p.dath
31st October 2009, 10:05
Before I start, let me say this is my personal opinion and perception. As with anything on kiwibiker, take from it what you like and leave the rest.
I am predominantly a road rider, and like to go to AMCC track days 3 to 6 times a year.
A while ago I noticed some riders, which I respect a lot for their experience, using ear plugs. So I thought I would look into this further.
First some background. This isn't meant to be scare scaremongering, but it was a a real surprise to me.
http://www.seabrookaudiology.co.uk/plugs.htm
Basically a short study was done, and it was found that you could only ride at 100km/h for 20 minutes before hearing damage could start to occur. Of course, this will very depending on how loud your bike is, how quiet your helmet is, and how susceptible you are to hearing loss. But lets say the numbers are 100% out, and it takes 40 minutes ...
The thing with hearing loss like this is that it happens very gradually. You only loose a tiny bit each ride, and then 10 years later you suddenly notice you've lost a whole lot of hearing.
That same study found that with 15 dB of hearing protection the time before damage is extended from 20 minutes to more than 8 hours. You can easily achieve this level of protection using cheap foam ear plugs that cost less than $5. These can be bought from chemists and safety stores like NZ Safety.
The first thing I discovered when looking at foam ear plugs is there are a lot of different ways manufacturers measure the dB rating. Some examples are SLC(80), NRR and NRRsf. Many manufactures don't state which method they use, so you could be holding two different brands in your hands both saying they give you 29dB of protection but getting substantially different levels of protection.
Or worse still, you might pick a 29 dB ear plug because you think it is better than a 20dB ear plug, when in fact the 20dB ear plug is better because of the way it was measured.
So I suggest ignoring the big numbers written on the front of the pack and look for the standard they conform to. I'd suggest looking for AS/NZS 1270-1999 or AS/NZS 6614 or ANSI S12.6/97-B.
A note about fitting foam ear plugs. You need to roll them between your fingers so they are "crushed", then put them into your ear. THEN WAIT. Between 30s and 60s you will feel them expand in your ear making a tight fit. I found that if I didn't wait and tried to put my helmet on straight away they tended to get knocked out. If you wait 30s to 60s they form a tight fit in your ear, and the helmet doesn't knock them out.
If you are using ear plugs with a string, before putting your helmet on, turn your head left and right. Otherwise you put your helmet on, come to the first corner, turn your head and the string gets caught on something (like your jacket) and one of the plugs pulls out of your ear. Annoying.
In my case, I decided to try two well known and respected brands, 3M 1100's, and Moldex "Sparkplugs" "NASCAR".
The 3M plugs can be purchased with and without a string linking the two plugs together. After trying both, I personally prefer the string. You can take one plug out to hear something without worrying about loosing it, and the two of them are always attached so you don't tend to loose one when you put them down and one tries to roll off the table.
The 3M foam feels quite firm compared to the Moldex plugs.
I found the 3M's comfortable to wear. They got rid of all the high pitched noises, and I found I could still easily talk with people. They made my bike sound much throatier, which I found quite enjoyable.
The Moldex have a higher dB rating than the 3M's, and may be more suitable for track use as a result. They are soft to the touch compared to the 3M's.
I found the fit of the Moldex's comfortable, but for some reason, they make my ears ring. I tried them three different times, and each time the same result. The ringing stops as soon as I take them back out. I found after 30 minutes of riding the ringing started to get to me, and detracted from my enjoyment of riding.
I found that if I didn't insert them all the way into my ear canal it was much better, but it was a difficult balance between getting them in far enough to work and not make my ears ring, and not to far out that they fell out.
So for me, the 3M's win hands down. Once again this is very much my personal opinion. I don't think there is anything wrong with the Moldex's, but obviously something about the shape of my ear or my ear canal makes them unsuitable for me.
You can also get custom made ear plugs (http://www.kiwiplugs.co.nz/), but I'm more than happy with the $5 it costs to get a plain and simple pair of the 3M 1100's with a string.
I am predominantly a road rider, and like to go to AMCC track days 3 to 6 times a year.
A while ago I noticed some riders, which I respect a lot for their experience, using ear plugs. So I thought I would look into this further.
First some background. This isn't meant to be scare scaremongering, but it was a a real surprise to me.
http://www.seabrookaudiology.co.uk/plugs.htm
Basically a short study was done, and it was found that you could only ride at 100km/h for 20 minutes before hearing damage could start to occur. Of course, this will very depending on how loud your bike is, how quiet your helmet is, and how susceptible you are to hearing loss. But lets say the numbers are 100% out, and it takes 40 minutes ...
The thing with hearing loss like this is that it happens very gradually. You only loose a tiny bit each ride, and then 10 years later you suddenly notice you've lost a whole lot of hearing.
That same study found that with 15 dB of hearing protection the time before damage is extended from 20 minutes to more than 8 hours. You can easily achieve this level of protection using cheap foam ear plugs that cost less than $5. These can be bought from chemists and safety stores like NZ Safety.
The first thing I discovered when looking at foam ear plugs is there are a lot of different ways manufacturers measure the dB rating. Some examples are SLC(80), NRR and NRRsf. Many manufactures don't state which method they use, so you could be holding two different brands in your hands both saying they give you 29dB of protection but getting substantially different levels of protection.
Or worse still, you might pick a 29 dB ear plug because you think it is better than a 20dB ear plug, when in fact the 20dB ear plug is better because of the way it was measured.
So I suggest ignoring the big numbers written on the front of the pack and look for the standard they conform to. I'd suggest looking for AS/NZS 1270-1999 or AS/NZS 6614 or ANSI S12.6/97-B.
A note about fitting foam ear plugs. You need to roll them between your fingers so they are "crushed", then put them into your ear. THEN WAIT. Between 30s and 60s you will feel them expand in your ear making a tight fit. I found that if I didn't wait and tried to put my helmet on straight away they tended to get knocked out. If you wait 30s to 60s they form a tight fit in your ear, and the helmet doesn't knock them out.
If you are using ear plugs with a string, before putting your helmet on, turn your head left and right. Otherwise you put your helmet on, come to the first corner, turn your head and the string gets caught on something (like your jacket) and one of the plugs pulls out of your ear. Annoying.
In my case, I decided to try two well known and respected brands, 3M 1100's, and Moldex "Sparkplugs" "NASCAR".
The 3M plugs can be purchased with and without a string linking the two plugs together. After trying both, I personally prefer the string. You can take one plug out to hear something without worrying about loosing it, and the two of them are always attached so you don't tend to loose one when you put them down and one tries to roll off the table.
The 3M foam feels quite firm compared to the Moldex plugs.
I found the 3M's comfortable to wear. They got rid of all the high pitched noises, and I found I could still easily talk with people. They made my bike sound much throatier, which I found quite enjoyable.
The Moldex have a higher dB rating than the 3M's, and may be more suitable for track use as a result. They are soft to the touch compared to the 3M's.
I found the fit of the Moldex's comfortable, but for some reason, they make my ears ring. I tried them three different times, and each time the same result. The ringing stops as soon as I take them back out. I found after 30 minutes of riding the ringing started to get to me, and detracted from my enjoyment of riding.
I found that if I didn't insert them all the way into my ear canal it was much better, but it was a difficult balance between getting them in far enough to work and not make my ears ring, and not to far out that they fell out.
So for me, the 3M's win hands down. Once again this is very much my personal opinion. I don't think there is anything wrong with the Moldex's, but obviously something about the shape of my ear or my ear canal makes them unsuitable for me.
You can also get custom made ear plugs (http://www.kiwiplugs.co.nz/), but I'm more than happy with the $5 it costs to get a plain and simple pair of the 3M 1100's with a string.