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

02-23-2005, 08:00 PM

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, 12:18 AM

23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800,
<1109217644.363065.231680@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>, "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.

I've an el-cheapo Koss MP3-CDRW-CD player with 120 second shock
protection in MP3 mode (90 seconds in CD mode)

When mounted on the rack it's virtually useless and even worse in cold
weather, even with chemical hand warmers. When I carry on my body a
combination of body heat and fewer shocks makes it quite acceptable.
At 160 bps a CD will hold ~12 albums. Tuck a few more into your
panniers and you've days of music without repeats.

I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.
--
zk

02-24-2005, 12:18 AM

23 Feb 2005 20:00:44 -0800,
<1109217644.363065.231680@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>, "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.

I've an el-cheapo Koss MP3-CDRW-CD player with 120 second shock
protection in MP3 mode (90 seconds in CD mode)

When mounted on the rack it's virtually useless and even worse in cold
weather, even with chemical hand warmers. When I carry on my body a
combination of body heat and fewer shocks makes it quite acceptable.
At 160 bps a CD will hold ~12 albums. Tuck a few more into your
panniers and you've days of music without repeats.

I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.
--
zk

02-24-2005, 12:40 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:
> I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
> contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.

The most obnoxious person I ever rode with played music (one lousy tape over
and over) over speakers. Good thing no one rides with you.

02-24-2005, 12:40 AM

Zoot Katz wrote:
> I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
> contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.

The most obnoxious person I ever rode with played music (one lousy tape over
and over) over speakers. Good thing no one rides with you.

02-24-2005, 01:13 AM

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 08:40:15 GMT,
<PpgTd.31043$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com>, nobody, "S o r n i"
"the Gameboy with nothing to say"<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> proved its
idiocy:

>Zoot Katz wrote:
>> I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
>> contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.
>
>The most obnoxious person I ever rode with played music (one lousy tape over
>and over) over speakers. Good thing no one rides with you.
>
You snipped this part, fuktard

>>At 160 bps a CD will hold ~12 albums. Tuck a few more into your
>>panniers and you've days of music without repeats.
--
zk

02-24-2005, 01:13 AM

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 08:40:15 GMT,
<PpgTd.31043$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com>, nobody, "S o r n i"
"the Gameboy with nothing to say"<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> proved its
idiocy:

>Zoot Katz wrote:
>> I use battery powered speakers because riding with headphones
>> contravenes various by-laws as well as being a stupid thing to do.
>
>The most obnoxious person I ever rode with played music (one lousy tape over
>and over) over speakers. Good thing no one rides with you.
>
You snipped this part, fuktard

>>At 160 bps a CD will hold ~12 albums. Tuck a few more into your
>>panniers and you've days of music without repeats.
--
zk

02-24-2005, 09:15 AM

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.

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. 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?

02-24-2005, 09:15 AM

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.

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. 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?

02-24-2005, 09:46 AM

Jesus christ.... you guys need to relax.