headphones and wind noise

try to find the earbuds with rubber inserts in ur ear. it blocks out alot of wind noise for me. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90120506&SearchEngine=ya&SearchTerm=90120506&Type=PI&Category=Electronics&dcaid=17194

JohnO said:

Took my shiny new ipod nano out for a ride today, and had real problems hearing much of anything when the speed got over 20mph - too much wind noise.

Are there headphones more resistant to wind noise? Ones that don't weigh a ton and can be worn under a helmet?

I like my etymotic six's better than anything I've tried. The noise cancellation feature allow's me to still hear my myfi well into the 40's.

WARNING: You might die from sticker shock though.

www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6.aspx

Asian Allez said:

try to find the earbuds with rubber inserts in ur ear. it blocks out alot of wind noise for me. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90120506&SearchEngine=ya&SearchTerm=90120506&Type=PI&Category=Electronics&dcaid=17194

I second that - I have a pair of sony's like that (they cost around $40 if that helps). I only used them once for a TT (I almost never ride w/music) and they seemed to block out the wind noise fairly well.

badkarma said:

(I almost never ride w/music)

Yeah, riding with music or anything else that blocks out most or all of the ambient noise isn't a very good idea. You're not likely to be very aware of what vehicles are approaching from behind.

JohnO said:

Took my shiny new ipod nano out for a ride today, and had real problems hearing much of anything when the speed got over 20mph - too much wind noise.

Are there headphones more resistant to wind noise? Ones that don't weigh a ton and can be worn under a helmet?

I am a firm believer that anyone riding with headphones on is a candidate for proving Darwin's theories, and a future organ donor.

Given this, just get the process over with, leave the helmet at home, get the biggest set of headphones you can and go for a ride on the freeway.

my suggestion:

wear only one earpeice.

then you can hear the traffic, and enjoy some background tunes 🙂

heres an idea jump off a cliff with your ipod blaring as loud as you want, its just as safe as riding with earphones. people like you give cyclists a bad name, what if a car or truck is coming behind you and another truck/car the other way you wouldnt be able to hear the two sounds and make more space for the other vehicles which can lead to you being splattered on the road or rear view mirrors missing either in the back of your neck or on the road.😠

if plain riding is too boring stay at home!!! or leave the ipod at home.

macca1234 said:

heres an idea jump off a cliff with your ipod blaring as loud as you want, its just as safe as riding with earphones. people like you give cyclists a bad name, what if a car or truck is coming behind you and another truck/car the other way you wouldnt be able to hear the two sounds and make more space for the other vehicles which can lead to you being splattered on the road or rear view mirrors missing either in the back of your neck or on the road.😠

if plain riding is too boring stay at home!!! or leave the ipod at home.

Dude, relax. I'm not a proponent of riding w/music either (just did it for a TT), but if John wants to ride w/music that's his call, and he won't give cyclists a bad name for doing it either.

wow. i did'nt know there were so many people on this forum who could rise up and save us from ourselves.

cadence230 said:

wow. i did'nt know there were so many people on this forum who could rise up and save us from ourselves.

hahahahaha

I use Sony Fontopia earbuds and just deal with wind noise -- I also have the volume at a level where I can hear the music, but also what's around me too. Earphones/headphones that get rid of wind noise will also tend to block out the ambient road noise as well, which is dangerous.

Maybe it's just me, but I find riding with only one 'phone really dangerous; it really distorts the "aural picture" of what's around me, with so much different sound coming into just one ear. Both 'phones in and keeping it at a safe volume lets me enjoy the music, but still be completely aware of what's around -- no worse than having the radio on lightly when driving a car.

I've ridden with a Walkman (of various brands) while commuting by bicycle for 4-5 years. I don't listen to music, though, but books on tape. I can see that plugging in to Sleater-Kinney at an "enjoyable" volume would block out the traffic noise, but audio books don't have that effect. In my experience, the real problem is that loud trucks or busses make it impossible to hear, rather than the narrator blocking out the street noise. TO me, a cassette player with its large buttons I can easily minipulate by feel makes more sense than an iPod, where you have to look and see what you're doing.
The best headphones I've had for cycling were the Sony headphones that came with my original Wlakman. The "in-the-ear" models seem to work best, but the newer ones with the round elements seem to capture the wind noise badly.
Unfortunately, finding a good headphone / earbud solution is a matter of trial and error.

I agree with rek.

Some of you guys need to take it easy. I always ride with earphones on (Sony MDR J10). Always both ears. I have absolutely no problems hearing what's going on around me. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, people, you name it. I can't recall a time I was caught by surprise. In fact, I feel like my sense of my surroundings is even more acute with music on. Then again, I was one of those guys that studied with my stereo, TV, and computer on, all at the same time. Works for some I guess, not for others. I'd also discourage isolating earphones, like the Sony Fontopia in-ear headphones or Etymotics, since those really will block out sounds that you need to hear.

Anyway, I've found that my Sonys work much better than the Apple buds. Wind noise is reduced (which helps you better hear your surroundings, by the way), and the ear clips keep them comfortably in place. They're very cheap and widely available, so you might want to give thm a shot.