mp3 player advice for riding - Page 3 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

02-24-2005, 01:39 PM

Mike G <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
> mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
> drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
> vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.

an ipod mini is ideal, imo. 'specially now that they get ~18 hours per
charge and are 6gb. never had a problem with mine (i carry it in my jersey
pocket), no skips, no abnormal wear and tear .. just works. forget the
flash players, just get a mini. the full size ipods are a bit too large to
easily carry.
--
david reuteler
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

02-24-2005, 07:45 PM

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 20:43:48 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, maxo
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> If you've spent any amount of time using a bike lane/path with these
> headphone wearing idiots--it'll tweak your nerves too.
>
> There's a few things other cyclists do that warrant my rage: headphones,
> riding the wrong way, riding at night with zero reflectors/lights
> (usually done by racer-boys around here who unscrewed their oh-so-heavy
> factory reflectors), and blatant disregard for traffic laws

we can only hope that the darwin effect works, and that they
don't continue in the gene pool.

it's the airheads on skates with phones on that irritate me,
since they always take the full lane or full multi-use path for
some reason. most of the cyclists here seem to have had enough
close calls with phones on to stop doing that.

02-24-2005, 07:45 PM

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 20:43:48 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, maxo
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> If you've spent any amount of time using a bike lane/path with these
> headphone wearing idiots--it'll tweak your nerves too.
>
> There's a few things other cyclists do that warrant my rage: headphones,
> riding the wrong way, riding at night with zero reflectors/lights
> (usually done by racer-boys around here who unscrewed their oh-so-heavy
> factory reflectors), and blatant disregard for traffic laws

we can only hope that the darwin effect works, and that they
don't continue in the gene pool.

it's the airheads on skates with phones on that irritate me,
since they always take the full lane or full multi-use path for
some reason. most of the cyclists here seem to have had enough
close calls with phones on to stop doing that.

02-24-2005, 08:00 PM

When I was looking into MP3 players (for use in the gym, not in the bike), I
went thru the same decision process you are. Although I found many mentions
of possible problems with hard drive based players, I was never able to find
any actual documented incidents.

In the end I opted for a flash player as it was significantly lighter than
any hard drive player.

In my case I bought a 256MB Rio Cali (functionally identical to the Rio
Chiba) and then added a 1GB SD card. Total cost to go this route these days
could be as low as $100 for the Cali/Chiba and $50 for the SD card.

Good luck!

Chris

>I'm in the market for an mp3 player to use while at the gym (on the
>bike there in bad weather) and when riding in general. I've heard that
>hard drive based MP3 players (ipod, rio karma, dell jukebox, etc) are a
>little more sensitive to movement and bumps. Not in terms of skipping,
>but the player actually breaking because it has moveable parts.
>
>Flash mp3 players, on the other hand, are very durable, but don't hold
>nearly as many songs (usually about 512 mb as opposed to 30 gigs).
>
>So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
>mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
>drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
>vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>And, yes, I know, riding with headphones can be a safety hazard...

02-24-2005, 08:00 PM

When I was looking into MP3 players (for use in the gym, not in the bike), I
went thru the same decision process you are. Although I found many mentions
of possible problems with hard drive based players, I was never able to find
any actual documented incidents.

In the end I opted for a flash player as it was significantly lighter than
any hard drive player.

In my case I bought a 256MB Rio Cali (functionally identical to the Rio
Chiba) and then added a 1GB SD card. Total cost to go this route these days
could be as low as $100 for the Cali/Chiba and $50 for the SD card.

Good luck!

Chris

>I'm in the market for an mp3 player to use while at the gym (on the
>bike there in bad weather) and when riding in general. I've heard that
>hard drive based MP3 players (ipod, rio karma, dell jukebox, etc) are a
>little more sensitive to movement and bumps. Not in terms of skipping,
>but the player actually breaking because it has moveable parts.
>
>Flash mp3 players, on the other hand, are very durable, but don't hold
>nearly as many songs (usually about 512 mb as opposed to 30 gigs).
>
>So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
>mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
>drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
>vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>And, yes, I know, riding with headphones can be a safety hazard...

02-24-2005, 08:35 PM

On 23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800, "Mike G" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> from
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:

>I'm in the market for an mp3 player to use while at the gym (on the
>bike there in bad weather) and when riding in general. I've heard that
>hard drive based MP3 players (ipod, rio karma, dell jukebox, etc) are a
>little more sensitive to movement and bumps. Not in terms of skipping,
>but the player actually breaking because it has moveable parts.
>
>Flash mp3 players, on the other hand, are very durable, but don't hold
>nearly as many songs (usually about 512 mb as opposed to 30 gigs).
>
>So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
>mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
>drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
>vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.

The Diamond RIO is a greta flash player. But ... get the iPod. I suggest the
Shuffle.

02-24-2005, 08:35 PM

On 23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800, "Mike G" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> from
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:

>I'm in the market for an mp3 player to use while at the gym (on the
>bike there in bad weather) and when riding in general. I've heard that
>hard drive based MP3 players (ipod, rio karma, dell jukebox, etc) are a
>little more sensitive to movement and bumps. Not in terms of skipping,
>but the player actually breaking because it has moveable parts.
>
>Flash mp3 players, on the other hand, are very durable, but don't hold
>nearly as many songs (usually about 512 mb as opposed to 30 gigs).
>
>So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
>mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
>drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
>vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.

The Diamond RIO is a greta flash player. But ... get the iPod. I suggest the
Shuffle.

02-25-2005, 04:55 AM

maxo <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800, Mike G wrote:
>
>> And, yes, I know, riding with headphones can be a safety hazard...
>
>
> So don't do it, *******. So you're aware of its dangers and still
> plan on doing it? That makes you an uber-*******.
>
> I don't care if you wear a seatbelt or a helmet or if you smoke or
> masturbate 10x per day. But when you make a safety decision that
> affects other cyclists then you're being selfish.

Agreed.

>
> For those times that you can legally use a player--like at the gym or
> strolling about--get a flash player. They're relatively cheap, shock
> proof, and amazingly durable.
>
> HDD players are failure prone, bulky, and expensive.

Wrong. I use my iPod on the cardio machines at the gym. It works great and
I've used it for over 2 years now.

Certainly
> they're the right choice for some--but really--isn't the ability to
> tote 500 tunes around on a stick of gum enough for the most of us?

They have more use than just toting around. They travel well, too, in the
car and in the hotel room and on visits to friends/family.

02-25-2005, 04:55 AM

maxo <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800, Mike G wrote:
>
>> And, yes, I know, riding with headphones can be a safety hazard...
>
>
> So don't do it, *******. So you're aware of its dangers and still
> plan on doing it? That makes you an uber-*******.
>
> I don't care if you wear a seatbelt or a helmet or if you smoke or
> masturbate 10x per day. But when you make a safety decision that
> affects other cyclists then you're being selfish.

Agreed.

>
> For those times that you can legally use a player--like at the gym or
> strolling about--get a flash player. They're relatively cheap, shock
> proof, and amazingly durable.
>
> HDD players are failure prone, bulky, and expensive.

Wrong. I use my iPod on the cardio machines at the gym. It works great and
I've used it for over 2 years now.

Certainly
> they're the right choice for some--but really--isn't the ability to
> tote 500 tunes around on a stick of gum enough for the most of us?

They have more use than just toting around. They travel well, too, in the
car and in the hotel room and on visits to friends/family.

02-25-2005, 04:56 AM

Mike G <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I'm in the market for an mp3 player to use while at the gym (on the
> bike there in bad weather) and when riding in general. I've heard that
> hard drive based MP3 players (ipod, rio karma, dell jukebox, etc) are
> a little more sensitive to movement and bumps. Not in terms of
> skipping, but the player actually breaking because it has moveable
> parts.
>
> Flash mp3 players, on the other hand, are very durable, but don't hold
> nearly as many songs (usually about 512 mb as opposed to 30 gigs).
>
> So, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with hard drive based
> mp3 players or if riding is generally smooth enough to keep the hard
> drives safe. I would much rather buy a large player, but if it's too
> vulneralbe when riding I'll go with a smaller one.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> And, yes, I know, riding with headphones can be a safety hazard...

Don't ride a bike while wearing h'phones. It's stupid and deadly.