Which ear plugs?

[Gizzit]

There are other ways to reduce noise.

Start with properly fitted helmet. I've added a hush kit to my Shoei. A scarf further reduces wind noise around the bottom of the helmet.

If your bike has a screen then consider replacing it with one that includes a windlip. Can make a huge difference at highway speeds.

I find earplugs uncomfortably quiet under my helmet. I have headphone transducers mounted inside my helmet. I have the music volume set to a level which is comfortable whether I'm riding or not.

Oh and I'm not already deaf I fly for a living and my hearing is fine.

"Seabrook Audiology publish a worrying set of statistics. Over 40mph, the amount of time our ears can cope without damage is scarily low. At 40, we should be good for 4 hours. Up that just 10mph to 50 and it drops to an hour. At 60, you have barely 20 minutes, 70mph and we are good for less than 10 minutes and at 80, just 3 minutes is all we can cope with before damaging our hearing.

You might not notice it at first, but hearing loss is cumulative... and permanent".
http://www.bobpickett.co.uk/bkit/laserlite.htm

Good luck with your ears. Some kind of plugs for you, would be better than none, given you have done so much already to make things quieter while you ride.
Cheers

[Oakie]

Go to mitre ten or bunnings.
.

What he said.

[mowgli]

Good luck with your ears. Some kind of plugs for you, would be better than none, given you have done so much already to make things quieter while you ride.
Cheers

I hear what you're saying (pun intended) but noise level is dependent on more than road speed. Helmet design and fit have a huge effect on noise attenuation. My helmet is very snug - no movement in any direction once on. Sure it's tight to get on and that's why ear phones don't work for me. But once on it's great. I theorise that loose fitting (easy on, easy off) helmets are responsible for the most noise at the ear. Second worst culprit would be screen size inappropriate to the rider height resulting in wind buffeting around the helmet.

Just my thoughts but seem to hold true in my limited experience.

[jono035]

Can't be bothered reading through the rest of the results but to the person who was talking about earphones for the ipod - check out some decent in-ear (canalphone) earphones... I've used the $300 Shure ones that basically fit into standard foam earplugs that have a hole down the center. They're used by musicians for isolation and feedback, sound awesome.

There are also some cheaper ones around on trademe etc. but I don't know that anything other than the expanding foam ones will give you any decent isolation...

[Gizzit]

Can't be bothered reading through the rest of the results but to the person who was talking about earphones for the ipod - check out some decent in-ear (canalphone) earphones... I've used the $300 Shure ones that basically fit into standard foam earplugs that have a hole down the center. They're used by musicians for isolation and feedback, sound awesome.

There are also some cheaper ones around on trademe etc. but I don't know that anything other than the expanding foam ones will give you any decent isolation...

Have you got a picture of them ..... or a link to a website ? They "sound" like a good idea.

Cheers

[jono035]

Have you got a picture of them ..... or a link to a website ? They "sound" like a good idea.

Cheers

http://store.shure.com/store/shure/e...ctID.105432500

Those are the ones that I've used. They come with a couple of different heads. There is a soft rubber one which is the quickest to put in and out but doesn't block as much sound. The expanding foam ones are just like the normal disposable ones but seem to be a higher quality foam with an external coating so they're reusable.

Shure are well known for making microphones and record stylus cartridges among other things so they really know their stuff when it comes to miniature high precision coils etc.

I listened to a whole heap of different headphones at one of the Big Boys Toys events a couple of years back. I bought Sennheiser 595s, my flatmate bought the Shure 310s. The 310s probably sound better for the same money than the Sennheisers, but I wanted the convenience of standard headphones (he wanted something more mobile and with noise reduction).

Edit: Apparently they're also designed to be interchangeable between custom moulded earplugs as well, so that leaves a ton of options... I'd guess from the specs that there probably isn't that much difference between the price points as well. I wonder if I can get a commission after this

[Gizzit]

Thanks for that link. Yeah I'm aware of Shure quality sound gear. No issues with any of their stuff. That model looks really good. I'll check them out.

Cheers

[jono035]

Thanks for that link. Yeah I'm aware of Shure quality sound gear. No issues with any of their stuff. That model looks really good. I'll check them out.

Cheers

No worries, Big Boys Toys is coming up soon, might go snag myself a discount pair too

[LBD]

+1

I have this permanent ringing.....

If you want to know how bad it can be, it's bad enough in some cases that people commit suicide over it.

No shit.

Do'nt fuck around with your hearing you will regret it.

Me to...too many years engineering in noisy workshops and power stations and engine rooms without enough protection...

one trick if you do have trouble sleeping...turn on a radio very low volume and off station so you only have some quiet white noise in the back ground....works for me.

There is an up side to the perminant ringing.....I cant hear all the voices in my head telling me to act on those anger impulses..... Must make the world a safer place.

[Ms Piggy]

Sparkplugs...

Yep this is what I use any time I'm gonna riding at speeds over 50kms/hr. I recall in my dark and distant memory that ages ago (like a few years back) someone posted some research on KBer about damage to your ears when riding without ear plugs.

The safety shops have a good range and know their stuff on the products, i.e. which ear plug will actually give your good protection for what you need. My understanding from speaking with them is that the little yellow squishy ones aren't the best.

Mind you I've had to learn what I call "ear plug etiquette" - him indoors gets a little sniffy when I come in the door with my earplugs still in and he's trying to talk to me. I've also learnt to notify people that once I put my ear plugs in I won't be able to hear them unless they speak louder....can be quite handy at time.

[tcpdump]

Hello,

I have a HJC full face helmet and I don't find noise a problem when I commute (50-70km/h), haven't realised that I need hear plugs.

Shall I get ear plugs just as a prevention? I find them a bit disconforting but if they are a must, then they shall be.

Thanks.

[hayd3n]

how do people find plugz for lugz? im looking at getting a pair of their stereo plugs for the ipod, but at $220, i want to see what other people think of them. my current earphones are $2 POS and i have to have them really loud to hear anything, even at 50k. which means ive got ringing when i hop off.

i use shure ear phones they are a earplug/earphone
so you hear the music and fuck all of anything else

[vifferman]

Hello,

I have a HJC full face helmet and I don't find noise a problem when I commute (50-70km/h), haven't realised that I need hear plugs.

Shall I get ear plugs just as a prevention? I find them a bit disconforting but if they are a must, then they shall be.

Not necessarily. Only noise above a certain limit damages your hearing, and it's likely that at 70km/h it's not that loud, especially given you ride an unfaired bike. As bikes with fairings (apart from those like barn doors) move along and push the air out of the way, it tends to increase the velocity of air going over the windshield blade and past the rider's shoulders and head. This is what makes the wind noise that at speeds of over about 90km/h can damage hearing. Obviously, a lot depends on whether there's a headwind, the shape of the fairing, height of the rider's head relative to the airflow past the fairing and screen, the helmet's aerodynamics and internal lining, and even the shape of your jacket's collar!

As for them being uncomfortable, you get used to this very quickly, provided the earplugs are a good fit for your ears.

[p.dath]

Hello,

I have a HJC full face helmet and I don't find noise a problem when I commute (50-70km/h), haven't realised that I need hear plugs.

Shall I get ear plugs just as a prevention? I find them a bit disconforting but if they are a must, then they shall be.

Thanks.

You can ride for about 4 hours before you risk hearing loss at that speed. Your unlikely to be commuting for 4 hours in one ride, so you should be fine.

[jono035]

You can ride for about 4 hours before you risk hearing loss at that speed. Your unlikely to be commuting for 4 hours in one ride, so you should be fine.

Based on an incredibly WAG of the sound pressure level?