Brett’s fine Nick Cave article got me thinking about music and cycling. We spend lots of time alone on our bikes. The bike is on autopilot, it stays upright from second to second, freeing up our brains to consider anything or nothing. Music might be the only riding companion we have but it has to be the right music.
Being as Pro as possible is not necessarily a good thing. Pros tend to blow through all stop signs and they care not a damn about Rule #62. As adamant as I am about sock length and color, I’m more of a hardliner about Rule #62. It is one Rule I have positively never broken, honest Father. Half my friends do though, oh I see them with their wires and ear buds. I get it, I just don’t ever do it. I want to know what’s coming up the road behind me. I also like to hear the world as I ride but I really want to hear that dog or cement mixer before they are right HERE. And I sometimes enjoy the voices in my head. They get me.
Before you go for a long ride, preplan your music, don’t just turn on the car radio as you motor away to meet your riding friends. A moment of inattention and you could be riding three hours with The Carpenters. My wife and I have a pact when riding together. Neither is allowed to sing aloud whatever terrible jingle or 80’s anthem song is plaguing our brains. Sharing such things is not good for a marriage.
It is the early morning riding where my brain is most susceptible to contamination. Wrung out from a night’s sleep, my brain will absorb anything. I have to saturate my brain with good music before something terrible gets in there; once it is in there, it is not coming out without a fight. I had an early morning teeth cleaning and while captive in the chair, their office music programming played nothing but Cher for thirty minutes. Oh I thought it was amusing at the time. The next day, Cher was still there. I was not amused.
Predawn, rolling along in the truck, bike in the back, something great on the stereo, even if the windshield wipers are on, this is how we get up for a ride. There may only be one song in the head for the next three hours but at least if will be a good one.
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@wiscot
I think I did penance in full last night on my first attempt at the A ride -- got dropped midway up a long grade after riding stupidly, but chased solo for 10 mi at 22mph - that's really hard for this old too-fat-to-climb guy. And no, I didn't get back on....
Wiscot, yeah, that's a great ride. My wife attends an industry trade conf each year and I'm the corp spouse for it -- and unfortunately for riding, they changed their standing weekend a couple years ago to conflict with the DCR. grrrrr..... I may do the new Penisula Century the following weekend.
I do ride to/in Door County a fair amount as we have family there.
@teleguy57
Yes, I have spent much time on the bike with Mr Zevon in the head. Excellent company, right there.
And coming up on a rider who can't hear you because of their earphone are blaring, making a greeting or conversation impossible. It makes me want to blow by that much faster.
@teleguy57
I've ridden the DCC for the past 4 years but will miss it this year. Am doing the Peninsula Century instead. If your going email me. kpgigot at new.rr.com.
@razmaspaz
Budgetatus-wise ($100) you can't go wrong with the Sony MDR-7506. It's the big S of audio, so forget style, but the sound quality beats anything at twice the price.
If you want to spend $300 or more, Beyerdynamic, PSB and Sennheiser have options that fit both bills. Grado look great, but sound like crap.
All things being equal, open will sound better than closed, but one shouldn't masturbate in public.
And honestly, if you're just going to plug them into a phone, the cheapest shit you can find will do.
@actor1
Great choice, KMFDM are my selection for those long solo rides where tunes are required, although cadence normally matches the beat regardless .
As for headphones, a cheap pair of sports earbuds that wrap around the ear with the right earbud cutoff to allow me to hear the traffic (Australian, drive on the left) and resist the temptation to stick the other one in. Luckily years in technical roles where I need music to concentrate and an ear open to the 2-way mean I don't find this too difficult.
The sports earbuds after an apple earbud fell out, wrapped itself in my rear wheel and removed my phone from my pocket at 30km/h.
@pistard
I'm fortunate enough to spend my working days without the inconvenience of co-workers, so I have all day to bask in the glory of a better than middling sound system. I will say though that I can hear a difference between those pieces of junk Apple ships with the iPhone and a real set of headphones. The amount of time I used to spend on an airplane led me to pick up a decent set of noise cancelers. I was listening to Nicholas Jaar the other day on them, and there is no question even plugged into a phone, they make a difference.
Sadly nearly every pic of the pros is bought and paid for by beats. I guess more than brand, what I'm curious about are some rules for headphone selection. Brand and sound are highly personal, but If I'm matching my tape to my saddle to my tires, am I matching my shoes to my headphones?
@razmaspaz
The obvious answer is in the top image: Match the headphones to your cycling cap.
@razmaspaz
If you're going to wear them pre-ride, then by all means match them to your shoes or kit. Of course, if you need gold or pink ones you might be limited to beats or skullcandy. But seriously, sound, fit and build quality are what matter and what you should be comparing. Open or closed depending on ambient noise and privacy. There are online reviews that can help, but testing some different models, with music you know well, is the way.
@Shlumpen
Or just get some that double as a helmet...
@pistard
I thought that was a funky mailbox at first. Headphones you say though . . .
@Dr C
This is great. Like seeing the guys tooling around the city on their beater bikes with a boom box strapped on, only way more stylish.... Maybe.