's on a nice sunny Friday morning ride to visit my mum. Lovely morning almost ruined and only saved by mum and her partners sense of humour in their quite hilarious bickering match
At least on the rare occasions when I'm startled by something as a result of headphone use, I know it's muggins who's at fault.
I'm done venting now


<edited by Mick F to remove poorly disguised swearing.>
<re-edited by bill to conform with forum rules but still getting the point across that it was a rude insult and not a polite one>