Music is one of those things that makes us human, and listening to it while exercising can be motivating, focussing and take your mind off the pain. However, when doing something as dangerous as riding a bike outside, it’s important to still be able to hear the world around you. So, how can you strike the balance between being able to hear music and hear your surroundings?

If you’re someone who is distracted by music, regardless of what else you can hear, then you’ll be better off riding tunes-free. For some people, though, the steady beat of familiar music can help them focus on the task at hand instead of getting distracted by random thoughts. For them, the key will be making sure they can hear the audio cues from the world around them to ensure they stay safe on their daily commute.

The good news is that it’s perfectly legal to listen to music while you cycle in NSW and Victoria as long as it doesn’t block out ambient sounds and you don’t touch your phone while riding (but double check in your state).

I’ve been using the $249 Aftershokz Aeropex Mini for the last few weeks and they’re amazing. These headphones use bone conduction, so they don’t cover your ears at all, and I’ve found that I can perfectly hear the world around me, from the quiet lapping of the Yarra to the beeping of the pedestrian crossing. That said, I have a colleague who can’t hear anything else when using the Aeropex, so it might be best to test them at your local bike store.

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The Aeropex fits perfectly under my helmet, the battery life is more than enough for a week of commutes and the sound quality is amazing considering it’s being conducted through my jaw. My one gripe is that it can’t summon a smart assistant, so I can’t get it to set reminders for all the random things I remember while riding to work.

If you don’t want to invest in a whole new pair of headphones, there are a couple of other options. The best alternative is to just have one earbud in. Don’t use models with deep ear canal tips, because that blocks out too much ambient noise, but something like the original AirPods are ideal; they don’t block out too much sound, especially if you only have one in, and you can still hear the music. They’re just a little more prone to falling out at high speeds, so you might need to work with your ears on that one.

Something like the Plantronics BackBeat Fit ($119) also wouldn’t block too much sound, but you’d need to keep the volume low because their design requires you to have both ears on.

Another option, which I beg you not to use in populated areas, lest your music taste inadvertently suck, is just playing the music out loud from your phone or a Bluetooth speaker and having it blend with the rest of the world. But that really should be a last resort.

Whichever option you go with, just make sure you stay alert and keep the volume to a minimum.

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