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Favorite Music for Riding

2K views 33 replies 25 participants last post by  411898 
#1 ·
What is your favorite kind of music for riding and mention some of your favorite artists. :band: :headphones:
 
#28 ·
I don't listen to any music when I ride. Even when I'm driving to the trails, I usually just turn off the radio.

The sound of nature puts me into the mood.
The hell with music while on a
ride, just enjoy the flow.
No music, love the sounds of nature and my brakes buzzing like angry bees.
Nothing beats the sound of a mountainbike goimg downhill!
another with no music on the ride. i prefer the ipod in the subaru over a CD or FM radio.
what ever music nature is making at the time.
I really don't get why some people want to drown out the sounds of nature while riding.
Do you hate the sound of the wind in the trees or the creek so much that you need to pump the sound of your favorite band into your head to wash out the sounds of nature?

Can someone tell me why. I am curious why. Thank you.
 
#9 ·
Depends on the ride, I mix in slower paced stuff is nice to keep me from burning myself out but mostly metal and rock mixed with a just a little rap and techno/dubstep. Dubstep is like musical meth, it's dangerous stuff and should probably be avoided if you don't want to die of a heart attack on the trail or end up embedded in a tree trunk.
 
#10 ·
hawg's list is similar to mine for the most part. throw in some AIC, BLS, old jane's addiction. for me it depends what trail i'm gonna ride and how cuz i can switch and flow with beastieboys or even the beautifulgirls. a few weeks ago while doin' trail maintenance and riding on a little jump line i was rockin beethoven ode to joy. weird but calming while in the air. i only bring music once in awhile on a ride..usually during a dawn patrol start. then i shut it down when i know there are more users arriving.
 
#11 ·
Another old guy here! I listen to whatever shuffles on my iPod. A lot of the stuff already mentioned. I don't listen while riding anymore, only in truck on the way. I used to listen while riding but after noting the consensus here that ear buds are frowned upon, I chose to amend my ways and I have found that I have become a better rider without the distraction that music causes. I used to think it motivating to have loud high bpm music, but I now see that I was oblivious to my surroundings. I am more aware of potential dangers (snakes) and away from the thoughts music invokes.

To each his/her own but some of the bands I listen to frequently are Blue October, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Killers, BFMV...
 
#13 ·
not old but have heard of and listen to some of the bands mentioned

For riding i like DJ podcasts for continuous uninterupted beats, it's great for high energy training rides and have some downtempo and indie/rock playlists for calming vibes. Mostly house music, electro and progressive with some tech, funky, oldschool thrown in. The tiesto and above and beyond podcasts are awesome and good places to start if you want to try something different.
 
#17 ·
Haven't ridden too long, but I've found that on the trail I actually prefer the sound of my tires across the dirt. When I started I used to listen to music, but I found that when I just listen to nature, I get way more feedback about what's actually happening. That being said, I felt like maybe trying some very mellow dubstep for my next ride...
 
#18 ·
I have trouble letting go and enjoying the ride without music to distract. I get all whiney; 'Ow, my calves! Oh, my lungs are burning! I gotta cut the ride short and do important stuff... GAWD work pissed me off, **** this ****! I still suck at this, I will never get better... I never should have left bed. This is dangerous, I am going to break my neck. I look stupid. I feel like a complete noob. I am embarrassing myself. This is too hard...'

It goes away, and instincts take over. I second guess a lot less, I loosen up, and actually concentrate much more. I may consider going without music on the descents, since I really focus when stuff is technical and more dangerous. The climb (first half of my ride) blows. That is when I constantly want to turn around and say '**** it'. Music lets me just pump it all out, it's a nice distraction :)

In terms of what I listen to? Pandora chooses specifics. Generally, it is what I am in the mood for, and I have a wide range of tastes. Dubstep is good for riding, but lack of variety made me get sick of the Pandora mix. Blues and Jazz is what I have been on lately, seeded by the Cowboy Beebop soundtrack. Coltrane, Davis, Monk, Mingus... you know, the GOOD stuff ;) Put on a Grateful Dead seed the last ride, that had some really awesome stuff. I will sometimes listen to my Tool seed when I am all emo feeling, Korn or Nine Inch Nails seed when I am all *****y feeling, and my Amon Tobin/ Post Rock seed when I am feeling all existential and need some room and a canvas to help me think stuff over. I started biking with my Gorillaz seed, and switched between that and my Aphex Twin/ Crystal Method seeded station. I haven't touched my soundtrack seeds (everything from MIDI to fully orchestrated and lots in between) for biking yet, too slow. I use them extensively for painting and artwork though. The Grateful Dead station had the slowest stuff yet, but I think I was in the mood for it cause it didn't slow me down :)

Favorite is totally dependent on the day :)
 
#27 ·
I only do music when I am commuting to work. I only pass over 3 roads to get to work so I don't need to worry about listening for cars or anything.. There is a bike path that is literally in my backyard and will take me right to work.

But as far as jams to ride to... Its usually Pearl Jam, AIC, Tool, Nirvana, STP... Ect. Pandora usually does the picking for me.
 
#29 ·
mr5150 different strokes for different folks i guess.

i only play music when riding by myself and this usually involves training, high intensity and laps, also stationary bike and road bike. I find music 1 gives me energy and helps me push harder longer 2 makes time fly by and 3 gives me something extra to look forward to on the ride. i love listening to music and its not something i get to do at work, having an hour on the bike to listen to a new mix or cd gives me motivation and keeps things interesting especially for training or repetitive rides.

also its not like you tune everything out when you ride with headphones, i can still hear whats going on around me on the trail
 
#31 ·
There are no cool sounds where I ride. Three mile paved path that is in a neighborhood to the trails, and the fairly popular trails are in the desert. The only 'nature' is screaming children, barking dogs, passing cars, chatty hikers, or silence (once you get a mile straight back into the desert). The silence is something I stop to enjoy when I find it, but it is really only found in hidden corners or areas far in and too advanced for me. I drown out the sounds of the suburbs with music, and flee the suburban scene with a bike. Seems to make sense :)
 
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