Talkback: Cycling with headphones? You deserve to die

"This isn't a motorcyclists versus cyclists rant" - that's exactly what it is. You've made an inflammatory headline just to get people reading an article which has little to do with 99% of regular cyclists.

London cyclists are not the norm and yes most take risks, but to say "Cycling with headphones? You deserve to die" is ridiculous! That's like saying if you ride a motorbike you deserve to die just because you've seen a few idots on motorcycles around.

I'm a cyclist and a motorcyclist and I wear headphone on the pushbike and listen to music on the motorbike.  I still look around me and can still hear everything going on around me too. I don't think I'm unusual in that respect.

Idiots appear in every walk of like and in every vehicle, tarring them all with the same brush does nothing.

Pathetic rant imho. I expected higher standards on VisorDown.com.

Deserved to die? really? For doing two things (taking the lane, wearing headphones) that aren't illegal?

You couldn't wait to pass for 100 metres? Bless.

Some cyclists are stupid and inattentive. Big deal. I see stupid and inattentive people everywhere: on push bikes, on motorbikes, in cars, on foot, on buses, on trains: they don't seem to favour any particular mode of transport.

And Steve is right: a motorcyclists versus cyclists rant is exactly what it is. 

Talkback: Cycling with headphones? You deserve to die

Get a fucking life you twat! 

What's to say the headphones were the reason he didn't move?

 I don't know the exact circumstances, but from the sounds of it he was exactly where he was supposed to be (in the middle of the lane), and you were trying to overtake in a way you're not supposed to (in the same lane he's in).

It's entirely possible he was just stubbornly trying to remain in the safest part of the road, rather than drifting over into the gutter to be narrowly-missed by overtaking traffic.

Though I agree that the other cyclists shouldn't have undertaken, nor should you have overtaken.

Far too generalised a rant. Yes there are numpty cyclists, just as there are numpty motorists, and motorcyclists. NONE of these people "deserve to die".

Furthermore, whilst I agree that people need to take personal responsibility for their own safety I disagree with the general thrust of your article that most London cyclists do not.

Ben look forward to seing you on your pushbike riding in the middle of your lane....   I will repeat what you did to this cyclist...then pullover at a safe point and see what your explanation is for riding in this manner!!!! 

I think the first post says it all.  It's a classic Kevin Ash MCN rabble rouse.  

I commute miles on my pushbike and I need some tunes to stave off the boredom.  As anybody who's actually done this knows, with standard earbuds like most people use, you can still hear everything thats going on, much more than in a car with the radio on........or on a motorbike with earplugs in.  The situations described in the piece (if they happened) were caused by the attitudes of the riders, not their headphones.

Come on Ben.......Visordown's better than this. 

While I hve no love for cyclists that run reds and wear headphones whilst cycling, taking up the primary is a cyclists right if it is the safe thing to do. I will always take up primary position when coming up to lights. Especially if I am going to be turning left or right.

 With the amount of people (especially women) riding two wheels killed by HGVs in London having  go at someone for taking the primary its just absurd. 

Whilst I don't think anyone deserves to die for wearing headphones (its not something I do when cycling) I do see a lot of stupid cycling. Sadly the bad cyclists are very much in the minority... I'm sure as motorcyclists you see as much of the bad driving as we do on cycles.

I think its a bit strong to make comparisons to James Martin too, though I feel you were being a little impatient with the overtake by what you've described. What was the road surface like further left? Other cyclists may have been comfortable to ride over bumps, glass or oil. Guys who have had a spill may be more consciensious (sorry its been a long day and I'm forgetting how to spell).

So did you wear headphones on your 15 mile commute?

Even on my 5 mile commute to work when i take the pushbike I wear headphones to stave off boredom. I do not jump reads or cycle on the pavement.

Yes there are many absolute assholes on pushbikes out there.As a serving police officer I regulalrly get passed at red lights by them decidng the law doesn't apply to them. (oh yes it does it's always fun to point out.) but there are many idiot bikers out there that ruin us motorcyclists' name just as much or worse.

Does sound like you were over keen to pass him and if you were passing him as another group underook him I would have been having words with you. Like you say, we have had training, you should know better.

God knows what you would want to happen to someone who really pissed you off!!!

Perhaps stoning for the guy who stoll you milk............ Death cause he looked at you funny.

ha ha ha

what a great way to discredit yourself

I was going to bite...

...instead, check your email newsletter log, you'll see I've unsubscribed.

If you're going to publish inflammatory, childish, attention seeking headlines - then you're magazine / web community deserves to die.

Got to go, I'm off to purchase a copy of "Bike."

Oh dear Ben, you really do have some anger issues

Thinking again it was a wind up, right? 

Ben COPE is clearly a moron; enough time waste on him!! 

The issue of wearing (or not wearing) headphones/earphones has interested me for some time.  I took up serious road cycling four years ago and thoroughly enjoy the sport.  Routinely, I'll go out for relatively long rides (i.e. 100+ km) and it is does sometimes get boring.  Initially, I was totally against wearing headphone/earhones, citing safety concerns.  As time passed and I actually gave this some thought, I discovered that during my rides, once I got going, I couldn't hear anything most of the time (due to windroar.  Has anyone else arrived at this conclusion?

Incidently, I now use headphones/earphones routinely.  I figure if/when I get hit, I might as well be listening to music; it's more entertaining than windroar!!

Mark (Canada)  

The author of this piece is an idiot.

"by wearing them you're as bad as car drivers texting while crawling through traffic"

No it's not. It's as bad as car drivers listening to loud music while driving, which is perfectly acceptable to most people.