Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sounds of the road

Here are some sounds I recognize while on the road.
  • There is a car behind me and—
    1. it is far away and going slow.
    2. it is going way too fast.
    3. it is nearby, about to pass me, and is way too close to me.
    4. it is behind me but isn't making an effort to pass me.
  • The car that was behind me just turned onto to side street.
  • There is a bike behind me and it needs some chain lube!
  • Somebody just honked at me I am about to die. (Seriously, there is no "friendly honk." It's always "I am about to die.")

I glance over my shoulder to get a visual of what's behind me every once in a while, but I rely a lot on my ears while riding.

Wind, snow, and rain make riding especially difficult for me because they limit my hearing.

Just so you know, Denver, it is illegal to ride with headphones on! I met a guy last week who received that ticket.

It's not a bike law, but it's a vehicle law.

And so is wearing your seat belt, so. BE AWARE.

2 comments:

Loving the Bike said...

I really don't get this law at all. There are so many things that are far more dangerous than riding with headphones on....and I just don't get it.

I ride with them on and am still able to hear everything around me. I'm sure it is a debate that can go on and on, but I just wanted to briefly share my thoughts.


Darryl

chrisman said...

Thanks for sharing, Darryl. I can understand why you shouldn't wear headphones in your car when you're already so cut off from your surroundings to begin with.

But yeah, I agree that they can be okay on your bike.

I personally don't wear 'em. But I'm just not a headphones kind of guy. Don't wear 'em when I'm running either.