I know most folks bike to get away from the hustle & bustle of todays world, & its not good practice to wear both earplugs/headset but if you had a choice of a reasonably priced earplug/headset to wear what would you?

Thinking of reasonable as under $150 USD, & something that wont easily slip out or if it does has a tether.

Dual usage of hearing my phone & possibly listening to music/motivational talks/jody calls, so probably bluetooth.

If I was to wear a headset while riding, it would be a "bone conduction" type to keep my ears as free as possible to hear the world around me. I will not ride with anything in my ear(s).

When I was attempting to be a runner (I got over it), I preferred in-ear headphones to help drown out the unsettling noises of my suffering.

I appreciate the info to start, I get the reasoning for not wanting your hearing blocked, but I live rural downstate DE & mostly will be riding trails, very little road & if road then backroads which are a bit quieter.
While I love the sounds of nature, being exposed to it already 24/7/365 (spring peepers are already out in my woods) I need motivation sometimes & miss my jody calls for that.

Still open for discussion, just understand one thing folks, I already get the need to be able to hear the sounds around me, like horns/folks calling out/etc. My state does allow 1 ear listening device so its not illegal here.

I was using an older set of earbuds for indoor trainer rides. But that means listening for up to 2 hours per ride, so I wanted better ones.

I read a couple of musicians' forums, and the topic of in-ear monitors (IEMs) comes up regularly. Lots of players swear that you have to buy high-end ($200-plus) 1EMs and go to an audiologist to be fitted with custom ear molds (also expensive.)

But a growing proportion say they're happy on stage with inexpensive knockoff versions. Several of those players mentioned a couple of models. I ordered these from Amazon:

YINYOO Easy KZ ZST Colorful Hybrid Banlance Armature with Dynamic in-Ear Earphone

They're currently $20 a pair. I was a bit disappointed with them, though, using the best-fitting of the "earbud tips" that were supplied in the package. So I did a bit of further reading and then ordered these memory foam tips:

[6 Pairs] Earphone Tips New Bee 12pcs Premium Replacement Earbud Tips Blocking Out Ambient Noise Memory Foam Earbuds

Those (currently $8.00) improved the sound to the point that I'm now tempted to begin using those earbuds for listening to music, too, in place of my moderately high-end audio system speakers.

Do what's right for you. Personally, I love the sounds of my bike on the dirt, and the environment around me.

I wear one earbud so I can still hear cars with the other ear.

These ones are decently reviewed and quite cheap. My wife uses them.

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Aut.../dp/B0B1LVC5VZ

I use a pair of quite expensive Sony earbuds and do not recommend them. Poor value, and they also had some battery life problems which resulted in a mass recall by Sony. Terrible quality control.

Whatever you get, make sure that you can hear the rider that is coming up behind you when they say "on your left" or when they ring a bike bell. Just because you are on a trail instead of road does not mean it is safe to block both ears.

When it is windy, the wind noise can make it hard to hear the people approaching from behind, even if you did not raise the volume to counter the wind noise.

Tourist,
yeah, I get that Like I said my state allow 1 ear listening, so I would have the other ear (left) clear to hear other sounds LOL I dont need to be the fool that sets off a accident because I didnt hear someone coming up behind me.
And if its that windy (like today) I most likely either wont be riding or at minimum wont be listening to my ipod.

Yan & Trak,
Thank you for the suggestions, going to look at them.

Eric,
I do too, the sounds of nature can be beautiful even here on DelMarVa. But sometimes I need motivation & jody calls or music are that for me. Thank you

I use one Bose noise canceling earbud. works pretty well even when windy. my wife on the back of the tandem with two ant always hear everything but it sounds better. I get about 6 hours out of one and they don't fall out. but they use touch controls so you cant change anything with regular gloves on.
Bose came out with these right after I bought my wife the regular ones. but they are far above your budge. but I bet the sound is worth it.

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

https://www.bose.com/p/earbuds/bose-ultra-open-earbuds/ULT-HEADPHONEOPN.html?dwvar_ULT-HEADPHONEOPN_color=BLACK&quantity=1

Foofer,
Thanks, I'll look into them, never know what I might find

if I had not bought my wife their other new ones a month before Christmas. would have returned them for these. my wife is serious about her music. my wife used the Bose glasses for years they worked great unless she had a balaclava on in the winter. they het you hear outside sounds.
https://www.amazon.com/Bose-Frames-T...s%2C190&sr=8-3

What might be helpful is finding reviews for ones that pair well with the device you'll dedicate them to.

Ear buds help with minimizing the wind noise too.
A gal I knew that was legally deaf that would wear both ear buds to held reduce riding annoyances.

I finally spent the big bucks on Apple Airpods Pro 2. $230 with Applecare, ouch. And I don't regret it. I've never had anything nearly as good.

I keep them on with these tethers which are pretty handy.

Airpods Pro have a transparency mode which re-amplifies ambient sound.

Beats fit pro have mostly the same features, more secure. My airpods would often go flying when I take off my helmet.

Airpods Pro also have a hearing aid mode.

I also love how they automatically switch among my gadgets (Macbook, ipad, iphone) without my needing to re-pair. This is not relevant for cycling, but it's one of the many reasons I'm so happy with them.

Also, the price is somewhat justified when I consider service. The microphone failed after less than a year. I sent them in, and Apple repaired them quickly.

[QUOTE=Eric F;23191303]If I was to wear a headset while riding, it would be a "bone conduction" type to keep my ears as free as possible to hear the world around me. I will not ride with anything in my ear(s)./QUOTE]

I am happy to ride with my OpenRun Pro headphones (and I run with them too).

Thanks for all the suggestions & ideas. I do have samsung pro earbuds but even sitting in my chair they have a tendency to slip out at times, well least the left one does. And since they are special edition I'd be gutted if I lost them/one of them. I have a pair of old skullcandies that are similar to airpods (stem on them unlike samsungs) & after doc visit the other day I have more time to research ear clips.

I have both a samsung galaxy (s20) & iPhone (13 I think) but either I'll be using a very old ipod touch (those little minis) or my iphone as samsungs went funny with playing music files without a 3rd party app. While I have spotify I prefer my own paid for music playlists. I've hooked up both apple products to the samsung buds & skullcandy so the overall quality is good for me, I'm not a parsnickety audiophile And jodycalls are not exactly hightech high level "music"

Thanks again everyone

Kofuzi, a running channel vlogger on YouTube, has reviewed many earbuds, including several with active and passive noise reduction. Some have the ability to adjust the volume of ambient sound so you can still keep an ear on traffic.

I use the cheap ones for road riding. Just one so I have a spare when I lose one.

I use Beats Fit Pro earbuds on my indoor trainer and they are pretty secure, although I wouldn’t trust them riding outdoors. Native Apple connectivity is nice and I like the transparent mode for feeding through ambient sound. Reasonable price too for premium earbuds.

I have used the Monster Bomerang for a couple of years and really like it.

My wife gifted me the 'shokz openrun pro's (bone conduction) and they are magnificent. Way better than earbuds(which induce turbulence). I highly recommend them for cycling, hiking, etc etc

I just got the Bose open-air earbuds and they are incredible. high fidelity audio and spacial audio but they don't go in your ears they are like ear cuffs they wrap around the back of your ears so they are extremely comfortable. you can hear everything around you but you can hear high-end audio at the same time. they are pretty amazing. my wife and I can talk to each other on the tandem while using them.them work fine in the wind though very noisy freeway noise when we are riding beside it can be too much. but the only complaint is the 300.00 cost.
https://www.bose.com/p/earbuds/bose-...ION&quantity=1

I've had my Monster Boomerang for almost four years. The bluetooth receiver has gotten weak, so I can't use it on the bike anymore. I use it in the shower, not on my shoulders. I hang it on a razor hook. It's been pretty useful.

I know this sounds strange, but I don't want excellent sound quality. I suspect it would interfere with hearing ambient sounds.