Best mp3 earplugs for cycling?



spotcom

New Member
May 11, 2003
11
0
0
61
Hey all,

I've just bought a new Creative MuVo MP3 player, and loving it. Problem is, I get a fair bit of wind noise when cruising at above 25kph, from the earplugs.

Looking at the design, I can see that they're not that aerodynamic.

I was wondering if anyone else out there had experience with this problem? If so, has anyone found that a particular brand is better than others?

... I was thinking about perhaps riding with a bandana over my ears - not sure if this would work or not. Perhaps a fashion risk?

Cheers
 
Personally I am opposed to wearing any headphones or earplugs while on a bike. I feel that it is unsafe and you are putting yourself at additional risk for no reason. I like to hear everything happening around me.
 
I bought a simple set of earbuds (the small buds that just sit in your ear - like the ones the pros wear) and only put one bud in my ear. I don't like having almost all of my hearing compromised on a ride, so I'll only wear one. That way it lets you hear everything else around you and have music at the same time. Granted, it gets drowned out by the outside noise sometimes, but hey, ya gotta be safe, so I'd sacrifice sound for hearing ability any day on the bike.
 
RSSrsvp said:
Personally I am opposed to wearing any headphones or earplugs while on a bike. I feel that it is unsafe and you are putting yourself at additional risk for no reason. I like to hear everything happening around me.
Absolutely. Its a safety issue. Your ears should be listening to what's out there in the road, not in your MP3 player.
 
Ronanmk said:
Absolutely. Its a safety issue. Your ears should be listening to what's out there in the road, not in your MP3 player.
I have to respectfully disagree. Just because I've got ear phones on, doesn't mean I'm listening to them on "11". I always try to set the volume so I can hear the rear freewheel/derailer. Do you listen to the radio in your car? What's the difference? If I'm overtaking somebody (they are in front of me) it's my responsibility to get out of the way. If they are overtaking me, it's their responsibility. So long as I obey the rules of the road, it shouldn't be an issue.

Now to answer the question, try the sony's (I don't know the model). They have a very good fit (at least for me) and have a high signal to noise ratio. You can check this number out when you buy a new pair. It's generally listed in the specifications and dB/watts or mW. The higher, the better. (Try to find one with at least 92 or 93 dB/mW) You also want to look for ones with a frequency response that goes from at least 20-20K cycles/second.

Good luck.
 
I love headphones and spend alot of time at www.head-fi.org. In fact I have much more money tied up in my audio system and headphone systems than I do in my bikes. I have about $2000 tied up in headpones and headphone amps. My favorite isolating earphones are the Shure e2c's.

Having said that though, I would never consider wearing them while riding. I lost a partner last year when he was killed on his bike. He didn't hear the idiot kid that came up behind him (driving too fast) and my friend probably moved a little too far out into the highway at the wrong time.

Do me a favor. Buy the best headphones you can afford and enjoy your music as much as I do but wait till you get home from your ride. I would like to see you posting here for a long time.
 
Thanks all for the replies and the advice.

Yes, I agree - shouldn't have them so loud that you can't hear what's going on around you. I actually bought them to listen to audible books, more than music. (www.audible.com)

I might look around for the Sonys.

Cheers
 
I've gotta say that the wal-mart 99c earbuds pretty much suck, and they last about 2 weeks, but hey, whaddya expect?

anyway, I'm all for cranking up the volume when I'm on dedicated bikepaths (paved asphalt only for bikers and joggers) but when I am on city streets I think it can be unsafe unless you can barely hear the music...
 
Lonnie Utah said:
I have to respectfully disagree. Just because I've got ear phones on, doesn't mean I'm listening to them on "11". I always try to set the volume so I can hear the rear freewheel/derailer. Do you listen to the radio in your car? What's the difference? If I'm overtaking somebody (they are in front of me) it's my responsibility to get out of the way. If they are overtaking me, it's their responsibility. So long as I obey the rules of the road, it shouldn't be an issue.
Good luck.

A lot of people on bikes get run over by people messing with their radios. I wonder how many bicyclists will be messing with their headphones and get run over? No wonder you wished him luck...
 
The OP didn't ask for any input on the morality surrounding headphones and cyclists, actually he asked for what type of earbud would be good on a bike. On that note, I personally recommend Sony's MDR EX71's. They're 30 bucks at Amazon with free shipping and they feel/sound like $100 easy. Comes with a carrying case (ooh...) and three sizes for their rubber ear plugs, which FIT, not rest. They also have a design for the cord that wraps around the back of your neck for your "far" ear, which I think is cool, very incognito and doesn't dangle in front of you.

Disregard the haters and the whiners who like to hear their own voices and do what you think is good for you. Good luck.
 
tfstrum said:
A lot of people on bikes get run over by people messing with their radios. I wonder how many bicyclists will be messing with their headphones and get run over? No wonder you wished him luck...

I also wonder how many cyclists get run over while fiddling with their water bottles, helmet, cyclocomputer, cell phone, sunglasses... life is full of distractions, and if you don't know how to divide up your attention then you shouldn't be carrying any of the above items, and yes including earbuds.
 

Similar threads

B
Replies
13
Views
8K
M