I just bought a bike after not having ridden one since I was probably 12 or so. I’m sort of in love with my bike–it’s a 21-speed Electra Townie, matte silver with a red leather seat and handle grips. Sweet retro-styling and practical features sold me on this one, and I couldn’t be happier.

However, I’m one of those people who have a hard, if not impossible time driving or exercising without musical accompaniment, so I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that a lack of soundtrack while biking started to drive me bananas. I may be a dork, but I’m not an idiot, so I wasn’t about to strap on headphones while pedaling. Who cares if I’m listening to Judas Priest while riding my new rig if I don’t hear the SUV preparing to run me down?Thankfully, I came across Active Tunes (pictured above), a smart little invention that allows you to mount a decent pair of iPod speakers on your handle bars and comes with a case for securely strapping your iPod on as well. It’s hardly a wall of sound, but given my preferred volume levels, this is probably a very good thing. You can buy your own over here for $30.

So I have spent the last couple of afternoons and evenings discovering what music goes particularly well with cycling. Not surprising: these songs from Journey and My Morning Jacket. Somewhat surprising, but also excellent: this one from Tom Waits and this one by the Knife.