Riding Your Bike? Leave the iPod at Home

Me at Papago on my retired Santa Cruz Superlight. Photo by N. Scott Trimble

Cell Bikes, an Australian bike shop, friended me on Twitter. They asked followers if they listen to tunes while riding. And if so, what?

I never listen to tunes while I ride. Off-road, the bike has way too much to tell me:

-Tires make a certain sound when they’re about to break loose in a corner.
-There’s a tingtingting sound spokes make when they’re hitting a bent derailleur. Failing to hear that sound can cause you problems. Lots of them.
-I can always hear a flat a split second before it happens, which lets me prepare to right the ship and get ready for problems.
-I can hear sundry other bike noises, all of which are good pre-indicators of potential bike problems.
-Arizona has rattlesnakes. More than once, a hiss or a rattle has given me a nice warning. Just try that with earbuds stuffed into your gulliver.

And then there’s road riding. Who doesn’t want to hear all the cars bearing down?

I often do get tunes stuck in my head. This is one of the more surprising ones I’ve had stick, and it kept popping into my head for several rides. Odd since it’s so slow and mellow, though the second and third chorus are freakin’ huge. It might have to do with learning to play it on the guitar, I suppose. Maybe I should learn Aces High, because that would be a killer riding tune.

Part of me also wonders why people can’t remove themselves from the teat of technology for just a spell, too. The music of a ride is enough for me. Do we need to insulate ourselves from what’s around us at all times? It’s almost like people are afraid of silence. Me? I often need it.

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