Hello!
In early childhood, my parents bought me my first bike. Despite the fact that many years have passed since that moment, I remember this moment in detail as if it were yesterday – the clock is almost noon on April 24, 1986, I am 5 years old, I am walking near my house. And then suddenly my father comes home from work, drives up to the gate into the yard, calls me, and takes it out of the trunk – my first bicycle! 'Bear'!
Taken from http://20th.su.
Oh, how much joy there was, how much delight there was. Since then, I cannot imagine my life without a bicycle. And I also can't imagine my life without music.
Well, of course, it was necessary to combine these two hobbies. It would seem, what could be easier, take a player or phone, plug in your headphones and go! But everything turned out to be not so simple.
Cycling with music should be not only enjoyable, but also safe.
It was this thought that made me look for the most optimal and safe way to combine my two hobbies.
But, before talking about this, I would like to dwell on one very important point – the rules of the road. It just so happened that when we hear the “rules of the road”, the first association that arises in our head is connected with the car. However, pedestrians and cyclists are the same road users and must obey the same rules.
How to make it so that it was possible to listen to music on the road and at the same time not create emergency situations and not interfere with anyone?
The only conclusion that suggests itself is not to listen to music while driving. But this is an absolute measure, which we will leave as a last resort.
If we consider the other options, then the choice turns out to be small.
- Using an external speaker or speakers.
- Use of wired headphones / headsets of in-ear or closed type, as well as earbuds and overhead, open type.
- Using different types of wireless headphones / headsets.
The first option, on the one hand, is safe, but at the same time, it can be regarded as a manifestation of disrespect for others.
In many cities of our vast homeland, the level of culture of relationships between pedestrians and cyclists is at a rather low level. It can be described in one phrase – lack of mutual respect. Cyclists chase the sidewalks, pedestrians walk the bike paths and no one cares about each other.
If we are talking about music from an external speaker, then I believe that this will only add oil to the fire of the confrontation between pedestrians and cyclists. Imagine riding your bike and enjoying the soulful, soulful Psychosocial from your favorite band Slipknot. Why don't people around you share your enthusiasm and emotions? They probably don't know about good music … Yes? ?
Here you can add the complexity of attaching these very external speakers to the bike. You can, of course, sacrifice a holder for a water bottle, but not every column will fit there, and not every one will hold. ?
But even if you do the right thing and buy a special mount, the problem of musical taste will not disappear anywhere – everyone has his own.
Alas and oh, the first option does not pass the test by the elementary question – what if?
If you are still in doubt, remember your feelings when a 'nine' drives by with lowered windows, from which at full volume available to the car's stereo system, a Russian rap can be heard, well, or something else (substitute what you do not like), announcing the whole street with groans about the hard lot of the bully.
Image taken from www.drive2.ru
Like? So others may not like your musical tastes.
The second option is wired headphones / in-ear or closed-type headsets.
The disadvantage in the form of inconvenience for others is excluded, and this is a plus. Your musical preferences will remain a mystery to those around you, and passers-by will only guess why you shake your head so intensely, humming to yourself. However, in-ear headphones are famous for their level of sound insulation, which means that passers-by will not find out about what is playing, and you will not hear your car honking (requiring you to listen to your favorite song). This threatens to change your bike saddle to a hospital bed. The most important criterion – safety, is not met. And okay you, who chose the path of risk and pain for yourself, but what have those around you? Therefore, the option with in-ear headphones or closed-type on-ear headphones disappears.
Wired earbuds, or open-type on-ear headphones.
For many, this option is optimal for use when cycling. Headphones of this type can provide good sound quality without cutting you off from the outside world. Do not forget that a bicycle is a need to often twist your head to the sides and often shake on an uneven road. In this case, you should take care of securely attaching the headphones to your ears so that the headphones that have fallen out of the vibration and wound around the wheel do not have to be removed from the bike.
This type of headphone has only one drawback – the wire.
At high speed, it tends to get confused in the gearshift levers, in the steering wheel, and in anything else that can get confused. And if it's windy outside, the problem gets worse. Plus, you have to think about where to place the sound source, so that it is convenient to switch tracks and control the volume without being distracted from the road. And if there is no such problem with a headset equipped with a remote control, then with simple headphones it is no longer so easy. Conclusion – either buy a steering wheel mount for the player / phone, or throw the sound source into a backpack or a closed pocket.
There is one more, obvious option. This is a wireless headset or headphones.
Such a solution is devoid of all the disadvantages of the previous options – it does not annoy others with sound, does not get confused and does not require separate conditions for attaching the sound source. It would seem ideal. But, most manufacturers of wireless headphones and headsets make them in-ear, which, as we found out, is not safe to use when driving.
What can you wish for?
Search.
There are options for wireless headsets made as 'earbuds' that do not cut you off from the outside world, allowing you to hear everything that is happening around you against the background of music.
If your budget allows, you can look for in-ear headsets that also feature an 'audio transparency' system that captures ambient sounds using a built-in microphone and broadcasts them to your ear. The most famous ones like Bragi Earphones or Samsung Gear IconX are not cheap, but as they say, life is more expensive.
And then there is a variant of headphones created on the basis of bone conduction. This is where the symbiosis of sports and high technology lies. These solutions are not so common and are still not cheap, but they allow you to get an incomparable experience. Music plays in the head, while the ears are open. A great option. One example of such devices is Aftershokz Trekz Titanium.
In addition to the high price, there are also difficulties with the purchase and delivery. But he who seeks will always find.
Conclusion
In general, having found for myself the most optimal option for listening to music while traveling, I caught myself thinking that I practically do not get headphones out of my pocket, since I almost always ride more than one, so the most relevant option in this case becomes the option we started with – not listen to music on the go. Observing the cyclists around me, I noticed the same feature in others. Headphones are mainly used by those for whom a bicycle is not just entertainment, but primarily sports. Such cyclists, as a rule, ride alone to the same goals and records they know. if this is about you, then in this case music is a good help, helping to keep the rhythm, drive and add energy. It is worth looking for your own version of headphones.
If you ride for fun, then it makes sense to do it not alone. After all, though it's cold outside, it's spring. ? And if you have no one to wind kilometers with yet, then even more so, it's time to hit the road in search of a second pair of wheels and new music.