Now hear this: to wear headphones while riding, not?

My opinion: I agree that “music to ride by” is best reserved for indoor cycling. No cars with possibly distracted drivers; and no worries about balancing, watching for road hazards, and so on.

But if I want music while riding, I have to content myself with thinking the music in my head, whether I’m indoors or out. Such “listening” actually has its plus side: there’s no need to constantly adjust the volume, and I can stop/start it at will. Or even switch pieces in mid-measure!

When you’re riding on the roads, I would think that motor traffic is loud enough to drown out what you’re trying to listen to —  even when using bone-conduction buds. Cranking up the volume so that you can hear it over the din of roaring cars, trucks, etc. is most emphatically not good for your hearing! Beethoven would weep if he knew the way so many people nowadays abuse that precious sense.

Even if you’re riding away from traffic, on a nice country road, why drown out the sounds of Nature? Hear the breeze among the leaves. Listen for birds’ calls. If you’re riding in a group, enjoy some chit-chat. Or simply converse with your own thoughts. Think big! After all, Einstein allegedly said that he though of his Theory of Relativity while riding his bike.

Oh … now hear this! What’s that? I think a cyclist is coming!