[nagromme]

Does anyone make an iPod-specific holder to put an iPod firmly on the handlebar of a bicycle?

Seems like a common need but I haven't seen such a thing.

TIA

[engaged]

I'm not an iPod owner, but do cycle - have you consider the safety implications of attaching your iPod to your handlebars? Say you get thrown off the bike - there's a fair chance that the buds will tear your ears, never mind occasionally forgetting when you get off and doing the same.

Also, although the shock resistance of the iPod may be great, there may be longer term problems with higher frequency vibration on the electronics and the moving parts - it is a hard drive essentially.

I'd consider that no one has come out with such a thing for the safety implications alone. And anyway, manufacturers couldn't be seen to condone people listening to personal stereos as they cycle - what about your road awareness?

[Langdon]

Yeah I saw one while doing research on car mounts. I don't have the link but I was browsing ipodlounge forums when I was doing the research so you can go ask or look aroud there.
To be honest I thought it looked dumb and dangerous, If a person wipes out they are either going to shatter the ipod or impale themselves on the mount. I'd just get a belt or arm clip and use the remote.

[voyageur]

As another cyclist, I second engaged's caution. You need your hearing while you cycle. It's a jungle out there.

[nagromme]

Safety is actually the reason I WANT a bike mount, as much as convenience: having the iPod on my other arm or belt means moving a hand far from the handlebar every time I want to Skip. Not a habit I want to increase. (Biking is the main situation I want an iPod... good exercise but the same trails get monotonous year after year!)

Safety's important, and iPodding on wheels through a busy city would be idiocy. But I'd use an iPod wisely and not all the time--and would certainly not choose anything that would impale me worse then the brakes and bell already on my handlebars!

I'd risk a little ear abrasion--I'm a cautious biker and have never been thrown--but wouldn't risk anything worse. That would affect my choice of earbuds--and of course, the earbuds pull out at the iPod end as well.

Awareness-wise, I don't bike on roads, mostly on paved 2-lane bike trails in a nearby national park--at odd times of day when things are deserted. And even at home I'm not in the habit of blasting my music--so keeping listening levels down to hear passing warnings would be easy. Sometimes I wish other bikers would do the same with their loud music! Luckily 2 lanes lets me safely pass them (and the odd jogger) even if they can't hear me.

Some shock protection for the HD would indeed be a necessary feature.

[SeSawaya]

you could always mount the remote on the handle bars.

[nagromme]

Ideally, I'd like an iPod clamped (and stone-shielded) to the right side of the "triangle" that holds the handlebars--and not on top of the tube but to the side. That would put it just inboard of the brakes, and make it zero-profile in any accident. (The earbud would plug in facing forward, pulling out easily as long as I took up needless slack that could catch on things.)

I'd actually consider using the armband and stapping an iPod mini to my leg above the knee--a pretty easy reach--but if anything, that would make the cable more likely to catch on things than having an iPod mounted up front. Plus that would leave my iPod too exposed to flying stones.

The remote's a good idea, but I think the extra cabling would annoy me. (And having to buy an extra pair of Apple earbuds to get the remote.)

[dfiler]

Listening to music while riding?

Heheh... that must be some hard core riding.

But seriously, as an avid x-contry rider and downhiller, I advise against the use of headphones while riding.

I once crashed at high speed when a person wearing earphones zig-zagged into my path having not heard my warnings. Joggers have attempted to do the same but I'm more cautious around them. They aren't using a mode of transportation which poses a risk to others. It's perfectly reasonable for them to wear headphones.

[KeyLimePi]

Another vote against biking and listening to the iPod. I bike and not being able to hear what's going on around me, coupled with dangly earbuds, has faceplant written all over it.

That said, Marware makes a neoprene iPod case with a clip for bikes.

[Cellery]

I tried mounting a first-gen iPod to the bracket on my bike that used to hold a little trip computer and it worked amazingly well. Then everything began to get corrupted on the hard drive, and even a reformat didn't help. I basically ride in residential neighborhoods on flat smooth roads or paved bike trails, but the iPod doesn't like the constant micro-shocks it's exposed to. Now I just do without music or talk to my significant other. Safety reasons aside, shock-protect it really well if you don't want to trash your iPod.

[NYGEO18]

understanding what I do about both bike riding and the ipod...you have no prayer of maintaining a trouble free ipod if you attach it to a bike frame. The shocks of even street riding would destroy the drive in short order.
Thats why there is no bike mount...its a hard drive based player.
That being said, I put mine in my hydration pack surrounded by foam. I ride cross country and its awesome. To me, singletrack and live grateful dead were simply made for each other.
G

[Langdon]

Originally posted by NYGEO18:

Thats why there is no bike mount...its a hard drive based player.

G

I just said there was....

http://www.marware.com/ConvertibleBIKE.html

http://www.arkon.com/pedestals.html

And i think i saw a third one. But I still think getting one is a bad idea.

[nagromme]

Thanks for the links (and warnings)!

Safety--and shock protection--are top priorities for me. But I do go places where speed and traffic are non-issues, and would use the iPod selectively. (And even without an iPod I always ride on the assumption that some random psycho might be swerving past me without warning--after all, even wind can hide the sound of an approaching bike on a smooth trail.)

I might have to use the iPod's own clip in some self-made way to get the shock protection I'd want, but those links do look interesting.

[voyageur]

Well, as long as you promise to be careful.
You might also be interested in this new case that is waterproof and padded for use (they claim) with mountain biking and other sports:

Lilipod

[Todd Madson]

As an avid cyclist (already have 120+ miles under my belt this year so far) I recommend against this, especially on bike paths.

Bike paths are filled with unnatentive walkers who tend to take up the path while talking, moms pushing baby strollers who are apt to turn around without warning and ultra-slow cyclists who tend to stop suddenly without notice. I'm almost more nervous riding the MUT paths locally than I am riding the road..

You're asking for something that might not be a whole lot of fun. There's nothing more dangerous than an oblivious user of the path
who becomes a danger to themselves or others.

My favorite thing to do is to hear the music of cycling - the rhythmic thrumming of the wheels on the road, the mechanistic changes of the derailleur, the sound of a good machine and human in concert.

The last thing you should do is block out reality when you need your sense to deal with the MUT obstacle course world. Last year there was a cyclist pedestrian collision and serious injury happened because someone was wearing earphones.

Even at hours you would suspect the trail is deserted this can be an issue:

Last year I was commuting to work at 5 a.m. (pitch black out) with TWO headlights and I nearly ran down a guy who was walking his dog with headphones on wearing all black with no reflective material and it scared the crap out of me. This was on the Cedar-Lake bikeway from Hopkins into downtown Minneapolis if anyone knows it.

I don't even think the guy ever saw me until I had already passed him by 20 feet or so as he looked up obliviously. This is no short trail, it's an old railroad line converted to "Minnesota's Bike Highway..."

If you MUST do this get a fanny pack or cycling jersey and put the iPod in that, then use an iPod remote to control the ipod volume/track and earbuds under your helmet (you DO wear a helmet don't you?)

Good luck, you'll need it.

[nagromme]

Luckily I never cycle at night--I cycle during business hours when the people on the trail are generally moms with kids and retired people. So once I bike a ways from the trailhead, there are very few people, sometimes none for miles. The ones that are on the trail are generally slower then me--so I spot them from behind and music wouldn't change that.

As for oblivious walkers ahead of me--absolutely! A possibility at any time, even if rare. But being ahead of me, it's my eyes and not my ears that detect them. Since the trail is along a river and has no intersecting trails, my ears are used for what's behind me: the occasional faster biker. I don't enjoy blasting my music anyway, so playing it low enough to hear their bell or call will be no sacrifice. As for the ones who don't signal--the trail is paved and quiet, so I already don't hear them until too late to do anything. And so I always stay in the right-hand lane just as when driving a car. That means whether I hear them approach or not, there's no action I can or need to take. I'm in my lane... they pass in the left lane. The signal is a welcome courtesy for the sake of not startling someone. I look behind frequently though so I'm seldom startled even by fast bikers without signals.

(With pedestrians, it's hard to imagine how a pedestrian could overtake me--so it's THEM who need to hear ME. And I wish they would keep their music low enough to hear my passing warning. If they don't clearly acknowledge my warning then I have to slow way down and assume they'll suddenly lunge out of their lane--which is why even if I was on foot, I wouldn't blast my music. I'd like to hear signals and give cyclists the comfort of a glance of acknowledgement.)

I do wear a helmet--and just so you know how safety-paranoid I am, when I see a group on path talking--especially with kids--I simply stop for them or slowly go entirely off the path: they may be engaged with each other and extra oblivious. Same when I see a dog on a leash--the owner may or may NOT have the leash tightly held. I have zero trust for people--and that's probably why I've never had an incident. I never ride at what an avid cycler would call a top speed--I'd rather hit an unexpected branch at a more leisurely pace. In fact, I'm the only trail user I have EVER seen obey the signs that say to walk your bike in certain places.

And of course when I occasionally bike in less ideal circumstances, that's not when I'd choose music.

I'm not an avid cycler--it's just a way to get some exercise and see more scenery than walking. But I am a safe one.

(I may go the remote route--although the extra component and cable is something I wouldn't mind doing without.)

[nagromme]

I suppose the way I'd sum it up... there are lots of things you can do to be irresponsible on a bike, with your clothing, your speed, your signals, your music, your lane, your choice of where and when, etc. Being smart and courteous doesn't mean "never any" music. It just means... being smart and courteous about it, just like about all those other factors.

I'm fortunate to have places that even make it an option.

Now, statistically it seems that a LARGE percentage of the people I meet on the road OR trail are stupid, rude and thoughtless... So presumably that carries over to most of the people reading this thread Therefore, since I may meet some of them out there one day... all the warnings are very welcome!

It's a good idea for a specific group of people. It would work fine for the recreational rider (which happens to be most people). It would also be ok for XC riding.

Serious commuters and road roadies need to hear what's going in busy areas anyway, so it doesn't apply to most of them.

It's not a good idea for downhill/jump/stunt riding for the obvious reason that if there's a crash the ipod will get smashed. This is also a problem for the more agressive xc riders and even some roadies .

So, it's I think it's a decent idea for the recreational rider, but for more serious riders it's either too dangerous to the rider (distraction), or too dangerous to the iPod (crashes).

Those arm strap things look like a good alternative (good for jogging too), although they make it hard to see the screen.

[nagromme]

My main goal is to have it right by my thumb so I don't have my hand off the handlebar when I run over a kamikaze chipmunk and need to steer!

The iPod Mini, with the tactile click buttons and compact controls, seems ideal. We'll see what develops once I actually make the leap and GET an iPod...