Music and Cycling have always been important parts of my life. At age 16, I started playing bass, and going on long distance rides. At the time, I was doing 70 mile rides on a 10 speed Centurion.
Most of the time I rode solo, something I still do a lot today. But thanks to Bluetooth technology, I have my music to keep me company. (Just to be clear, I use one earbud in my right ear only. The left ear is open so I can hear traffic.)
I use Spotify for music content, so I started making playlists for my rides. These are openly available on Spotify, so If you are looking for some riding music, search for these Playlists: Grind cycling, Paceline, Pelaton Mix, and Heavy Pedal.
I spent the majority of my time running outside with nothing to listen to except the chatter of other runners or my own thoughts.
So when I run or ride outside I listen to nothing except what’s around me and whatever is inside my own head.
When I’m inside, however, I am usually riding to The Sufferfest. And when I am riding on TPV or Zwift for a group ride or a race, I am usually listening to my workout playlist which is largely composed of Sufferfest music along with other mostly electronic music that I’ve curated. I used to run an internet Trance radio station, so some of that music bleeds over into my playlist as well.
Yup, I can relate. I ran track and Cross Country all through High School and into my 30’s. My bad knees put an end to that so I went back to the bike.
Regarding listening to what’s in you head while running: I used to do the same thing. This was way before the Sony Walkman, so I always had some soundtrack going in my head when I ran. Sly and the Family Stone was a frequent one for me. I think R&B in the 70’s were good mental soundtracks to run to. They had great bass lines to keep pace with. Especially anything with Jamerson playing bass.
That sounds familiar as well. I ran both of these in high school. Then took 10 years off after graduation when I began real distance running in my 30’s with half marathons.
I played trumpet in our high school stage band, so the music in my head was generally what I listened to in the bus on the way to a race or a song we were playing in stage band.
During x-country league finals my senior year I had “Conga” by Miami Sound Machine stuck in my head since that was the song we had been practicing and apparently it made for good quick foot turnover but an uneven step pattern.
So with that in mind I made a cassette with “Symphony of Destruction” by Megadeth recorded over and over repeatedly on both sides to ensure it was the only song firmly stuck in my head when the bus arrived for the end of season conference races.
HaHa​
No not Titanium legs, but I do have some very expensive Titanium in my spine. I’m just happy that at my age, I can still go out and ride my bikes.
While indoors, I’m into podcasts and videos (no help for your question), but I’m with the others who prefer to be distraction free on the open road. Especially given how road behaviors for BOTH autos and cyclists have evolved since the 1970s (which when I started riding - on a 10 speed Centurion Pro, no less).
Thanks for sharing your playlists! I’m always looking for new tracks to keep the tempo up during solo rides, so I’ll definitely give these a search on Spotify before my next outing.
Ah yes, back in those days, vehicular traffic was much different. I grew up in rural New York State, and cycled on a lot of 2 lane country roads.
If I remember correctly, I paid $175 for my Centurion at the local bike shop.
There’s a great picture book called “Japanese Steel” that deifies a number of excellent bike brands from Japan - Centurion is one of them. I actually got hit by a car making a right turn (directly into me) on that bike, which ended its days then and there. Replaced it with a frame made by a guy named Mike Melton. Used the settlement money (clearly the driver’s fault) to buy a Nuovo Record groupset and Saturae grey annodized rims (on those NR hubs) - built the wheels myself. I miss those days.
Ok, so I’ve added some new playlists for cycling on my Spotify channel Rayzorxbass.
Grungy Cycling: A collection of some of my favorite Grunge hits, mostly from the 90’s.
SST Crankers: A tribute to the Sega Sound Team, that creates some of the most amazing music backdrops for all the Sega Yakuza games and a few from the Lost Judgement series. These tunes really are Crankers to get those pedals moving! The last tune, Two Dragons, is an epic masterpiece for the end credits of the Yakuza 0 remake.
3Jimas Chill Zone: This playlist is a nod to the 3 iconic Yakuza characters; Goro Majima, Diago Dojima, Taiga Saejima. (Jima in Japanese means Island). These tracks are more mellow and great for kicking back after a ride.
