Earphones on cyclists: Yea or Nay?

Yay if you're someone who's able to deal with riding a bike safely without one of your key senses, nay if you cannot.

It is, of course, a matter of personal choice and one's attitude to risk, for anyone else to say if you should or shouldn't is pointless.

I think there are conditions where headphones do not detract from riding, but there are equally times where it does. I think you have the right to wear headphones, but with that right comes a responsibility to pay more attention....chances are that if you do take this responsibility seriously you'll be too busy concentrating to appreciate your music....and so it goes.

I ride to work on a canal path which is quite narrow. If I can't hear people travelling under the bridges or ringing a bell it impairs my ability to make a good judgement. Wear headphones, but I guess if you are asking the question you know that you are less in touch with your surroundings and potentially vulnerable.

I don't often listen to music while riding, but there are occasions when I do and think to myself, "y'know, I'd rather actually be hit by something once in a blue moon than feel like I'm going to be hit every other second". Noise pollution is one of the most unpleasant factors about riding in close proximity with motor vehicles, and when you're not IN a motor vehicle, you don't have a wall of glass/steel/radio/etc. in which to shut if off.

I tend not to listen to it in when cycling into somewhere like central London, as I'm having to make decisions every other second and I just find it too stressful to concentrate on music as well. However, when I'm out on the open road, or chugging around Richmond Park, I'm generally much happier doing it, as my decision set if pretty much down to 'go forwards in a straight line', and if I DO get hit (which feels a lot less likely out of the chaos), I feel like there's very little I could do about it anyway. The music wouldn't influence my decision making as there were pretty much no decisions to make anyway.

The 'headphone debate' had been employed by politicians to indirectly re-enforce the notion that cyclists must treat themselves - and expect to be treated - as prey, and that's just fine; which shifts responsibility of the said politicians away from having to create environments in which one CAN ride a bike without fear of death if one makes the slightest mistake. No doubt cyclists would also be encouraged to evolve eyes on the side of the heads rather than the traditional forward-facing set-up if at all possible.

When i'm in the UK and riding to the office I don't use headphones. In the summer, when I'm riding around the French countryside I do. The difference is that I can ride for couple of hours out here in France and only be passed by a handful of cars - almost all of which are very respectful to cyclists and it's not like there isn't enough room to pass on these empty country roads. I realise I'm taking an unnecessary risk, but that's my choice and my responsibility.

when I ride I like to listen to the larks and lapwings and curlews on the moors, the swish of my tyres on a wet road, the clunk of a gear change, sheep baaing, cows mooing, the clip clop of horses coming back from the gallops, the wind in the trees, water rushing over rocks, a farmer shouting instructions to a sheepdog, or where the rider I just caught up with or got caught up by is headed and where they've come from. Wearing earphones would be like wearing a blindfold to me.

when I ride I like to listen to the larks and lapwings and curlews on the moors, the swish of my tyres on a wet road, the clunk of a gear change, sheep baaing, cows mooing, the clip clop of horses coming back from the gallops, the wind in the trees, water rushing over rocks, a farmer shouting instructions to a sheepdog, or where the rider I just caught up with or got caught up by is headed and where they've come from. Wearing earphones would be like wearing a blindfold to me.

Why are people comparing lorries/cars and bikes?

You're a lot more protected in one then on your bike. Also, you don't have mirrors on your bike you can glance into, which is a massive part of driving. If there was a way of fitting a little one somewhere on a road bike without it looking stupid, then I probably would in all honesty.
My head hardly stops moving on the bike anyway though, that probably stems from having generations of motorcyclists in the family I think, not everybody is that aware of their surroundings, some people not at all.

I've been commuting on my bike for years, and have found the best way to stay safe is to pretend that everyone wants to kill me. They're not going to go out of their way to do it, because they're people and therefore inherently lazy, but if they see an opportunity they'll take it- cars will pull out in front of me, passengers will open their doors at exactly the right/wrong moment, pedestrians will step out in front of me etc. I've found this mindset remarkably accurate for predicting people's behaviour, and so applying this logic to the earphone debate I ask myself "would I wear earphones knowing that everybody wants to kill me?". The answer of course is "no way".

No, No, No, No. How can we ever condemn drivers for using phones, etc and being distracted and then even consider it Ok for us. Hypocritical springs to mind. We set our standards as though we would like from others.

This is an easy one.

Hell no. Have you got a death wish?

Next!

Riding with headphones on makes no difference whatsoever to safety....when you are on a turbo trainer.

On the road I want to know as much as possible about what's going on around me.

I'm not sure it matters. I very rarely wear headphones on a bike but when I have, I can still hear cars coming up behind me. When I don't wear headphones, I'm regularly surprised by cyclists overtaking me.

Of course to be fair, if they ban headphones on bikes they must also ban music in motor vehicles and make it illegal to drive without all windows fully open. And introduce mandatory ear holes in motorcycle helmets.

All cyclists should be forced to sing loudly and continuously thus negating the need for headphones, providing free, low-tech entertainment for themselves with the additional benefit of an audible warning to those around them.

No way!...for all of the reasons in the other posts. Darwin Award behavior.

In my view using headphones is unwise on a bike.
I also don't like motorists wearing headphones.

As it happens I usually drive my car with the window open in busy traffic so that I can hear what is going on around me. I don't think it is necessary, but I like to.

Sirens in the distance, a high revving engine, the whizz of another bike coming up behind me, they're all noises I would like to hear to keep me fully aware.

But as with helmets, it should be down to the individual cyclist to decide.

J

Nay

Absolute Nay! The comparison is flawed as the surgeon doesnt need to hear his surroundings to avoid danger to himself, neither does a conductor and an ice cream van is hardly playing his music loud enough nor for a prolongedperiod of time to be distracting to the traffic.

But hey, if you want to rob yourself of your important senses in an already toxic environment (traffic), you go just ahead! Please make sure to carry your organ donor card with you, thx =)

' I ask myself "would I wear earphones knowing that everybody wants to kill me?". The answer of course is "no way".'

This makes no sense whatsoever. If everyone wants to kill you, perhaps a bulletproof vest might help. Headphones will make no difference at all.

Everyone seems to have made up their mind already, so at the risk of wasting mine and everyone else's time, my tuppence worth would be...

I have ridden an urban commute for years, always with the ipod on, the incidents and near misses I've had are pretty much always in front of me so I don't see how removing my headphones would have helped. Also even with in ear buds, I can still hear what's going on. In fact I'd leave ear plugs in without music to reduce the traffic noise to a comfortable level.

I really enjoy the audio I listen to while riding, it makes my commute enjoyable, without it I would struggle to motivate to ride to work year round.