Which earphones for road cycling?

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iheartbianchi
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by iheartbianchi

StanK wrote:
Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:39 pm

So, really, I have a problem to understand it. Are you bored on bike? Then why you riding? Maybe you pushing yourself too much, for whatever reason, and ride when you really don't want it. I don't know.
At this point, I can only understand people who ride for money, or train very hard to come there (so, boredom can happen, for a variety of reasons), but for anyone else ... I just don't get it.
I agree. If you're only riding an hour at a time, a few days a week, if you need music then you need to reassess your focus. There is just so much you can gain (as a cyclist) from listening to your own breathing and concentrating on how you're feeling. This all ties into your internal pacing ability as well (which also ties into why so many people are so poor at pacing without a power meter).

But for serious riders, music is fine. 3-4 hour training rides are often really really f'ing boring. Imagine doing that everyday alone. Watching the same scenery day after day. Especially when it's an aerobic ride. You have to do it, but it's boring.
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HeyHiWhatsUp
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by HeyHiWhatsUp

HenryH wrote:I wonder how many accidents are avoided due to a cyclist hearing something? My guess is that most serious accidents come as a complete surprise and would not have been avoided regardless. I wouldn't know though. Should probably be possible to find statistics for that. Are deaf people more likely to be involved in accidents?

I like wearing something just to keep the wind out.
Depends where you ride. City riding is probably accident central.

I ride exclusively at night and I know when a car is coming...cos their lights, and diesel vibrations.

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discolite
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by discolite

Second this. While Airpod Pros have a "transparency" feature which allows you to hear outside noise, it's still not as good as bone-conducting headphones like Aftershokz which leave your ears completely unblocked. Only drawback is I find the maximum volume on the soft side.
Ride4Life wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 4:44 am
Easy answer if you ask me:

https://us.aftershokz.com/

I got a pair of Airs.

What I like is that you still can hear things going on in your surroundings, yet at the same time your music is clear.
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Bobbyc123
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by Bobbyc123

I always ride with earphones in when I'm riding solo. I use the Bluetooth taotronics semi wired earbuds.

£18 ish on Amazon. Sound is very good for the price.

The semi wired i found is a bit more convenient when taking them out so they can hang around the neck. I don't want to hear traffic and the plugs do a pretty good job of blocking external noise so you don't have to listen to your music too loud if you don't want to.

Battery lasts around 9hrs which is great for long rides.

It seems like a polarising issue and those that flag concerns make them seem logical but I don't think they have any real merit.

I can't even think of a reasonable example where an incident could be avoided if the cyclist wasn't wearing earphones.
Last edited by Bobbyc123 on Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

Bobbyc123
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by Bobbyc123

...

discolite
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by discolite

I'm pro-headphones. But I think commuter cyclists in highly urban settings should think twice about shutting out external noises. Traffic or pedestrian voices, for example.
Bobbyc123 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:29 am
I always ride with earphones in when I'm riding solo. I use the Bluetooth taotronics semi wired earbuds.

£18 ish on Amazon. Sound is very good for the price.

The semi wired i found is a bit more convenient when taking them out so they can hang around the neck. I don't want to hear traffic and the plugs do a pretty good job of blocking external noise so you don't have to listen to your music too loud if you don't want to.

Battery lasts around 9hrs which is great for long rides.

It seems like a polarising issue and those that flag concerns make them seem logical but I don't think they have any real merit.

I can't even think of a reasonable example where an incident could be avoided if the cyclist wasn't wearing earphones.
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HeyHiWhatsUp
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by HeyHiWhatsUp

discolite wrote:I'm pro-headphones. But I think commuter cyclists in highly urban settings should think twice about shutting out external noises. Traffic or pedestrian voices, for example.
Bobbyc123 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:29 am
I always ride with earphones in when I'm riding solo. I use the Bluetooth taotronics semi wired earbuds.

£18 ish on Amazon. Sound is very good for the price.

The semi wired i found is a bit more convenient when taking them out so they can hang around the neck. I don't want to hear traffic and the plugs do a pretty good job of blocking external noise so you don't have to listen to your music too loud if you don't want to.

Battery lasts around 9hrs which is great for long rides.

It seems like a polarising issue and those that flag concerns make them seem logical but I don't think they have any real merit.

I can't even think of a reasonable example where an incident could be avoided if the cyclist wasn't wearing earphones.
Oh they make Headphones what go over the helmet now do they? Trolling aside yes I'm pro-earphones too

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Raimundo
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by Raimundo

discolite wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:48 am
I'm pro-headphones. But I think commuter cyclists in highly urban settings should think twice about shutting out external noises. Traffic or pedestrian voices, for example.
Bobbyc123 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:29 am
I always ride with earphones in when I'm riding solo. I use the Bluetooth taotronics semi wired earbuds.

£18 ish on Amazon. Sound is very good for the price.

The semi wired i found is a bit more convenient when taking them out so they can hang around the neck. I don't want to hear traffic and the plugs do a pretty good job of blocking external noise so you don't have to listen to your music too loud if you don't want to.

Battery lasts around 9hrs which is great for long rides.

It seems like a polarising issue and those that flag concerns make them seem logical but I don't think they have any real merit.

I can't even think of a reasonable example where an incident could be avoided if the cyclist wasn't wearing earphones.
Agree, but i would go even further and claim that even in non urban scenarios one should think twice. Blind corners, drivers creeping from behind... its a sport with high risks, we should use all the senses we can to avoid regreats.

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Raimundo
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by Raimundo

...as long as it doesn't jeopardise others, i couldn't care less.
I would love to hear my favourite tunes on the road, but for me the risks outweigh the benefits.

daninplymouth
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by daninplymouth

I use Powerbeats pro as they are a bit more waterproof than AirPods and have a clip to hold around your ear, plus the battery life is really good. I just use one on my left ear and can still hear traffic from the the other side

GS100
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by GS100

+1 on Sennheiser. I have the CX6 BT - I think the latest version is 'momentum' as mentioned earlier on this thread. Useful short cord between you can tuck into top of jersey ensures they don't go anywhere. Improvment in sound quality over standard wired things that come free with mobile phones.

On Safety, I'm yet to link them up to audio alerts over BT through my Garmin Edge or Fenix from the Varia radar -but I believe they have this functionality which could provide some reassurance. That said, I'm of the view that headphones add to my ride experience when solo - decent tunes give me a boost and add to the escapism and I don't think hearing a car just before it hits you from behind would make any difference to the outcome. At speed I cannot hear anything anyway apart from wind noise. I understand that in densely urban areas you might want to remove an earbud but YMMV.

Basscadet
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by Basscadet

Bobbyc123 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:29 am
I always ride with earphones in when I'm riding solo.

It seems like a polarising issue and those that flag concerns make them seem logical but I don't think they have any real merit.

I can't even think of a reasonable example where an incident could be avoided if the cyclist wasn't wearing earphones.
Perhaps in the city at low speeds? I am with you, it is a curious and unreasonable argument they make.

For me it is a simple decision, do you want to listen to deafening wind noise or music/podcasts?

When you are in a car, are you unable to "see your surroundings" because you can't hear the vehicles around you? Come on now, let's be serious. I wonder if people are going to continue with this argument when all motor vehicles are electric and silent.

And to answer the question: I am extremely fond of the Jabra 75T which are reliable, compact and much more secure in-the-ear than airpod pro (which I also have), have a "hear-thru" mode, can be ridden through a rainstorm, and are fairly cheap at $125 USD and ocassionaly on sale for cheaper. I have thousands of bike miles on mine.

Butcher
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by Butcher

Not certain if it has been mentioned, but the biggest issues I have with headphones are people that use them that are too slow. When you are on a bike trail, too often the riders at 10mph have headphones on so loud, they can't hear you passing even when you are yelling at full volume.

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Raimundo
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by Raimundo

Butcher wrote:
Tue Sep 28, 2021 4:48 pm
Not certain if it has been mentioned, but the biggest issues I have with headphones are people that use them that are too slow. When you are on a bike trail, too often the riders at 10mph have headphones on so loud, they can't hear you passing even when you are yelling at full volume.
Yep, and then they get startled when you overtake and look at you cross eyed... Thank God i am alredy at speed when the finally notice me, i wouldn't want to stick around after geting those looks!!
It happens to me every single day on my work-home commute during rush hour, and i have no way to communicate my presence either if i am coming from behind, not even my trusty Spurcycle bell is of any use against most headphones out there.

Granted, it seems that most people here tend to share the same opinion from which i do too that headphones use in urban environment is a bit sketchy, but on the other hand their use on the open-road is arguably not that serious or impactable to other road users.

Either way i'll probably be first in line to buy a set when optimal awareness is guaranteed....

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EdWiser
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by EdWiser

When I ride I enjoy just hearing the sounds of the world. We spend so much time listening to all kinds of noise. It’s nice to have a quiet natural ride.

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