Cycling with earbuds

[Hot Flatus]

...and equally limited options available to do anything useful with the information.

When there are no cars around I tend to use the full width of the road (or at least not stick to the gutter). When I know there's a car behind me I try to keep left if it's safe to do so and it leaves a sensible width for overtaking.

Who *doesn't* do this?

Pretty much what I do, but my position to the left varies according to the road I'm on. On rural roads I find people very courteous if I make some sort of visible display of awareness of them.  Sticking close to the left on narrow roads is asking for trouble, but I find taking primary then moving over often quite far to the left elicits courteous and considerate overtakes. As with much in life it's give and take. Ploughing on regardless with no awareness of what is going on behind makes a cyclist as much of a cock as the driver's he/she criticises.

[citoyen]

d) There's room for a dangerous overtake, which you might hope to convert into scenario (a) or (c) by changing your road position

I aim to anticipate such scenarios by positioning myself appropriately before they arise. This is what happened in the incident I described upthread - it didn’t matter whether or not I heard the car behind me because I was already riding defensively.

If you wait until you hear a car approaching before adjusting your road position, it’s probably already too late and you may well find yourself having to dive off to the left. In the aforementioned incident, there would have been nowhere for me to dive off to anyway - the road is lined with thick hedges on that side.

I ride along that road most days and despite the idiotic driving I regularly encounter (eg overtaking on a blind bend with double white lines), I’m not dead yet. I don’t believe that whether or not I’m listening to music has any bearing on the matter.

[grams]

If you wait until you hear a car approaching before adjusting your road position, it’s probably already too late and you may well find yourself having to dive off to the left.

Are you advocating riding in the gutter full time?! Interesting contrast to quixotic geek's answer!

The point of listening out for cars isn't to get out of the way, it's so you know when there's one there and can (if you so wish) move over to let them pass only at a place that's wide enough for them to do so safely.

[L CC]

Headphones are great on the tandem. He loves me singing along.
Words are for boring bits, music makes me go faster.

I tend not to wear them in urban areas where I'm not familiar with traffic patterns- on my commute I know where the knobbers lurk, but somewhere new, I want to pay more attention and it can be distracting. I'd probably turn the radio off in a car for the same reason.

[quixoticgeek]

I've got no problem moving over when it's safe to do so to give a car a bit more room to make a safer pass, but I'll take primary ideally every time. At night I have 1-2 static LED lights, with built in reflectors, 1 flashing or static LED light with built in reflector. Red reflector tape on the chain stays, and orange tape on the cranks. At night, anyone who claims they didn't see me, is too dangerous or incompetent to be at the wheel. By day, my black on black colour scheme should stand out quite nicely, so again, no excuses.

There's an awful lot of drivers who drive round like the road is theirs, and then act surprised when they go round a corner too fast and find something slower in the road. The world would be a bit safer if fewer drivers acted like that.

I listen to a selection of interesting podcasts, audiobooks, and occasionally music while riding along, I find it helps me concentrate on the world around me. Without the audio, my mind tends to drift of. In the dead of night, when I've been awake 24 hours, and I've still got 50km to go, sticking on some dire straits, or similar, and singing along as I ride really helps push through.

J

[quixoticgeek]

Oh, the headphone ban coupled with the stupid hivi requirement are why I don't like cycling in France...

That and Pavé...

J

[citoyen]

Are you advocating riding in the gutter full time?!

No, the exact opposite. Riding defensively means adopting a road position that discourages dangerous overtaking.

If it’s safe to overtake, my road position won’t be an issue. If there’s no car behind me, my road position won’t be an issue. Whether I’ve heard them or not is irrelevant.

[Hot Flatus]

I find cars leave a wider gap when overtaking if I stick out 70-100cm. If I sit in the gutter they will shave past me. However I have had a few instances when cars have tried to drive through me.

We can all stamp our feet and shout about our rights, but the reality is there are drivers out there who sometimes drive incompetantly, inconsiderately, distractedly, aggressively, partially-sighted, and drunkenly.

I'm in no hurry to end up as a victim of one of these people, and I'll take any advantage I can.

[citoyen]

I'm in no hurry to end up as a victim of one of these people, and I'll take any advantage I can.

The only point on which we disagree is the usefulness of hearing in this regard. For me, it’s very low down the list (along with magic hats).

It may well be that your hearing is more useful to you than mine is to me, but I’m generally sceptical on the matter and need more convincing.

[Hot Flatus]

I can only speak for myself. How can I possibly comment on other people's hearing? It would be as utterly fucking cretinous as denouncing other people's experience as "bollocks"

[Greenbank]

Exactly, I don't have a fold out 'lollipop' reflector on my bike either, and I don't wear a lightweight spine protector (like many skiiers do), etc.

Both of which would certainly be an advantage, but they're beyond where I've drawn my personal line on safety equipment.

Similarly, needing to hear everything all the time is also a safety requirement too far (IN MY OPINION, others can do as they like) although on some types of riding, or during some sections, I will prefer to be able to hear things, but that's easily achieved by hitting the pause button on the headphone control.

Having to dive off the road frequently sounds awful. I'd hate to be cycling somewhere where that's needed so often. I've never experienced it once in tends of thousands of miles of cycling (including plenty of rural roads on Audaxes all round the country).

[Hot Flatus]

In truth, the majority of serious accidents aren't as a result of shit overtakes...but it does happen (I believe Mike H was hit from behind). My understanding is that most accidents occur at junctions. Nevertheless, I will still take minority probabilities into consideration.  As Alex says, it's a matter of personal choice.

I've just remembered another fairly recent incident. I was at the front of a pack of 4 signalling right on an A road. Just before I turned I looked back to check nothing was overtaking, however my view was blocked by other riders.

It was probably just as well I heard a car approaching at high speed. It overtook us, despite the 4 of us signalling. If I'd turned, I would have been hit full on.

This has never happened to me before, but I've added it to my repertoire of possibilities and adjust my riding tactics accordingly.  This is the nature of accidents...they are unusual.

[mattc]

Very often I ride with one ear bud in and spotify on.  I would prefer if there was a way to alter the balance on Android without a root'ed phone so I could improve battery life of my headphones, at the moment I have to make do with setting the accessibility to mono audio and putting it through both headphones...

You can get a single earbud that takes the stereo signal and puts it all through that one speaker. Would that help?  [I suspect they/it were wired, not wireless, otheerwise I would never even have considered buying them! Like everything else, they may ALSO be available wireless.]

MarcusJB put me onto them.

[jiberjaber]

Very often I ride with one ear bud in and spotify on.  I would prefer if there was a way to alter the balance on Android without a root'ed phone so I could improve battery life of my headphones, at the moment I have to make do with setting the accessibility to mono audio and putting it through both headphones...

You can get a single earbud that takes the stereo signal and puts it all through that one speaker. Would that help?  [I suspect they/it were wired, not wireless, otheerwise I would never even have considered buying them! Like everything else, they may ALSO be available wireless.]

MarcusJB put me onto them.

The headphones I use are Bluetooth, and a battery is in was earplug so can't just chop off one end! Lol

[Chris S]

Headphones are great on the tandem. He loves me signing along.

... and sitting in front of you on the tandem, signing is a rubbish lyric prompt.

[Ben T]

Very often I ride with one ear bud in and spotify on.  I would prefer if there was a way to alter the balance on Android without a root'ed phone so I could improve battery life of my headphones, at the moment I have to make do with setting the accessibility to mono audio and putting it through both headphones...

You can get a single earbud that takes the stereo signal and puts it all through that one speaker. Would that help?  [I suspect they/it were wired, not wireless, otheerwise I would never even have considered buying them! Like everything else, they may ALSO be available wireless.]

MarcusJB put me onto them.

You get edit tracks in audacity to make them all left or all right. Not sure it's worth it though just to save a few micro Watts of power...

[Kim]

Very often I ride with one ear bud in and spotify on.  I would prefer if there was a way to alter the balance on Android without a root'ed phone so I could improve battery life of my headphones, at the moment I have to make do with setting the accessibility to mono audio and putting it through both headphones...

You can get a single earbud that takes the stereo signal and puts it all through that one speaker. Would that help?  [I suspect they/it were wired, not wireless, otheerwise I would never even have considered buying them! Like everything else, they may ALSO be available wireless.]

MarcusJB put me onto them.

You get edit tracks in audacity to make them all left or all right. Not sure it's worth it though just to save a few micro Watts of power...

Edit one track in audacity, play it on loop to see what difference it makes to the run-time of your battery, then decide not to waste further time on it...

[Ben T]

What arguably IS worth the approx minute or two it took in audacity however is this    

[Greenbank]

I've just remembered another fairly recent incident. I was at the front of a pack of 4 signalling right on an A road. Just before I turned I looked back to check nothing was overtaking, however my view was blocked by other riders.

It was probably just as well I heard a car approaching at high speed. It overtook us, despite the 4 of us signalling. If I'd turned, I would have been hit full on.

This has never happened to me before, but I've added it to my repertoire of possibilities and adjust my riding tactics accordingly.  This is the nature of accidents...they are unusual.

Can't put this any other way and can't really ignore it...

Sure, if you don't perform adequate visual checks prior to a manoeuvre like that then you might need to have to rely on your hearing to save the day, but the underlying problem is the lack of an adequate visual check in the run up to the manoeuvre.

Mirror signal mirror[1] manoeuvre.

I hope you're glad that the overtaking car wasn't a near silent Prius or a Tesla, or another cyclist, etc.

1. Motorbike riders are generally taught the extra "mirror" as the "lifesaver" observation immediately prior to actually performing a manoeuvre. This is because, due to the fact they (motorbikes) aren't as wide as a car or truck, they generally experience extra special silly behaviour (such as being overtaken despite signalling) that generally doesn't happen to car drivers which are mostly taught "mirror signal manoeuvre".

[Hot Flatus]

I always perform a lifesaver, but as I said my view was blocked. I didn't continue the turn regardless but edged out slightly to get a look. I suspect many riders wouldn't have looked and would have been hit due to the driver's error....but we are getting close to victim blaming here, which as you know is the moral equivalent of being a Nazi.

Yes, I am glad the car wasn't silent. Most cars aren't silent, even silent ones, which is why hearing is a useful addition to vision.

[Kim]

Yes, I am glad the car wasn't silent. Most cars aren't silent, even silent ones, which is why hearing is a useful addition to vision.

I actually find that EVs (and hybrids running on electrons) stand out against the urban soundscape.  I expect this effect to tail off rapidly, both as they become more common, and as I lose the relevant high-frequency hearing due to age.

[bobb]

Oh, the headphone ban coupled with the stupid hivi requirement are why I don't like cycling in France...

The authorities don't really care though do they? Just a few months ago I was cycling in France in the dark, with head phones on and no Hi-Viz and not one cop car (of which many passed me) gave a shit.

Same as Spain and their odd helm*t laws. I didn't bother with one and I was never stopped despite technically breaking the law (riding without one outside an urban area)

[Kim]

Oh, the headphone ban coupled with the stupid hivi requirement are why I don't like cycling in France...

The authorities don't really care though do they? Just a few months ago I was cycling in France in the dark, with head phones on and no Hi-Viz and not one cop car (of which many passed me) gave a shit.

Same as Spain and their odd helm*t laws. I didn't bother with one and I was never stopped despite technically breaking the law (riding without one outside an urban area)

I've also cycled in France without hi-vis (I'd query how it's supposed to work, given the seat blocking the view, but that way lies pedal reflectors).  I suspect the problem comes when you enter an organised cycling event, and the organisers require you to comply with these laws, even if the police don't.

[bobb]

Ah, fair point. I took QG's comment to mean just cycling in France in general rather than in some sort of event. I've certainly had my gilet inspected at a certain French event to make sure it was compliant and I've also had to put on a hat in the UK, particularly for MTB events....

[Pickled Onion]

Oh, the headphone ban coupled with the stupid hivi requirement are why I don't like cycling in France...

The authorities don't really care though do they? Just a few months ago I was cycling in France in the dark, with head phones on and no Hi-Viz and not one cop car (of which many passed me) gave a shit.

Same as Spain and their odd helm*t laws. I didn't bother with one and I was never stopped despite technically breaking the law (riding without one outside an urban area)

I was fined by the guardia civil last month. It's the same fine as for riding a motorbike without one: not cheap.

They were adamant the same law applied in the UK, and the rest of Europe.