Music in your helmet?

[NinjaNanna]

I have headphone speakers mounted inside my helmet, I wear earplugs when I ride and find that they cut out the windnoise sufficiently enough that the music is at a normal level, I find that the helmet/earplug combination allows me to hear my bike and music at any speed.

[idleidolidyll]

Well....I've been a good boy and searched, but the closest I have found is a thread about stereo's on bikes.

So.... Do you have music in your helmet whilst riding? Do you want it but have not the means? Would you rather listen to your pipe(s)?

Hell yes!
Lots of friends wonder how I can concentrate with music in my head while riding.
What difference is it between a tin top and a bike?

I love having music going and I've even had recorded lessons for my degree playing as I rode.

I use an iRiver 20GB. That gives me about 7000 songs to cycle through.

The main issues are:

Changing tracks and volume. I do that with the remote attached to the handlebar using my clutch hand.

Bass loss. A tough one this. I find that those deep ear plugs do best and I also mould some silicon over the phone head to reduce wind noise etc. I also use expensive headphones with response from 6-8Hz to 20,000Hz.

Rain. The iRiver is attached to the bars at the centre and I can put it in a plastic bag.

Even going hard I like music on, it gives me a tempo I think and I do the same on my mountainbike.

[idleidolidyll]

I just nod in what I hope are appropriate spots when listening to people at the pub.
Look after your hearing - you only get one shot at it.

Souns like what I do in pubs and at parties. Same deal: motorcycles, machinery and lots of very loud concerts

[Guitana]

Fuck earplugs.

I figure that by the time the damage is done that I'll be so sick of listening to the mrs whining that a bit of high freguency hearing loss will be a blessing.

Plus, TV has subtitles.

I'm fucked anyway I can't hear the music over the voices in my head telling me to do BAD things!!!!

I agree when you lose the high frequency the wifes whinning goes from a high pitched shreik to a very dull BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!
Years of using a grinder in a steel shop works just great!!!

[Speedracer]

Tried with and without music, with and without earplugs.
On a recent 600km trip having earplugs was great. The noise was reduced heaps. Almost more relaxing
I tried using in ear phones, but it gets uncomfortable quickly, you need the volume up.. and on a long trip I start playing songs in my head and singing anyway

On a short trip, music isn't necessary. On a long 500km+ trip it would be nice.

[Indiana_Jones]

Sometimes i listened, only had it in one ear and only set it to a set volume, if I couldn't hear when when it was noisey on the m-way etc, then tough tits.

-Indy

[crash harry]

It's like going to Stock car racing wearing earplugs and then complaining that the racing is having noise restrictions put on them.

You're one of them aren't you? Leave our bloody track alone! It was there first!


Anyway though, on topic, I don't need the distraction when I'm riding. If I'm going on a long ride I tend to use those red foam 3M earplugs that you can steal from work... um... I mean that you can get from NZ safety... But I don't bother for most of my riding which is commuting/general short-haul blatting about

[disenfranchised]

I've got a thing called a Soundbug

It suctions on to surfaces and turns pretty much anything you want into a helmet...so I stick it on the back of my helmet.

The sound quality isn't great, but it isn't tricky to attach (like headphones inside helmets) and it doesn't block out other road noise really...so I don't feel like its dangerous

Can only use in the dry though

[RiderInBlack]

You're one of them aren't you? Leave our bloody track alone! It was there first!

Gee talk about quoting an old post and getting it all wrong. Not I am definitely NOT one of the ones who wanted the Western Springs closed because of the noise levels. As you said It was there first. I have happily Marshalled bike races without earplugs.
But I do find human nature amusing at times. For instants here, on one hand we have bikers who like to put aftermarket cans on their bikes that make them louder and then some of these same riders are then wearing earplugs to protect their own hearing.
I find that a bit silly and selfish.
My bike makes just the right amount of noise that is muffled just right by my well fitting helmet. Tried a Blackbird with after-market cans on on Saturday. The noise it made would be fu*ken annoy to me on the long rides I do, and IMHO didn't make that bike sound better.
Excessively load cans are selfish and thoughtless as far as I am concerned. If your bike is so load that you have to wear ear plugs, how do ya think that effects those's that you ride around?
By the way I do enjoy the sound of a motor that puts out a nice tune, and don't like motors that I can not hear at all.

[RiderInBlack]

By the way (and back on subject) I have custom fitted (myself) speakers from $10 DSE headphones in my helmet (dam easy really). These work well. Allows me to slip my helmet on and off with easy and are load enough to hear the music off my DSE MP3 player without amp-ing.

[Insanity_rules]

I Listen to music, but only when its a ride of 20 minutes or longer. I use Phillips hook over the ear type sports head phones on my nokia 6265 mobile. Also I can tell if the phones ringing or I'm recieving at text as the music cuts out and I get my ring tone.

I don't however listen to it that loud.

[kickingzebra]

I have an aftermarket can on the thou, but the main reasons for that are A) Lack of urgency on the standard sewing machine can and B) I had a spare, and it looks better
I still wear earplugs, as wind noise is the main problem causing deafness, not exhaust for the vast majority. If you are brave enough to subject yourself to hours of over 80 decibels, you will cause deafness. The quietest helmet on the market is the German brand starting with Schuberth, with a helmet that has internal noise of 85 decibels at 100 kmph. That gives 8 Hours of riding time (with no other noise than wind) before damage sets in.

I was callous once, but I notice more and more, as I grow older (at 24 I ain't ancient) that my hearing isn't quite as sharp. I want to keep it for as long as possible. So, in reference to that, the volume one would have to listen to music to, in order to be louder than the wind noise in the quietest helm money can buy, would still be plenty sufficient to cause hearing damage within minutes.

Also, hearing traffic coming can save your arse. Saved mine when Sam Smith round around me in the last lap at Ruapuna in the weekend.

[KoroJ]

I've got a Sony that will play for up to 25 hours between charges so it's good for weekends away and wearing a balaclava keeps the earplugs comfortably located. I use earphones that have their own volume slider which can be located at the top of my jacket and adjusted with gloves on. Seems to work well and doesn't distract me but onlookers probably think I'm crazy when I start tapping and bobbing to the music.

[imdying]

But I do find human nature amusing at times. For instants here, on one hand we have bikers who like to put aftermarket cans on their bikes that make them louder and then some of these same riders are then wearing earplugs to protect their own hearing.

Nup, my twin is pretty loud but I can't really here it when it's moving... the ear plugs are for wind noise alone matey.

[Freakshow]

I have to say I have upgraded from my blutak ear plugs and found some that have a rubber plug that looks like those swimmers ear plugs. There is a hole through the middle for the sound. I have noticed they cut down heaps of outside noise and I can have my MD play at a third of the Volume I use to use it at.

Found them at the warehouse for $30

Well worth it!