OK, I'm wouldn't wear earbuds in any sort of road or traffic situation, but I do a lot of solo riding out on a rural MUP where it gets pretty boring at times, and I wouldn't mind listening to music or podcasts played or streamed from my smartphone. I recently got a pair of JBL bluetooth earbuds but on my first ride with them they didn't work out as well as hoped (too many audio dropouts) with my phone in my tail pack.

Has anyone here found any that work well? I still have a week or so to return the ones I have and would like some hints on one of the many models out there that might work for cycling.

I really like my BlueAnt Pump HD ear buds.
Amazon.com: BlueAnt Pump - Wireless HD Sportbuds - Black: Electronics

This is mounted on my stem with my iPhone attached. I just turn up the volume when riding along the trail so I can hear the music.

I like the Cootree® 230s but they have the same problem dropping audio from the back pocket. I'm going to try the updated version which supposedly rectifies it, but in case you've been looking at them don't switch to that brand just yet.

Strangely, the ones I have worked just fine on an 8-mile run the other day with the phone in my running jacket side pocket, but were not so great today. For one thing, I'm going to make sure that I play them with some downloaded music to take any possible streaming problems out of the equation. I have a few more days to decide to return them, so...

Do they have to be earbuds? I can't use most earbuds because my ear canals are unusually narrow. I don't like the ones that fit because they're uncomfortable and they block out too much ambient sound.

I like these BT headphones very much, better than my more expensive Motorola headphones. They let in some ambient sound, which I want. As such, they are not audiophile headphones, but that's fine with me. These can go a week or two between charges through moderate use!

You'll like these - Aftershokz. Nothing in your ear so you can hear everything clearly for safety reasons. The work on bone conduction. I've been using these for a couple of years. Since I got them, I've ditched any ear buds for the simple reason that even when off, they don't allow me full hearing.

J.

Those look quite interesting, but for that price I'd really have to try them out first for a couple of reasons. First off, how do they work while wearing glasses? I generally avoid earbuds with over-the-ear hooks because of that. Secondly, how comfortable are they since I assume they have to be putting some pressure on your cheekbones? I basically have a "XL" head and would be concerned about too tight of a fit.

But I'll definitely look at their site and search for some reviews, etc.

I wear them with glasses all the time - both my wireframe daily glasses and my Rudy Project Rydon sunglasses. They have space for the eye glass bows to fit through that should accommodate almost anything short of Elton John style glasses. I have also worn these with my bike and ski helmet with no issues.

They are not high pressure at all. You can wear them for hours at a time. The part that is in contact with your cheekbone is 3/4"x1/4" (by eyeball) so it's quite large.

They have a 45 day return policy with a "satisfaction guarantee". I take it at that you could try and return them if they don't work for you. That's kind of what I did.

What I like about them is that they work well, seem to have less impact from wind noise (due to conduction) and they let you still hear clearly what is going on in the environment around you. They are set up so that if you push the button on one of the sides, it will stop/pause your audio. I find this very useful when I approach an area that would have busy traffic or where I really need to concentrate on the road ahead. It's easy to do even with full finger gloves on. With the no ear bud inserted in my ear, I don't get that feeling of being disconnected from my environment while riding.

J.

I'm waiting for the Phazon BT buds.

They look very promising.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/p...-not-to-fall#/

Thanks. I'm going to be travelling for a couple weeks, but when I get back I plan on ordering a pair and will let you know how they work out for me.

Wow. I have a ton of questions about how they work (e.g., two separate "devices" to keep charged?), how you'd control them, etc. It will be interesting to read about them once they're generally available.

Be fun to hear your thoughts after trying the Aftershokz.

These are great, I have the Titanium Z. Sound quality is good and I can hear an unbelievable amount of sound around me.

I share your situation, my head size is 7 7/8 oblong. I always wear protective eyewear on rides. I slide the glasses over the top of the headset. Then I cap off with a HALO head cover. Helmet then. I have used them since February. I would never give up the added safety from the increased surrounding sound.

I also take a charging stick for long rides. I plug the together at rest stops on 5+ hour rides. Lasts all day.

I'm returning my earbuds later today, but I took them along on a 40-miler yesterday for a final test. It was cool in the morning and I was wearing my jacket with the phone in one of the side zip pockets; it worked fine in that position. Then, when it warmed up and I stripped of the jacket, I put the phone in my back pocket and the sound instantly started breaking up -- not acceptable. On that bike, I also have a small "fuel pouch" on the top tube just behind the stem that is just large enough for my phone to fit into. Putting it in there, I rode the rest of the way with no sound issues. And this was for playing music that had been downloaded as opposed to streaming, and I turned off the BT feature of my Garmin Edge as well to rule out possible interference.

It's interesting that the specs for almost all of these bluetooth headphone devices state that they will operate at a distance of "10m/33ft", yet they don't work when the phone's about 3 ft away? But I suspect that 33 ft is some sort of standard spec for BT rather than being actually tested, and that it only applies if there is a totally clear path between the devices. Having something (like your body) in the way apparently affects it, not to mention possible interference from other devices.

Anyway, I'm willing to give the Aftershokx a try and otherwise might just get a set of el-cheapo buds (such as what I see on eBay) and live with the limitations.

I suspect it's more of an antenna issue that a BT issue. But that doesn't matter, the result is the same.

I ride with my Aftershokz on and with the phone in the back of my jersey. So I don't think that will be a problem.

J.

[MENTION=7466]DougG[/MENTION], you're right. 10m is the standard spec for bluetooth. With no obstacles, it really should reach that far and a little bit more. What model phone is it?

I've had bluetooth interference in Manhattan where there are huge buildings to bounce off and probably more kinds of EMF than most places, so that's understandable, and you're probably not in such a radio-rich place.

I think it's the "no obstacles" issue here, since it does work when close and unobstructed. My Nexus 5x has no trouble playing over BT with other devices, such as in my car even when it's in a gym bag in the trunk, or in my home on a BT speaker a couple of rooms away. In both these situations, however, the BT device undoubtedly has a much better antenna than what can be packed into an earbud.

I can keep my phone in my pannier or back pocket so I can have an obstacle or two, and there are no dropouts. You are right to return your unit. That's not acceptable.

This goes in another direction, but I often use a Plantronics dongle w/Pandora or Audible. Yeah, it's one ear and the sound quality isn't hi-fi, but it's safer ... and it's useful when you're off the bike. But yes, I'll admit to taking a few calls while riding...bad habit.

Please stop! Thank you.

No beer for YOU!