Music is a great way to get in the zone whenever I am working out. However, cycling is one of the few workouts where I don’t listen to anything. If you do, then that’s fine, but here’s why I’m careful.
There are certain states where it is illegal to use headphones or earbuds with both ears when riding a bike. The laws cite safety as a driving factor, but this is a debated topic. Let’s look at which states have laws about it, and both sides of the safety argument.
State Laws
There are only five states that have laws that discuss wearing and actively listening to headphones or earbuds. These rules are usually written in terms for anyone operating a vehicle, but coincidentally get applied to cyclists as well.
Florida and Rhode Island laws say that you aren’t allowed to wear anything in or on your ears that might be able to inhibit your ability to hear a siren or a horn. Florida has updated its law to allow cyclists to listen to music on non-road bike paths, though.
California, Delaware, and Maryland are one ear more relaxed with their regulations. As long as you have at least one ear uncovered, you’ll be fine. Those are the only states that have laws that regulate you jamming to your tunes while riding your bike.
In the remaining 45 states, it is legal to have both ears plugged with music, but here are some ways to be careful.
Can you hear the traffic?
This is the most obvious flaw when listening to music. I’ve ridden with music before, and I had to turn it up just so that I could hear it over the wind. So, a loud honk or a close siren may cut through the tunes, but a car rolling up a little too close will probably be much harder to hear.
If you aren’t already hard of hearing, you probably rely on audio clues more than you think. I know of plenty of bike paths near me where cars park near a crossing and make it difficult to see oncoming traffic.
Hearing a car as it approaches in this situation may be the only way to tell if there is any traffic coming. Admittedly, this isn’t very common, but the point is that you need to stay
Bone-conducting headphones are a great way to still listen to your music without plugging or covering your ears. They vibrate just like a speaker does, but they rest on your head so that they vibrate your skull.
That vibration gets translated by the sound-sensing bones in your ear and you can hear the music as if you were listening with headphones. However, the obvious advantage is that they don’t inhibit sounds from entering your ears.
However, earbuds aren’t exactly known for being very good at preventing noises from bleeding in or out of your ears, either. This is especially the case if your music isn’t very loud.
No matter what, try shooting for a volume that is just loud enough for you to hear your music but quiet enough that you can still hear some of the road noise around you.
Dropping the earbud from your left ear is a simple compromise, as well. It lets you hear on your traffic side a bit better and still lets you get your music fix.
Is it distracting?
If you play your music loud, you are taking one of your senses away from yourself, and introducing new to focus on. The louder the music, the more distracting it is, and the harder it is to hear anything else. Granted, no one said that you were going to be paying all that much attention in the first place.
There are definitely some songs that I know I can just get lost in. However, there is also some evidence to suggest that listening helps you focus on certain tasks. The real trick is what certain types of music do to your brain.
If it distracts you, then I’d suggest
This whole argument is based
Helmet or not?
I will readily admit that wearing a helmet can make using earbuds a bit more difficult. Heaven forbid you that
I am a strong advocate for wearing helmets at all skill levels. The chances of getting in an accident aren’t that high, but, once you do get into one, the risks are high. My worst accident so far coincidentally happened while I was listening to music on my earbuds. I was being very aggressive and took a turn entirely too fast.
Thankfully, those large rocks I landed on at the bottom of the hill only broke my wheels, my helmet, and my earbuds, not my head. If you find yourself choosing between headphones and a helmet, grab your helmet and some earbuds. Trust me, it’s not worth the risk, and you can have both if you really want to.
Besides, you can always get a Bluetooth speaker to hang on your bike. Here’s a link to some on Amazon that look pretty sleek.
What if there’s something wrong with your bike?
Getting off of the topic of safety, maintaining your bike is also important. I don’t know very many people that could tell you something was wrong with their bike without riding it. If it is squeaking, rubbing, or creaking, you hear it while you are riding.
Listening to music almost completely prevents you from hearing any of that. These sorts of issues aren’t necessarily ride ending conditions, but they do add up over time.
I’ve also dropped a water bottle from my holder while riding and only noticed because I heard the noise. But that’s more of a “me not being good at setting my drink back down” thing than it is a good reason to not listening to music.
Hopefully I’ve given you the confidence to know how to responsibly listen to music while you ride.
Thanks for being here!
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