{"id":172319,"date":"2019-02-11T11:44:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T11:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=172319"},"modified":"2019-02-11T11:44:05","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T11:44:05","slug":"headphones-in-or-headphones-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/02\/11\/headphones-in-or-headphones-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Headphones In or Headphones Out?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pro cyclists wear radio when they\u2019re in the peloton so \u2013 should you copy them? Let\u2019s have a look at the arguments for wearing headphones as well as the arguments for giving them a miss.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sound is part of the experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s summer morning, 6 AM, and you\u2019ve cycled into the sticks to enjoy some alone time. The sound of your breathing merges with the gentle whir of your freshly cleaned and re-lubed drive chain, punctuated by the occasional click of a gear change. You get to enjoy the morning chorus.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

Arguably, Rapha\u2019s video would have sounded better without the unnecessary piano motif running on loop \u2013 but they make a good point. Cycling sounds good and it\u2019s worth a listen for those magical moments where you hear the rhythm of the ride almost as much as you feel it. Headphones out.<\/p>\n

Listening keeps you safe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another argument for keeping headphones out is that it keeps you safe. If you\u2019re cycling in an urban area, you should probably keep an ear out for what\u2019s happening around you \u2013 surely, it\u2019s common sense to avoid listening to music? It\u2019s not like you\u2019re sat in the safe confines of a modern car, why risk it?<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j4A-w5HkrZA<\/p>\n

Pearl Izumi argue that listening to music while riding a bike can slow reaction times, as well as reduce awareness of cars approaching. They also argue that we should be just as concerned with \u201cdistracted riding\u201d as we\u2019ve become with \u201cdistracted driving\u201d \u2013 which is difficult to argue against.<\/p>\n

Keeping in touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Personally, I can\u2019t cycle and listen to music \u2013 I find myself trying to pedal in time to the music and while I accept that others may not get distracted by music, I definitely do. But I still like to wear headphones. If my wife calls, I might be inclined to answer and speak on my handsfree Bluetooth headset.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

I accept that headphones may limit my awareness so I take extra care to be aware of my surroundings. Hearing isn\u2019t the be all and end all of cycling. Consider this \u2013 it\u2019s perfectly legal for someone who\u2019s profoundly deaf to drive a car or cycle their bicycle.<\/p>\n

Cycling is a risk to your hearing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Wind noise can increase proportionally with speed \u2013 and at just 15mph, you\u2019re hit with a whopping 85 decibels of wind noise. Even more, if you\u2019re cycling into a headwind. To put that volume in context, it\u2019s about the same volume as a food blender or a Boeing 737 landing from a mile away.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1XUovxiTpVA<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s only part of the problem \u2013 you\u2019re going to be hearing that sound constantly, and sustained for as long as you\u2019re on the bike. The decibels rise with the speed you\u2019re cycling. Tour de France cyclists hear 120db on a 60mph descent. You can read more reasons to pop headphones in here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, whether you decide to pop your headphones in, or leave them out, stay safe \u2013 and look after your health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pro cyclists wear radio when they\u2019re in the peloton so \u2013 should you copy them? Let\u2019s have a look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":172327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[2665,2666],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-172319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety","tag-headphones","tag-headphones-and-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nHeadphones In or Headphones Out? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pro cyclists wear radio when they\u2019re in the peloton so \u2013 should you copy them? 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