In case anybody happens upon this post and wants to discuss the original question and not argue the saftey. I think something like this might work if you were to solder on some new earbuds:
http://www.cardosystems.com/us/scala...scala-rider-fm
Thoughts?

I would just avoid it altogether.

IF I somehow get a call or need to make a call, I'll find a place to pull into and take care of it. I just look at is as one more distraction that you don't need...for the sake of safety. As far as music goes, I'll take my cell phone and start the music player before I begin my ride and zip it inside my jacket's chest pocket. It is audible enough for me to hear it yet not so loud that I can't hear the traffic.

Best noise cancelling headset on the market is the Aliph Jawbone.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEEQ8wIwAg#

I have two that I use on my bike... A jabra bluetooth that hangs like a pendant and uses standard stereo headsets.... the mic is on the pendant. If I wear that part (Which has multimedia controls to control the media player on my phone) inside my coat or jersey the wind noise is low enough to carry on a conversation under most conditions... ... if you're listening to the media player, the music is automatically muted when the phone rings and throughout a call. I also have a Plantronics Voyager Pro... It has a windscreen, and it works under most conditions, but if the wind is coming from just the right directions it will go right through the windscreen.

this is the correct answer.

I have a Blackberry Storm mounted on my bars and I use Bluetooth headphones to listen to pandora on my commutes. When my phone rings it cancels the music and then the caller ID comes up on my screen. If I feel the need to talk I stop and call them back. No mic is going to cancel out wind noise aside from maybe a full face bike helmet. To tell the truth the only person I feel the need to talk to is my wife and that only because if she is calling me it is important

Even though this is an oldish topic I'm going to ditto the Jawbone Icon as well and the big reason is that it can to A2DP stereo audio through the one single earpiece, it stays in pretty good at speeds and won't get in the way of the helmet.
So you can listen to your music, have one ear open and when a call does come in its simple to switch over.

Now it should be OK as you will have earmuffs to keep them warm.

in the warmer weather, lay a piece of First aide tape over your ear with the microwave transceiver in it.

[Pro bike race teams put a wired ear bud in, attached to a body pack radio,
and tape it in place, to hear the coach during the race, that way]

You will be microwaving your brain at the same time ,
but you would do that anyhow.

Ooh the old microwave the brain. I hadn't heard the cell phones cause brain cancer in a while. I hardly ever use my cell (it's a pay as you go and I think I've used maybe 100 minutes in the last year or so), but that's because I don't feel the need to be reachable wherever I go, not because I'm afraid of the brain-frying waves.

The problem is that everyone who's had a collision while on a cellphone has decided for themselves that the situation presented an acceptable risk. As for using it on a leisure ride, do you do these on the same roads that other people use for utility rides? I'll accept that, if you do it on sparcely trafficked roads, the number of risk occasions may be reduced, but I also have a profound belief in Murphy's law.

I've looked at a few of the reports on the efffect that using a celphone has on concentration and not one has sid anything other than that they represent a level of risk similar to, or more than, driving with alcohol in the system

I just started using a BlueAnt T1. It has noise cancellation rated to 22MPH, according to the literature. In my experience it works really well. Callers were able to hear me clearly as I was riding. Traffic noise sometimes forces me to pull off in order to hear clearly, however.

A great feature of this earpiece is that it announces the caller ID on an incoming call. You say, "answer" or "ignore" to pick up or ignore the call. It downloads your contacts list when you first set it up, so when Aaron calls you, it says, "Call from Aaron." $60 at Best Buy. Check it out.

I have a Nokia BH-214 which I use occasionally which is similar to the Jabra, you can plugin normal headphones if you don't like the ones it comes with. The speaker is in the square where the headphones plug in to. The sound quality is ok, but when riding at 20mph the mic will pick up a lot of wind noise, so you'd have to slow down. Like the Jabra headset if any music was playing it will mute it during a call. They both have the play/pause, skip, back and answer buttons. I've mostly liked it, but again don't really use it all that often. The earbuds don't get in the way of the staps on my helmet which is nice.

To add to the flamewar, the argument for needing to hear every single sound is totally useless to me. I can't tell what lane a car is in by the sound, how close they are with any useful kind of accuracy, if they're driving inside of lane or drifting outside of it, not to mention that wind noise makes it quite a bit worse at 18mph+. Mirrors, on the other hand, are actually useful.

What about the Jawbone? Don't they pick up the vibrations in your jaw and use that to filter out ambient noise? I know guys who work in heavy machinery who swear by them.

Lets stop the flaming about covered ears. People are going to do it whether you like it or not, and unless you are going to run around to everyone riding with earbuds in and rip them out of their head then lecture them, it's not going to do any good to scream about it on a message board. There are many state laws that prohibit operating any kind of vehicle with both ears covered, and police rarely enforce these laws. The laws are only ever used as an excuse to pull over a suspected drunk driver. Get off your moral tall bike, and give a useful suggestion.

Oh I just remembered, I used to work in cellphones and the BlueAnt Z9i had one of the best noise canceling systems we ever used. I remember talking to my boss on one. He was going 60 down the freeway with the window down and I could hear him clear as a bell. The Z9i was one heck of a bluetooth ear piece. Plus it came with about a hundred different attachments to charge it, so you would never lack for power.

I use a jabra clipper; it allows me to use my own noise-cancelling earbuds or any others. the clipper can be placed in your collar if you're wearing a jacket and provide some wind protection. http://www.jabra.com/Sites/Mobile/na...raCLIPPER.aspx

+1

I'm using the same one and it works great. I can have clear conversations and the caller announcement feature works great since I leave my phone in my saddlebag. The Blueant T1 also reads my text messages to me as well.

I don't care if someone wants to use an ear device on their bike as long as they're riding safely. Do you take it off when you're off the bike? I REALLY want to smack people who appear to be talking to the milk at the grocery store or the bookshelf at the library. An ear device IS NOT jewelry. PLease don't wear it around all day like it is. (rant over)

Why do you care, my bluetooth is in my ear as long as I am awake. My job has me tethered 24/7 & that's just the way it is. Quite frankly it is nobody's business how I use my phone. would you prefer the days of nextel walki talki days when you had to listen to both side's of a conversation through a speaker phone. Technology has changed the world so you either except it of your just going to be angry about it. with the exception of texting I can do every phone feature from my bluetooth without touching my phone, there is no safer way to use a phone than with a bluetooth. Everytime you see someone with one keep in mind that the person useing it is someone not dialing the phone while driveing there car. Personally I think every cell phone should include a bluetooth just like a charger as mandatory.

you should not use phone or texting or eating or opening mail, facebook, tweeting, or browsing something while riding...
and sure you will thank me for this post......:D

I like Jawbone Icon. Works very good as long as I am not going too fast. One of better wind noise cutter. However, I only put it on when I know I have important call that will come in while commuting and the other side doesn't mind me talking and going off for a little to catch breath (it is uphill commute on the way back... and no one calls me at 4:45am - 5:40am)...
Done it maybe twice in last 5 months...

To all those people that feel like being this guys mom or dad. Just give it up.
He knows there are people (you know who you are) who are compelled to preach their wisdom. Obviously he doesn't care otherwise he would have asked specifically on the pros and cons of why not to bike with a headset on.

Moving back on topic now,
I have found that a noise canceling headset works fine. Mine is by Motorala. I have also worn it behind earmuffs in the winter. I find that as long as i am not speeding down a hill the noise is manageable for the listener.

But lately i have just been using my regular headset that came with my phone because i like to listen to music while riding. Works nicely too when someone calls me so it picks up automatically. I just can't see who is calling :(

I also get to hear a *ding* when i get any texts/emails/etc and i'll pull over to read it if i am expecting something.

No, wait! Just to infuriate the people who love to share their wonderful wisdom with . . i should have wrote, " . . texts/emails/etc and i'll pull out my phone and type an email while biking."

While biking:
I actually remove my helmet when i get a call because i find the strap gets in the way when i hold the phone to my ear. When i am not on the phone (this rare now) i'll usually be writing on people's walls on Facebook or checking out celebrity Twitter posts because it is of the utmost importance i do this. Composing emails while on the bike is also a common thing for me. Ya, multitasking.

Don't worry folks, i hold my iPhone directly in front of my face looking forward so that i can occasionally glance around my phone to see where i am going.

. . i just wrote this while running a red light - i think? Maybe anyway, Lindsay Lohan just said something really cool on Twitter . . .

I gave up on blue tooth on my iphone. Just has piss poor volume through the blue tooth for some reason. I run a bar bag and with my iphon on the top of the bag in a Otterbox belt clip I have decent use of the speaker phone.

Probably the best noise canceling blue tooth is the Jawbone. http://www.jawbone.com/

I really needed to laugh tonight. Thanks for that.

The BlueAnt T1 is supposed to be designed for windy conditions. I haven't given it a full test, mostly cause my wife decided she liked it and I never got it back.
http://www.myblueant.com/products/headsets/t1/index.php

hehe, no prob. Some people just need to lighten up and smile :)