Ear phones good for use when riding

Sorry, this is not actually answering your question, but I am with the others on this. I hate it when I am out riding or walking and someone in front has headphones on and cannot hear me approach, even if I am calling out. As the owner of a young dog there have been times when I have suddenly seen someone and she has simply not listened to me and has chased after a bike/horse/runner. Yes, I do now avoid busy places and/or keep her on a lead until she grows up, but it gives an example where a rider with earphones would not have been able to hear me calling out a warning to them. I also get a lot of enjoyment from hearing the birds etc., but realise that is just personal preference :).
 
hi Sorry can’t help with headphones but I’ve just bought a portable Bluetooth speaker, it’s really small and can clip onto your jacket, looks good although haven’t had chance to try it yet
 
I frightened the living daylights out of a horse rider in front of me on Saturday.
I was hacking home (not on roads) at a walk and she was going more slowly in front. She stopped to cross the road & i called out that i was behind - no response. 3 times I called & then her horse went vertical and spun - she gave me a right gob full of abuse!!
She had earphones in! I mentioned that if she had been able to hear me, she might have been able to control her horse before he got daft. Another gob full of abuse......
I rang her YO when I got back, told her what had happened, turns out the livery has been told umpteen times to not wear ear phones in when leaving the yard.

TFF, has a loud voice when needed, but still not heard by those with ear phones in!
 
I have used a bluetooth cheap set when out hacking, i only put one in and i'm on a sensible horse. I don't have somewhere to school so i use some songs to help keep a rhythm for certain bits. I don't use them at all on the main road, only off road and really quiet lanes, i can pull them out if i feel the need.
 
Runner1 said:
Hi all

Random question but does anyone have any recommendations for ear phones good to use when riding?
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personally I would not use ear phones when riding, if you fall off they can do injury or get lost. If an emergency phone call is to be made, then find a safe place and call.
 
No I wouldn’t, I think it’s important to hear your surroundings. Plus you’re not concentrating if you’re listening to music
 
If I wanted to wear one I’d just get cordless ones and only wear one. I tend to only wear one AirPod anyway so I can still be aware of my surroundings.
 
I use ear phones in the school, i school to music, but one ear canal is smaller than the other so i haven't found any that fit very well, the best i have is from a flight that are angled and marked left and right. I find the music helps me relax .
 
Although I also would not use them for either riding or cycling, I do use Aftershokz bone conductor headphones for running and I really love them...
 
I just use the speaker on my phone with my phone in my breast pocket. I can hear what is going on and me and my horse can enjoy the archers/a podcast/an audiobook
 
I use a single ear phone or the speaker on my phone. It certainly doesn't drown out the traffic or any other incidental noise. Not that the dog walkers pay enough attention to their mutts round here to call out to riders. It's usually me scaring the living daylights out of them by "creeping" up on them - even with my phone on speaker :rolleyes:
 
It always amazes me how many people jog with earphones or walk about town. How can they hear traffic? Also I think they can make them a perfect target for muggers.
 
I followed a runner wearing headphones for about 10 minutes down a single track lane in my car. He was completely oblivious, even when I blew the horn 2 foot behind him. I was forced to crawl at his speed until he turned off - there were verges he could have stood on to let me pass all the way. I was tempted to give him a nudge with my front bumper - large 4x4 but refrained. I knew if I stopped and ran after him he'd be out of range by the time I had managed to get out of the car and go after him - so I was just stuck behind him. Absolutely ridiculous. So no, please don't wear earphones horse riding...or running, or cycling.
 
It's just not safe to hack with earphones in. But that aside, I simply love the sound of the countryside. It's an absolute privilege to have access to it and enjoy it so why would someone want to block it out with earphones?
 
I'm amazed that anyone has earphones that can block out traffic, or the noise of a car horn behind them. That's incredible. Half the time I can barely hear mine over the noise of the wind and traffic around me...
 
^^that, and there's always the volume-down button ;)

I do all my on-foot jobs with knock off airpods because having no wires is so much easier. I am yet to try riding in them though as the PITA factor of one falling out is a bit high so I'm another with my phone speaker on. Hadn't considered a separate speaker though, might see if I can get my speakerwatch to play things instead as that would save my phone battery. Hmmmmm.
 
JFTDWS said:
I'm amazed that anyone has earphones that can block out traffic, or the noise of a car horn behind them. That's incredible. Half the time I can barely hear mine over the noise of the wind and traffic around me...
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I think some folk get lost in the zone..... thats all I can think of after nearly running people over in car, startling dog walkers, runners and other horse riders if they are wearing them!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I think some folk get lost in the zone..... thats all I can think of after nearly running people over in car, startling dog walkers, runners and other horse riders if they are wearing them!
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I think it's more of an awareness / sensible human being issue than whether or not they have ear phones in - some people will always be oblivious and selfish even with no obvious outward distractions, and some people will always be conscious of what's going on around them, because they're not complete dicks ;) I regularly get accused of "sneaking up" on dog walkers, but the reality is they're just not paying enough attention. I actually have an irrational hatred of the idea of "walking" a dog, because it implies that walking with it is all you should be doing, instead of actively training, playing or interacting with it. You can do all that with headphones in, but you do need to be aware of your dog and your surroundings.
 
But if you can do it, good for you. I wouldn't take that risk. At the same time, I know a person who likes to ride with music that helps him keep the right rhythm and calms him down. But he does it not when he is on the road, but in the arena. Actually, I still ride in my headphones even though I don't listen to music. By the way, I wanted to buy airpods, but they are expensive, so I decided to choose AUKEY True wireless earbuds among the best fake airpods and they work great. I need them so that I can take an important call from my mother at any time. We are in different cities and I am very worried about her because of this situation with the coronavirus. Sorry for the small offtopic. So, if you will be comfortable to ride in headphones, I think why not.
 
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