Did you know that listening to music can provide a small, but statistically significant boost in performance?

 Whether you're stuck on the rollers banging out hour of powers, or on the road doing sweet spot, threshold, or Vo2 a good song, can help you get in the groove. Research has shown that music can help you achieve flow state easier. Furthermore, it's been demonstrated that during submaximal exercise listening to music can reduced perceived exertion by up to 10%.

Here's a list of some of our favorite musical genres for training to and a selection of songs that we've listened to countless times during our cycling careers.

 1. Trance

Trance came into existence during the 90's. Characterized by a tempo of 125 to 150 beats per minute, repetitive melodic phrases, and drops. The name itself may refer to euphoria, chills, or uplifting rush that listeners can experience.

The longer track lengths, and ability to get lost in the song made trance our go to genre for longer threshold efforts and riding the rollers through the rough Vermont winters. 

 2. Drum and Bass

Another electronic genre that came into existence in the early 90's, known for fast tempo (160-180bpm), and it's heavy bass and sub-bass lines. Songs here are generally shorter, and the fast tempo make it more ideal for vo2 or anaerobic intervals when your cadence is high.

3. House

House music arose in Chicago during the 1980's. Known for its four on the floor beats (4/4) and synthesized basslines. House shares a lot in common with disco, as well as the soul and funk it samples, while being more electronic and minimal than those genres using the repetitive rhythm of the song to create the groove.

4. Footwork

Footwork is a direct descendant of chicago house music. A dance battle music, it utilizes super fast techy drums with heavy bass while sampling everything from soul, funk, and Hip-hop.

5. Techno

Techno is the last stop on our list and also a creation of the 1980's from Detroit. Techno is a generally repetitive electronic dance music, in the range of 120-150bpm that uses a 4/4 beat with a bass drum on every quarter note.

Well, that wraps up our look into 5 different genres of music and some examples of notable tracks that we've used to get us through many, many intervals, and even more miles of riding. Leave a comment here, on twitter @paynobikefees, or on Instagram @Orucase if you want us to explore a genre more in depth or a new one. Always happy to tell you our favorite songs for riding.

While you're listening be sure to check out our Airport Ninja bike case. It's the only bike travel case designed by cyclists to avoid excess baggage fees. It does this by being the only case that can be built under the 62 linear inch airline limit, and is also available in sizes to fit everything from an XS to an XXL. It's the smallest and lightest bike bag available!