OT:kinda: Ear buds

[skiezo]

Lately when I and riding one of my mian loops there is and area along the river where I encounter ppl for a couple of miles. Often these ppl have both buds/headphones in/on. I give notice that I am approaching both get no response. Totally clueless of everything. Face in device, outside sounds deleted.
I am just amazed that this generation is so distracted. I am of an era where I was taught to always be aware of my surrounding. When I went through SERE training in the early 80s we were taught to always be aware of surrounding using the 3S's, sight,sound sense.
Me personally I never have both my buds in when I am in public, only one and just enough volume to hear my music. I still need to be aware of everything around me. Old habits are hard to break.

[72gmc]

I put a Crane bell on my handlebar for these situations. Multiple rings of the bell usually get noticed, even if it’s a companion who pulls the earbud user out of the way. I find the bell gets through in a lot of scenarios where my voice does not.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by skiezo

Lately when I and riding one of my mian loops there is and area along the river where I encounter ppl for a couple of miles. Often these ppl have both buds/headphones in/on. I give notice that I am approaching both get no response. Totally clueless of everything. Face in device, outside sounds deleted.
I am just amazed that this generation is so distracted. I am of an era where I was taught to always be aware of my surrounding. When I went through SERE training in the early 80s we were taught to always be aware of surrounding using the 3S's, sight,sound sense.
Me personally I never have both my buds in when I am in public, only one and just enough volume to hear my music. I still need to be aware of everything around me. Old habits are hard to break.

Happens all the time on the trails around here. Bell works sometimes, loud whistle and then yelling when that doesn't. I even searched online for a loud horn but never found one. Even when they do hear me, they do stupid things like walk across the trail right in front of me.

[mstateglfr]

People enjoy their time outdoors in different ways.
If they are being safe, I don't care if they can hear me or not. I also don't care if they see me or not.

I actively avoid trails/MUPs when I ride alone, but that's more for speed and wanting to be away from people vs being annoyed at those I am around for not acting how I want them to act.


I wear ear buds when I rode alone. Jlab anc air sport model, which goes over the ear. I can still hear things around me and they actually reduce wind noise when the wind is coming from certain directions.
Perhaps people think I am distracted because they see ear buds. But that doesn't mean I am being unsafe. Perception and reality are often different.


To the OP- your categorizing a generation is pretty weak. When I see people on trails engrossed in their phones, it's all sorts of ages. Geriatrics, boomers, Xers, Millennials, and Z kids- all are commonly distracted by phones. And if not phones, then dogs on extending leashes.
It almost never fails- when someone complains about 'this generation', their generalization is comically misplaced and actually applicable to many in their own generation too.

[Nomadmax]

All I ask is don't be a d#ck when startled if you choose to eliminate one of the five senses.

[JMT3]

I have them and never use them on the bike. My use is if working around the house and the wife is out or dog walks. I also wear hearing aids. Deaf in the upper frequencies from gun play years ago without hearing protection and way too many very loud rock concerts.

I guess I could add never on my motorcycles either. I want to hear besides my exhaust.

[gravelreformist]

Originally Posted by Nomadmax

All I ask is don't be a d#ck when startled if you choose to eliminate one of the five senses.

This. We were on vacation earlier this summer. I was riding on a MUP but out in a forest, very few people on it. I approach a runner going my same direction. Running dead in the middle of the path, headphones in. I ring my bell multiple times with no reaction. Slow down and start calling out. No reaction. Pass by him and point at my ears to indicate - "hey - you can't hear anything". It's a middle aged guy and he starts swearing at me up and down, tries to get me to come back and confront him, etc. I just waved and finished my ride.

I don't get people.

[JMT3]

Originally Posted by gravelreformist

This. We were on vacation earlier this summer. I was riding on a MUP but out in a forest, very few people on it. I approach a runner going my same direction. Running dead in the middle of the path, headphones in. I ring my bell multiple times with no reaction. Slow down and start calling out. No reaction. Pass by him and point at my ears to indicate - "hey - you can't hear anything". It's a middle aged guy and he starts swearing at me up and down, tries to get me to come back and confront him, etc. I just waved and finished my ride.

I don't get people.

The stupid are inheriting the earth. I see samples of it daily. Let’s not even bring politicians into it.

[ChainNoise]

I stopped reading when you mention the younger generation is to blame. Massive crock of **** on the trails I use. 99 times out of 100 it's an older guy/girl in their 50s/60s walking in the middle of the trail with no regard for anyone else.

[mstateglfr]

Originally Posted by ChainNoise

I stopped reading when you mention the younger generation is to blame. Massive crock of **** on the trails I use. 99 times out of 100 it's an older guy/girl in their 50s/60s walking in the middle of the trail with no regard for anyone else.

^ yup.


I do agree with another poster than boils this issue down to 'dont be a dick'. I have found that is pretty much the perfect answer for almost all social interactions.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by ChainNoise

I stopped reading when you mention the younger generation is to blame.

Originally Posted by JMT3

The stupid are inheriting the earth.

I blame us Boomers. We inherited a great thing from the Greatest Generation. We screwed it up.

I was promised flying cars and jet packs. Look what we got instead.

[batman1425]

Same here. The MUT are packed with people face into their device and ear-buds in. Totally oblivious to what is going on around them. My spurcycle bell cuts through sometimes, but not always.

My personal favorite is that distracted person who is also walking a dog either off leash or with a ludicrously long one with all the slack out. No way to get their attention. I've nearly been clothes lined several times. IME, age isn't a factor with respect to who the worst offenders are.

I go through some interesting calculus when planning my routes. In the city, you'd think the MUT would be the safer option, but not always. Certainly not the faster one with how slowly I have to creep around some of these folks to avoid landing on my face.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Elefantino

I blame us Boomers. We inherited a great thing from the Greatest Generation. We screwed it up.

I was promised flying cars and jet packs. Look what we got instead.

We got the Cybertruck, which doesn't quite fly, although it's arguably faster. The worst of both worlds. And it's ugly.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by batman1425

Same here. The MUT are packed with people face into their device and ear-buds in. Totally oblivious to what is going on around them. My spurcycle bell cuts through sometimes, but not always.

A few years ago I was hiking on a dual use trail in the woods, one of my usual 5-15 mile mental health hikes. 95% of the people there are walking. After the first few miles I don't see many people.

Anyway, I heard an MTB rider's blasting ear buds behind me, but never heard him. He never said a word to alert me that he wanted to pass. I kinda think I should have kept on hiking until he said something. If he's willing to tune out the environment, why not others?

Imagine if you rode up behind him and wanted to pass. How would he hear you?

[rothwem]

Pulling this slightly off topic, but have you guys noticed that the AirPods with the adaptive listening have really ****ed up people’s sense of what’s polite? I see people at work that have AirPods in all day and when people say hello to me, I’ve got no idea whether they’re talking to me or if they’re on the phone. I’ve started just staring blankly at people if they’ve got AirPods in, even if they say my full name when talking at me.

“Aw crap man, wasn’t sure if you were on the phone or not”.