certainly lots of opinions on this topic, always has been.. so I'll add mine! ;)
I almost always ride with music.. I use bone conduction headphones as mentioned earlier and have no issues hearing any sounds around me.. prior to that I used an earbud in my right ear (non-traffic side) only.. My reason is I ride as a means of mental health therapy (unofficially) and listening to music while I do is very therapeutic to me I feel.. I work with some pretty heavy stuff in my day job (sexual assault victims) and also have some PTSD from 30 yrs of active duty military, so riding is one of my ways to calm down and reset and music helps me do that.. as far as California (where I'm at) or any other state that may have a law about headphones.. well, I'm willing to take that chance based on the lack of enforcement of all the other stuff (can't tell you how many times a car will pass with pot smoke wafting out..). I also use a Varia rear radar, so, while I do hear cars coming up, I see them way before I would hear them, headphones or not.. after 30 yrs of military, it's not like my high freq hearing is that great anyway.. ;^) Chris Rocking out in Sonoma County, CA On Monday, October 27, 2025 at 3:06:23 PM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > Oontz Angle Solo is plenty loud and the triangle shape makes it super easy > to strap to bars with a Voile Strap. I listen to music in the city, not in > the woods. > > On Monday, October 27, 2025 at 12:36:39 PM UTC-7 GAJett wrote: > >> I see here the initial talk is about using speakers for music. I >> appreciate that the discussion mentions listening at lower volumes. >> >> I don't ride with music as I find it distracting and it interferes with >> hearing what's going on around me -- like traffic approaching from behind. >> For those tempted to wear a headset or earbuds remember that in some >> states, like California, it is illegal to ride or drive *anything* with >> anything blocking your ears. >> >> <rant>I recently completed the Mount Diablo Challenge in the S.F. Bay >> Area. The rules specifically prohibit headphones / earbuds. To get around >> this a pair of cyclists riding together passed me with a speaker at a >> fairly high volume -- it could be heard from over 100 yards away! I'm >> afraid I view people like them as selfish and inconsiderate because they >> destroy the natural ambiance of the ride in that peaceful location.</rant> >> GAJett >> >> On Mon, Oct 27, 2025 at 11:39 AM Arvi <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I really appreciate having music for longer brevets (400, 600, and >>> 1200k). I don't generally ride with music, but on the super long ones, >>> playing peppy music is my emergency measure for reviving motivation. I've >>> been using the same little Noxgear 39g mentioned above, clipped to my rando >>> bag. Works great. Doesn't have the volume or battery life of some larger >>> speakers, but it's perfectly audible and you can't beat it for ease of >>> carry. >>> -Arvi >>> Oakland, CA >>> On Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 8:50:49 AM UTC-7 [email protected] >>> wrote: >>> >>>> That little Noxgear speaker looks pretty cool! >>>> >>>> Despite my plug for the Bose Soundlink speaker, I should also say that >>>> I typically enjoy my rides sans music or any other distraction. I much >>>> prefer to hear the sounds of my tires on the surface and the natural >>>> environment around me. I only use my Bluetooth speaker when I'm riding >>>> rail >>>> trails with my wife, because she's the one who really enjoys the music >>>> along the ride. Even when I use a GPS device on longer or unfamiliar >>>> rides, >>>> I have the screen set to sleep after a few seconds so I'm not tempted to >>>> constantly look at distance traveled, speed, etc. >>>> >>>> Brian >>>> Lexington KY >>>> >>> -- >>> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> >> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/27c8bc91-0658-49a1-977b-5955c5203a6cn%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/27c8bc91-0658-49a1-977b-5955c5203a6cn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f006a1fb-15e2-4ef8-889d-ba7fb63394fen%40googlegroups.com.
