Markbanshee

As the title says....I am looking for stereo headphones that are wireless and have blutetooth so I can answer a call while on my bike and the rest of time I can listen to music playing from my phone. The Motorola SD-9 and SD-10 looked like solid options but I saw too many poor reviews. I also looked into Jaybird, but they are pricey and they also seemed to have been removed from the jaybird website...not sure why. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

DGozinya

Thoughts? Don't ride with headphones. If you need to make/take a call, pull to the side and stop. Stay alive.

You're welcome!

jputnam

The newer Motorola S9-HD works much better than the original S9. Better sound quality, hold up much better to riding in the rain, I've had mine for a couple of years now without trouble, use them commuting every day.

jputnam

I'll believe they're a safety threat, properly used, as soon as car windows are banned. Car windows do a far more effective job of excluding outside sound than a phone headset.

DGozinya

I don't wish you any harm, but this is nonsense. "Gee, so the people in the cars can't hear anything, so I'll don some headphones so I can't hear anything too!!!" Smart thinking... You're missing the point that in a battle of car vs. bike, BIKE WILL LOSE.

I see your "properly used" comment and have to laugh. I've got 20+ years in audio, so know a bit about sounds, levels, and most importantly, perceived levels. In a normal city street bustle, levels are going to north of 85-95db with construction/jackhammers hitting 105db+. The normal person who wears headphones is going to wear them to listen to something, so they must turn up the level of the music to meet or exceed the ambient noise. This effectively competes with or blocks those all important auditory cues of "truck approaching 20ft...", etc. Noise-canceling headphones don't improve the situation, as they work best for static sounds, ie-noise that doesn't fluctuate. That's not what you hear in a constantly changing urban environment.

I got clipped by someone tooling along with headphones. I called "on your left" before passing. He didn't hear it and turned left at the exact time I was passing. How does that involve your car scenario??

Lalato

Sounds like the person with headphones wasn't using them properly. When wearing headphones, you need to use your eyes. It's not that hard to turn and look before turning. You should be doing it anyway... with or without headphones. If someone turns without looking, they're just being stupid. It has nothing to do with the headphones.

jputnam

Sharing public roads is a cooperative venture. If you frame it as a battle, you've already lost.

Ride considerately, obey the rules of the road, and look where you're going.

Yet with my headphones on riding I90, I can hear my own drivetrain, I can hear passing cyclists, I can hear seagulls on the lake. Given a choice between theory and practice, I'll take the empirical observation that cyclists properly using headphones can hear traffic just fine.


He was as much an idiot for turning without looking or signaling on a bike as he would have been in a car.

Meanwhile, do keep in mind that outside the peleton, "on your left" is neither a magical spell nor a legal release of liability. The overtaking vehicle is still required to pass at a safe distance. Many riders won't hear you over the wind in their ears, many others won't have a clue what you're saying, and some significant number will hear you and veer left as requested.

As the overtaking vehicle, it remains your responsibility to provide safe clearance and avoid impact.

Same roads, same rules.

DGozinya

Wow, I want to move to your little part of the country with puppy dogs and rainbows everywhere. In real life, even the (car) driver's training manuals I've seen refer to "defensive driving" with the other vehicles on the "offense." Offense, defense...hmmm, sounds pretty battle-like to me. Life is a battle, we must do our part to survive every day. In my most humble opinion, your are limiting your "weapons" in that battle on your bike by doing anything that distracts your attention from goal #1 - staying alive.

I will agree to disagree on this. Enjoy that rainbow.

Bat56

Sony DR-BT100CX

jayr

I didn't have very good luck with the BT headphones I tried outside. Inside they worked fine but once I got outside they kept cutting out. Could just be my BB though? I tried the S9 and another brand, Sony's I think, I can't remember now but wound up going back to wires.

As to the wearing heaphones debate, I do, and have worn them every day for the last 8+ years and have no problems at all hearing cars coming up behind me from well over 20 feet. Even had a Prius come up next to me at a light this am and I heard it comming well in advance. I will get the occational rodie sneek up to pass me that doesn't call out, but I would have heard them just fine if they would have said something even in a normal talking voice. DGozinya, maybe your 20 years of audio experience has fried your ears, or maybe when you listen to headphones you crank it up to a level that would make it difficult to hear traffic, or maybe you've just never tried it on your bike? I generally have mine at a level that makes it fairly difficult to even hear the music due to wind noise up past about 25mph.

pallen

I have the Nokia BH-503s and have been very pleased with them. Huge range, great sound, battery lasts forever. I use them for music around the office. I dont use them on my bike though - I need to hear what's around me. I dont even like ear warmers on my ears. My hearing is very good, but anything over your ears is going to muffle the sound - particularly if its playing music. If I rode on desolate country roads, I would do it though.