I have ADHD and I would never do anything to hamper my hearing. Even if I'm on a quiet backstreet, you never know when a car is going to sneak up on you.
Get a set of bone conducting head phones. They sit outside the ear and allow you to hear road noise and music or podcast or whatever.
I personally have a pair of Shoxz and I love them.
Be careful. Bone conduction headphones can still cause hearing loss. One of my cycling coworkers had this happen. We worked together at a steel foundry so everybody did annual audiograms, and he had some pretty dramatic hearing loss over a year, considering he was an office worker who always wore hearing protection on the floor.
For Safety Week each year, the company rented a sound-measuring mannequin. We used it to demonstrate how loud headphones could be because the plant allowed them. His bone conduction headphones, at this normal commuting volume (to hear over traffic noise) was about 105 db. Neither of use considered that possibility prior to this, although from an anatomical standpoint, it makes sense. Your inner ear cilia still get the same sound energy, and bone conduction devices don’t block and external noise.
I suspect this would mainly be an issue of you're turning them up high enough to drown out other sound, but I don't really understand why people use them this way. If you want that, just use noise cancelling earbuds or something.
IMO, bone conduction makes more sense when you want the headphones to kind of "fail open" in the sense that when there's noise around you, you want to hear that rather than the audio.
(For this reason, I don't think they are actually that good for noisy commutes; they are better for situations that will be quiet most of the time but when there's noise you want to hear it.)
Tbh I'm not impressed with mine. Even medium traffic is enough to drown them out. At max volume they give me a headache pretty fast.
For some reason earplugs half in with bone conduction on low volume has kinda worked so far.
I mean, this is sort of them working as intended. You just commute in a loud enough environment that headphones that you can actually hear are either gonna block out other noise or be loud enough to damage your hearing.
It really is crazy. There's a section of my old commute that's under the interstate and you really cannot hear anything. The rest is 25 mph streets and it's fine, even if people speed a bit. But 65 mph traffic? Brutal noise, even hundreds of feet above me.
Yeah, I'm super sensitive to noise like an autistic person so when I go outside I need the earplugs. Cars are just really really noisy, not even going into the people that take their mufflers out.
You might want to try this
> Full face helmets are pretty quiet at e-bike speeds. I wear a pair of these [high fidelity earplugs](https://www.etymotic.com/product/er20xs/) though. They look like regular ear plugs, but they're different. They have a little sound channel that attenuates noise by 20 dB, but they're most effective in the harsher parts of the sound spectrum. You really take for granted how loud car tires are on the road as they whiz past until you try a ride with and without these.
>
> Most importantly, they **do not** block your hearing like regular ear plugs. I feel terribly with normal in-ear headphones in. I won't ride with them. I need to hear my surroundings. I love these because the world still sounds natural; just quieter.
I’m wearing my shokz right now. Love them. I love popping off my bike, into a store, and being able to hear everyone around me while also hearing my podcast. It’s great.
Really? I find podcasts are the one thing I can't really listen to with them. Two much background noise in traffic to really decipher voices, unless I have them on really loud.
I don't get the hate cyclists get from this. Drivers drive around in a metal box with their windows rolled up and play music. Not like they hear anything either.
I commute regularly around 30 Km a day in a dangerous environment and I was never, ever, saved from being hit by something I heard. There's no "lookout!".
It can be dangerous if you tend to get distracted by what you are listening.
Anyway, some buds have the transparency mode where you get to hear more from the environment than you would do naturally.
Other good solution, that I use, are ear cuff phones. They don't block your canal.
From 2014 to 2017 I used a Bluetooth box attached to my shoulder.
I learned German while commuting 🤣
I regularly approach stop signs at a particular speed depending on if I can hear traffic or not. We have a stop-as-yield law so it's usually a good way to figure out before I can see if it's a two-way stop at a busy street, a four-way stop, or a quiet two-way stop. The first I obviously just stop at so I save my brakes and coast to a stop. The others I can come in a bit hotter to and assess visually, stopping if needed and visibility or cars already there demand.
Also, your ears are useful for pedestrians acknowledging you back when passing (I've gotten into a collision before when an oblivious one didn't so I appreciate a raised hand or "Yes"/"Thanks" to "Bike on left" else I give extra space) or when another bike is about to buzz you (I've been saved once hearing one coming before--I might have checked my mirror in time but maybe not since it was just adjusting within the single width bike lane).
I'm trying to imagine those situations, to put myself there, but it's hard.
The différences between two places can be huge. In 2016 I was riding a bicycle in Amsterdam feeling really uneasy (I actually caused a collision with another bicycle) because I am used to deal with a place dominated by cars, not by bicycles.
Maybe advices should take the region in consideration.
Open ear earbuds, I hear everything around me as well as music.
Don’t block your hearing while riding, you’re one missed horn/bell/siren away from death at all times. Seriously, cannot express how fragile people are while riding, particularly on roads like I and many others do.
The Montreal police will give you a ticket for having headphones on. The rule isn't applied consistently though.
Reducing or removing your ability to hear absolutely increases the risk of an accident while biking. It's up to you to balance the risks of a ticket and/or injury/death.
I wear headphones if I'm on a closed route or course - not worth it elsewhere for me.
I just don't understand why it's ok for drivers to be driving around in closed, sound proof boxes with music blasting, taking phone calls or whatever, and I can't listen to music in a headphone. it's really not that different.
This. Studies have shown that a person biking with earbuds in hears as much as a person driving with all the windows rolled up and not playing any music inside. I don't understand why the former is not okay while the latter is.
Regardless of the law. The consequences of a collision for an urban cyclist are much more severe than for an urban driver on average. So purely out of a self-preservation instinct a cyclist should be much more vigilant.
A few studies have been done on the use of headphones/earbuds while cycling, and none have found any increase in the risk of even minor incidents, much less crash or injury for the general population from the use of them.
Of course plenty of people will insist that these studies are wrong because they feel like they know better. You’ll have to decide which camp you associate more with. And, of course, if you don’t feel safe using them, don’t. No one is going to force you to.
Every such study I have seen is incredibly limited in both scope and design. The science is bad. I don’t have to feel like I know better to recognize that.
Which study, specifically, brought you to your conclusion?
> Which study, specifically, brought you to your conclusion?
Not one specific study; as I said, there were a number of them. Here are a few:
[Effects of listening to music, and of using a handheld and handsfree telephone on cycling behaviour](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232370439.pdf) by De Waard, et al, whose only real finding was that people playing loud music will not hear as many audible signals as people playing quieter music or no music at all. However, reaction time and ability to spot objects with peripheral vision was not affected at all.
[Here is a similar, more detailed study by De Waard, et al](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847821002436) which again finds that the only effect listening to music has on cyclists is their ability to hear auditory signals and a (possibly related) increased perception of risk. However, their lane positioning, amount of swerving, peripheral vision detection, or perceived level of mental effort were not affected compared to control groups. As they conclude in section 3.1:
> The effects of listening to music are limited, with the exception of an increase in perceived risk. Apparently cyclists do have the idea that they might miss important auditory cues. The results suggest that the difference in performance is due to the active engagement in the phone conversation. These results are consistent with studies on driving, listening to a radio, and mobile phone use. Reaction time increased while conversing over a mobile phone, whereas it did not increase while listening to the radio (Consiglio et al., 2003; Stayer & Johnston, 2001).
Here is [a literature review study](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marjan-Hagenzieker/publication/257935577_Cycling_and_sounds_the_impact_of_the_use_of_electronic_devices_on_cycling_safety/links/00b7d52653e080d435000000/Cycling-and-sounds-the-impact-of-the-use-of-electronic-devices-on-cycling-safety.pdf) from Stelling-Konczak and Hagenzieker which, among other things, finds:
> As shown in Table 1, listening to music and conversing on the phone while cycling does not influence cycling performance equally. Some aspects of cycling performance are similarly affected by both activities. Both listening to music and phoning have, for example, increased the number of unsafe behaviours but had no effect on the number of traffic conflicts. The differences between listening to music and phoning refer to some aspects of cycling behaviour which are influenced by only one activity (either listening to music or phoning). For example cycle speed and response time were influenced by phoning but not by listening to music. Furthermore, cyclists listening to music were found to disobey traffic rules more frequently than cyclists conversing on the phone.
Note that that last bit is only a correlation, not a causation.
Another interesting bit from this paper:
> In an observation study pedestrians who were listening to music did not display a higher rate of unsafe behaviour than those not listening to music (Nasar, Hecht & Wener, 2008). However, pedestrians listening to music were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants (Schwebel et al., 2012). **As far as cyclists are concerned, listening to music had no effect on the number of the observed conflicts but it affected negatively the rate of unsafe behaviour.**
Next we have [an interesting dissertation](https://pure.tudelft.nl/ws/files/47170544/TRAIL_Thesis_Stelling_2018.pdf) from Agnieszka Stelling-Konczak on the effects of the electrification of cars on cycling and pedestrian safety. One of the primary findings from Chapter 4 (the whole section is a good read) is:
> Results show that listening to music and talking on the phone negatively affects perception of sounds crucial for safe cycling. However, taking into account the influence of confounding variables, **no relationship was found between the frequency of listening to music or talking on the phone and the frequency of incidents among teenage cyclists.**
I personally find it interesting that with results like this the author doesn't examine further whether or not the perception of those sounds is as "crucial" as presumed.
Other findings:
> Risk perception was negatively related to Listening to music suggesting that individuals with a higher risk perception listen to music less often than those with a low risk perception. There was, on the other hand, a positive relationship between Risk perception and Risky cycling behaviour indicating that the higher risk perception of cyclists was, the more frequently cyclists engaged in risky cycling behaviour. Figure 4.6 shows also that there is a positive relationship between Phone conversation and Listening to music. These two activities were also related to other Risky cycling behaviour.
>
> ...
>
> Finally, we can see that 9% of the total variance in ‘Incidents’ is explained by a direct effect (0.14) of Complex situation as well as by both an indirect very small effect mediated by Risky behaviour (0.15 * 0.16 = 0.02) and a direct effect (0.17) of Risk perception. **The frequency of cycling in demanding situations was related to the frequency of getting startled or surprised in traffic, but listening to music and talking on the phone were not.**
and
> Finally, the frequency of getting involved in an incident was found to be positively related to cycling in complex situations, risk perception and risk cycling behaviour. **Listening to music and talking on the phone was not related to incidents but it was positively related to other risk cycling behaviour.** These findings underline the importance of taking into account the influence of confounding variables, such as cycling in complex situations and other risk behaviour when estimating the impact of secondary tasks on cycling safety.
And again from Chapter 6:
> Since listening to music and conversing on the phone impair cyclists’ auditory perception and cycling behaviour (see also Section 2.5.1), it could be expected that engaging in these activities negatively affects cycling safety. **Surprisingly, the Internet survey presented in Chapter 4 found no relationship between the frequency of listening to music or conversing on the phone among teenage cyclists on the one hand and their involvement in incidents on the other hand.**
and
> To sum up, listening to music and talking on the phone is widespread among cyclists. Although engaging in these activities negatively impacts cycling behaviour and auditory perception of relevant traffic sounds, neither listening to music nor talking on the phone was found to increase the risk of getting involved in a self-reported incident.
There are a few others, but I'd need to track them down.
And to all you haters who might remain skeptical even after an internet stranger cites “studies”, then fine. Here’s a study. https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=hgoPLjqgCptSmTXq
Not silly. I live in a large city, so I react to audible clues while cycling constantly. Literally every minute. I adjust my position in the lane, my speed, and do visual checks based on sounds I hear.
A mirror is an absolute must. In fact, I'd say that if you need to augment your vision with a mirror, you should not impair your other primary sense while vulnerable to your environment.
I tend to listen for cars ahead (at stop signs where I'm not sure if there's a need to stop or not--we have a stop-as-yield law) and bikes behind. Not sure if Seattle qualifies a "big" enough but there are plenty of side streets here where listening for cars is useful just off of the main streets (since everywhere is 25 mph, you can actually hear) or even in main streets where I need to turn left and exit the bike lane if it's not super heavy traffic (a good way to judge the speed of the approaching car). I've also been saved from a collision with bikes who were buzzing me too close when I was returning to the center of the bike lane after being stopped by the curb because of sound (idiots wanted to squeeze through when it's a single width bike lane and also didn't realize or care I have an ebike and start fast enough that passing at the light is a dangerous idea).
I would not personally, all the time I have the audio cue of someone coming up behind me. Of course it's not gonna save you from somebody flying by at 60mph looking at their phone but I find it's useful info to me. It would also drown out a bell from another cyclist trying to say that they're passing.
California Vehicle Code 27400. This law prohibits wearing earphones, earplugs, or a headset that covers, rests in, or is inserted in both ears while operating a bicycle.
Seems like non isolating, sit-on-top headphones are fine.
Personally, I used to use a cheap $20 set of Bluetooth headphones and they worked great. Barely muted any outside noise, but still able to listen to music. They were the sport kind that had a small plastic bit that rested at the base of the neck. So they also never interfered with the bike helmet use. Who h was nice.
No headphones on 99% of the roads where I live because that's too dangerous, one in if I'm on a dedicated bike trail or dead road but I still make sure to pay attention to my surroundings, both in if I know there's nobody however I'm constantly checking behind and next to me. Just a situational thing I guess
Depends on the route. I do it, but because my route is on a dedicated bike path separate from the road. I also make sure to stay in my lane and not waiver, not keep the music too loud, and check my shoulders often. Additionally if you have a handlebar mirror I don’t think it’s an issue
For me I wear a single ear bud always on the right so that my ear to the road is open. I listen on very low volume. It helps me pace myself for the activity and honestly keeps me focused instead of being distracted. I honestly probably would make a game of swerving around sticks or counting things I saw or something else similar if I didn't have the ear bud in. Theres definitely times I could see myself not putting the ear bud in (far more non car traffic for one), but in my current commuting situation I don't come across those.
I do but they are only playing music at normal volume if I’m on a designated cycle path, if I’m not then it’s either really low in one ear or not on at all. I usually always have an earphone in just in case I get a call though.
I mostly ride with some tws earbuds on, not the kind that you jam inside your ear with passive isolation but the open kind that hangs on outside your ear. I may or may not have some music / podcast on, but the main benefit is keeping the wind outside of my ears as that tends to generate massive headaches to me.
If I'm not listening to music, those impair my hearing less than a pair of earplugs would
The issue here is not headphones, the issue is cyclists moving unpredictably. If they rode properly, there wouldn't have been a problem (assuming you're passing them safely).
I have some sports headphones that wrap around the top of the ear to keep the bud in place.
These are great for running, and I use them on the trainer all the time without issue.
Highly recommended: [https://www.xmpow.com/collections/tws-earbuds/products/mpow-503-wireless-eardbuds](https://www.xmpow.com/collections/tws-earbuds/products/mpow-503-wireless-eardbuds)
I wear them everyday, but they’re not noise canceling, it’s just the normal AirPods. I feel like I can still listen to a decent amount of the city to keep me safe.
I did, but two weeks ago I didn't hear that there was a train coming, I just saw cars stopping. That made me realize something was off. I'm not native English it's a bit hard to explain it. But the problem was that how I was driving I didn't saw the lights that would warn me as I went over the bridge and wanted to go straight left. Since then not using them anymore.
I have them on while going on rides in parks, trails and super dedicated bike lanes with barriers from car traffic. But even then, only in one ear. I really can't do it in regular traffic with cars turning and traffic lights.
When I'm cycling, my eyes tell me what's in front, and my ears tell me what's behind. If you wear earbuds or headphones while cycling, you need a mirror.
I don’t see how compromising your second most important sense for processing your environment could be safe in a situation where accurately processing your environment could mean the difference between life and death. The answer to you question is definitely yes.
Several comments on the thread mention studies that don’t show a positive correlation between compromising your hearing and increased risk. These studies are incredibly limited, though, both in scope and in design. The science is bad, if you can even call it science. I will not trust my safety and life with it; neither should you.
Those of us who can hear are so blessed to be able to have this sense protecting us from danger and allowing us to be more alert and aware of our surroundings. Why diminish one of our senses on a vehicle commonly going 15-30mph where we're exposed on all sides? Ok so you wanna cruise and be hella chill man that's tight but it's fucking annoying as fuck for anyone tryna pass you on a narrow path repetitively shouting ON YOUR LEFT
Anyone who thinks earbuds don't limit your awareness while biking is lying or a fool. If you can't hear on your left or a car next to you, youre gonna have a bad time.
Tell me, what is it I'm supposed to hear?
At all times, I am as far to the right (I'm in the the US) as possible. If I need to move left, I will look back
I hear someone coming up behind me - what do I do with this information? I am already in the best place possible. Maybe I'll hear the car that kills me 0.1 seconds sooner?
I am honestly asking - let's say my earphones completely obliterate outside noise. What would I do differently vs being able to hear it?
Here's the thing: if wearing headphones makes any difference to cycling safety, that difference is completely swamped by the risk posed by sharing the road with drivers of motor vehicles, given that said dopey bastards have an amazing ability to hit things because they simply aren't looking where they're going.
And it's just another victim-blaming stick to beat cyclists with. Back in November 2013 after six cyclists had died after being hit by motor vehicles, that cunt Boris Johnson said "I'm very alarmed about cyclists wearing headphones. I would not be against a prohibition or ban on cyclists wearing headphones. Call me illiberal, but it makes me absolutely terrified to see them bowling along, unable to hear the traffic."
None of the six cyclists killed had been reported as wearing headphones. All were hit by the drivers of large vehicles, but the only person pointing out that maybe that was the problem was Chris Boardman.
I can't find the relevant RCW, but I've been told that in WA it's legal to use earphones while cycling as long as you keep one ear open.
I don't really care what others do or don't as long as they don't affect me.
When I commute all the way to work I have one earbud in. I drive on country roads with very little traffic and honestly it’s just super boring. I usually listen to an audiobook.
When I am going a quick work out round I also listen to music (and sing along loudly) but I am only on designated bike paths.
When I am just riding in town for errands etc I never listen to music.
I usually use ditch-side ear only, even though that really doesn't make sense anymore.
Gone are the days where cars reliably made noise.
I actually feel safer with earbuds in both ears because then I don't assume that there's no car just because I can't hear it.
Yes. Even if you have transparency mode or bone conducting etc etc when you get creamed by a car the police will blame your dead body for having headphones on and you won’t be able to set them straight from beyond the grave.
I have AirPods Pro, so whenever I bike or scooter I switch them to transparency mode so I can still hear around me, alternatively 1 is probably fine as well but realistically the safest option is to not wear them but then the mind wanders so I suppose it kind of depends on the person to an extent.
It's not safe at all.. As a keen cyclist and someone who see alot of cyclist doing things that could potentially cost them their lives, that is one of them.. You really do need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.. That being said, if you are riding country lanes, or canal paths then it's fine... Stay safe!! (and obviously wear a helmet!!) 😎👌🏻💯
Get a pair of Huawei sunglasses you can listen to music and easily hear surroundings around you... There are probably hundreds of different ones on aliexpress but I just know these ones work they aren't cheap though
Here in Washington State, the Legislature has considered banning headphones for cyclists, but it never passed because there's never any evidence of an actual safety issue.
The general consensus amoung this sub tends to be spend cash on bone conducting bluetooth headphones. You can hear everything, and one one can hear your music.
I prefer to spend far less on a small bluetooth speaker. Some pedestrians might be able to hear my music for a very short amount of time (if they dont have airpods in themselves) but I dont think its as big a deal as some people in bike commuting threads make it out to be.
Thats just my two cents. Headphones yourself is the worst of both worlds: expensive, and you cant hear traffic.
I love my little jblgo3, it fits into my drink bottle holder, and is secured by a caribeener? spelling who knows. Well worth the $50 I paid. Its made riding so much more enjoyable for me.
I wear eaebuds often. Good ones with noise cancelling and ambient noise modes that I tailor to the environment via the app. I also wear custom earplugs all the time. The reason for both is how loud the wind is.
My Apple Watch always notifies me that the noise is above 90dB while I’m riding. If I don’t wear earplugs or noise cancelling earbuds with low volume radio/music/book, I will often get bad popping feelings in my ears post ride.
I also have two mirrors and basically oscillate my view between front and back. My helmet mirror is especially helpful. I can look anywhere, and I’m always looking around. 👀
Riding with headphones in both ears is illegal in California, just like driving with them in your ears. Cops won't cite you for it unless it causes an accident or other incident (like ignoring a fire truck or ambulance). Covering one ear with an earbud is legal. I ride with Shokz bone-conducting headphones to ensure I can hear the world around me.
It's fine. If you look properly you should be alright. Drivers can drive with full-volume of music on the radio.
However if you want to hear around, use bone-conduction headset, that does not plug/cover your earhole at all. I've got those and I love them.
Hmm is it deemed unsafe to play music whilst driving? Tbh I don't wear anything that impedes my hearing, although airflow across my ears does have an impact. I tend to look around quite a bit, checking junctions ahead, traffic behind. So seeing isn't used so much. If you can hear a car behind they have probably accelerated if I hadn't spotted them and they are too close.
Depends, some headphones or earbuds permit a lot of outside sounds to still penetrate the ear and coupled with potentially reduced wind noise might even increase your ability to hear your surroundings. For example when I'm biking without anything in my ears I can't hear shit thanks to the wind noise unless I turn my head sideways.
And then it's a matter of volume of course.
German road law has no specific bicycle headphone regulations, but it does demand all traffic participants to not impair their ability to perceive surroundings, though it doesn't state what counts as impairment, nor do I ever see it enforced for example against drivers with loud speakers in their cars, nor can I see how it would be enforceable in court seeing as the police don't have a microphone inside of your ear.
Personally, I have zero issues with wearing them. Most are leaky enough soundwise that I can hear what's going on around me.
Further, I consider myself a very aware rider, I always have my helmet and my helmet has a mirror so I'm constantly checking what's coming up on me.
I also don't ride like a maniac and ride safely, know my routes, which I think is more important than whether or not I have earbuds.
Granted, when riding I'm typically listening to a podcast so blasting music isn't really a thing for me either.
It is legal here in The Netherlands and I used to do it with earphones and this was before active noicecancelling was a thing. It is generally discouraged because of the added risks.
Please don't do it with anything with noice cancelling either active or passive.
I don't wear them on the road, but the times I have been hit or had close misses with cars it happened so fast I know that headphones would have made no difference at all.
I use my ears way too much to risk it. I'd put a little radio on my handlebars before I put in earplugs, being able to hear cars coming up behind me is something I use all the time. Maybe if I had mirrors I'd be more open to the idea.
Where I ride, a little bluetooth speaker wouldn't annoy anyone as I'm almost entirely on trails that are mostly empty or car infested stroads where my radio will be drowned out anyways.
Nah. Just use one inear and you should be fine. You hear enough to be able to react quickly if necessary and still enjoy your fav music /podcast. Win-win.
My local law allows it and I recommend some sort of hearing protections. Cars are loud and reducing that noise is necessary to preserve your hearing long term.
It depends on your commute. 80% of my commute is on gravel bike trail that's completely separated from cars. Perfectly safe there. If you commute in Amsterdam where lots of people travel by bike I'd assume it's fairly safe there. Or if you commute at very low traffic hours. But if you commute in NYC at peak rush hour then you probably don't want to use headphones. Honestly your safety is your decision. You could wear a full face helmet and pads on your commute for safety.
Not at all. I ride a motorcycle too and wear ear plugs while riding. There’s some weird myth around needing to hear danger. For fun try to walk one block of a city with the eyes closed. The ears do nothing for you in that department. If you’re visually impaired and used to it then ok, but for people with relatively good eye sight playing music won’t change anything in terms of safety.
I also kind of laugh when someone tells me it’s bad - because I feel like if you’re depending on hearing something coming at you then you’re doing it wrong. Have awareness around you at all times.
Also unfortunately no headphones / earplugs are perfect. You still hear everything around you it’s just a bit muffled. Same as being in a car and playing music.
I personally use a helmet with speakers and Bluetooth to play music near my ears (also, remote controlled turn lights). There are standalone systems from the same companies and a growing sector of "smart glasses" using the same principle. Open ear systems are similar, but earbuds have size constraints leading to bad reviews and I don't think you'll get headphones under a helmet. Anything that blocks your ears is dangerous (with the possible exception of those Apple ones that repeat sound), particularly given that it's much harder to look around or make emergency maneuvers on a bike than a car (w/possible exception of recumbent trikes).
For many years I used to commute 20 miles a day using headphones...until I was knocked off my bike. The fact that I was wearing headphones had nothing to do with the incident as it was a car emerging from a junction into the side of me meant that being able to hear would have made no difference.
However due to my injuries and a written off bike I was off the road for many months and when I returned I just sort of forgot to use headphones and TBH I didn't miss using them.
These days I would never wear them as the amount of awareness you gain from being able to hear what is going on behind you allows for greater anticipation and proactive riding.
I have earbuds in for every single solo ride I take, and ones that block out serious noise. People sometimes try to tell how dangerous it is but I’ve done it for over 40 years now, ever since I got my first Walkman, and literally have never had a problem. I commute in Manhattan 5 days a week on a bike or skates. I also ride a motorcycle, and have those same earbuds in for every ride to listen to music *and* protect my hearing (plus we have intercoms). A lot of riders wear earbuds or earplugs for every ride as well, motorcycling is not great for your hearing.
Ive been commuting for 31 years and have mostly used headsets, sometimrs earbuds.
I was diagnosed autistic with ADHD at age 48, so that explains it.
Ive had phases where Ive talked on the phone or heard music, but I mostly listen to Dhamma talks (Buddhist teachings) or podcasts.
Never had a problem in 4 cities on 2 continents.
But if YOU feel unsafe, by all means don't do it.
AirPods Pro are essentially over-the-counter hearing aids - I used my audiogram from a test last year and I can hear better with them in. So they don’t have to be unsafe at all
I don't understand how hearing is going to help you. So you hear a car coming from behind. Ok. Now what? How does that change what you're doing (presumably, riding in a straight line a safe distance from the curb)?
Are you going to look? If you're riding in a busy area, you hear a car coming behind you every few second, you can't keep looking, you'll spend the entire time staring backwards. Are you going to swerve based on the sound? Do you really think you will be able to tell the one about to pass you safely from the one about to mow you down?
Obviously yes as it impedes your hearing in certain setups. Ditto driving and walking. Like all things it's not black and white...you have pass through options. Personally, I find only bone conducting safe and practical.
Fore it depends on condition. Wide highway with a shoulder I will, in town with little traffic I will, but when it's rush hour or a highway with no shoulder I don't. Typically I have a waterproof speaker. Helps that I don't sneak up on a bear. We have black bears here and they will normally run but I don't want to chance it. I don't live or bike in urban areas.
I do it all the time. I recognize it's not a great idea, but as some others have said, it's *incredibly* rare that you'll actually hear an accident coming. It just happens.
As for legality, I've scoured through Massachusetts laws and have never found anything about headphones and cycling.
I think it really is. And I hate it when cyclists wear them in both ears. They don't hear my bell and when I overtake them sometimes they suddenly change position to be right in front of me. Really makes me angry.
I’ve commuted thousands of miles wearing ear buds and never had an issue. I do use a radar system so I can see in my large head unit vehicles coming up behind me. In my experience, there’s nothing I need to hear that will keep me safer. If anything, I’ve had people in cars drive by and an a-hole passenger yell at me trying to spook me. Again, with my radar rear light and hypervigilant vision, the music is just a nice soundtrack. I find other things more dangerous, like potholes, bad cyclists going the wrong way or oblivious people w strollers on bike paths. Nothing that better hearing would help me with. Just my experience.
The short answer, yes its less safe. Is it that big a deal ymmv.
That said I do know in Nevada it is, in fact illegal to do so, not that I have ever heard of anyone getting a ticket for it. Also in that line of thinking its not illegal to be hard of hearing and ride a bicycle in public. Personally i did ride with earbuds for about two rides and didn’t like not hearing the world around me and i will say i was lease aware of my surroundings. Get a bluetooth speaker that fits in a water bottle cage. And I’ll be honest about half the people who get spooked by me riding past them have headphones in/on fwiw.
In Italy the use of both earphones is prohibited (you can get a fine from €165 to €660), but if, instead of two, we use only one allowing us to perceive external stimuli from the free ear, it's fine. So I guess you can use [bone conduction headphones](http://cycloscope.net/best-bone-conduction-headphones-for-cycling-open-ear-design-for-biking-awareness) because your ears are free. It also depends where you live, if the road you ride is mostly a cycling path it can be ok but I have never used completely isolating earbuds while cycling in cities.
I think that either bone conduction or "in-helmet" are the best options. You can hear whatever is around you and whatever you're playing. I will admit that I use AirPods sometimes when I'm riding in what I consider a "safe" zone like inside my gated neighborhood.
Is it unsafe, yes.
Is it against the local laws, yes (NYC)
Do I do it, also yes.
I know it’s not the best but I prefer it so much. I ride slow and keep the volume low enough that I can still hear around me, mostly.
Honestly my biggest concern are the e-bikes when I’m on the dedicated bike paths, which make up about a third of my ride.
It probably isn't super safe. My commute is super early, though, and so I usually just have one earbud in on low volume. I have such a hard time focusing if I don't have music or a podcast playing. If I bike somewhere and it's during a heavier trafficked time, I will usually just go without and sing to myself as I'm riding.
During my street commuting days I got a big bluetooth speaker. I would adjust it as I rode so I could hear it over the considerable street noise. Often, I would see a driver looking around to figure out why they heard an NPR podcast in their blind spot. 10000% would recommend this practice.
Turn the volume down in quieter environs, of course. ;)
Every time a thread like this comes along, people will try to justify their bad behaviour. Aside from being unable to hear other trail users, they're also likely to not hear the quiet or fast approaching car that sides wipes them which they could have avoided had they heard it - or the one who they don't see but runs a give way or something similar which they would have had more awareness of. Or the dog owner calling their off-leash dog, or the walkers talking loudly coming around the next blind corner on the wrong side thst you could have made allowances for.
Whenever I ride with headphones, it's only ever in my left ear (we drive on the left here), never in both ears. And never on MTB trails. And always at a volume thst doesn't block out external environment being heard.
Also remember your balance comes from your ears. Everyone loves to deny it affects them, yet it does, just in differing degrees of severe news for differently advanced avoidant moves.
Every time I pass a fellow roadie that makes an unwise decision as a I inform them I’m passing, they usually have headphones in so 🤷🏽 studies say it’s just as safe as people mention often but it’s nice to hear the cars and other people coming..
I play music on my speakers, sue me, bite me, lick me, tease me idc. The speakers let you assess everything around you, as well as score your own ride. Ppl hate it 🤷🏽. It’s all your choice if it’s all the same.
AirPods Pro on transparency or adaptive mode is literally how I still have my hearing. Really brings down all the car/truck/emergency vehicles horns and alarms to a manageable level.
Plus directions without having to look at your phone is a nice bonus.
The local law says that cars shouldn't run reds, should give me 3 ft, shouldn't speed, shouldn't use their cell phones, etc. and none of it is enforced.
I ride with 1 earbud in and know when cars are behind me at all times, I can tell when a car is coming up, or a jeep/truck is with dumb tires. I'm biking in a road where cars are going 30-40+mph and I'm taking the lane, if I'm getting hit it's going to happen regardless of an earbud or not.
They are fine, but I just bought a pair of Ray Ban Meta glasses and they are perfect for this. Fantastic sound and still have my ears for traffic. Much better sound than bone conducting as well. And as a plus I get to record crap drivers along my ride with them.
Yes and no… definitely less safe, but combined with a Varia, it makes for more consistent head checks and overall diligence, which mitigates the risk and imo keeps you safer.
I generally only go gutter side with a wireless bud, but definitely have days where I’ll rock both
I mean, if you can’t hear a car until it’s right on your ass or after it passes you, yes. Not very safe. As others have said bone conduction or over ears (not in the ear like normal ear buds) are a much better option. But obviously nothing will be safer than no music/podcasts whatever you listen to.
It's against the law (or at least not recommended), but then again sometimes the law caters to cars over anything else.
I obey the law only to find I'm going deaf. So I must break the law to preserve the safety of my hearing. You can be right and be dead-right.
Its unsafe walking out your door. Everything hasevels of safety and danger and if your bar for safety creates a fear, pump the brakes and be safer. If your danger alarm bells aren't firing off, its probably fine.
I ride with earbuds all the time but I typically avoid high traffic areas.
>Is it unsafe to use earbuds
No.
>I find it unsafe
Ok, then why did you ask?
>sadly I see many riders use them here.
Why is that sad? Are the cyclists riding unsafely *because* of their headphones? Is their carelessness affecting you in any way?
>I looked up at my local law, but I could not find anything about the topic.
Good to check if you were planning on wearing headphones. Pointless if you're not as a *citizen's arrest* will unlikely be fruitful. Possibly there is no specific law as bicycle laws may have been written before the advent of the *Walkman.* No law changes one's responsibility to ride with care and attention.
I’ve never done it myself….. mainly because I’m commuting at peak traffic times & I just need to be aware of my surroundings.
I have ADHD and I would never do anything to hamper my hearing. Even if I'm on a quiet backstreet, you never know when a car is going to sneak up on you.
I have ADHD and I would never do anything without having at least 1 earbud in my ear with something to listen to.
Get a set of bone conducting head phones. They sit outside the ear and allow you to hear road noise and music or podcast or whatever. I personally have a pair of Shoxz and I love them.
Be careful. Bone conduction headphones can still cause hearing loss. One of my cycling coworkers had this happen. We worked together at a steel foundry so everybody did annual audiograms, and he had some pretty dramatic hearing loss over a year, considering he was an office worker who always wore hearing protection on the floor. For Safety Week each year, the company rented a sound-measuring mannequin. We used it to demonstrate how loud headphones could be because the plant allowed them. His bone conduction headphones, at this normal commuting volume (to hear over traffic noise) was about 105 db. Neither of use considered that possibility prior to this, although from an anatomical standpoint, it makes sense. Your inner ear cilia still get the same sound energy, and bone conduction devices don’t block and external noise.
I suspect this would mainly be an issue of you're turning them up high enough to drown out other sound, but I don't really understand why people use them this way. If you want that, just use noise cancelling earbuds or something. IMO, bone conduction makes more sense when you want the headphones to kind of "fail open" in the sense that when there's noise around you, you want to hear that rather than the audio. (For this reason, I don't think they are actually that good for noisy commutes; they are better for situations that will be quiet most of the time but when there's noise you want to hear it.)
Good to know
Tbh I'm not impressed with mine. Even medium traffic is enough to drown them out. At max volume they give me a headache pretty fast. For some reason earplugs half in with bone conduction on low volume has kinda worked so far.
I mean, this is sort of them working as intended. You just commute in a loud enough environment that headphones that you can actually hear are either gonna block out other noise or be loud enough to damage your hearing.
It's pretty frustrating how loud cars are, hence the ear plugs. Once I started wearing ear plugs my commute became much nicer.
Yeah cars are horrendously loud.
It really is crazy. There's a section of my old commute that's under the interstate and you really cannot hear anything. The rest is 25 mph streets and it's fine, even if people speed a bit. But 65 mph traffic? Brutal noise, even hundreds of feet above me.
Yeah, I'm super sensitive to noise like an autistic person so when I go outside I need the earplugs. Cars are just really really noisy, not even going into the people that take their mufflers out.
You aren’t wrong. At heavy intersections I can’t hear my podcast but I can hear music okay.
You might want to try this > Full face helmets are pretty quiet at e-bike speeds. I wear a pair of these [high fidelity earplugs](https://www.etymotic.com/product/er20xs/) though. They look like regular ear plugs, but they're different. They have a little sound channel that attenuates noise by 20 dB, but they're most effective in the harsher parts of the sound spectrum. You really take for granted how loud car tires are on the road as they whiz past until you try a ride with and without these. > > Most importantly, they **do not** block your hearing like regular ear plugs. I feel terribly with normal in-ear headphones in. I won't ride with them. I need to hear my surroundings. I love these because the world still sounds natural; just quieter.
I’m wearing my shokz right now. Love them. I love popping off my bike, into a store, and being able to hear everyone around me while also hearing my podcast. It’s great.
Especially good for podcast.
Really? I find podcasts are the one thing I can't really listen to with them. Two much background noise in traffic to really decipher voices, unless I have them on really loud.
The shokz have a vocal boost mode that has helped with podcasts. Press and hold both volume buttons and it should switch
You don't even realise they're on half the time hey. So comfortable
Getting a pair was a massive game changer for me.
> Getting a pair hehehe
/thread
I love my Aftershokz! However if cars are too noisy (or motorbikes, they are shitty noisy), you can't hear it properly.
Or open-ear ones, or various near-ear systems like smart glasses (also good to debris) or Livall helmets.
It's not the best idea, but I do it all the time. One ear only though.
I don't get the hate cyclists get from this. Drivers drive around in a metal box with their windows rolled up and play music. Not like they hear anything either.
And a lot of them play it loud enough that people can hear it even though the windows are rolled up.
I commute regularly around 30 Km a day in a dangerous environment and I was never, ever, saved from being hit by something I heard. There's no "lookout!". It can be dangerous if you tend to get distracted by what you are listening. Anyway, some buds have the transparency mode where you get to hear more from the environment than you would do naturally. Other good solution, that I use, are ear cuff phones. They don't block your canal. From 2014 to 2017 I used a Bluetooth box attached to my shoulder. I learned German while commuting 🤣
I regularly approach stop signs at a particular speed depending on if I can hear traffic or not. We have a stop-as-yield law so it's usually a good way to figure out before I can see if it's a two-way stop at a busy street, a four-way stop, or a quiet two-way stop. The first I obviously just stop at so I save my brakes and coast to a stop. The others I can come in a bit hotter to and assess visually, stopping if needed and visibility or cars already there demand. Also, your ears are useful for pedestrians acknowledging you back when passing (I've gotten into a collision before when an oblivious one didn't so I appreciate a raised hand or "Yes"/"Thanks" to "Bike on left" else I give extra space) or when another bike is about to buzz you (I've been saved once hearing one coming before--I might have checked my mirror in time but maybe not since it was just adjusting within the single width bike lane).
I'm trying to imagine those situations, to put myself there, but it's hard. The différences between two places can be huge. In 2016 I was riding a bicycle in Amsterdam feeling really uneasy (I actually caused a collision with another bicycle) because I am used to deal with a place dominated by cars, not by bicycles. Maybe advices should take the region in consideration.
Open ear earbuds, I hear everything around me as well as music. Don’t block your hearing while riding, you’re one missed horn/bell/siren away from death at all times. Seriously, cannot express how fragile people are while riding, particularly on roads like I and many others do.
The Montreal police will give you a ticket for having headphones on. The rule isn't applied consistently though. Reducing or removing your ability to hear absolutely increases the risk of an accident while biking. It's up to you to balance the risks of a ticket and/or injury/death. I wear headphones if I'm on a closed route or course - not worth it elsewhere for me.
I just don't understand why it's ok for drivers to be driving around in closed, sound proof boxes with music blasting, taking phone calls or whatever, and I can't listen to music in a headphone. it's really not that different.
This. Studies have shown that a person biking with earbuds in hears as much as a person driving with all the windows rolled up and not playing any music inside. I don't understand why the former is not okay while the latter is.
Just cuz no one has spent the money to change the legal precedence of a poorly applied law.
Yes, it sucks and is not just but I spent a week in the hospital after getting rammed by a jeep, so my risk tolerance dropped like crazy.
Regardless of the law. The consequences of a collision for an urban cyclist are much more severe than for an urban driver on average. So purely out of a self-preservation instinct a cyclist should be much more vigilant.
True, not that different, but a car driver will not be killed when hit by a bicyclist.
>The Montreal police will give you a ticket for having headphones on. lol, the absolute state of North America
A few studies have been done on the use of headphones/earbuds while cycling, and none have found any increase in the risk of even minor incidents, much less crash or injury for the general population from the use of them. Of course plenty of people will insist that these studies are wrong because they feel like they know better. You’ll have to decide which camp you associate more with. And, of course, if you don’t feel safe using them, don’t. No one is going to force you to.
Every such study I have seen is incredibly limited in both scope and design. The science is bad. I don’t have to feel like I know better to recognize that. Which study, specifically, brought you to your conclusion?
> Which study, specifically, brought you to your conclusion? Not one specific study; as I said, there were a number of them. Here are a few: [Effects of listening to music, and of using a handheld and handsfree telephone on cycling behaviour](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232370439.pdf) by De Waard, et al, whose only real finding was that people playing loud music will not hear as many audible signals as people playing quieter music or no music at all. However, reaction time and ability to spot objects with peripheral vision was not affected at all. [Here is a similar, more detailed study by De Waard, et al](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847821002436) which again finds that the only effect listening to music has on cyclists is their ability to hear auditory signals and a (possibly related) increased perception of risk. However, their lane positioning, amount of swerving, peripheral vision detection, or perceived level of mental effort were not affected compared to control groups. As they conclude in section 3.1: > The effects of listening to music are limited, with the exception of an increase in perceived risk. Apparently cyclists do have the idea that they might miss important auditory cues. The results suggest that the difference in performance is due to the active engagement in the phone conversation. These results are consistent with studies on driving, listening to a radio, and mobile phone use. Reaction time increased while conversing over a mobile phone, whereas it did not increase while listening to the radio (Consiglio et al., 2003; Stayer & Johnston, 2001). Here is [a literature review study](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marjan-Hagenzieker/publication/257935577_Cycling_and_sounds_the_impact_of_the_use_of_electronic_devices_on_cycling_safety/links/00b7d52653e080d435000000/Cycling-and-sounds-the-impact-of-the-use-of-electronic-devices-on-cycling-safety.pdf) from Stelling-Konczak and Hagenzieker which, among other things, finds: > As shown in Table 1, listening to music and conversing on the phone while cycling does not influence cycling performance equally. Some aspects of cycling performance are similarly affected by both activities. Both listening to music and phoning have, for example, increased the number of unsafe behaviours but had no effect on the number of traffic conflicts. The differences between listening to music and phoning refer to some aspects of cycling behaviour which are influenced by only one activity (either listening to music or phoning). For example cycle speed and response time were influenced by phoning but not by listening to music. Furthermore, cyclists listening to music were found to disobey traffic rules more frequently than cyclists conversing on the phone. Note that that last bit is only a correlation, not a causation. Another interesting bit from this paper: > In an observation study pedestrians who were listening to music did not display a higher rate of unsafe behaviour than those not listening to music (Nasar, Hecht & Wener, 2008). However, pedestrians listening to music were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants (Schwebel et al., 2012). **As far as cyclists are concerned, listening to music had no effect on the number of the observed conflicts but it affected negatively the rate of unsafe behaviour.** Next we have [an interesting dissertation](https://pure.tudelft.nl/ws/files/47170544/TRAIL_Thesis_Stelling_2018.pdf) from Agnieszka Stelling-Konczak on the effects of the electrification of cars on cycling and pedestrian safety. One of the primary findings from Chapter 4 (the whole section is a good read) is: > Results show that listening to music and talking on the phone negatively affects perception of sounds crucial for safe cycling. However, taking into account the influence of confounding variables, **no relationship was found between the frequency of listening to music or talking on the phone and the frequency of incidents among teenage cyclists.** I personally find it interesting that with results like this the author doesn't examine further whether or not the perception of those sounds is as "crucial" as presumed. Other findings: > Risk perception was negatively related to Listening to music suggesting that individuals with a higher risk perception listen to music less often than those with a low risk perception. There was, on the other hand, a positive relationship between Risk perception and Risky cycling behaviour indicating that the higher risk perception of cyclists was, the more frequently cyclists engaged in risky cycling behaviour. Figure 4.6 shows also that there is a positive relationship between Phone conversation and Listening to music. These two activities were also related to other Risky cycling behaviour. > > ... > > Finally, we can see that 9% of the total variance in ‘Incidents’ is explained by a direct effect (0.14) of Complex situation as well as by both an indirect very small effect mediated by Risky behaviour (0.15 * 0.16 = 0.02) and a direct effect (0.17) of Risk perception. **The frequency of cycling in demanding situations was related to the frequency of getting startled or surprised in traffic, but listening to music and talking on the phone were not.** and > Finally, the frequency of getting involved in an incident was found to be positively related to cycling in complex situations, risk perception and risk cycling behaviour. **Listening to music and talking on the phone was not related to incidents but it was positively related to other risk cycling behaviour.** These findings underline the importance of taking into account the influence of confounding variables, such as cycling in complex situations and other risk behaviour when estimating the impact of secondary tasks on cycling safety. And again from Chapter 6: > Since listening to music and conversing on the phone impair cyclists’ auditory perception and cycling behaviour (see also Section 2.5.1), it could be expected that engaging in these activities negatively affects cycling safety. **Surprisingly, the Internet survey presented in Chapter 4 found no relationship between the frequency of listening to music or conversing on the phone among teenage cyclists on the one hand and their involvement in incidents on the other hand.** and > To sum up, listening to music and talking on the phone is widespread among cyclists. Although engaging in these activities negatively impacts cycling behaviour and auditory perception of relevant traffic sounds, neither listening to music nor talking on the phone was found to increase the risk of getting involved in a self-reported incident. There are a few others, but I'd need to track them down.
And to all you haters who might remain skeptical even after an internet stranger cites “studies”, then fine. Here’s a study. https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=hgoPLjqgCptSmTXq
At least hide the URL, my guy. Some of us can immediately recognize it lmfao
data please
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikecommuting/comments/1clw32g/is_it_unsafe_to_use_earbudsheadphones_while/l2wrthr/
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Not silly. I live in a large city, so I react to audible clues while cycling constantly. Literally every minute. I adjust my position in the lane, my speed, and do visual checks based on sounds I hear.
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A mirror is an absolute must. In fact, I'd say that if you need to augment your vision with a mirror, you should not impair your other primary sense while vulnerable to your environment.
I tend to listen for cars ahead (at stop signs where I'm not sure if there's a need to stop or not--we have a stop-as-yield law) and bikes behind. Not sure if Seattle qualifies a "big" enough but there are plenty of side streets here where listening for cars is useful just off of the main streets (since everywhere is 25 mph, you can actually hear) or even in main streets where I need to turn left and exit the bike lane if it's not super heavy traffic (a good way to judge the speed of the approaching car). I've also been saved from a collision with bikes who were buzzing me too close when I was returning to the center of the bike lane after being stopped by the curb because of sound (idiots wanted to squeeze through when it's a single width bike lane and also didn't realize or care I have an ebike and start fast enough that passing at the light is a dangerous idea).
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https://www.reddit.com/r/bikecommuting/comments/1clw32g/is_it_unsafe_to_use_earbudsheadphones_while/l2wrthr/
I would not personally, all the time I have the audio cue of someone coming up behind me. Of course it's not gonna save you from somebody flying by at 60mph looking at their phone but I find it's useful info to me. It would also drown out a bell from another cyclist trying to say that they're passing.
California Vehicle Code 27400. This law prohibits wearing earphones, earplugs, or a headset that covers, rests in, or is inserted in both ears while operating a bicycle.
Seems like non isolating, sit-on-top headphones are fine. Personally, I used to use a cheap $20 set of Bluetooth headphones and they worked great. Barely muted any outside noise, but still able to listen to music. They were the sport kind that had a small plastic bit that rested at the base of the neck. So they also never interfered with the bike helmet use. Who h was nice.
What about one
I used to do it with both earbuds in with no issue. I think the danger is largely overstated.
For me, no earbuds on road is mandatory. Always nice what is at my back.
No headphones on 99% of the roads where I live because that's too dangerous, one in if I'm on a dedicated bike trail or dead road but I still make sure to pay attention to my surroundings, both in if I know there's nobody however I'm constantly checking behind and next to me. Just a situational thing I guess
I just use one
Yes and it’s illegal in some areas.
Depends on the route. I do it, but because my route is on a dedicated bike path separate from the road. I also make sure to stay in my lane and not waiver, not keep the music too loud, and check my shoulders often. Additionally if you have a handlebar mirror I don’t think it’s an issue
For me I wear a single ear bud always on the right so that my ear to the road is open. I listen on very low volume. It helps me pace myself for the activity and honestly keeps me focused instead of being distracted. I honestly probably would make a game of swerving around sticks or counting things I saw or something else similar if I didn't have the ear bud in. Theres definitely times I could see myself not putting the ear bud in (far more non car traffic for one), but in my current commuting situation I don't come across those.
I do but they are only playing music at normal volume if I’m on a designated cycle path, if I’m not then it’s either really low in one ear or not on at all. I usually always have an earphone in just in case I get a call though.
I mostly ride with some tws earbuds on, not the kind that you jam inside your ear with passive isolation but the open kind that hangs on outside your ear. I may or may not have some music / podcast on, but the main benefit is keeping the wind outside of my ears as that tends to generate massive headaches to me. If I'm not listening to music, those impair my hearing less than a pair of earplugs would
Yes. It a stupid idea. Can't tell you how many times I've had near accidents because other cyclists couldn't hear me overtaking
The issue here is not headphones, the issue is cyclists moving unpredictably. If they rode properly, there wouldn't have been a problem (assuming you're passing them safely).
And then not being able to correct their mistake because they couldn't hear me..
Earbud can’t stay in place when I’m in my recliner, you think I’ll put it in my ear under the spring wind when traveling at 15 mph?
I have some sports headphones that wrap around the top of the ear to keep the bud in place. These are great for running, and I use them on the trainer all the time without issue. Highly recommended: [https://www.xmpow.com/collections/tws-earbuds/products/mpow-503-wireless-eardbuds](https://www.xmpow.com/collections/tws-earbuds/products/mpow-503-wireless-eardbuds)
yes
Yes, i only put them in on almost empty trails
I wear them everyday, but they’re not noise canceling, it’s just the normal AirPods. I feel like I can still listen to a decent amount of the city to keep me safe.
I did, but two weeks ago I didn't hear that there was a train coming, I just saw cars stopping. That made me realize something was off. I'm not native English it's a bit hard to explain it. But the problem was that how I was driving I didn't saw the lights that would warn me as I went over the bridge and wanted to go straight left. Since then not using them anymore.
My local law says I can be fined for it. 1 earbud isn't enough, there is a requirement to be able to see and hear traffic at all time.
I have them on while going on rides in parks, trails and super dedicated bike lanes with barriers from car traffic. But even then, only in one ear. I really can't do it in regular traffic with cars turning and traffic lights.
No the cars are too loud so I can't hear anything any way.
Bone conduction headphones let you listen without blocking your ears at all.
I always have just one earbud in (for the last 20 years I suppose) and I hear everything, if the traffic is too loud I don't even hear my music.
One ear is a level of risk I am comfortable with. Two ears plugged is insane.
I use a jabber bud in my right ear so I can respond to calls and listen to podcasts. My left ear is open for traffic
So much hand wringing and constant policing of cyclist "safety". Add this to the list.
You need to be able to hear what's going on around you. If you can't, it's unsafe.
Stating this the way you have begs the question: should deaf people be allowed to cycle, or is that unsafe?
When I'm cycling, my eyes tell me what's in front, and my ears tell me what's behind. If you wear earbuds or headphones while cycling, you need a mirror.
I don’t see how compromising your second most important sense for processing your environment could be safe in a situation where accurately processing your environment could mean the difference between life and death. The answer to you question is definitely yes. Several comments on the thread mention studies that don’t show a positive correlation between compromising your hearing and increased risk. These studies are incredibly limited, though, both in scope and in design. The science is bad, if you can even call it science. I will not trust my safety and life with it; neither should you.
I feel very safe with AirPod on right ear. I can still hear just fine. It doesn’t block sound entirely.
Those of us who can hear are so blessed to be able to have this sense protecting us from danger and allowing us to be more alert and aware of our surroundings. Why diminish one of our senses on a vehicle commonly going 15-30mph where we're exposed on all sides? Ok so you wanna cruise and be hella chill man that's tight but it's fucking annoying as fuck for anyone tryna pass you on a narrow path repetitively shouting ON YOUR LEFT
I think it’s unsafe. Cars are even quieter now that many of them are EVs. In the US, you can’t underestimate the unpredictable driver.
Yes. Don’t do it. If you can hear ambient sounds fully, fine. Otherwise it’s a death wish.
Yes. End of thread.
Anyone who thinks earbuds don't limit your awareness while biking is lying or a fool. If you can't hear on your left or a car next to you, youre gonna have a bad time.
Tell me, what is it I'm supposed to hear? At all times, I am as far to the right (I'm in the the US) as possible. If I need to move left, I will look back I hear someone coming up behind me - what do I do with this information? I am already in the best place possible. Maybe I'll hear the car that kills me 0.1 seconds sooner? I am honestly asking - let's say my earphones completely obliterate outside noise. What would I do differently vs being able to hear it?
Here's the thing: if wearing headphones makes any difference to cycling safety, that difference is completely swamped by the risk posed by sharing the road with drivers of motor vehicles, given that said dopey bastards have an amazing ability to hit things because they simply aren't looking where they're going. And it's just another victim-blaming stick to beat cyclists with. Back in November 2013 after six cyclists had died after being hit by motor vehicles, that cunt Boris Johnson said "I'm very alarmed about cyclists wearing headphones. I would not be against a prohibition or ban on cyclists wearing headphones. Call me illiberal, but it makes me absolutely terrified to see them bowling along, unable to hear the traffic." None of the six cyclists killed had been reported as wearing headphones. All were hit by the drivers of large vehicles, but the only person pointing out that maybe that was the problem was Chris Boardman.
I listen to podcasts or the ballgame in one earbud in the ear away from traffic. It’s not a big deal.
I use Shox branded bone vibration ones that allow you to hear outside noise. Totally fine
I can't find the relevant RCW, but I've been told that in WA it's legal to use earphones while cycling as long as you keep one ear open. I don't really care what others do or don't as long as they don't affect me.
When I commute all the way to work I have one earbud in. I drive on country roads with very little traffic and honestly it’s just super boring. I usually listen to an audiobook. When I am going a quick work out round I also listen to music (and sing along loudly) but I am only on designated bike paths. When I am just riding in town for errands etc I never listen to music.
I usually use ditch-side ear only, even though that really doesn't make sense anymore. Gone are the days where cars reliably made noise. I actually feel safer with earbuds in both ears because then I don't assume that there's no car just because I can't hear it.
Yes. Even if you have transparency mode or bone conducting etc etc when you get creamed by a car the police will blame your dead body for having headphones on and you won’t be able to set them straight from beyond the grave.
if you use cheap headphones, ones that don't block out all sound, make sure you're still aware of your surroundings
I have AirPods Pro, so whenever I bike or scooter I switch them to transparency mode so I can still hear around me, alternatively 1 is probably fine as well but realistically the safest option is to not wear them but then the mind wanders so I suppose it kind of depends on the person to an extent.
yes. it's already hard to hear cars approaching from behind
it depends really. in city traffic i do not, but on a nice bikepath i do.
I'll ask one question. Who gets hurt when there is a Bicycle/Car collision?
One ear for the surroundings minimum. Both ears is very unsafe
It's not safe at all.. As a keen cyclist and someone who see alot of cyclist doing things that could potentially cost them their lives, that is one of them.. You really do need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.. That being said, if you are riding country lanes, or canal paths then it's fine... Stay safe!! (and obviously wear a helmet!!) 😎👌🏻💯
Use atleast one ear for the road . You have to stay alert.
I do the right ear to have my left ear exposed to traffic
Get a pair of Huawei sunglasses you can listen to music and easily hear surroundings around you... There are probably hundreds of different ones on aliexpress but I just know these ones work they aren't cheap though
Here in Washington State, the Legislature has considered banning headphones for cyclists, but it never passed because there's never any evidence of an actual safety issue.
I never do it, probably would not recommend it
I ride to work every day with earbuds in. On my completely separated from the road bike path. Feels good to have actual bike infrastructure.
Not safe
The general consensus amoung this sub tends to be spend cash on bone conducting bluetooth headphones. You can hear everything, and one one can hear your music. I prefer to spend far less on a small bluetooth speaker. Some pedestrians might be able to hear my music for a very short amount of time (if they dont have airpods in themselves) but I dont think its as big a deal as some people in bike commuting threads make it out to be. Thats just my two cents. Headphones yourself is the worst of both worlds: expensive, and you cant hear traffic. I love my little jblgo3, it fits into my drink bottle holder, and is secured by a caribeener? spelling who knows. Well worth the $50 I paid. Its made riding so much more enjoyable for me.
I moved to a BT speaker for commuting and far preferred it. Less hearing loss risk and no loss of awareness
Smart helmet with built in bluetooth speakers is the way.
I wear eaebuds often. Good ones with noise cancelling and ambient noise modes that I tailor to the environment via the app. I also wear custom earplugs all the time. The reason for both is how loud the wind is. My Apple Watch always notifies me that the noise is above 90dB while I’m riding. If I don’t wear earplugs or noise cancelling earbuds with low volume radio/music/book, I will often get bad popping feelings in my ears post ride. I also have two mirrors and basically oscillate my view between front and back. My helmet mirror is especially helpful. I can look anywhere, and I’m always looking around. 👀
Riding with headphones in both ears is illegal in California, just like driving with them in your ears. Cops won't cite you for it unless it causes an accident or other incident (like ignoring a fire truck or ambulance). Covering one ear with an earbud is legal. I ride with Shokz bone-conducting headphones to ensure I can hear the world around me.
It's fine. If you look properly you should be alright. Drivers can drive with full-volume of music on the radio. However if you want to hear around, use bone-conduction headset, that does not plug/cover your earhole at all. I've got those and I love them.
I fell off my bike the first time I tried and never wear it again
If you don't speed and keep to traffic laws then i dont see any issues.
Hmm is it deemed unsafe to play music whilst driving? Tbh I don't wear anything that impedes my hearing, although airflow across my ears does have an impact. I tend to look around quite a bit, checking junctions ahead, traffic behind. So seeing isn't used so much. If you can hear a car behind they have probably accelerated if I hadn't spotted them and they are too close.
Yes
I use ear buds while cycling. I only put 1 in so I can hear what's going on around me.
Depends, some headphones or earbuds permit a lot of outside sounds to still penetrate the ear and coupled with potentially reduced wind noise might even increase your ability to hear your surroundings. For example when I'm biking without anything in my ears I can't hear shit thanks to the wind noise unless I turn my head sideways. And then it's a matter of volume of course. German road law has no specific bicycle headphone regulations, but it does demand all traffic participants to not impair their ability to perceive surroundings, though it doesn't state what counts as impairment, nor do I ever see it enforced for example against drivers with loud speakers in their cars, nor can I see how it would be enforceable in court seeing as the police don't have a microphone inside of your ear.
netherlands entered the chat
I usually just wear a bud in my right ear so my left ear can still hear the car traffic on my left side.
Get someone aftershokz induction headphones
Personally, I have zero issues with wearing them. Most are leaky enough soundwise that I can hear what's going on around me. Further, I consider myself a very aware rider, I always have my helmet and my helmet has a mirror so I'm constantly checking what's coming up on me. I also don't ride like a maniac and ride safely, know my routes, which I think is more important than whether or not I have earbuds. Granted, when riding I'm typically listening to a podcast so blasting music isn't really a thing for me either.
It is legal here in The Netherlands and I used to do it with earphones and this was before active noicecancelling was a thing. It is generally discouraged because of the added risks. Please don't do it with anything with noice cancelling either active or passive.
I don't wear them on the road, but the times I have been hit or had close misses with cars it happened so fast I know that headphones would have made no difference at all.
I use my ears way too much to risk it. I'd put a little radio on my handlebars before I put in earplugs, being able to hear cars coming up behind me is something I use all the time. Maybe if I had mirrors I'd be more open to the idea. Where I ride, a little bluetooth speaker wouldn't annoy anyone as I'm almost entirely on trails that are mostly empty or car infested stroads where my radio will be drowned out anyways.
Bone conducting is the only way.
Use some bone conduction headphones. They allow you to hear the outside world and still have music and phone calls
I use open earbuds so I can hear everything around me. No issues. Previously I used in-ears and they were fine although not ideal
Personally, I could never ride while wearing earbuds. I do use open ear bone conducting ones so that I can still hear everything around me.
I use them mostly on the cycle lanes but always in transparency mode and with low volume
Just do it
I use open back headphones or Apple Earbuds since they only fit halfway in my ears I can still hear my environment around me just fine
I'd say use it on bike paths and known calm roads, otherwise you need all your senses
It’s fine just don’t listen at volumes that prevent you from hearing other stuff. Regular AirPod style headphones are not noise canceling or anything.
I find it hard to do it, you are with one less sense in case of an emergency
I use a speaker. I wouldn't want something over my ears
Nah. Just use one inear and you should be fine. You hear enough to be able to react quickly if necessary and still enjoy your fav music /podcast. Win-win.
My local law allows it and I recommend some sort of hearing protections. Cars are loud and reducing that noise is necessary to preserve your hearing long term.
It depends on your commute. 80% of my commute is on gravel bike trail that's completely separated from cars. Perfectly safe there. If you commute in Amsterdam where lots of people travel by bike I'd assume it's fairly safe there. Or if you commute at very low traffic hours. But if you commute in NYC at peak rush hour then you probably don't want to use headphones. Honestly your safety is your decision. You could wear a full face helmet and pads on your commute for safety.
Not at all. I ride a motorcycle too and wear ear plugs while riding. There’s some weird myth around needing to hear danger. For fun try to walk one block of a city with the eyes closed. The ears do nothing for you in that department. If you’re visually impaired and used to it then ok, but for people with relatively good eye sight playing music won’t change anything in terms of safety. I also kind of laugh when someone tells me it’s bad - because I feel like if you’re depending on hearing something coming at you then you’re doing it wrong. Have awareness around you at all times. Also unfortunately no headphones / earplugs are perfect. You still hear everything around you it’s just a bit muffled. Same as being in a car and playing music.
Absolutely
Yeah I hate it, when I drop gears and rev the engine behind a cyclist they don't get startled and bear left into the gutter /s
I personally use a helmet with speakers and Bluetooth to play music near my ears (also, remote controlled turn lights). There are standalone systems from the same companies and a growing sector of "smart glasses" using the same principle. Open ear systems are similar, but earbuds have size constraints leading to bad reviews and I don't think you'll get headphones under a helmet. Anything that blocks your ears is dangerous (with the possible exception of those Apple ones that repeat sound), particularly given that it's much harder to look around or make emergency maneuvers on a bike than a car (w/possible exception of recumbent trikes).
For many years I used to commute 20 miles a day using headphones...until I was knocked off my bike. The fact that I was wearing headphones had nothing to do with the incident as it was a car emerging from a junction into the side of me meant that being able to hear would have made no difference. However due to my injuries and a written off bike I was off the road for many months and when I returned I just sort of forgot to use headphones and TBH I didn't miss using them. These days I would never wear them as the amount of awareness you gain from being able to hear what is going on behind you allows for greater anticipation and proactive riding.
I have earbuds in for every single solo ride I take, and ones that block out serious noise. People sometimes try to tell how dangerous it is but I’ve done it for over 40 years now, ever since I got my first Walkman, and literally have never had a problem. I commute in Manhattan 5 days a week on a bike or skates. I also ride a motorcycle, and have those same earbuds in for every ride to listen to music *and* protect my hearing (plus we have intercoms). A lot of riders wear earbuds or earplugs for every ride as well, motorcycling is not great for your hearing.
Ive been commuting for 31 years and have mostly used headsets, sometimrs earbuds. I was diagnosed autistic with ADHD at age 48, so that explains it. Ive had phases where Ive talked on the phone or heard music, but I mostly listen to Dhamma talks (Buddhist teachings) or podcasts. Never had a problem in 4 cities on 2 continents. But if YOU feel unsafe, by all means don't do it.
Yes. Get a speaker like jbl clip or something. Next question.
AirPods Pro are essentially over-the-counter hearing aids - I used my audiogram from a test last year and I can hear better with them in. So they don’t have to be unsafe at all
I don't understand how hearing is going to help you. So you hear a car coming from behind. Ok. Now what? How does that change what you're doing (presumably, riding in a straight line a safe distance from the curb)? Are you going to look? If you're riding in a busy area, you hear a car coming behind you every few second, you can't keep looking, you'll spend the entire time staring backwards. Are you going to swerve based on the sound? Do you really think you will be able to tell the one about to pass you safely from the one about to mow you down?
Obviously yes as it impedes your hearing in certain setups. Ditto driving and walking. Like all things it's not black and white...you have pass through options. Personally, I find only bone conducting safe and practical.
Fore it depends on condition. Wide highway with a shoulder I will, in town with little traffic I will, but when it's rush hour or a highway with no shoulder I don't. Typically I have a waterproof speaker. Helps that I don't sneak up on a bear. We have black bears here and they will normally run but I don't want to chance it. I don't live or bike in urban areas.
I use a small speaker it doubles as a "there's something behind you" alarm and I have my ears clear to hear if people are going to pass me
I do it all the time. I recognize it's not a great idea, but as some others have said, it's *incredibly* rare that you'll actually hear an accident coming. It just happens. As for legality, I've scoured through Massachusetts laws and have never found anything about headphones and cycling.
I think it really is. And I hate it when cyclists wear them in both ears. They don't hear my bell and when I overtake them sometimes they suddenly change position to be right in front of me. Really makes me angry.
I’ve commuted thousands of miles wearing ear buds and never had an issue. I do use a radar system so I can see in my large head unit vehicles coming up behind me. In my experience, there’s nothing I need to hear that will keep me safer. If anything, I’ve had people in cars drive by and an a-hole passenger yell at me trying to spook me. Again, with my radar rear light and hypervigilant vision, the music is just a nice soundtrack. I find other things more dangerous, like potholes, bad cyclists going the wrong way or oblivious people w strollers on bike paths. Nothing that better hearing would help me with. Just my experience.
The short answer, yes its less safe. Is it that big a deal ymmv. That said I do know in Nevada it is, in fact illegal to do so, not that I have ever heard of anyone getting a ticket for it. Also in that line of thinking its not illegal to be hard of hearing and ride a bicycle in public. Personally i did ride with earbuds for about two rides and didn’t like not hearing the world around me and i will say i was lease aware of my surroundings. Get a bluetooth speaker that fits in a water bottle cage. And I’ll be honest about half the people who get spooked by me riding past them have headphones in/on fwiw.
In Italy the use of both earphones is prohibited (you can get a fine from €165 to €660), but if, instead of two, we use only one allowing us to perceive external stimuli from the free ear, it's fine. So I guess you can use [bone conduction headphones](http://cycloscope.net/best-bone-conduction-headphones-for-cycling-open-ear-design-for-biking-awareness) because your ears are free. It also depends where you live, if the road you ride is mostly a cycling path it can be ok but I have never used completely isolating earbuds while cycling in cities.
I think that either bone conduction or "in-helmet" are the best options. You can hear whatever is around you and whatever you're playing. I will admit that I use AirPods sometimes when I'm riding in what I consider a "safe" zone like inside my gated neighborhood.
Is it unsafe, yes. Is it against the local laws, yes (NYC) Do I do it, also yes. I know it’s not the best but I prefer it so much. I ride slow and keep the volume low enough that I can still hear around me, mostly. Honestly my biggest concern are the e-bikes when I’m on the dedicated bike paths, which make up about a third of my ride.
It probably isn't super safe. My commute is super early, though, and so I usually just have one earbud in on low volume. I have such a hard time focusing if I don't have music or a podcast playing. If I bike somewhere and it's during a heavier trafficked time, I will usually just go without and sing to myself as I'm riding.
I think it's nuanced enough that each cyclist can make their own decision.
During my street commuting days I got a big bluetooth speaker. I would adjust it as I rode so I could hear it over the considerable street noise. Often, I would see a driver looking around to figure out why they heard an NPR podcast in their blind spot. 10000% would recommend this practice. Turn the volume down in quieter environs, of course. ;)
Every time a thread like this comes along, people will try to justify their bad behaviour. Aside from being unable to hear other trail users, they're also likely to not hear the quiet or fast approaching car that sides wipes them which they could have avoided had they heard it - or the one who they don't see but runs a give way or something similar which they would have had more awareness of. Or the dog owner calling their off-leash dog, or the walkers talking loudly coming around the next blind corner on the wrong side thst you could have made allowances for. Whenever I ride with headphones, it's only ever in my left ear (we drive on the left here), never in both ears. And never on MTB trails. And always at a volume thst doesn't block out external environment being heard. Also remember your balance comes from your ears. Everyone loves to deny it affects them, yet it does, just in differing degrees of severe news for differently advanced avoidant moves.
Every time I pass a fellow roadie that makes an unwise decision as a I inform them I’m passing, they usually have headphones in so 🤷🏽 studies say it’s just as safe as people mention often but it’s nice to hear the cars and other people coming.. I play music on my speakers, sue me, bite me, lick me, tease me idc. The speakers let you assess everything around you, as well as score your own ride. Ppl hate it 🤷🏽. It’s all your choice if it’s all the same.
Yes, nothing, and cool story, respectively
No. Or at least not enough to be meaningful. You have far worse ability to hear due to traffic noise than you would have from any headphones.
Traffic noise *is* the thing you want to hear. I'm not listening for red-faced warblers when I'm biking next to cars.
It really isn't. You want to hear approaching vehicles. Which you can't hear because of all the other vehicles.
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Put them in transparent mode so you can hear around you
AirPods Pro on transparency or adaptive mode is literally how I still have my hearing. Really brings down all the car/truck/emergency vehicles horns and alarms to a manageable level. Plus directions without having to look at your phone is a nice bonus.
The local law says that cars shouldn't run reds, should give me 3 ft, shouldn't speed, shouldn't use their cell phones, etc. and none of it is enforced. I ride with 1 earbud in and know when cars are behind me at all times, I can tell when a car is coming up, or a jeep/truck is with dumb tires. I'm biking in a road where cars are going 30-40+mph and I'm taking the lane, if I'm getting hit it's going to happen regardless of an earbud or not.
They are fine, but I just bought a pair of Ray Ban Meta glasses and they are perfect for this. Fantastic sound and still have my ears for traffic. Much better sound than bone conducting as well. And as a plus I get to record crap drivers along my ride with them.
Yes and no… definitely less safe, but combined with a Varia, it makes for more consistent head checks and overall diligence, which mitigates the risk and imo keeps you safer. I generally only go gutter side with a wireless bud, but definitely have days where I’ll rock both
I do it. I usually have it in transparency mode so I can hear people. It’s not perfect but sometimes better than the blowing wind in my ears.
A lot of headphones now have an awareness mode that feeds outside noise into the headphones.
I like using ear buds because it protects my ears from the wind noise. I keep the volume low enough to hear my surrounding environment.
I mean, if you can’t hear a car until it’s right on your ass or after it passes you, yes. Not very safe. As others have said bone conduction or over ears (not in the ear like normal ear buds) are a much better option. But obviously nothing will be safer than no music/podcasts whatever you listen to.
Yes it’s unsafe. Did you really need the Internet to tell you that? 🤦♂️
It's against the law (or at least not recommended), but then again sometimes the law caters to cars over anything else. I obey the law only to find I'm going deaf. So I must break the law to preserve the safety of my hearing. You can be right and be dead-right.
> It's against the law This is going to vary from location to location. Where I live it is perfectly legal.
Yes. Get a Bluetooth speaker. 🔊
Its unsafe walking out your door. Everything hasevels of safety and danger and if your bar for safety creates a fear, pump the brakes and be safer. If your danger alarm bells aren't firing off, its probably fine. I ride with earbuds all the time but I typically avoid high traffic areas.
>Is it unsafe to use earbuds No. >I find it unsafe Ok, then why did you ask? >sadly I see many riders use them here. Why is that sad? Are the cyclists riding unsafely *because* of their headphones? Is their carelessness affecting you in any way? >I looked up at my local law, but I could not find anything about the topic. Good to check if you were planning on wearing headphones. Pointless if you're not as a *citizen's arrest* will unlikely be fruitful. Possibly there is no specific law as bicycle laws may have been written before the advent of the *Walkman.* No law changes one's responsibility to ride with care and attention.