Road Cycling - hearing traffic

Is there any thing to simulate sideburns (I presume it is the same term in the states - the hair that men grow in front of the ear) so that they can be trimmed for the sake of fashon, while allowing the cyclist to still hear the traffic rumbeling towards them from behind?

What the hell are you taking about?

No offence meant -- I'm really just confused.

Sorry, i dont mean to be rude, but you totaly lost me too :) Have you tried using a beard trimmer to trim your sideburns? Anyhow, my brother has sideburns, and he has no problem hearing traffic or anything else for that matter.

Is this Bob Roll's alias?

Bob uses those massive mutton chops in much the same way as a jet aircraft uses wing flaps... sometimes a little stabilizing air drag is a good thing. He can change direction as if on rails, just by turning his head.

Besides, he shaves the entire rest of his body baby-butt smooth.

Any of you guys with BIG sideburns try shaving them off and then try listen for the sound generated in your ear when you are moving fast. It is noticable at running speeds but far more noticable on a bike.

I getcha, i have never had sideburns (atleast big ones). So i have always had that wind sound in my ears while riding, i dont know if theres anything out there that will muffel that but still let you hear traffic, maybe a neopreen ski mask that covers your ears? Im sure that will cut down on the wind noise, but i dont know if you will beable to hear traffic, worth a shot.

Thanks, a ski mask is a good idea.
The cops may pull me over to just to check I was not on my way to a bank job.
I might also get a bit warm in summer.
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In response to your question - how do you know all your unanswered calls are not a wrong numbers? And why are things always in the last place you look for them!

Have you given any thought to the idea of using earplugs? They should cut out the wind noise by not allowing it to whip around in your ear canal while still allowing a certain amount of traffic sounds to be heard.

Pinkblur started this thread off with a humorous post.

However, the problem of not hearing traffic is a serious one for me. In winter, I have sometimes cover my ears with two hats at the same time (one silk balaklava and one wool) in addition to my helmut.

The hats coupled with the high velocity and noisy winter winds really hampers my ability to hear traffic. Sometimes I am alarmed to see the hood of a car speeding dangerously close to my left side - too late for me to react defensively (I can only react offensively at times with hand signals).

Also, cars are really getting quiet these days. Quiet cars are good for the environment, but spooky for bicyclists.

Mike

Ha,Ha, I dont know about sideburns.
But it seems maybe he needs to trim the hair in his ears.

steve.

Mike -- Have you given any thought to using a rear-view mirror. It won't help you hear traffic any better, but you might be able to see what's coming up behind you to give you some warning.

Chris

Thanks for the suggestion, Chris.

Yes, I do use a mirror on my bicycle. I check it from time to time, but apparently not enough. Cars creep up on me.

Mike

Thanks for giving the problem some thought.
What I am thinking about is something with the concistency of sideburns and the the size of my current ones, about 2 inch by 1 inch by 1 inch (this should provide plenty of amunition for the commedians out there), that can be Velcroed to the straps of a cycle helmet.
For winter, the front lower quater of a balaclava with loop Velcro on the inside to mate with the helmet strap and hook Velcro on the outside to mate with the loop of the sideburn.

Regarding mirrors, I wear glasses and use use one of the little mirrors that attaches to an ear-piece.

These are better than handlebar mirrors because they give you a wider rear field of vision, and are easy to check. You can also scan areas behind you by moving your head. I constantly check it for traffic, and really feel pretty vulnerable out there without it.

If you don't wear glasses, I've seen advertisements for mirrors that mount on your helmet, but I've never tried one. It looks to me like your helmet would shift around and make it difficult to keep the mirror oriented correctly.

I can't resist this.

I was walking instead of cycling one day, and got very much into it. I was getting my cadence up and started thinking that this was really not a bad in-between exercise.

So when I checked my rear-view, guess what?

Is there any thing to simulate sideburns (I presume it is the same term in the states - the hair that men grow in front of the ear) so that they can be trimmed for the sake of fashon, while allowing the cyclist to still hear the traffic rumbeling towards them from behind?

I'm thinking about growing a goatee. Will this slow me down or interfere in any way with traffic conditions? :p

A company makes little plastic things that clip onto your helmet straps and shield your ears from wind noise. I can't remember anything else, but the product definitely exists, and doesn't look that bad either.

I sweat heavily, and tried using a headband. I found that covering over my ears also was quite nice--it cuts down on the wind noise but doesn't drastically reduce my hearing like earplugs.

I'm thinking about growing a goatee. Will this slow me down or interfere in any way with traffic conditions? :p

You bumped a 7 year old thread to add THAT comment?

It is a pretty amusing thread to bump. It's also going to be more relevant than any 2001 Shimano vs Campy thread. He could have picked worse.

How can I hear traffic and my Ipod @ the same time?

Mike -- Have you given any thought to using a rear-view mirror. It won't help you hear traffic any better, but you might be able to see what's coming up behind you to give you some warning.

Chris

+1. Besides, why all the care about sound when you can see an SUV in your mirror that isn't going to give you any room SOUNDS JUST LIKE the guy that IS moving over for you. Bang.........

You bumped a 7 year old thread to add THAT comment?

hilarious. was he searching bikeforums for facial grooming advice? haha.

I saw a tv piece by Jacques Yves Cousteau some time ago, on the dolphin's ability to manipulate its skin surface to improve its hydrodynamic efficiency and have been experimenting since then with doing the same with leg and arm hair to create a laminar flow effect.

After careful application of yogic follicular manipulational techniques while sitting on my turbo in front of a large fan, I can now adjust the said hair to reduce the drag factor by an estimated 6.3%. When I can reduce the percentage of neurons required to do this to less than 97%, I will attempt to do it while actually riding my bike. I expect great things when I manage to achieve this and will keep you all posted.

See you all in 2015

You bumped a 7 year old thread to add THAT comment?

props to him for using the search function...

you just can't please everyone can you?