There is so much variation in mp3 players that it is harder to make a recommendation on specific models but if you do a search on this forum you will see the question has come up many times.

Ask yourself these questions:

- how much storage do you need? Think roughly 1 Mb per minute, so 256Mb is roughly 4 hours.
- rechargeable battery or standard battery?

Other than that, I don't think you can go really wrong with any model - you will most likely replace it in a year or two once something cooler comes along so you are not making a decision for life.

edit: 256Mb = 4 hours , not 2 hours - doh!

hmmmm... you must be using metric time.

256mb @ 1mb = 1 min = 256 min, or a little over 4 hours.

I use a little Rio solid state player w/ a 256mb card in it, my music library ranges from 128kbs - 320 kbs, and I can fit about 70 songs on it usually.

That's enough for a LONG run.

Prepare for the battle of Hard drive players vs. solid state for running.

bri

I am a big fan of the Rio products. I have the S-35 sport that I have been training with for a couple years, and it is bomb proof. The Cali is also very durable. I am loosly affiliated with the industry, and can say from a reliability standpoint, these models are exceptional.

I am considering picking up a Karma hard disk player and an amazingly good price, but I'm not sure I would really use it that much.

I have a Rio Cali that I love. I have had it for 1 1/2 years and have had no problems with it. I can store at least 2 hours of songs on it. It is very durable and lightweight - has an armband for running.

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Recently I found myself in the same boat. After much research, I settled on the Rio Carbon:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Rio_Carbon_5GB/4505-6490_7-30984154.html

Mini hard drive players are more economical than flash based ones, and buffering technology is advanced enough these days that using them while running and riding is fine.

The next issue is which service it's compatible with. I need a player that can easily use MP3 and WAV. No way am I going to get stuck having to use one service forever.

The obvious competitor to this one - mini iPod - almost can't be beat....almost. Windows friendliness (that is, windows recognizes it, assigns it a drive letter, and you can drag and drop instantly) still has a ways to go, and the things are just so expensive.

So that settled it for me. The Rio has a sexy form factor, windows frienliness, compatibility with the most common encoding standards, and accroding to the reviews, great sound. Rechargabe battery is a plus too.

easy question, ipod. I mean, some other mp3's are cheaper, smaller, but none are near the quality. They're easy to use, you can easily make and erase playlists depending on your mood, how long you want to run, etc.. or just play a favorite cd. The mini is even better for training, as long as you're not planning on having more than 1000 songs. Otherwise, the regular Ipods aren't really big at all. I put it in the back of my jersey, and especially the mini, they have arm bands or clips. You don't need to change any cards, you can make a playlist in about 5 minutes. Trust me, it's worth the small investment.

I second the Rio. I have a S35 that works really well for sports. I put on an extra memory card and it holds about 100 songs.
The only downside when compared with Ipod is that I need to be deleting/uploading songs constantly otherwise I will get bored listening to the same 100 songs over and over.

Whatever you buy load it up with Mouse On Mars.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Thanks for the great info!

Tibbs, some day I need to get a hold of your music collection. You read The Big Takeover by chance?

I use the Lexar Jump drive sport with the lexar MP3 player. It is pretty simple to use, and the Jump drive portion is 512MB - which is $45 on amazon (was $25 last week with a rebate). It comes in a rubber shroud so it is very durable to use as a flash drive for work or something (i have it on my key chain) The MP3 portion is straight forward to use, with a small LCD display.

So, you get 512MB for <$100, and it is multifunctional.

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John Heiss
PhD Biochemistry, UCLA
Founder, Prolong Energy
http://www.prolongenergy.com

Definately go with an iPod mini. By far. But you might want to wait because it is rumored (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=744) that Apple will be releasing a newer flash-based version soon.

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"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live."
-H.D.Thoreau

Rio Cali is a great player. I love mine. It's sweat resistant, has a great waist clip, you can USE THE CONTROLS WITHOUT LOOKING WHILE RUNNING, the memory is cheap and it's small and pretty durable. The only thing I don't like is the interface as I'd prefer a drag and drop interface rather than the Rio DJ program they give you.

Just got a pair of the new Nike Headphones, Vapor light model, these rock for running.

How do you keep these things dry?

I've been putting the player in a zip-lock bag, but have still managed to destroy a Rio and a cheap Gateway MP3 player. I was thinking about an iPod, but am afraid it won't last. BTW, this is mainly from sweat, I don't take them swimming or out in the rain! :)

Thoughts?

Chris

The sweat definately got to my mini, im going on my third because of this problem, its definately not water/sweat proof

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I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard

Our new kitten found my pair and bit through the wire last month. I loved them but could only find the skylon flight to replace. these sound even BETTER than the vapors!!!!

http://www.outpost.com/product/4114213

Heavens to mergatroid (at least that's what I think Yogi bear said?) these iPod things are expensive. Maybe that's just because it's what my wife wants for Xmas, and things always look pricier when they're for someone else ;-)

Say, on a slight tangent, the woman would also be happy with a camera phone. But how the heck do you buy one without having to buy a service plan? (i.e., she's already got one).

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

My suggestion: Ipod mini plus marware case that will keep the sweat out and protect it from the elements. Works well for me.

I've got the Nike/Phillips. It's a little heavy, but bombproof. I can throw it against a wall and still running strong, plus it's sweatproof.

I don't have the mini, but I would strongly recommend the Marware SportJacket. Keeps it nice and dry whether sweat, snow or rain.

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Larry

Don't be afraid to ride too long or too hard. That's what cell phones are for. Rich Strauss

I have an I-Pod mini and it is very nice but pricey. The I-River units look good but I read a review that the contorls are not intuitive and the instructions are difficult to follow. Hmmm. Any comments?

I really do like the combination of I-Music and I-Pod integration. The I-Pod headphones are quite poor though. There have been some battery issues too. H2O audio sells a waterproof (and expensive) housing for the I-Pod and I-Pod mini too.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Hey Tom,
I'm getting a mini iPod for xmas and I've seen the H20 waterproof cases.....bloody hell, a bit expensive eh.....BUT Lillipod are making one which will be tons cheaper.....

http://www.lilipods.com/lilipods.html

By the way, you recommended CRAFT for the tech shirts....for the Tribe....I have SuperDave looking at them for me....he was going to their HQ today.....anywhere on the web I can see the model of tee you're thinking of in particular????

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Stephen Perera
Gibraltar, Europe
graphics@gibraltar.gi

Has anyone tried these yet? For you lousy swimmers this may be just the ticket to get you to spend more time in the water.
http://www.swiminfo.com/swimshop/shop_detail.asp?iPid=1282&iCatId=7

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

Here's a vote AGAINST the Creative Muvo (or more accurately, it's holster). It looks great, works great, is completely intuitive and doesn't require any special software- but after a couple of months, it started falling out of the armband case when biking over bumps (we're not talking about going down mountains here, just riding around town). The first time it happened, the volume control got all weird, arbitrarily jumping to 100%. The third time, it stopped working completely. I had the TX version, but they're all the same form factor.

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