biker7

Will begin by saying I always wear my helmet when roadbiking and I like to listen to my Walkman because I love to hear music and crank That said, the issue of wearing head phones and and a helmet though not mutually exclusive isn't clean because the hoop on the headphones does tuck under the helmet halo/harness that secures the helmet to my head. I find that tightening the halo for a good secure helmet fit puts a bit too much pressure on the helmet and on my ears through the headphones even though they are very low profile. A couple of options I would like to roll out for you guys for your opinion and see what you prefer:

First option, hoopless earphones that stick in your ears (double not single)...
https://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...S=PA_MDRED21LP

Can anybody comment on the comfort of these? Do they stay in place OK?


Second option, helmet mounted speakers:
https://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16311

Don't know if it is viable to mount even very low profile speakers in a bike helmet because a bike helmet...I have the Bell Ghisallo...unlike a motorcycle helmet has the head liner integrated into the shell.
Has anybody successfully mounted speakers into their bike helmet?


Third option: Though messy, a hoop style low profile headphone can be made to work by threading the headphone between the helmet halo/harness and the helmet shell. That way the headphone hoop isn't caught in between the halo/harness and the skull which makes the headphones uncomfortable. This technique is a bit more tedious in getting the helmet on however as you have to make sure everything is in the right place.

For those that ride with radios, which do you prefer?

Thanks,
George
P.S.: Please no lectures about riding and listening to music...I always will.

socalrider

I use these Nike neck headphones.. I have tried so many and these work well.. You can set them so they are inside your ear or just outside the ear canal (I prefer this).. You can hear youre tunes but also still hear any cars or problems from behind.. These go behind the neck and I have been using them for 2 years with no issues..

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...768420414&rd=1

biker7

Appreciate it Socalrider. Man you are up early this morning on the west coast. Those earphones look like a good option and very reasonably priced as well...thanks for the link. Your approach maybe the best because retaining a hoop albeit behind the head still allows adjusting the phones just outside the ear canal as you say...as opposed to the hoopless earplug style...thereby maintaining some ambient road noise.
Will likely give your approach a try.
Thanks again,
George

socalrider

They work well, and I do wear a helmet all the time w/ these.. They have good sound and are made for sports usage.. I have little problems hearing cars approaching w/ this style.. I am up early..

I know that Best Buy sells these and just type "nike headphones" on ebay and you will get about 100 hits..

MikeN

I've owned Etymotic's for MANY years. Unbelievable headphones. I have the ER-4P's (https://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020100005), but they also have a more cost effective version out, the ER-6 (https://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020100100)

These things have 35-42db noise cancellation just by wearing them properly! Amazing for airplane rides, etc. However, when I ride... I don't put them in all the way, and I keep the music at a fairly low level, just so I can hear any cars, etc if I'm riding on the street.

spinbackle

I've got a set of these I use regularly on rides:

https://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...HQS=PA_MDRW20G

They fit under my helmet with a little adjusting and sound great. They're cheap and stay put. You can pull one out of your ear if you need to. Did I mention that they sound great?

KirkeIsWaiting

I had trouble with the stock IPOD ear buds today.
They hurt.
Anyone come up with a smaller version?

biker7

Spinbackle...what you show is what I use. The only way for them to be comfortable for me is putting them between the helmet halo and the helmet shell. If I put them under the helmet halo and on my head before putting on my helmet they are not very comfortable hence my query.
George

biker7

And MikeN...issue with earplug style listening is the paradox of what they promote...canceling ambient or environmental noise. As you know...you want the opposite while out on the road. Perhaps there isn't an immaculate solution. SoCalrider may have it best so far.
Thanks to all for your input.
George

terrymorse 

At the very least then, stay out of group rides. And wear a sign on your back that says "I can't hear you."

biker7

You couldn't resist could you Terry? Likely I can hear better than you even with my radio blasting which I never do.
George

demoncyclist

Not only is your use of headphones while biking dangerous, but also illegal in many states. I second Terry's post.

biker7

it is also illegal for deaf drivers and cyclists on the moon too.
George

Trevor98

quit preaching. either answer the question or don't.

I use a single earbud that wraps around the right ear. Still legal in this state and allows me to hear traffic and people on my left.

Trevor

biker7

Trevor...OT:great choice of quotes BTW...one of my very favorites.

zelah

i use my ipod's earbuds, they stay in and i can hear things

demoncyclist

Every time someone does something stupid on a bike, it makes all of us look stupid. I don't want to get hit by some moron with a HEMI just because someone else once gave him the finger. I don't mean to be preachy, just stating the facts. If someone does something stupid on a bike because they can't fully hear what is going on around them, some motorists will assume that every rider may do the same thing. They now assume that all cyclists are idiots that shouldn't be allowed on public roads. This attitude can become pervasive (thanks to talk radio and other sources of dis-information), and then you get the true idiots who take matters in their own hands and start playing chicken with bikes while driving 6000 lb. trucks. I read the OP out of morbid curiousity. I responded out of concern for myself AND my fellow cyclists. If you think I'm preaching, and you don't subscribe to the same dogma, don't keep reading. I'm merely expressing my opinion. I thought I was entitled to do just that. Re-read the quote in your signature.

EricT

Probably not the cheapest option, but Oakley has some new shades with integrated MP3 player and earbuds. Won't interfere with a helmet.

biker7

Demoncyclist...apt handle BTW...you have stated your position and it is laughable. How about a speech directed toward the 50 percent who ride bikes or motorcycles without helmets? Now shut up and quit hi-jacking my thread....kidding.
George

socalrider

The point of these types of forums are that you can state your opinion, point well taken..

Equating a person who rides w/headphones as the same as a person who is constantly flipping cars off is laughable..

demoncyclist

It isn't so funny when some soccer mom starts yelling at you from her Suburban about something that you didn't do. This actually happened to me last summer. I have been forced off the road a couple of times by knuckle draggers in pickups that were going in the other direction. Yup, they actually crossed the double yellow to try and knock me off of my bike. Maybe people in your neck of the woods are more relaxed, but here in Wackychusetts, drivers tend towards the aggressive, and they hold grudges.

socalrider

So exactly how are aggressive drivers related to this thread.. There are jerks on the road, that is a fact.

biker7

Demon...Let's please not convolute this thread with the relations between drivers and cyclists. I live in Detroit which I presume is even more hostile and toxic than where you hail from. What you state is common fact and the dynamic has nothing to do with preferred headphones One is at a disadvantage riding a bicycle out on a public road. Turning the other cheek and diving for cover once in a while is your only refuge if you so choose to put yourself out there. Listening to music has nothing to do with what you wrote...so please start another thread.
George

demoncyclist

Quote from earlier post: If someone does something stupid on a bike because they can't fully hear what is going on around them, some motorists will assume that every rider may do the same thing. They now assume that all cyclists are idiots that shouldn't be allowed on public roads.

angel

i always wear headphones, well, mostly.
when i first started doing it, it was in the winter because the music made the cold go away. or it assisted me in getting into a zone while i get around town. so, i would peddle, peddle, and the music takes care of the cold. i cannot listen to talk radio of any sort because i will listen to the stories and visualize them and all of a sudden I am not paying attention to the road, then i dream. (bad) but music it like encouragement to keep in the game, i am happy because of the music. it is background encouragement. after all the athelets in movies have music that helps them go faster or do better. why can't us little commuter bikers do the same. and cars, people in cars listen to music and change it, and use cell phones, tv's, and eat while driving. why can't a biker listen to some music.

at the roller garden in st. louis park there is this guy who has this pink portable tape/radio player duck tapped and bunge corded to his front handle bars. i think that is the way to go.