Bicycling On-the-Road

JoshK · « **Reply #580 on:** 10 May 2011, 03:10 am »

Quote from: Levi on 9 May 2011, 04:13 pm

Josh, keep riding. Btw, you witnessed GFNY (Gran Fondo New York).

Yep, that was them. Black with green lettering.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #581 on:** 10 May 2011, 04:37 am »

Did you happem to see this "insane ride" ? Link....

JoshK · « **Reply #582 on:** 10 May 2011, 12:59 pm »

Wow! the start of that looked like fun, but some of those hits near the end were nuts. if you miss the results are pretty horrific. i'd still wouldn't mind trying the course, but at much more sane speeds.

jackman · « **Reply #583 on:** 10 May 2011, 01:16 pm »

I'd love to see someone like Travis Pastrana do that course. He'd throw in a couple double backflips or something crazy. Very cool stuff. I'm sure Josh was reminded of his BMX days!

Cheers,

J

PS - Jeff, that was a tragic crash at the Giro. Fatalities are rare in cycling but they remind us how this could all end so quickly.

jackman · « **Reply #584 on:** 13 May 2011, 07:20 pm »

Hey, anyone riding this weekend? It's rainy in Chicago and I hope to get a ride in tomorrow. Will hit the trainer tonight to get a 1 hour spin in but it's torture. Nothing compares to a fast ride outside in the wind!

Cheers,

J

sandbagger · « **Reply #585 on:** 13 May 2011, 07:39 pm »

Headed out the door for a ride now, since it looks like next friday will be the next dry day

That has been the story this season, either 40F or rain, or both

Quote from: jackman on 13 May 2011, 07:20 pm

Hey, anyone riding this weekend? It's rainy in Chicago and I hope to get a ride in tomorrow. Will hit the trainer tonight to get a 1 hour spin in but it's torture. Nothing compares to a fast ride outside in the wind!

Cheers,

J

kenreau · « **Reply #586 on:** 16 May 2011, 06:41 pm »

I've used in ear monitors for a number of years on ipods while on planes, long family road trips, etc. where the sound isolation is appreciated.

I'm now looking for some new 'phones that could also be used sensibly and safely for sports like road cycling (and snow skiing) where you need to semi frequently interact with others and/or be aware of adjacent sounds (cars approaching). Ideally they would have an integral iphone controller built in for mute & basic controls.

I imagine this would necessitate the ear bud style with maybe an ear loop to hold in place? I've used the freebie apple ear buds but have not been impressed with the s.q. and they typically don't stay in place with much activity .

Any experienced roadie recommendations out there? My budget is around up to $100~$150 range.

Thanks

jackman · « **Reply #587 on:** 16 May 2011, 07:09 pm »

Hey Ken,
I would not recommend wearing headphones while riding, unless you ride on a MUP or somewhere where there are no cars. If you ride on the street, it's way too dangerous. I have a friend who insists on riding with phones but he only wears one. If you only wear one, sound quality is probably not a consideration.

Sorry if I'm too cautious but I hate to see someone get hurt or worse. Good luck.

kenreau · « **Reply #588 on:** 16 May 2011, 08:46 pm »

Thanks jackman. Wearing one is an idea I may check out.

I am still very interested in recommendations for suitable ear buds to consider. I'm planning to ride a 80 mile course this Saturday and will need some tunes to get me through.

Thx
Kenreau

sandbagger · « **Reply #589 on:** 16 May 2011, 09:28 pm »

I would not recommend riding in the road with any kind of headphones, I do on my harley, but I cant hear anyone else anyway

I have a few friends that ride a lot, wont ride on the street, but will wear headphones in the woods

In the past I have used my cell phone to play music as I have a little bag that goes on the toptube right at the stem, has mesh on top so it works real good for that.

JoshK · « **Reply #590 on:** 17 May 2011, 12:52 pm »

I don't see issues with wearing phones in the woods, but its nuts to wear them on the road imo.

dcktr · « **Reply #591 on:** 17 May 2011, 02:12 pm »

great place for earphones, I have ordered 2x and they are great value compared to best buy etc
http://www.head-direct.com/

kenreau · « **Reply #592 on:** 17 May 2011, 06:25 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 17 May 2011, 12:52 pm

I don't see issues with wearing phones in the woods, but its nuts to wear them on the road imo.

On the road, I'm always riding the white line regardless of what I can hear. I'm not following the concerns mentioned here about safety. At the speeds most cars travel, what benefit is there from hearing them marginally better (using earbuds - not sound isolating in ear monitors)? If they are going to run in to you at driving at speed, chances are there is not much you can do anyway, right? You've only got a split second to consider a potential conflict. Granted, I've only been road cycling for two years now, but am I missing something?

Fwiw, here is a link to a Top Earbuds buyers guide - http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/371235/earbud-buyer-s-guide-feat-tm5-ok1-pk1-ath-cm700-ok2-k319-ok3-pk3-pk2

Thanks
Kenreau

jackman · « **Reply #593 on:** 17 May 2011, 07:18 pm »

Hey, I admit that I've riden with headphones on a solo ride but it's technically illegal in IL and you might want to check your state laws. Cash-strapped states are cracking down on lots of things these days that used to go unchecked. Several cyclists I know have been busted for road violations (going through stop sign in rural area where there is NO traffic, etc.).

I would never ride in a group with phones because communication is important and my group would not allow it. Also, when you cross intersections it is good to hear ambulance sirens and other cyclists passing you. I've been riding without phones for so long, I'm used to the sound of wind in my ears. It's also good to compose your thoughts on a long solo ride with no sound, other than the wind and the sound of your bicycle.

kenreau · « **Reply #594 on:** 17 May 2011, 11:01 pm »

Quote from: jackman on 17 May 2011, 07:18 pm

Hey, I admit that I've riden with headphones on a solo ride but it's technically illegal in IL and you might want to check your state laws. Cash-strapped states are cracking down on lots of things these days that used to go unchecked. Several cyclists I know have been busted for road violations (going through stop sign in rural area where there is NO traffic, etc.).

I would never ride in a group with phones because communication is important and my group would not allow it. Also, when you cross intersections it is good to hear ambulance sirens and other cyclists passing you. I've been riding without phones for so long, I'm used to the sound of wind in my ears. It's also good to compose your thoughts on a long solo ride with no sound, other than the wind and the sound of your bicycle.

Thanks, jackman, got your viewpoint. I just want to restate, I am not intending to use sound isolating in-ear phones, but just the ear buds that allow you to hear other outside sounds (companions, cars, firetrucks, etc.) along with the tunes.

Hey - why doesn't that cute kid on horse back in your profile picture have a safety helmet on?

Kenreau

jonwb · « **Reply #595 on:** 18 May 2011, 03:13 am »

This is an interesting discussion... Lets face it, road biking is a somewhat dangerous hobby. In fact I'd say that the risk is the one thing I dislike about it the most. Certainly there are some reasonable steps we can take to help reduce the risks, but to a certain extent, we need a little luck on our side too. I wish motorists realized that bicycles are out there and they need to keep an eye out and not eff around. It drives me crazy when people think its cute to drive past you 6in off your left elbow.

The question is, what are reasonable and effective precautions? I certainly always ride w/ my helmet on. I generally wear a bright colored jersey for what that's worth. And for years I rode w/o anything in my ears.

However, I came to realize that I really can't hear much of anything short of a constant cacophony of wind noise. Its frankly kind of annoying but it comes w/ the hobby. I'd love it if I could just enjoy the sounds of nature, but you just can't. And as for hearing cars approaching from behind, maybe when they are really close.

So a couple years ago I thought I might try and figure out a way I could maybe listen to a podcast or something while I rode. Mind you, my rides are usually pretty early in the AM and I live in a fairly rural area. There was no way I was going to put a pair of earbuds in my ears. I really wanted to find a balance between barely being able to hear the podcast/etc. while still pretty easily hearing cars and the world around me. What I found works pretty well, is to stick a Bluetooth earpiece in my right ear streaming content from my blackberry. Hifi is not a priority here. Frankly most BT earpieces aren't all that loud anyway. If its supper windy outside, or I'm going down a fast downhill, I can't usually hear it too well, but that's no biggie. If I approach a busy intersection I can easily pause it or pop it out of my ear for a bit (I would not want to deal w/ cords).

I only ever ride w/ the earpiece on solo rides, which is a majority of my riding. If I'm w/ a partner or group, I never use the earpiece. Also, if I'm off road on my mountain bike I don't use it (usually on a MB I'm going slower and I can actually hear "nature" which I like).

Respecting the opinions of the other posters, to be honest I don't think I am in any greater danger w/ this little thing in my ear than w/o it. I think a more tangible aid to my safety and awareness to what's around me would be a rear view mirror of some sort. I need to do a little research as I'd like to figure out a good way to see when a car is approaching me from behind. Relying on my ears (earpiece or not) really doesn't cut it.

Sorry for the long post!

JoshK · « **Reply #596 on:** 18 May 2011, 01:18 pm »

I think that is pretty ok, myself. I ride in the city and constantly have people and cars around me so I need to be able to hear that. If i rode on country roads, it'd be somewhat different.

jackman · « **Reply #597 on:** 19 May 2011, 02:50 pm »

I think we all have to decide how much risk we are willing to take whenever we go for a ride. I see people riding without helmets on bikes and motorcycles all the time. I have friends who never wear seatbelts, etc. Ultimately, we are responsible for our own safety.

If you are riding with a group, it's another matter because your safety affects the people around you (potentially at least). I like the people of this site, and the cyclists on this board and hope I didn't come across as "preachy" with my recommendation. I don't think I can ride safely with phones on so I don't wear them when I ride. I'd hate to see anyone get hurt because of the distractions headphones could cause. We are all adults here and if you want to ride with phones, more power to you. I'd probably take one out when you are around traffic.

A friend installed some cool (geeky) mirrors on his bars (in the holes where the plugs go) and Im thinking about doing the same. They are from Italy and are made of real glass, very high qualitiy and useful to see those cars coming from behind. Some people feel riding without mirrors is more dangerous than riding with phones. Hmmmmm.

jonwb · « **Reply #598 on:** 19 May 2011, 06:02 pm »

Quote from: jackman on 19 May 2011, 02:50 pm

A friend installed some cool (geeky) mirrors on his bars (in the holes where the plugs go) and Im thinking about doing the same. They are from Italy and are made of real glass, very high qualitiy and useful to see those cars coming from behind. Some people feel riding without mirrors is more dangerous than riding with phones. Hmmmmm.

Yeah, funny thing about the mirror idea is I used to have one on my bike several bikes ago and I swore I'd never ride w/o one as I found it very handy to be able to get a good view of what was coming up behind me. That was a long time ago (probably 25yrs) and I wonder if I was even riding a helmet back then! LOL I'm embarrassed to say it, but I think a bit of vanity might have kept me from putting one on my bike (or helmet) to this point.

On a completely different topic, I got "pressured" from some co-workers to do a 5k run this weekend. Being a northerner like jackman I'm just starting to get into a bit of form on the bike. So I went out last night for a short 3.5mi run (w/ my bluetooth earpiece in!

) just to make sure I can run that far. I gotta say, the scenery sure changes slow when you're running! My bike doesn't have to worry about getting replaced by my running shoes!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/86605072 (yeah, i know... I'm slow! LOL)

One of the things I never liked about running (compared to biking) is that something always seems to be hurting or uncomfortable. My feet, my ankles, my knees, something or another... Rarely is it ever just pure thigh muscles burning from workin' them hard like on a bike.

jackman · « **Reply #599 on:** 19 May 2011, 07:38 pm »

Jon, they say you should incorporate running into your training because the impact is good for your bones. If you only do non-impact activities (running, swimming, etc.) you can lose bone density. This is common among cyclists who only ride the bike. Too much of a good thing is rarely a good thing!

I'm trying to get some work done so I can sneak out for a ride today. It's been a long day and I need to get out!

Cheers,

J