Advocacy & Safety - Wind noise

Do you know of any products that can block out wind noise? I do a lot of ridding on open country roads, where you are lucky to hear anything cos of the wind noise. I’ve avoided a few close calls with cars/trucks passing that I didn’t hear coming. I tried ear plugs, but they block out everything and are just as bad. Any ideas?

I don't know if they would work, but the only thing I can think of are electronic ear plugs or muffs. They amplify sounds and if they have adjustable frequency response might help eliminate wind noise but pass vechile noise.

Joe

When its cool out, I use the 180's ear muffs. Their shape streamlines the flow of air around my ears and the fuzzy fleece dampens sound, cuts noise down by half.

Do you know of any products that can block out wind noise? I do a lot of ridding on open country roads, where you are lucky to hear anything cos of the wind noise. I’ve avoided a few close calls with cars/trucks passing that I didn’t hear coming. I tried ear plugs, but they block out everything and are just as bad. Any ideas?


In the early 90s there was a Canadian TV show about cycling. Don't remember the name. The show had 2 hosts, a guy and a younger lady.

On this particular show they were talking about cycling apparel. The male host had something over his ears that where fastened to his helmet straps. They were yellow, flat and had rearward facing vents. The female host asked him what they were. He replied that they cut down on wind noise. She looked at him strangely. :-)

Sorry but I don't know the show name. But it WAS Canadian and made in Toronto....

I tried searching on the internet but I came up with nothing.

Digger

Are you wearing wrap around sunglasses?
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/small/YE-SLIC.gif
I hear lots of wind noise when I ride without them and hear everything around me when I am wearing them. I guess the wrap around design deflects the wind just enough so it doesn't block out the sounds you want to hear.

Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking of try some kind of hearing aid device, with earplugs to block out the noise and a mic (shielded from the wind) to pick up the traffic noise. I can’t find anything like is on the market, but I think I’ll try and make one of my own.

Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking of try some kind of hearing aid device, with earplugs to block out the noise and a mic (shielded from the wind) to pick up the traffic noise. I can’t find anything like is on the market, but I think I’ll try and make one of my own.

LOL is wind noise THAT much of a problem that you have to make your own active noise cancellation device?
Making something that deflects wind away and reduces turbalent flow around your ears is probably good enough.

If the wind noise is that loud where you cannot hear a car approaching from behind, you may want to consider a mirror.

LOL is wind noise THAT much of a problem that you have to make your own active noise cancellation device?
Making something that deflects wind away and reduces turbalent flow around your ears is probably good enough.

It's not that it is THAT much of a problem; it’s just a problem I could be doing without. I've tried skull caps that are great in winter, but are to hot when the sun's out. I was thinking of something that blocked out the turbulence, but would still let me hear anything else or enhance the sounds around me.

I was thinking of something that blocked out the turbulence, but would still let me hear anything else or enhance the sounds around me.

Helmet design seems to make a big difference. My MTB-style Bell Nemesis 2 seems to generate more noise than my road-style Bell Ghesallo. With just these two data points, it seems that a high-end road helmet generates less noise than a MTB helmet.

In the old days, my Bell Biker helmet, the white one with red reflective stripes, had a nasty sound habit. At certain speeds, up towards 20 mph, the wind noise sounded just like a car over my left shoulder. It was weird. I looked once, saw nothing, went off the road in a heap. Other than indirectly causing the crash, the helmet did a nice job of protecting me. I never again looked for that Bell Biker ghost car.

Vears windvisors - This site offers something of interest. An attachment to eyeglasses for deflecting wind. Looks like someone else had the same problem.
www.vears.com

That's what a mirror is for: to watch uncoming traffic.

As for noise cancellation, technology is still in its infancy and works partially with LOUD noises. I find that turning my head slightly reduces the noise dramatically... enough to hear the birds.

Regards,