Should you listen to music while riding a bike? I tested headphones and speakers while riding 

Music in a car with closed windows also prevents you from hearing a lot of stuff. Bike bells, for example.

Frankly I find this whole "debate" ridiculous. One, cars come standard with high-def sound systems (and sound insulation) and no one is talking about that as a risk factor. Two, are we saying that it's dangerous for deaf people to ride bikes? Just like helmets, this is a "debate" about blaming victims for being killed by cars. In-ear headphones *protect* my ears from traffic noise, and music makes gliding along on my bike a joy. Also I can call my family while commuting, just like "normal" people get to do with their cars.

I used to commute by bike several years ago, and the largest part of the 15 km were secure bikepaths. I really enjoyed listening to podcasts and especially audiobooks, it really helped me get motivated getting on my bike. Then, the usage of any kind of headphone while cycling was banned in France. The PR of the law was totally BS, arguing that it was in order to stop car drivers from using their phone. It was the only time I wrote to my deputy, who voted for that law. I argued that it was discriminatory against cyclists, because for example, cars do have radios, and they are not required to run with their windows open in order to hear the other cars... And despite the PR, the usage of a phone while driving was not banned, you just needed a Bluetooth system. The hypocrisy was even greater, because motorcycle drivers could continue to have speakers, if they were integrated in their helmet.

Would like to see a sequel where he test open ear headphones or noise-cancelling headphones with an ambient sound feature.

Here’s my take, for those who care: One of the things I love about driving my car is being able to listen to music and podcasts, something I want on my bike ride. What I do is ride with one AirPod in with the open ear facing traffic. If I’m on a path or slow street I’ll listen to music, on a busy road with bike gutters I keep it in but with no music. Having one in always lets me use hands free. Call, text, and if something happens make an emergency call without having to get out my phone if it isn’t nearby. Do with that what you will.

Of course best practice might be to ride with only one or no headphones, but don't forget a few things: 1. Deaf and hard of hearing people do exist 2. Apple earbuds do no noise cancelling, meaning you can still hear your surroundings very well 3. Cars drive around in soundproof tanks, usually playing music as well.

I ride a motorcycle and wear earplugs every time I do so. I can still hear emergency vehicles and tyre roar from cars despite my full face helmet, engine and 30dB of noise reducing foam plugs. I think the main difference is you can get away from hazards much more quickly on a motorbike and you also have mirrors which make rear observations a lot easier. I don't think wearing earphones is anywhere near as much of a hazard as people think it is when cycling. If you consider that wind noise and car tyres alone can hit 100dB (ear damaging levels of noise) it's probably worth thinking about wearing earbuds for protection reasons alone. If you have a podcast on at reasonably low volume you aren't going to eliminate noise from other vehicles but you will give yourself a bit more protection from the damage they can cause at a distance. I think there's also a gap in the market for cycling specific hearing protection, you can get filtered earplugs that only block out loud noises at certain pitches and I think that kind of thing could work very well.

I agree with Tom's final sentiment, getting on my bike feels like I am getting away a bit, just being with myself. Also, I simply love the sound of my tires. It is such a calming sound. Wouldn't want to give that up.

I cycle with headphones on all the time, especially when it's colder and they double up as earwarmers. I cycle mostly on seperate lanes. I get your point though, it's also nice to cycle without anything just to have a bit of piece and quiet. I have also cycled with a speaker, but that was on vacation with a group. I would never do that when I'm cycling just on my own.

"This is what's known to some people as a bike helmet," made me laugh harder than I should have.

I go with the one earbud option, plus pass-through audio. I've gone on a long distance trip like that. There are certain situations where I turn the music/podcast off for maximum concentration though.

Disconnecting, relaxing and listening to the outside world can feel very good. However sometimes there s a lot of noise that you dont really want to listen to (for example traffic). Sometimes you can get bored - an interesting youtube video sometimes feels better than listening to your own thoughts. But the best reason to listen to music/other stuff while riding bicycle is the free energy boost that high adrenaline music (like heavy metal or rock or whatever) gives you. If you re tired, you re on your return journey or you re going too slow and want to go as fast as when you first left home: music can be an efficient way to boost adrenaline so much it s like 5 cups of coffee. So should you listen to music while on your bicycle? I say yes.

I went through a very similar arc. Went for years of a mind that open ears maximized immersion in the experience, enjoyment, and safety and may have been caught saying (or at least thinking) that earphones in traffic is a death wish. Then I tried it... Mileage is going to vary tremendously based on how your audio solution fits and seals out outside noise and your listening volume. It can be anywhere from a hard mute to most of the outside noise gets in. I would feel very unsafe if I couldn't hear traffic noises while IN traffic but my earbuds don't seal that tight and enough gets in to hear approaching car tire noise, distant sirens, etc. Of course listening volume is a big factor too. These days I mostly ride with the buds in and agree with the conclusion that there is some marginal safety loss but mixed in with everything else like how attentive the rider is, the quality of the infrastructure, etc... impact on the safety bottom line might be non-zero but also very small. Also, open speakers are just obnoxious.

I used earbuds for voice navigating, on tours I didn't know, but never felt safe on my day to day riding listening to music. I have a bone conducting headset for something like 2 years now (I think the same ones you tested actually) and they're great! Now I'm always listening to music on my way to work and also use them for navigation. But as with all things (and as you more or less said) it's a compromise as most things in life are. Audio Quality isn't as good as with actual headphones and you can't go too loud, but it works for me and I feel very safe and have fun on my rides with music. So I'm very happy with that option. :-)

Bone conduction is my favorite too. I usually ride either in a downtown environment or on lakefront trails in my city, and I value the ability to hear things around me without being disruptive to people who are trying to enjoy nature

Use to ride full headphones. I’ve had an opposite arc. I have grown more and more concerned with safety as I’ve seen accidents happen. I use a speaker or one ear headphone, but still love the experience of riding a bike with music. I can appreciate the meditative experience of a pure bike, but think biking with music is a joy not to be missed.

Here in the Philippines, I use a Bluedio neck speaker. It's basically just a Bluetooth speaker that you can wear around your neck and plays music loud enough so it's close to your ears. Other people can't hear the music but you can and you can also still hear your surroundings. It also doesn't interfere with your bike vlogging so no copyright strikes on your footage while you play music.

Great video! My verdict is most definitely ‘yes’ because riding while listening to my favorite tunes enhances the experience for me. The major qualifier here is that it must be done safely, and I have been riding with my AfterShockz for years now. Here in NYC it is illegal to ride with both ears covered, so the headphones and dual ear buds option are not available. I have tried riding with a Bluetooth speaker and would have to agree with the “feeling obnoxious” misgiving. When the battery runs out during my ride and I have no choice but to ride without music I am reminded of the calm and peace of riding with just the sound of my surroundings and my bike traversing the road, but I do miss hearing my favorite tunes. Sometimes the right song paired with a great stretch of the ride is a feeling that just can’t be beat. I have my music on random shuffle so it feels great when a tune I haven’t heard in a while pops up during my ride.

I jumped to the conclusion part and the man had such a strong sense of reason that I had the urge to watch it from beggining.

I thought the Bluetooth thing was kind of weird until I saw somebody using it. It was an urban commuting environment and the volume wasn’t very high. It was very similar to a car driver listening to the radio at a normal level with the windows down.

Speaker placement is also very important to how much you hear vs how much others hear. I have the Bose speaker with the handlebar strap and it directs sound right to me.

There's a phenomenon I've noticed in that wearing earbuds in noisy situations actually helps focus on the sounds that matter. I'm neurodivergent, so that probably factors in, but there have been many times at restaurants, bars, and events when I can't tell what someone is saying until I put in my earbuds. The music doesn't have to on either.

Anyone ever watch Forest Gump and remember that scene towards the end when he's talking to Jenny about when he used to run across the country. How the music kicks in, and he's running past that beautiful mountain reflected in the lake. Everything seems still and calm, peaceful. Listening to music while biking is almost like that sometimes. I'll sometimes hear a song randomly on the radio at work or randomly not biking, and it'll instantly remind me of those moments where I was cycling during sunrise. To another time when I heard that song while cycling, and it floods my mind with those memories. There are songs that come on that remind me of cycling trips I had 20 years ago. How the pollen smelled in the air. How the sun lit up the landscape and the trees rustled in the distance. That's an experience I can't replicate without music. The memory connection. Smells can do it too. But music is a gift.

I use Aftershokz Aeropex headphones, and they're a perfect fit for me - I ride for sport as much as transport and frequently long distances, where some music or a podcast can be nice. Especially when traveling, I don't necessarily know the route very well either. Getting satnav instructions through the headphones takes a lot of stress out of riding through an unfamiliar urban environment, because there's never any doubt as to which way you're supposed to go, freeing up the mind to focus on what's going on around you. Also, with bone conduction headphones as well as Bluetooth helmets, it's easy to pause the audio if needed and you're immediately left with unobstructed ears - which is useful when you can hear people doing silly things behind you and react appropriately before things get too dangerous...

I used to ride a motorcycle to work. Earplugs (or earbuds with music/podcast) are an important protection, even when you're wearing a full face helmet. Not because of loud Harley pipes (I ride a 3 cylinder sport bike), but because of wind noise, which has a cumulative effect of destroying your hearing. Switching over to an ebike, and averaging 20 mph, often doing 30, I realized I needed it even more so, because I no longer had the helmet protecting my hearing. My ears are high frequency wind collectors, and that white noise causes hearing loss. I triked Cat Ears (fuzzy helmet straps) to cut down on air noise, but it has a limited effect. Now I use earbuds with a headband over my ears. The only hearing I miss when commuting is if I stop at an intersection and someone tries to talk to me about my strange (to them) recumbent trike. I smile and nod. I have never found the sound of approaching traffic from behind to be a helpful safety factor. If you think that you're safer hearing cars bearing down on you hundreds of times per ride, but you have zero agency to do anything about knowing which one is a distracted driver that is actually going to tag you, you're fooling yourself. None of us should be riding with our heads turned to look for the distracted driver, you can't tell one from the other in your tiny rearview mirror, and you literally have no options when it is about to happen. So better to ignore the oncoming din of vehicles bearing down on us vehicular cyclists. You hear sirens, trust me. I do appreciate class 4 bike lane riders in big bike cities wanting to hear the gentle sounds of bike bells and being very aware of quiet but perceptible sound of another cyclist or pedestrians. If that becomes my world (some day), I'll likely ride with one ear shielded and one open, or try the bone conductors.

For myself, bluetooth speakers built into my helmet. As I keep the volume level relatively low, I can hear more than plenty...even through a modular, full face, helmet while on the e-bike.. Additionally, because I ride primarily at night, my head is on a constant swivel, while also repeatedly checking my mirror, so situational awareness isn't impacted. When it's late enough, and traffic is non-existent, then I might turn up the volume.

I used to bike around with a Bluetooth speaker and now I just use that time to disconnect just like you! Everything that is in that moment is in that moment, even if it’s just transportation

I've worn earbuds once. I had to turn to volume way up because of the traffic noise. Scared me. I had a speaker too but it was probably low quality. Either got static, cutting out or died. Then I bought a cheap transistor radio from Walmart. That worked the best. No need to ring my bell as I approached pedestrians on the trails.

From the opposite perspective. About once a week i come up behind someone riding slowly in the middle of a bike lane. No reaction to a bell. No reaction to "excuse me". I escalate to yelling "get the f to the side" or just squeezing past. If this happened to you and you are hearing impaired then I half apologize but you still need to be aware of other users. If you're oblivious because of ear buds i do not apologize.

Since i love listening to music, i always have my phone playing (in that phone case for bikes): just enough to hear it clear, but not on really high volume so that it doesnt distract me from cycling or to not disturb any pedestrians.

Tanks for the video. I've been bike commuting for almost 20 years in paris (very busy city). I always used earphone on my bike, for several reasons. First, if you really need sound to keep out of danger, it means you are already dead (you should check everything with your eyes). Of course hearing around you is important, but don't count too much on that. Then, I always seek out the most open in ear headphone (It has been a struggle, because they are not really common, I use bose soundsport), with the sound at the lowest possible so that I'd still hear what's happening around me. The music, is intelligible, but it's just background music. Having headphone actually helps me hearing stuff around. As I coast pretty fast (around 40km/h), the sound of wind is pretty deafening. Having headphones helps to dampen that sound. Sometimes I'd go around with headphone, but without music. As of today, I stopped using headphones, because I use a full face helmet (as I said, I'm going quite fast), and putting on headphone with it, is a real chore. Not because of safety concerns. Having a gettho blaster is really douchy though.

I'm using only one Bluetooth earbud on one ear about 60% volume and the other one is for the traffic. Works pretty well and a relaxing ride even if the hellish traffic and bike infrastructure here in Metro Manila.

I've seen most of your content and I really enjoy them. You have improved my bicycle riding experience and helped me overcome some mistakes I had been making. So thank you! There's one thing I'm really wondering and it is, in a way, eating me up. How do you record yourself while riding? I would also like to record my rides around the city and such. Could you give me and the rest of your viewers some tips on that as well?

My take as a cyclist in the Netherlands: the reason why I listen to music when riding is because the noise of traffic is not relaxing. In fact many studies show that noise pollution (like the one from traffic) is unhealthy. When wearing something like a bone conduction headphone or any earphone with bulk in front of your ear...it is horrible experience in windy places (like the Netherlands) because the wind noise is more annoying than the traffic noise (even noise cancelling earbuds aren't the solution for the wind yet). The speaker on your bike is just anti social or a-social. Doesn't matter how much I love my Latin music, I would annoy others on the bike paths who don't love it, so that's not an option. I use noise cancelling headphones which are also water resistant (Jabra 85H for example), water resistent because even a mist when it starts raining might damage a non water resistant pair. When in the city center I double tab my headphones to hear my music but to also hear the traffic and people around me, but when in safe cycling paths, it's just me and my music, and no wind or rain stops me. Now, in the Netherlands we have the best cycling infrastructure in the world, and if a car hits a cyclist, even if it's the cyclist fault, the police will blame the car driver. Car drivers are also cyclist most of the time here too and cycling is just part of the culture. The cycling paths are safer and bikers are better trained at using lights, and hand signals on the road. After 5 years here, I never had a bike accident even with music on, because before I turn right or left, I must first signal with my hand and then look back before I turn. So keep all these things in mind. But yes, I love cycling with headphones. EXTRA: the video didn't mentioned this, but with a phone mount, cycling to a place that you don't know it's amazing when wearing headphones because the Google Maps instructions are delivered to your ears and you don't take your eyes off the road and to me, this is also a safety feature. In the Netherlands you can only use your phone on a mount so this is great, otherwise you must stop often to see where you are going and you may become an obstacle to others cycling and plus you will arrive late 😉. Cheers and happy holidays!

Laurie Anderson had an art piece called the soundtable. She had grooves in the table where people could slide their elbows into and cup their ears, underneath were sound conductors in the wood. The wood conducted music into the elbows, and the elbows conducted the music upf the forearms, into the hands and into the ears.

The AirPod’s pro transparency mode is perfect for this-you Can still hear around you AND listen to music or a podcast

The urban environment is extremely loud because cars and motorcycles make it so. And often drivers can and will honk at you because you're on the road they believe you don't have the right to be on. So generally I wear earplugs when bicycling, as loud noises are proven to be almost as harmful to your health as air pollution.

I understand safety issues, but depending on the mood I love to do some long winter rides jamming out to some music. As long as you are being relatively safe I think it can add to your ride.

I ride my bike with music (earbuds) every time I’m commenting 2-4 times a day. I think if anything is keeps me more aware, or stays sharp. As long as someone is checking left and right, over my shoulder and behind me: signaling and etcc, so I won’t blast my earbuds and ofc don’t use noise cancelling either, but you can still hear cars and people walking/talking. Over all I do recommend listening to music it’s really enhances the experience. I will say you do need too, be aware of your surroundings, and need to always be checking railroad crossing before you cross, looking left and right, checking your shoulder, etccc. The confidence to answer calls, listen to direction from google maps, answer texting etcc, is really a game changer. Especially as someone who commutes everyday and is often late, having maps on is really nice. I do think listening to music or a podcast while biking is not for everyone and that’s just how it is

What a fantastic channel you have. Tom! Just started biking recently and discovered it the other day. Your no-nonsense approach to biking and matter-of-fact presentation style blew me away. Really nice! We cyclists in India are having a torrid time biking since the infrastructure really and truly sucks. We have been having more than our fair share of fatalities on the road but some of us pedal on valiantly because we love it so much and it is truly the need of the hour. I, for one, have done away with my car and use my wife's on the rare occasion that I have no option. Anyways. thanks for this channel. Gives me hope that things can be better and that there are more mad bike heads like me out there. Take care & all the very best

Like you said bone conduction works fine (you lose bass but it's ok), i think bone conduction it's the Best option for calls. I think that a solution for speakers could be some way of microphone modulation so ir could be quiet or louder depending the sorrounding noise. At last i Will say that music is ok as long as you have already rided on that route before, when i cycle to new places i prefer no music.

Great video Tom. I don't listen to audio very much in my car, never mind on a bike. I actually prefer solitude and silence. My car and bike being a world unto itself. I find audio distracting, safety compromising, and impolite to others who prefer silence or may not agree with my audio choices. That being said I am intrigued by the bone conducting headphones for the times I use my cell phone and tablet while on buses, trams, trains, in waiting rooms, or just taking a break with other people around. I would get a bluetooth helmet if I join a bike club but just to communicate with other cyclists in my pack or an occasional cell phone call from my bike.

New to the channel and I'm starting to realize what this guy's taste in cycling is like. Simple one-speed bike, minimal clutter, every day clothing. Not even music in his ears! God I wish I lived where he lived, it sounds like paradise for cycling... Where I'm from it's borderline misery unless very early in the morning when there's 0 traffic.

I have never ridden with my ear buds in but I have walked and I remember it left me feeling extremely vulnerable and unsafe. I ended up removing one of them just so I could still hear the world around me.

I’m also using those bone conducting ear pieces and I like it a lot. Let’s me hear my surroundings while listening to music. One thing about listening to music while riding is that the beats can pretty much pump you up and tempt you to vary your speed while cycling to match the music tempo

In the Netherlands I do listen to music while cycling with actual headphones, I'm over sensitive for sounds. Even with music I hear my bike creaking, car doors opening etc, but they appear a bit more on the background. Without music the noises get to much for me which makes me overwhelmed and unable to process it. A train ride without headphones makes it so I hear every single conversation people have in the train car I'm in. With music on its a bit easier to maintain the focus on the task I'm doing. I've got a drivers license but have a strict no talking policy when I drive and depending where I drive I turn of my music because the car itself dampens the outside sounds by quite a bit already. That last point is also why I wonder why people always ask about music on a bicycle, when you are in a car there are no questions about it.

I wear bone conduction earphones(open run) and listen to music on the way to work, I find it lifts my mood and also helps cycle faster. The controls are easy so you can pause your music if you need to concentrate more on a particular part of your journey.

I use noise canceling headphones on my commute (in semi-passthrough mode - mostly for wind reduction though, not safety). LOVE listening to music and audiobooks on my commute. One of my favorite parts of my day. I agree, it feels a bit less safe. Especially when in a bike lane, or the actual lane - cars sometimes seem to suddenly be right next to you. Fortunately I have access to a lot of bike paths. They feel quite safe, even with music. I also use speakers for music in my motorcycle helmet - similar effect, though cars don't usually pass me (I don't speed, I just accelerate faster from a stop, and lane filter at lights). To me, it's worth it. Probably quite comparable to a car with windows open, but music playing. Over the years, nothing (bright clothes, lights, helmet, cross walks, sidewalks, school zones) has made me feel safe around cars. Not while walking, biking, motorcycling, or even driving. I have a strong habit of always acting invisible. If you actually act like you're invisible, you give very few opportunities for another driver's mistake to involve you (definitely not completely avoidable, unfortunately)

In general, no. Riding in an urban environment, hearing is important to safety; especially in places with poor bike safety. I think if you are out riding recreationally, it could be okay. For me, I use recreational riding as a time to disconnect and listen to the world around me. On another note, I cannot stand runners or walkers with headphone/earbuds in because they don't pay attention to what is around them. I have almost hit runners/walkers because of this. They can't here my freehub, my bell, or my voice so I can't get their attention to pass or to warn them.

Most of the time I hear cars before I see them especially at intersections. I have a JBL Go2 speaker on my bike and I listen to music while at the same time I hear everything around me

Glad to see others also looking for music solution on bike :) Thanks for doing tests, if I see this a few years earlier then I don't need to lose ear buds and BT speakers Anyway, after testing with different solutions, ear bud does make it feel that much more danger, especially at quiet road you don't expect much traffic After ruling out ear bud, speakers is the way to go but it is a bit annoying How you position and mount it on a bike is key The best place to mount speaker I found is on handle bar, this shall avoid sound distortion, also you do not need to turn volume right up to just able to hear from it Then how to mount the speaker is another annoyance, of course you can mount with cable tie, but that might scratch your bike paint job and at the end, I see to use a very thin cloth, wrap around your tiny speaker like a candy then tie it on your handle bar is the easiest way to do the mounting and so far sever me well

Just discovered Shifter. Thank you so much. The videos are perfect: well-made, fun, and informative.

I hear what you're saying about being unplugged when riding. For me, commuting in NYC the music helps me stay in a good mentally/emotionally. Otherwise it would feel too much like its me vs the traffic/pedestrians. It's not fun or relaxing to ride in NYC. I'm on high alert. Music calms me. I wear my JBL clip on my shoulder right by my ear. I cant hear it as well or have to jack up the volume it's clipped to my rack.

I use the JBL speaker because I can hear everything around me and people can hear me riding up behind them. I don't have to shout, "On your left", which at times people move to the left or move completely off of the bike path. I have a Surly Pack Rat, which has a front rack, so it's nice to clip the speaker to my rando bag -making it easier to turn the volume up or down. It is a party!! I've experienced people dancing to the music I am playing when waiting for the light to change at an intersection :)

I like biking around with one earbud on a low volume. I can hear both my surroundings and have podcasts running in the background.

My thoughts on this: They have little Bluetooth speakers that clip on your neck or shoulders (neck speakers). These are good if you want the benefits of a speaker but don't want to broadcast music around the area. You can keep them quiet enough to not bother others. The modern "in-ear" earbuds that climb down your ear canal are awful for riding (and all forms of working out in general). They magnify and pass on wind noise and also breathing noise and jaw movement. The old kind that sat in your outer ear were great. Even if you are so afraid of traffic you won't listen on roads, there are places with no cars, like bike paths. Also, mountain biking in general.

I ride with a speaker, I love it as it alerts pedestrians to my presence as well as entertaining me. Less jumpy pedestrians and dog walkers reeling in their dogs as I approach from behind on shared pathways is a huge safety plus for me.

Wow! My comment made it into a video. I agree there might be some safety loss, but it's definitely going to be marginal. Most of the dangerous situations I'm in have nothing to do with my hearing and everything to do with inattentive drivers and painted bicycle gutters. If I wanted to maximize safety in my city, I wouldn't be riding a bike in the first place. The risk is unfortunately part of the experience. I'd be interested to see if there's any consensus from peer reviewed literature in the subject, maybe in a future video.

I love listening to music while riding my bike. It's a long and busy commute with noisy bits and quiet bits and having something to listen to while biking just makes it a more enjoyable time. Biking is how I get around. I love doing it, but it's usually not recreational.

Nice survey. As one who's worn headphones regularly on a bike for decades, I do think it is reasonably safe IF you take the right attitude. #1 don't play it too loudly. If you're getting surprised by things around you, it is WAY too loud. Go for minimum volume to hear the content. #2 pay extra attention and use whatever other tools you can to keep situational awareness. For example, a rearview mirror or radar #3 I think that voice content like podcasts is better than music for safe consumption. IMO, music tends to fill up the acoustic 'space' more than people talking.

I cycle for commute and have used headphones to listen to music with volume levels low enough to let me hear my surroundings. I certainly would never use noise-cancelling headphones. What I want to emphasize is that you should never use a bluetooth speaker. I frequently walk around the parks and communities of where I live and I absolutely despise it when a cyclist (or anyone else) is blasting music from a bluetooth speaker. It always ends up being abrupt and distracting. I know I am not the only one who feels the same way. *I don't mind buskers or other musicians. I know that may seem contradictory but they add to the liveliness of the city in a positive way.

I always use bone conduction headphones when I ride. Helps stop the stress from engines and cars behind, but I can still hear key things. Besides, I generally just use my eyes when I’m cycling, so I don’t think music is really a risk factor to seriously consider.

The speaker is my go to as an urban commuter- being heard makes you noticed, being noticed might keep you from being hit.

I use sports style Bluetooth ear buds that have hooks so they never fall out. They allow me to hear ambient noise so I can still hear most sounds. I can also take calls while cycling which is another plus. One downside is that if you switch the ambient noise pass through on full is that it amplifies the sound of the wind blowing and that's almost the only thing you can hear until you stop. I don't always listen to music though, often I just have them in so that if I get a call I don't have to stop. Oh and the ear buds also tell me who's calling so I can ignore the call if I prefer.

You are either an Alert rider or you’re not. I feel it also matters where you are riding. Bike paths and protected bike lanes are generally pretty safe areas to ride in. Also if you ride with a large group at slow speed. I would maybe not recommend it in traffic but I will generally have one ear bud in and one out if I feel I need to be extra alert for example amongst fast moving traffic.

Yes. No headphones/earbuds though. Impairs your situational awareness by cutting off potentially all ambient noises (i.e. traffic, passersbyers, pedestrians, etc.) Playing music on a speaker/phone not only allows you to listen to music but it also gives notice to others that you are in the nearby vicinity to help prevent collisions.

I got myself a pair of Aftershokz so I could listen to music while working in a warehouse while still hearing all my surroundings, and I made the connection not too long ago that I could wear them while biking, and I've been really enjoying them.

Really like your conclusion about keeping your ride simple and disconnecting while you ride.

In Los Angeles I used to have a $5 radio tied with zipties onto the handlebar and that made my commutes so much better! But I only felt like doing that because there were extremely few other cyclists, and because it sometimes looked like everyone there dresses or behaves kind of wackily so it wouldn't stand out too much (it didn't). Once I moved to Washington DC and then Barcelona with so many other cyclists around, I went back to silent commutes. On the one hand, I feel too self-conscious. On the other hand, I don't want to inconvenience the other riders, who did not choose to listen to the same music. I do not use headphones because of the safety issue (even when walking they make me too absent-minded sometimes). For Critical Mass and for group rides, my father has a trailer where he carries huge loudspeakers, and that makes it so much fun. Thanks for this video!

I love riding with podcasts or music. That being said I ride exclusively for recreation and very rarely for commuting. So if I'm doing laps or on the open road I like having my Aftershockz for podcasts and music. For group rides, I don't really bother since it makes it harder to chat.

One thing you may not have noticed with using a speaker while commuting is the safety benefit. Riding through busy city streets for over a decade now ive noticed people are oblivious to cyclists. Pedestrians often times stand on the bike lane/road waiting for the light or trying to jaywalk & won't see the oncoming bikes. However if you're blasting your favorite songs they'll definitely *hear* you coming & decide _maybe I should get off the bike lane/road_ The amounts of potential accidents I've avoided by simply being heard on the road has been eye opening. From parents being distracted by their phones/others until they hear me coming and finally deciding _maybe I _*_should_*_ get the stroller off the bike lane/road_ to tourist finally looking at the road instead of the building they're trying to get to, blasting my music has saved me more than I count. And if you're worried about being "obnoxious" just remember people *at the most* are gonna hear your music until your light changes or *even less* as you bike past them for a few seconds (unless you're riding really slow) & then they'll completely forget about you as people are generally more worried about their lives than what song the cyclist is playing. Not to mention cars have wayyy louder speaker systems inside them which I hear no one complaining about unless it's a parked car blasting music at 4am in a residential area

I use a bluetooth boombox with a very easy bike attachment called the Buckshot Speaker; they're much cheaper than the JBL. It's a joy to use; though I try not to have it on when riding on nature paths. They're about forty bucks, drop resistant, and actually tend to make cars pay more attention to me. The speaker lets me pay better attention to my surroundings and not have to worry about anything falling off my head.

100% Agree with you on this one Tom. The feeling of disconnecting from everything while out on a ride, either for transport or leisure, is something I crave everyday. At the same time, the ambient sounds bring me closer to nature and my local environment/community. Something you just can't experience the same when you're locked away in hulking metal box.

When rural touring I enjoyed a shower radio that let me tune to local stations and have both ears unobstructed. In city I decided in only a few minutes that budding both ears is a bad idea. When I use my wireless "wired together with a mic in the wire" version to phone or be entertained I keep the mic end in my ear and drape the other speaker into my shirt collar so that if it falls... it dangles. Using an ear bud every day or for a long time led to ear hole pimples. Waterless hand cleaner wiping and wet willies helps.

I used to bike around with earbud on the "pave side" ear for my 1hr commute bike to uni. I'd have my revision play in the morning, then on the way home maybe some podcasts.

Great video. I love my bone condition headphones. As you found, amazing for podcasts and not bad for audio. Safer than earbuds. When there is lots of wind they aren’t great, but I suspect not much is when the wind is super loud.

Thanks to you I learned about and ordered the bone conducting headphones. They are going to improve my safety both on a cycle and on foot.

I've been using earbuds for the last 30 years. I recently went to Apple's Airpods Pro a few years ago, and being wireless was such an amazing advancement. I can also have a phone-call conversation with them, and the people on the other end never realize I'm biking unless I'm breathing heavily. I mostly cruse slowly and listen to podcasts. I couldn't enjoy cycling without my sounds. If I'm doing something really dangerous or exploring new paths, I may take them out to get better immersion in my surroundings. But for commuting -- both pods in, all the time.

I've listened to podcasts and never once has a car or person snuck up on me. My ride is fairly residential, so I do have that going for me.

For me, I bike with headphones to go to work. There’s barely any traffic so I don’t have much to worry about accident wise. When I switch to recreational biking, I use a speaker at 3/4 volume but only when There’s little to nobody around. I lower it based on the amount of people in the area, especially in a public park. (I use my Apple Watch and Siri to control volume so no need to pull out my phone)

Wow this got me thinking I wonder how people received radios or music in vehicles as they developed through the early years

In Oklahoma City, I see a guy at Lake Hefner who rides his bike, with one of those harmonica braces and plays through the whole trail.

I like to use headphones while cycling in the city because as a woman in a south american country catcalling is an everyday thing, so listening to music with moderate volume helps me to 'drown' whistles and other unpleasents sounds while being able to hear cars, emergency vehicles and other cyclists approach. It is true that you have to be more cautious about your surroundings, but for me it helps me to concentrate more and have a better experience overall

What’s lost is in winter - You are not riding your bike in the mean temp. Which just mid point of min & max. In fact, if you daily plot the temp with usual time your ride w/ temp, mornings & late afternoon / evenings, more will be in colder parts of the temp gradient But still doable with prep & new tires & such. But I have observed Canadians don’t like to brave cold like before, unless supper trending sports clothes or fashion is available. I do plan to get better at winter biking.

Bike commuter here, with 20+ years riding in big cities with bad or lacking bike lanes (so practically always sharing space with motorized traffic): I always use headphones (earbuds) hearing mostly loud music and have never had any problems with it (oddly enough). I had my concerns initially, but even with loud music I could always distinguish sirens of ambulances - and I'm also hearing a lot of electronic music, that might interfere with that sound frequency-wise. Now, I have to add, that my style of riding is always fast - so, my take on this might not apply to other bikers out there (however, I'm not a chaotic driver, respecting traffic rules and especially every other being on my way). So, everytime I'm on the bike, I pay 110% attention to my surroundings visually - and not trusting my hearing actually felt like an improvement on my awareness. Would anyone cross a street with an obstructed view just by trusting your ears? What if there's another bike? They can come fast, too and they don't make a noise! Maybe I was just reaaally lucky the last 20 years, but of the dozens of accidents I had, 95% was because of slippery roads (rain and ice) and the rest were situations which couldn't have been prevented by hearing. But to anyone out there: ALWAYS use a helmet - it just takes one fall, no matter how fast you go.

I ride a bicycle for transportation, so often I will go fast, but a bicycle (and motorcycle) as well, invites me to slow down when possible, to observe nature, and the neighborhood, and interact with people, etc. I enjoy the contemplation, and being in the outdoors, and my relationship to the machine, so I don't listen to music on a bicycle or a motorcycle, although I love music as well.

Can't say I've ever had any audio device with me, although it may be useful for training (motivation) or taking calls? But I also believe it's much safer to be as aware as possible, nothing in ears !

Music is a must on my bike. As a musician, I can't ride without music, although sometimes I enjoy just natural ambience. But most of the time, the music makes the journey super cool! However, I don't wear earbuds or headphones, I sense lots of dangerous things can happen. I use my portable speaker in the basket of my beach cruiser. I only play it loud when I'm alone or in loud traffic, but I keep the volume down when I'm near other people. But yeah, music and cycling is the best thing ever!

KOSS KSC-35s. I've got them plugged into a Cardo comms unit, same with spouse's helmet. Much more robust in terms of functionality. Don't block traffic noise. Less vulnerable to wind. That, and they stay put.

I find that just like when at the gym/working out, I'm able to push myself harder and go further while listening to music. I use earbuds, but I might take my headphones out one day; I never even thought to do that. I used speakers in the past, and it's nice, but unlike the majority it seems, I actually enjoy having my ears "plugged".

I ride an E scooter to work daily. I have a Bluetooth speaker I play out loud but it's primary use is to keep other pedestrians around me aware I am there more than entertainment for me.

I love the ending sentiment. I knew as soon as my car stopped being useful that I wanted nothing to do with a privilege based transportation method. It somehow took me 2 years to learn that bikes were the way to go. I love this channel and I love that our boy understands the serinty of a bike trip.

Attach the JBL clip on a bike bell on your handle bar. Use a zip tie to form a little loop. It doesn't interfere with turning or cause any offset weight issues. Very light speaker. Putting it on the back of bike is bad. Putting a speaker directly in facing you that uses a speaker mount is great but if a JBL Clip hangs sideways or facing, it sounds way better than behind you. I also have a JBL Wind 2 that has a speaker bike mount (perfectly directed at you) which is even much better than hanging on handle bar.

Another option is Bose sunnies. I have a pair of Bose tempo sunnies and the audio quality is amazing, and similar to aftershokz you have open ears and can hear all traffic noise. I actually also have some aftershokz for commuting in the dark and can say although the aftershokz are great, the Bose sunnies are significantly better sound (for music, cannot comment on podcasts). Recommend both / either!

I live in Teton County Wyoming. There are some popular trails on the National Forest just outside Grand Teton National Park which are used by mountain bikers. Some years back a guy was blasting down one of these trails listening to his tunes when he encountered a grizzly sow with cubs. Ended up in the hospital via helicopter. So, there it is.

Thanks for being openminded about earbuds. I'm Autistic and can't handle the wind and street noise without some kind of noise. I use Surefire EP-3s with a speaker instead of earbuds but might make the switch. I was just afraid of being hassled and a lot of times cashiers get upset when I wear earbuds in the store. I have dog ears. I can ABSOLUTELY still hear you.

Listening to audiobooks and podcasts (i.e. spoken voices) takes a lower volume than listening to music (unless you really don't care about the music), so it's probably safer. I have never felt that I was distracted or less aware of my surroundings, if only for the fact that wind alone creates a substantial amount of noise already: by blocking some of that noise, my in-ear headphones actually make some of the surrounding noises easier to hear. At a moderate volume setting, the voices in the audiobooks do not drown out the sound of traffic at all: I really think that they have a sufficiently different spectrum to not be an issue. Finally, about being distracted: I've always felt the other way around. If a situation calls for increased concentration, I naturally tune out of what I am looking to, only to realize, once the ride becomes calmer, that I need to hit the back button a few times because I have absolutely no memory of what was said while I was paying attention to the road.

My ears are like eyes in the back of my head. I also enjoy hearing birds and crickets. No tunes for me.

I only use BT speakers when riding on sleepy roads at night (moderate volume). Seems like a much better (as in less startling) option for alerting other cyclists compared to the bell. Plus, it's hard to get spooked at night when you're playing disco house music :)

One of the few situations where transparency mode is really useful.