Listening to music while cycling: Cycling with music: rules you should follow

Music while cycling: The legal situation

It is a widespread misconception that you are not allowed to wear headphones or earphones when cycling. This is not correct! According to road traffic regulations, it is not generally forbidden, and that would be completely unfair compared to driving a car. The same rule applies to both modes of transport: it is the volume and not the sound itself that distinguishes legal from illegal music consumption. Even the German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC) didn't have a specific decibel rating ready, but who would benefit from that? After all, the perception of volume is very individual and, above all, difficult to assess from the outside. This is particularly important when it comes to the police later on.

Both the legal text and the ADFC guidelines state that the driver's hearing must not be more than insignificantly impaired by music or speech - think of phone calls or podcasts. This is of course a rather vague formulation. According to the ADFC, case law is probably based on a judgement from 1987; at that time it was still about a Walkman with tape cassettes.

In inner-city areas, however, this regulation affects about one in twenty drivers, for whom the music even drowns out the tuned engine and makes the car's sheet metal visibly resonate. However, it is very rare to hear of cars being stopped and fined for loud music, unless it has caused another offence. Cyclists, on the other hand, report it more often. We would like to focus on them here.

Music while cycling: A log from the road

And who can tell us more about this than a police chief inspector with the Cologne bicycle squadron? Sonja Bongartz tells us that she regularly has to alert cyclists to impaired hearing or reduced concentration. She is less interested in the mere wearing of headphones than in the cyclist's "absence", which is obvious to her experienced eye. She calls this "offences with an announcement". For the policewoman, it is not so much the drowning out of traffic that is dangerous. She considers the distraction caused by music, audio books or conversations to be much more dangerous.

People are in a kind of tunnel through something like this, which puts them in dangerous situations, and the volume then prevents people from recognising the corresponding warning signals. Often enough, she follows such "endangered" people on her bike, shouts and whistles on her fingers, but receives no reaction. However, according to Section 23(1) of the German Road Traffic Regulations, it is the driver's duty to ensure that they can be heard. The ten euro warning fine is probably the lesser evil compared to what can happen to you in the "hidden object book of Cologne road traffic", as Bongartz calls it.

Important: If you run a red light due to distraction, for example, you will receive a significantly higher fine. However, such penalties cannot be combined. This is called a collective offence. In general, the higher of the applicable warning fines applies. According to the chief inspector, there is not much chance of avoiding such a fine by claiming that the music was quiet enough or that the headphones were not being used. This is because anyone who does not react to an officer's shouts or whistles is considered to be significantly impaired, comparable to not hearing an announcement over the loudspeaker from the patrol car or a siren.

Which disruption is significant and which is insignificant?

But where is the boundary between an insignificant and a real impairment of the cyclist? For us, this always has something to do with the respective traffic situation and cannot be stoically prescribed. However, we cannot predict how a traffic patrol, an inspector or even a court or insurance company will finally assess this. However, the rule of thumb should be: The more confusing the traffic situation and the higher the speed, the less outside noise you should block out or cover up.

As your own health depends on whether you hear shouting, ringing, honking or squealing tyres, you should completely avoid sources of sound in confined urban traffic areas, especially those that are plugged into the ear or placed over the ear. Sonja Bongartz generally advises against covering your ears. This even includes thick ear warmers, which are very popular in winter. Modern audio systems even work with a technology called "active noise cancelling", in which the ambient sounds are cancelled out by a kind of counter-sound - fatal in the urban jungle, but the function can be deactivated on the vast majority of devices.

Outside built-up areas, especially on cycle paths, we think it is acceptable to listen to music or even make a phone call, but always at a volume that makes warning signals clearly audible and distinguishable. To do this, you can ring the bell yourself when you set off or ask a fellow cyclist to speak to you in a loud voice; you should be able to hear both clearly. The regional court in Aachen and the higher regional court in Brandenburg gave bikers a third and half of the blame respectively because they had not heard the horn of an ambulance. We do not recommend listening to exciting audio books or captivating podcasts. Here, the experiences of the chief inspector were a clear recommendation: light background music yes, content-rich distraction no!

Music while cycling: They make the sound

So far, it's only been about "if and how loud", but we've also thought about "with what? The hardware for enjoying music on the bike always lies somewhere between sound quality and road safety. All the products presented here have their raison d'être in this range and are each an example of a very special type of sound system. If you rarely cycle but do go swimming or jogging, you may value other qualities.

We have selected five variants as examples: The classic headphones with a shell that extends over the ear, the currently popular in-ear headphones, also known as "ear pods", the fairly new "bone conduction" models, which work by directing sound through the skull bone, special helmet-integrated systems with loudspeakers and wind-protected microphones on the chin strap and, last but not least, sound via a Bluetooth box that can be freely mounted on the bike, which is also available for the bottle cage.

5 Headphones / speakers for music while cycling

JBL Wind 3SR

With the speaker on the handlebars and not close to or on the ear canal, it is of course easiest to hear surrounding noises. The music comes via Bluetooth from a mobile phone or other player with a corresponding interface. The volume control and track selection can be easily controlled via buttons on the speaker.

The wallet-sized device weighs just half a pound and the 1050 mAh battery lasts for four to five hours of music enjoyment. The handlebar clamp is included in the scope of delivery. Disadvantage: The maximum volume of 85 decibels is not only heard by the rider, but also by everyone in the surrounding area. Even with the same taste in music, this can lead to hostility. Even in the forest, you could unnecessarily disturb the game (violation of state emission laws). Price: 79,90 Euro >> available here.

• Music quality: 3 from 5
• Areas of application: 2 from 5
• Cycle tour: 3 from 5
• Impairment*: 5 from 5
• City traffic: 2 from 5

Miiego Miirythm II

The Miiego Ear Pods are all headphones that are inserted into the ear canal. As sports models, the Miirythm II are characterised by a particularly tight fit thanks to a memory foam casing, and they not only withstand rain, but also the inevitable sweat. Despite their small size - you can only see a small part protruding from the ear cup - the sound, Bluetooth connection and battery life are excellent: you can listen for up to 36 hours.

Due to their placement, not much sound pressure is required to produce rich bass and clear treble, but unfortunately this very fit also prevents external noise from finding its way into the ear. Even without music transmission, you are quite isolated because the memory foam seals the ear canal perfectly. Great as sports headphones for all kinds of sports, but not such a good choice in the city! Price: 89.00 euros including charging case >> available here.

• Music quality: 5 from 5
• Areas of application: 4 from 5
• Cycle tour: 2 from 5
• Impairment: 1 from 5
• City traffic: 0 from 5

Suunto Wing

It sounds "spooky" or unhealthy at first: sound is transmitted through the bones of the skull! The ends of the wing with their voice coils actually sit very close to the bone, their movements do not create waves in the air, but vibrations in the bone, which continue to the auditory organ and are perceived there like normal sound. Only with very strong bass can you feel a minimal tickle at the contact point, otherwise the sound is indistinguishable. It depends somewhat on where and how the coils are positioned.

Depending on the head shape and helmet, individual pitches may be lost somewhat. In the test, the quality was great, even when swimming and talking on the phone on the bike. The hearing remains free, the sounds do mix, but the perception is significantly lower-threshold than with classic headphones. Minor drawbacks: music and wind noise compete in strong winds and the buttons are quite small. Including the red LED for better visibility, the battery lasts around ten hours. No negative consequences of "Bone Conduction" are known to date. Price: 199.00 euros including charging station >> available here.

• Music quality: 4 from 5
• Areas of application: 5 from 5
• Cycle tour: 4 from 5
• Impairment: 3 from 5
• City traffic: 3 from 5

Miiego AL3+ Freedom

If you're going to use headphones on your bike, then please use ones that don't get in the way of your helmet. The AL3+ model with its neckband fits perfectly with the head protection and sits securely - thanks to the flexible headband that virtually wraps around the upper ear - even on rough roads! As "on-ear headphones", they cover almost the entire ear cup, but there is no all-round rim as with the over-ear versions. This means that some residual external sound can still penetrate the outer ear. The sound is more spacious and balanced than with pods, and such a model is also more comfortable on long tours.

An additional advantage of the AL3+ are the control buttons on the handset; mobile phones or other Bluetooth playback devices remain in your pocket. Phone calls are also good thanks to the built-in microphone, although the wind noise for the caller is slightly stronger than with the Suunto Wing or Aleck. At 41 grams and with a battery life of eleven hours, the water and sweat-resistant device is great for cross-country journeys and all sports without a bike. In the city, however, you should pay close attention to the volume. Price: 89.00 euros >> available here.

• Music quality: 5 from 5
• Areas of application: 4 from 5
• Cycle tour: 4 from 5
• Impairment: 2 from 5
• City traffic: 1 from 5

Aleck Punks (set of two)

The Near Ear Audio Comms are the latest variant on the market and come from the ski and snowboard sector. They are small, lightweight loudspeakers, including a microphone, specially developed for helmet mounting, which are mounted on the helmet strap and, due to their proximity to the ear, only require a low volume. One set contains two 16 gram punks for right and left with triple wind-protected microphone. Fitting takes just a few seconds. Despite the featherweight speakers, the sound is surprisingly rich, although it is not quite comparable with good over-ear and in-ear models. Apparently, the position in front of the ear removes most of the wind noise.

The acoustic signal is also clearly audible while driving. The system is even better suited for speech than for music; incidentally, both are also available via Bluetooth devices. A special feature of the Punks is that they allow group communication with other users, i.e. either a kind of walkie-talkie function or conference mode via an app, without using up your phone credit. This and the good voice quality in both directions, even in strong winds, make these earphones ideal for commuters. Not only is the ear free like with the Wing, the mix of music and outside noise is also more clearly distinguishable. 139.95 euros / 260.95 euros (set of 1/2).

• Music quality: 3 from 5
• Areas of application: 3 from 5
• Cycle tour: 4 from 5
• Impairment: 4 from 5
• City traffic: 5 from 5

* Hearing impairment: 0 = very severe / 5 = virtually none

Cycling in rhythm: music as a coach

In the info stories on the biomechanics of pedalling and in the reports on bike fitting in recent issues, the ideal cadence for cycling has been mentioned from time to time. The absolute optimum in terms of muscular and coordinative efficiency cannot be quantified one hundred per cent and is also in a range where the legs of non-athletes can get tangled up, but roughly speaking you should aim for 80 to 90 rpm. The cadence, as the technical term is called, can be measured electronically or you can count it yourself.

However, it is much easier and more entertaining to choose your music with a correspondingly high or low BPM, i.e. beats per minute, and simply step to the rhythm of the music. At the risk of not appealing to everyone's taste, we have put together two playlists that are specifically designed for this purpose. Music playlist 1 with 80 bpm for the more leisurely pleasure tour and playlist 2 with 90 bpm for more athletically motivated laps. Even if you are not registered with Spotify, you can listen to the lists for free with the corresponding app - simply scan the QR code:

Music playlist 1: Pleasure tour with 80 bpm

Music playlist 2: Motivation with 90 bpm