Weight Weenies

long story short i went riding for about 88 miles and it was a really windy day i had about 4000-5000ft of climbing and everything that goes up must come down. i was going down about 28-32 mph and by the time i had reached to bottom i noticed that i had been partially deafened by the wind. at firts i thought i just needed a rest but i slept about 2 hours and my normal hearing has not come back. what can or should i do?

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are you sure it's not that your ears are bunged up?

on long fast descents my ears sometimes 'pop' from the pressure change

if you've got any ear congestion, due to a cold for instance, there's a very narrow tube inside that can get blocked, try yawning as that can clear it, if it's in the external part it may simply be wax, for that you could try some ear drops, or nip into the doctor and get them syringed

I have also seem a couple of riders who ride with earplugs in because of similar issues. Pretty sure I will take a little hearing loss and be a little more aware of the vehicle situation behind...

I agree with the previous poster though, in that it is probably congestion of some sort. I had a similar issue after a lot of surfing and boggie boarding once, and the doctor diagnosed it as way too much sand in my ears from getting smashed by the waves. Went to town with a little supersoaker and fixed as well as made a little beach in they tray they were using. I guess my point is go to the docs if it doesn't clear up.
Cheers

Well it had been over 24 hours and it is getting better.

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I will not ride with a helmet down hill our at least not this particular one (lazer).
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Usually hearing loss is waxy buildup, infection, or accumulation of skin dander in places it shouldn't be.

Most people ram a Q-tip in there and make fossilized brown piles of the stuff.

Once the ear gold is against the tympanum or eardrum it works like a pillow in a bass preventing reverb(which is the first step in hearing).

Salt water does wonders for shrinking waxy build up and blasting it out with a pediatric enema bulb.

Please note using hot or cold water WILL make you dizzy! (Google Caloric test)

If this is actual deafness caused by injury there is usually ringing(tinnitis), or dizziness associated with the fluid which gives us balance and the sense of acceleration). Abject pain or...blood.

After hitting the drum a series of actuators push on a little oval window that transmits the sound via fluid wave action. This fluid action transmits sound to nerves with location associated with specific frequencies for the brain to register and interpret.

Any problem in the nerves is usually accompanied by other deficits.

Should you have busted your round window leading to a leak of this fluid your hearing may have suffered SERIOUS damage.

If the bones that transmit the soundwaves from your tympanum to your oval window are the problem...you either stuck dynamite in your ear or have been slowly building up damage by cranking up tge volume or parking F16's without protective earmuffs.

My personal guess is that you're probably an ear crud collector. Any ENT(Ear Nose Throat) Doctor can safely and cleanly scoop out the stuff without injuring "important structures."

Over the counter goodies "might" help with the wax but without an expert evaluation you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Happy riding!

I haven't found a helmet yet that I would consider quiet. I suspect that too much of the ear is open to air for a typical road helmet to mitigate the noise. Some riders in my club put cotton in their ears for a two fold purpose; keep them warm and reduce wind noise. Of course ear plugs is another viable idea. Sudafed might help in reducing the congestion and/or shrinking membranes - especially before you ride. I use to take it before diving trips to help ensure the ability to equalize. Nothing worse than going on an expensive diving vacation only to find out you can't equalize.

Can't help with the hearing loss, but could try these: http://www.slipstreamz.com/content.asp?subID=9

Also folding helmet straps over to make a little spoiler can work but depends on the wind direction.

Thanks pugrot
it seems that my hearing is coming back, and that particular product is ideal for my riding conditions as of late.

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Get your ears checked then buy the little spoilers. Those things remind me of the little plastic whistlers you put on your car to scare off deer. Those were proven not to work by the way.

Glad your hearing is back. I have a cheap ear warmer (just a band of neoprene, but windproof) that keeps wind noise out. It works fine on warm days too.

I often ride with disposable foam earplugs. I find that I can actually hear traffic better with them in and they keep me from getting earaches on really cold days.

Glad to know I am not the only one that has had problems with wind turbulence sound. I went to the doctor and he told me that I was fine. I did have some ear wax build up, but according to him it was very minimal. It that combined with my ear insides swelling complicated things.
Agw I only have this problem on cold fast descents, because that is when the air is cold and strong around this areas, I could never wear a head band during summer around here (Mt baldy gets 100-130°).

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xnavalav8r wrote:I often ride with disposable foam earplugs. I find that I can actually hear traffic better with them in and they keep me from getting earaches on really cold days.

You can hear traffic better with ear plugs. That kinda goes against what ear plugs are supposed to do. Right?

I wear ear muffs with stereo speakers in them. They keep my ears warm and block out noise while playing my favorite music.