iPod on Bike

[duckman]

My good wife recently won an iPod through her employer and I wanted to run it while riding the bike.
I tested several defferent kinds of speaker setups including, ear pods, overhead joined speakers e.t.c. and finally found the perfect speaker setup for any helmet.

The speakers are sold by Pinfolds of Rotorua. They are very flat and mount into the helmet in seconds. Pinfolds sells bike to bike and rider to pillion intercom sets but you can order just the ear phones for $51 including postage.

Last weekend I rode up to Mangonui, just north of Kaitaia and the sound was clear up to and well beyond the posted speed limit... :devil2:

The massive advantage of using an iPod is you can make up play lists that last for hours so theres no need to change CD's or whatever. Plus it doesn't skip and the battery life lasts for about 12 hours or more of continous play.

I really enjoyed having a soundtrack to the sublime riding experience that is the far north. - Superb :Punk:

[bugjuice]

ipods rock. bleedin period.
Only problem I've found with my set up (easliy fixed) is the wind noise above 80. I've got some Earjams which clip onto my iPod earphones, but not properly roadtested them. Not had the opportunity yet. Plus my helmet is pants, so I need a new lid.

With mine, being an older one, I have an inline remote too. So I feed that down my sleeve, then the earphones back up to me nuggin, and I can control the iPod while it's dry in my jacket..

And, you could listen to KB Radio (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13783) too.. if you're bored.. in traffic or summut..

[duckman]

Yea I must agree, these iPods are feckin great. I now ride with it everyday to work.
I'm sure someone will jump in here and moan about the potential safety concerns of listening to music while riding but I can't imagine it would be any worse than a car with it's radio going.

I know men can't muti-task but I've managed so far. :rofl:

[Lou Girardin]

Ipods rule.
We have an amp as well to give a bit (lot) more volume and a separate volume control while the Ipod stays warm and dry.
I get far fewer 'slow down' thumps now.

[duckman]

How much for the amp and volume control Lou ???

[Sutage]

Ive never tried riding with my ipod, maybe ill try it, one thing to be careful about tho.. dont mount it, i heard that the vibration fucks them up royally, something about cuz theyre harddrive based not flash based?
riding to jimi would rock:D

[bugjuice]

Ive never tried riding with my ipod, maybe ill try it, one thing to be careful about tho.. dont mount it, i heard that the vibration fucks them up royally, something about cuz theyre harddrive based not flash based?
riding to jimi would rock:D
shaking the utter crap out of them, they won't jump for at least 20 minutes of play. The iPod is hard drive based, but the caché in the iPod preloads the next 20 odd minutes of music, and then the hard drive stops spinning. This way, it saves on battery and means it rarely jumps/skips while playing.

But, this is the reason why it takes a second when you jump more than 3 or 4 songs.. I'll be fine to mount, but might not be the best idea for other reasons than that.

imho, listening to an iPod or other device isn't as bad as some car stereos I've heard, and I'd rate it pretty much the same as playing the radio in the car. But, it does pay to have your whits around you, so distractions like this aren't the best idea. But, could be your saviour on a long boring motorway trip

[Sutage]

how does one air guitar to a wicked song while on a bike tho

[Grizz]

I have an iPod shuffle, and it is brilliant for riding, I find though that the standard earphones work loose a bit, but not to the point that you can't hear it. No skipping or jumping, and it fits in the jacket pocket nicely.

[sAsLEX]

what you want is an AIRCLICK wireless remote for your ipod, just mount it next to the idicators or some thing

[Big Dave]

yep - i have a mini. love it's guts.

[Wellyman]

Yea I have a mini. I'm adding more music at the moment. it can be difficult sometimes to chose what you want.

[Squiggles]

i used to use a cd player...but it would skip etc etc so i got a usb flash drive (im too cheap for an ipod ;) ) , but its sometimes hard to hear with the wind and all, so i might try a setup like u've got duckman, rather than just turning up the volume and blowing my eardrums out when im stuck in traffic :D

[bugjuice]

I have an iPod shuffle, and it is brilliant for riding, I find though that the standard earphones work loose a bit, but not to the point that you can't hear it. No skipping or jumping, and it fits in the jacket pocket nicely.
the Shuffle is a flash based player, no moving parts. The other iPods are HD based. Other players are one or the other too. Flash based players will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever skip. Where as HD based players will skip after their caché is emptied. That will depend on the player. Apple iPods have about ~20 min skip. CD players used to boast 15 second skip.. pfft..

[Eurygnomes]

Yay! I'm really glad someone brought this up. As a total beginner, I probably won't have it on me for the first few weeks - at least till I get used to the bike/roads - but I was wondering whether I could use it. I guess I'll feed it all inside the jacket from a pocket on my body rather than attach it to the bike, it's an old 3G 20g so I have ALL my music on there. making playlists is damned inconvenient - there's too much to choose from! :)

[Big Dave]

Yay! I'm really glad someone brought this up. As a total beginner, I probably won't have it on me for the first few weeks


Give yourself a bit longer than that.
These are toys for experienced players.
You should be listening to your bike and the world around you for a while longer first.
Pop in in your pocket when you have a few months up and know what gear you are in - just by the feel of the revs.

[FEINT]

I don't have an Ipod, but I have a MP3 player... hehe

I use Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia earphones. They are more like ear buds than ear phones. They don't get caught in the helmet either when you are removing the helmet and putting it on. Cuts out a fair bit of wind noise as well. Over 100km/hr I think with any brand of ear phones you will hear some wind noise.

http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/imagesProducts/180x180/MDREX71SLWK.jpg

[Biff]

Yup - use mine from time to time with an amp. The amp is a cheap Dick Smith kit that cost me $15. Works fine.

[NhuanH]

Agree with Feint, I also use the Sony EX-71 in-ear earphones. The shiz. Both in terms of sound quality (since they are so deep in the ear), and staying in place and comfy under a helmet. The standard style Apple earbuds or anything in that mould just didn't work for me.

Now they also have EX-81s with a loop to go around the ear for a more secure fit. Think these should be OK under a helmet.

[Warning: iPod junkie talk to follow]
Playlists - I only regularly use 1 Smart Playlist, with these conditions:
* 3 stars or higher, as rated by me.
* Not been played in the last month.
* On Shuffle (of course)

By virtue of listening to a song, it gets dropped out of this playlist for a month

Soooo, I always get something I'll like (having bothered to rate it), haven't heard in a bit, so retains novelty, but I won't know exactly what song it'll be. :Punk: It's like a radio station especially made for you!

This playlist has anywhere between 1500 to 500 songs to select from, depending on how much I've been listening to the iPod. And it serves me on the Ninja, on a pedal bike, walking round the hood, walking at lunch from the office, in the cage, leaving the cage and pushing a supermarket trolley about, etc etc. And it's like a continuous running soundtrack for your life.....

Them Elton John -> Metallica transitions make me giggle though.

[2_SL0]

Ive been waiting for NhuanH to post as I noticed he always has that thing jammed in his ears. Im going to have to buy one of these.

[MOTOXXX]

i always liked the h340 irivers over the ipod.
its able to view pics and usb 2.0 for fast transfer.
pluss its 40gb of space and you can put anything you want on it, record from any source and dont have to use itunes etc etc. :Punk:

[Lou Girardin]

How much for the amp and volume control Lou ???

From memory it was $40-$50 from Dick Smith, but it's in kit form and I had Pixie modify it to make it smaller and more weather proof. He might do it for you at a smallish cost.

[Badcat]

i always liked the h340 irivers over the ipod.
its able to view pics and usb 2.0 for fast transfer.
pluss its 40gb of space and you can put anything you want on it, record from any source and dont have to use itunes etc etc. :Punk:

http://store.apple.co.nz/public/product/group.php?pgid=AP12

20 gig ipod $529
photo function
colour screen
usb 2.0

60 gig ipod $709
photo function
colour screen
usb 2.0

you'd have to add a part to have line in and a mic:
http://www.macsense.co.nz:591/retailprices/FMPro?-db=pricelist.fp5&-format=record%5fdetail.htm&-lay=web%20fields&-sortfield=search%20field&-sortfield=dealer%20buy&Pr%20Title%20Name=iPod&-max=20&-recid=34329&-find=

yep - you need to use itunes though.

and iPod has a HUGE aftermarket - so you can do heaps more with it.

k

[bugjuice]

ok, well I can't afford what Nhuan and Feint use (something like $80 or $160 can't remember..), and I do love the quality of the standard iPod earphones, but they do fall out, and they do sound better when you shove them into your brain, but then you just look stupid. So I bought these..

<center>http://www.griffintechnology.com/images/products/prod_earjams_main.jpg
http://www.griffintechnology.com/images/products/sidebar_earjams.jpg
Earjams by Griffin Technology</center>

Griffin (http://www.griffintechnology.com) f'in rock imo, they do some wicked stuff for Apple. I finally got round to giving them a road run for the first time last night from my place in Takapuna to my bro's place in Hillsborough, which involved motorway, openish road and street riding. Got up and a little over 100kph, and heard everything fine, albeit with a little wind noise. My helmet is crap, so the wind noise is bad just by itself. It helps that my iPod has the remote, so I fed that down my right sleeve so that I could/can control the volume and track so I can skip if it's a crap one or one that I'm bored of. Listening to music is very surreal if you're not used to it. I can't see me listening to the iPod on intensive rides, but definitely for motorway and the boring stuff. Like heading down to the 22. It takes me 40 minutes from home, of motorway riding. Boring as hell, especially when you're knackered from another awesome run and just want to rest and snooze. The motorway run home is hard. So the iPod would help heaps. As for doing the 22, unless I was just cruising (pah! lol, I know..), I'd find it a distraction.. The only other downside about these clipon bits to the earbuds, is taking your helmet off. Big trick to that, which I learnt the painful way. Take the earbuds out first, dislodge them in any way you can, but for the love of God and your ears, try to take the helmet off with these still in!!!!!

All in all, I reckon these are a good cheap alternative while you save for the ones mentioned above, if you're like me and a bit skint. I got mine off TradeMe for $25 which I thought was a bit of a bargain. And I listen to my iPod walking to work every morning too. Makes the earbuds sound a lot richer in quality, and you don't have to have the music as loud any more. I'd give 'em an 8.5/10.. :niceone:

[Jeremy]

That reminds me, I suppose I should get an mp3 player of some sort for next semester. The hour long crawl is rather boring.

Anyway just a quick bit of info, iTunes isn't the only software that can put stuff on an iPod. Winamp can do it as well with the iPod plugin.

[MrMelon]

I don't have an Ipod, but I have a MP3 player... hehe

I use Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia earphones. They are more like ear buds than ear phones. They don't get caught in the helmet either when you are removing the helmet and putting it on. Cuts out a fair bit of wind noise as well. Over 100km/hr I think with any brand of ear phones you will hear some wind noise.

http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/imagesProducts/180x180/MDREX71SLWK.jpg

Yeah I used these too under the helmet and they're the shit. They tend to fall apart when I'm wearing them though.. been through 4 pairs now. It's just something in the rubber the cable's made from, but hardly anyone else seems to have this problem.

[Badcat]

Yeah I used these too under the helmet and they're the shit. They tend to fall apart when I'm wearing them though.. been through 4 pairs now. It's just something in the rubber the cable's made from, but hardly anyone else seems to have this problem.
nope - mine failed at the L/R cable junction - at 10 months - replaced under waranty by sony store in newmarket.
the cables are very thin, they sound great but are very fragile IMHO.

k

[MrMelon]

Mine fail in a month or less every time.. the rubber in the cable goes sticky and swells, then whenever you touch it, it just tears. Tried white ones and black ones but they're both the same. But you're right about the cables being fragile in general.

[NhuanH]

Mine fail in a month or less every time.. the rubber in the cable goes sticky and swells, then whenever you touch it, it just tears. Tried white ones and black ones but they're both the same. But you're right about the cables being fragile in general.
damn! what kinda toxic shite you got comin' outta your ears buoy? :devil2:

My only prob with them is that I tend to get the silcone ear inserts stuck in my ear after taking the helmet off and then they can just pop out...wherever.

[MrMelon]

Heh the earbuds stay fine, its just the cable that goes around the back of my neck that disintegrates. Either way it looks like theres something in my skin that fucks with the rubber in the cable. A few other people have the same problem but not many.

How the hell do the silicone bits come off in your ears?! They're hard enough to pull off as it is!

[MOTOXXX]

http://store.apple.co.nz/public/product/group.php?pgid=AP12

20 gig ipod $529
photo function
colour screen
usb 2.0

60 gig ipod $709
photo function
colour screen
usb 2.0

you'd have to add a part to have line in and a mic:
http://www.macsense.co.nz:591/retailprices/FMPro?-db=pricelist.fp5&-format=record%5fdetail.htm&-lay=web%20fields&-sortfield=search%20field&-sortfield=dealer%20buy&Pr%20Title%20Name=iPod&-max=20&-recid=34329&-find=

yep - you need to use itunes though.

and iPod has a HUGE aftermarket - so you can do heaps more with it.

k


can you put anything else on them apart from music?
like a movie to swap with a mate or apps etc?

[Badcat]

can you put anything else on them apart from music?
like a movie to swap with a mate or apps etc?

yep - you can copy any filkes to them for transfer.
they won't PLAY video, but will carry anything as a drive.

k

[bugjuice]

yep - you can copy any filkes to them for transfer.
they won't PLAY video, but will carry anything as a drive.

k
but mac only, isn't it? The 'PC' iPods don't show up as a hard drive, do they....?? Not totally sure, but Apple might have fixed this..
I use mine all the time as a HD, aswell as a player. Couldn't be without it now..

[Badcat]

but mac only, isn't it? The 'PC' iPods don't show up as a hard drive, do they....?? Not totally sure, but Apple might have fixed this..
I use mine all the time as a HD, aswell as a player. Couldn't be without it now..
actually - you may be right - let me check.
damn windows.
k

[Motu]

You need the iPod Flea,perfect for a bike....iPod Flea (http://www.nytimes.com/video/html/2005/06/29/technology/highbandwidth/windowsmedia/20050629_GUEST_VIDEO.html)

[Badcat]

but mac only, isn't it? The 'PC' iPods don't show up as a hard drive, do they....?? Not totally sure, but Apple might have fixed this..
I use mine all the time as a HD, aswell as a player. Couldn't be without it now..

http://www.apple.com/ipod/color/musicandmore.html

look at second paragraph under "beyond the beat"
looks like it does do it.
i don't use windows - so maybe windows ipodders would comment?

ken

[bugjuice]

http://www.apple.com/ipod/color/musicandmore.html

look at second paragraph under "beyond the beat"
looks like it does do it.
i don't use windows - so maybe windows ipodders would comment?

ken
looks like the new one does.. But it will be from recent models only, wouldn't have thought the older iPods would. Be happy to be proven wrong tho

[zeRax]

everybody knows iaudio 's are the best, insurance just came through on my ipod, ipods suck unreliable always fuck out, mates work in retail and they get countless amounts back, if yours is working for a long time you got lucky..

so yea, got my iaudio with remote, 20gb hdd all that jazz etc etc etc, 35hour play time, 6 hour charge, :) Iaudio > iPOoD

[Badcat]

everybody knows iaudio 's are the best, insurance just came through on my ipod, ipods suck unreliable always fuck out, mates work in retail and they get countless amounts back, if yours is working for a long time you got lucky..

so yea, got my iaudio with remote, 20gb hdd all that jazz etc etc etc, 35hour play time, 6 hour charge, :) Iaudio > iPOoD

everyone knows iaudio are best?
why are ipods so popular then?
seems "everybody" while obviously understanding that your player is supreme, still buy ipods....
go figure huh?

[bugjuice]

everybody knows iaudio 's are the best, insurance just came through on my ipod, ipods suck unreliable always fuck out, mates work in retail and they get countless amounts back, if yours is working for a long time you got lucky..

so yea, got my iaudio with remote, 20gb hdd all that jazz etc etc etc, 35hour play time, 6 hour charge, :) Iaudio > iPOoD
had my 2G iPod for ages, never had a problem with it.. shame you did, but nothing is perfect..
Never heard of iAudio tho, just did a search for it, to see what it was!
Why can nothing be original any more? More on about the name than anything else. A player is a player, but come on.. 'i' everything now..

Well, whatever works for ya, as long as your jamin... :Punk:

[Patch]

Listening to songs while :ride: is nice - but hearing your finely tuned girl thump between your legs, valves singing, tyres squealing, exhaust barking is pure music.

This is the only music I listen too.

We Bikers are a breed all on our own and we ROCK!!!!!!!!!

:Punk: :Punk: :Punk: :Punk:

[zeRax]

:) all i know is the amount of ipod returns in retail is amazing due to faults, be it a certain model or what, and that i have 35hours of playtime on my iaudio :)~

its iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-tastic

[zeRax]

similar thread here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=11829&page=1&pp=15)

[Eurygnomes]

looks like the new one does.. But it will be from recent models only, wouldn't have thought the older iPods would. Be happy to be proven wrong tho

Are you asking whether you can use an iPod as a hard drive on Windows?

Yes you can. I've a 3G, 20Gb and it's just fine. I have all my 'important' stuff on it - and occasionally use it as more of a flash drive than an mp3 player.

Also...ta for the advice on teh playlist making - I think that's a top idea. But yes - shuffle on some things is amusing: Vivaldi - Gwen Stefani is pretty good too! :)

[Biff]

Listening to songs while :ride: is nice - but hearing your finely tuned girl thump between your legs, valves singing, tyres squealing, exhaust barking is pure music.

This is the only music I listen too.

YOU Bikers are a breed all on our own and YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!

:Punk: :Punk: :Punk: :Punk:


Betcha can't wait to get a bike and join us then :whistle:

(sorry - I couldn't resist it!)

[parsley]

I've had my iPod for a while now and I love it. But it was getting a bit battered because I kept dropping it (ham-fisted fool that I am). I bought a Lilipod to protect it and it's been brilliant - shockproof, waterproof and idiot-proof. I highly recommend it!
http://www.lilipods.com/lilipods.html

[Big Dave]

I've had my iPod for a while now and I love it. But it was getting a bit battered because I kept dropping it (ham-fisted fool that I am). I bought a Lilipod to protect it and it's been brilliant - shockproof, waterproof and idiot-proof. I highly recommend it!
http://www.lilipods.com/lilipods.html

how much and where?

[Badcat]

how much and where?


http://www.ipodstuff.co.nz/detail.lasso?product=DP7000-LP&cat=cases_skins&p=1

[parsley]

http://www.ipodstuff.co.nz/detail.lasso?product=DP7000-LP&cat=cases_skins&p=1
Well, I bought mine over the net from the site I listed:
http://www.lilipods.com/lilipods.html

This NZ site is closer but more expensive. The Lilipod is US$39.99 + $12 P&P, which is about NZ$77. The NZ website sells them for $90 (probably plus P&P). I paid using Paypal.

[2_SL0]

Ok, Im a MP3 player noob. I would like to buy a cheap one to begin with and see if Im going to get the use out of it before I go and buy a good one. I see alot on Trademe for well under $100 dollers. I actually dont need something to carry shit loads of music as I would change that reg. Any suggestions? I would like to spend under $100 dolers or close to that.

[parsley]

How are you planning to get music on to it? The cheapest players are simple USB memory sticks with build-in MP3 players. Here's one from Dick Smith:
http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/42d8e6db059d49ea273fc0a87f99074e/Product/View/A2369
I have no idea how good it is, but it's under $100. If you're PC's got USB you're sorted.

[2_SL0]

How are you planning to get music on to it? The cheapest players are simple USB memory sticks with build-in MP3 players. Here's one from Dick Smith:
http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/42d8e6db059d49ea273fc0a87f99074e/Product/View/A2369
I have no idea how good it is, but it's under $100. If you're PC's got USB you're sorted.

It would be reg plugged into either my work or home pc and Ill just load in new music from those pc's. Im more interesdted in the quality and usability of the cheap ones.

[MagicMarker]

I was thinking of doing a group buy of Legend Mp3 players. I might be able to source them, depending on how many people are interested. Here's the link of a legend mp3 player.

http://www.legendmemory.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2305

You can pm me for more information, or if you are interested just post here or I'll create a new thread.

Just an idea if anyone is interested. :)

[FEINT]

I was thinking of doing a group buy of Legend Mp3 players. I might be able to source them, depending on how many people are interested. Here's the link of a legend mp3 player.

http://www.legendmemory.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2305

You can pm me for more information, or if you are interested just post here or I'll create a new thread.

Just an idea if anyone is interested. :)

I have one of these. It runs on a AAA battery and it has 512mb. It isn't bad for what you pay for it. It comes with FM radio and voice recorder etc. I also use it to transfer data from uni - home. :D

[SARGE]

i use a Phillips 256 mb Keyring.. neckstrap controls and a short headphone lead. works nice, but the earbud rubbers tend to fall off.