It is a hot topic and seems to draw quiet a bit of interest in the cycling community. I am coming to you with this article on Cycling With Headphones and specifically for the bikepacking and adventure cycling community as I have found myself using headphones when I am on bikepacking adventures. They seem to be a great addition to any bike travel but even more so when you are solo traveling. As it can get lonely at times when you are riding days on end all by yourself. A good podcast listened to through a set of headphones is a great companion for the open road.
The type of headphones you use can effect the amount of outside noise you can hear while using them on the road. There are different types of headphones. it seems that the ear-bud type that sits in the outside of the ear canal, let in more outside noise than the in-ear type that plugs into the ear canal.
It also comes down to the type of area you plan to use your headphones while riding. From personal experience I would not fell all to comfortable listening to loud music in headphones when navigating heavy urban city traffic conditions. Not sure if it just me but it seems that when I am listening to something loud I am somewhat distracted and can not concentrate 100% on the road. That said, I really think there is a time and place for headphones when cycling. Say for example, when I was riding across the Australian outback on the open road at times it would seems appropriate to use my headphones for a break from thinking for hours and hours on end. And listen to a podcast or music for some company. With my bike I had a rear view mirror and was able to visually check up on my surroundings quiet easily. Which made wearing headphones safer.
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The Bicycle Network in Australia did a little decibel test if you want to give that a quick read which I found interesting. There conclusion was; “A bike rider with in-ear earphones playing music at a reasonable volume hears about the same outside noise as a car driver with no music playing, but more than a car driver playing music.”
It seems that ones safety becomes worrying when the cyclist is distracted by their device. It is important to know what is happening around and on the road rather then the screen. If you are listening to music, creating a playlist of all your favourite songs is a good start. Just hit play and be on your way! It has also been proven in studies that listening to music with a single earbud in one ear only does not effect auditory perception.
Is It Illegal To Wear Headphones While Riding A Bike
This leads us onto the next point in this article and that comes down to safety and the law. But it may really depend on where you are located or riding as different locations all around the world may vary when it comes to laws with headphones and cycling.
So this question might be on your mind because it seems a grey area when it comes to listening to headphones will riding a bicycle. So what is the bike headphones law? It definitely does raise questions of safety.
For example I found on the web that Florida and Rhode Island are the only two states that have banned wearing headphones while cycling. I would not take my word for it and research update information as this was from 2012. And see what your local laws imply. For Australia the bicycle laws I research, I was not able to find anything for any state that did mention the use of headphones while cycling. but again I encourage you to do your own research.
Bone Conduction Headphones Cycling
When looking for headphones to use while cycling there are a couple options that you should really consider. If you don’t want to read this part you can just jump down below to the list of the best headphones for cycling.
But if you are looking at any type of headphones specifically for cycling make sure that they are either bone conduction and help to reduce the wind noise.
So what are bone conduction headphones? Well when it comes to wind noises some headphones struggle to reduce wind noise completely but more on that next. Put simply they are like these type of headphones picture above. They are headphones that actually don’t get access to the inside of your ear. They decode sound waves and convert them into vibrations that can be received directly by the Cochlea, bypassing the eardrum.
These type of headphones can be more troublesome to work with then your standard earphones. You have many other factors to consider, especially when using them for cycling. You need to ensure that they work when you are wearing your helmet and if you wear sunglasses being compatible here is ideal too.
However they main advantage with bone conduction headphones is that they leave the ears open to ambient sounds. Which is a big selling point when it comes to cycling.
Headphones For Cycling Wind Noise
Ideally the next factor you want to consider when buying headphones for cycling, is wind noise. Now obviously such bone conduction headphones are not really going to reduce the wind noise when cycling at faster speeds. And this does raise a concern if you will be hearing too much wind when using these when cycling. But this would depend on how fast your are riding. People who have used such bone conduction headphones say they can still hear music even if they block their ears. It is just the really loud ambient sounds, like heavy wind would be something to consider.
There are other headphones on the market which work rather good with wind noises. Which will be included below in the best cycling headphones section.
But if it poses a current problem for you. There are some handy products available that are purpose built for reducing the wind noise while cycling. For example the Wind-Blox Pro which sits over your helmet straps near your ear. These products attach to your helmet straps and force the wind around your ear, therefore reducing the wind noise. I’ve heard you can also put a twist in your helmet strap to have a similar effect.
7 Best Cycling Headphones 2020
- Aftershokz Trekz Air
- Beats Powerbeats 3
- AfterShokz Aeropex
- Bose SoundSport
- Apple Airpods Pro
- Anker Soundcore
- Jabra Elite Active
These are in no particular order, but *If you want to buy any cycling headphones, after reading this article. Doing it via the affiliate links give Cycle Travel Overload a small commission which goes into creating more great resources for the bike travel community.
Aftershokz Trekz Air
One of the bone conduction headphone options in this list. The Aftershokz Air is the mid price option that they offer. The design delivers music through your cheekbones, ensuring ears remain completely open to ambient sounds for maximum situational awareness during long-term wear. Which makes them one of the better designed headphones specifically for bikepacking adventures. The wraparound design is 20% lighter than its counterpart, this model weighing in at 1.06 ounces or about 30 grams. These headphones feature Bluetooth v4. 2 connectivity and convenient multipoint pairing compatible with your iOS and Android devices. You get six hours of continuous music play time and it takes around 2 hours to charge.
To be honest having headphones like this that require charging every time they run out of battery could be annoying during a multi-day or month trip. Especially when you are travelling off the grid. It is just anther thing to charge. But this does depend if you have charging solutions setup with your bikepacking kit. Something like a Dynamo Hub can solve this problem.
These headphones have some rather good reviews! Check them out for yourself if you don’t believe me. It is important to note that people have mentioned that the sound quality id not like studio headphones. Remember that it is a bluetooth headset being conducted through your skull. You’re just not going to get studio quality sound on any bone conduction devices. With these headphones you will take a slight hit on sound quality. So you can be much safer when cycling. These are priced at $99.99 on Amazon.
Beats Powerbeats 3
Beats also have the Powerbeats Pro version which are completely wireless setup. However, we are talking about the Powerbeats 3 which are connected together with wire but connect via Class 1 Bluetooth to your device. The set offers 12 hours of battery life. They feature Fast Fuel, with a 5-minute charge that gives you 1 hour of playback when battery is low. They are sweat and water resistance. While also being Flexible, the ear hooks fit securely to maximize comfort and stability. These headphones have excellent bluetooth reception and sound quality. There has been some rather negative reviews on this product back in 2017 and 2018. But it seems that Beats have been able to fix that main problems people were having with this product.
They have a great bass and work well with bass heavy rap and maybe not so much with metal and rock but still rather good. They do cancel out noise which is okay for cycling. Depending on your preference. It is important to find the right tip size that fits your ears for the best fit. Overall they are okay set of headphones but I really thing you can get better better ones for your money. If you are interested they cost $89.99 on Amazon.
AfterShokz Aeropex
These AfterShokz Aeropex have be redesigned for better sound quality then the previously mentioned option. With 50% less sound leakage and wide dynamic stereo sound with PremiumPitch 2. 0+. You still get the same Bone Conduction technology, but You also get headphones which are completely designed to be sweat and waterproof in some of the most extreme conditions. So if you do get caught out in a storm with cycling these will be fine. They also have a moisture detection alert included for safe charging. Also these are the lightest AfterShokz option at less than 1 ounce or 26 grams.
The wireless range in these headphones is about 10 metres, however some people have claimed, getting better range than that. using them from downstairs in the opposite corner of the house from the phone. With these headphones the vibration or the tickle common to bone conduction is dramatically improved from previous models. The charging port works very well, it is magnetic and just snaps into place. The bass on these are not that great and you could definitely get better base options. But again these do offer the situation awareness which is so great for cycling safety. Priced at $159.95 on Amazon.
Bose SoundSport
Bose make some rather high quality sound devices, and that is no different with these Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones. The high quality audio experience is consistently balanced at any volume, thanks to Bose active EQ technology. Connected via wireless with easy Bluetooth and NFC pairing aided by voice prompts. The design helps to keep the headphones in position with suing them for cycling and other activities. They also are sweat and weather resistance for reliability while exercising. You can expect to get up to 6 hours battery life per charge.
Some people have said that these sound almost as good as actual Bose headphones. Also some have mentioned that phone calls only play through the right side. These seem like one of the better options when it comes to exercise and activities like running and cycling. Priced at $99.00 on Amazon.
Apple Airpods Pro
The all popular Apple Airpods, it seems if you have a pair of these you are a trendy one! Well apart from looks, these actually do serve a rather good purpose when it comes to cycling with headphones. The are designed to deliver Active Noise Cancellation for immersive sound. Apple have really gone along way with product innovation when it comes to these. Considering you might be wearing them for extended periods of time, they have a customisable fit for all-day comfort and even a transparency mode so you can hear your surroundings. Perfect for cycling in traffic! This mode allows you to hear and interact with your surroundings. Featuring outward- and inward-facing microphones. You get around 4.5 hours of listening time with a single charge when using settings like the Transparency Mode. The cool thing about these headphones is the Wireless Charging Case too. Priced at $249.00 at Apple with a free engraving!
Anker Soundcore
If you are after a budget recommendation for headphones that are a similar design to apples Airpods, these could be a good choice. If you wish to make phone calls the Soundcore headphones are designed so that each earbud has two microphones with beamforming noise reduction and cVc 8. 0 technology for superior vocal enhancement and background-noise suppression. You get a good range of quality sounds, music with a wider soundstage and exceptional accuracy and clarity. When t comes to the battery you get around 7 hours of a single charge and then the charging case extends that to 40 hours. The P2 wireless earbuds boast ipx7 waterproof capabilities.
Honestly it seems these headphones hit the sweet spot in terms price vs. earbud battery, case battery, IPX waterproof rating, cVc noise cancelling, and quality of microphones. However one down side to these headphones are the buttons. They are a little tacky and when pressing them when in your ear, it often requires you to push hard on your ear, which is not ideal. For the price they are some of the best truely wireless earbuds you can get priced at only $59.99 on Amazon.
Jabra Elite Active
These are another good product that has been recommended for use while cycling. Purpose build for an active lifestyle, they are secure fitting earbuds that provide dependable in ear stability. You have the option to personalise the sound to your taste with the Jabra Sound+ app. You can take calls and listen to music without worry about audio dropout. On a single charge you can get about 5 hours and then an addition 15 hours of charge thanks to the pocket charger case. They are a good but definitely you can find better options out there. For the price they are probably not the best option. Priced at $159.45 on Amazon.
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