Cycling ear protectors (from wind noise etc)
I am compiling a list of 'ear protectors' that are designed to protect the ears from wind noise when cycling. This is an ongoing project
List of wind blockers tried : my opinion
Airstreamz (formerly Cat Ears) Tried. Didn't notice any difference. Fit to your helmet so can't be worn without. Too expensive
Windfree : Tried. Felt these worked at low speeds but not above that. Say under 15km (speed + windspeed) Once you get to around 15km speed (or wind is that high) the protection dips, though I guess it still helps a bit. You wear on ears so no helmet needed. Can be sweaty when hot, or wet when raining. Doesnt't block non-wind noise. I would design it to dampen all noise a bit (say at the front). Very awkward to buy (2014 ... from Swedish website. Amazon would be nice). Too expensive.
Finger test : if you put a finger in front of your ear when air is passing you at speed you can see how good ear protection could be. The 2 I have tried came nowhere near this.
Verdict : Still would choose to design my own but for now I use windfree
List of known wind-blockers (2015)
AirStreamz
 |
| cat-ears pro 2014 |
Price : around $12 - $22
Buy at : Their website. Based in Denver Colorado
http://www.cat-ears.com/
Buy at : their website. South African company ?
http://www.slipstreamz.com/
http://wind-blox.com/
Blog Discounts (courtesy of Windblox) :
10% discount on Wind-blox website : use code gocommuterbike (see this comment)
15% off Wind-blox pro on their site : use code gocommuterbikePRO (see this comment)
Windfree
Price : 31 Euros ?
Based : Sweden
http://www.windfree.se/en/home
Buy at : Their website. Based in Denver Colorado
http://www.cat-ears.com/
Slipstreamz
Price : Around $22 ?Buy at : their website. South African company ?
http://www.slipstreamz.com/
Wind-blox
Price : £15/$15 ? http://wind-blox.com/
Blog Discounts (courtesy of Windblox) :
10% discount on Wind-blox website : use code gocommuterbike (see this comment)
15% off Wind-blox pro on their site : use code gocommuterbikePRO (see this comment)
Available on Amazon
Windfree
Based : Sweden
http://www.windfree.se/en/home
update jul21 :
Been using this for years. Works like a mic muff. Diffuses low wind noise.
It works for me, until around 14kph (then I guess still dampens real noise).
A bit warm in hot weather but def worthwhile for me <14kph (maybe <15mph. I can't recall).
A thick headband with ear protection
price : £25 plus shipping ?
Windrush website (Sweden) : link
Windrush headband
A thick headband with ear protection
price : £25 plus shipping ?
Windrush website (Sweden) : link
10 comments:
Hey there!
Thanks for including us. We are always glad to be mentioned in commuter-related media, since we're bike commuters ourselves. In case you've got pricing questions, our website converts to Euro so the price is equivalent.
We'd be glad to offer a discount to blog readers. Mention gocommuterbike and get 10% off your next order.
www.wind-blox.com
Thanks for your kind offer. I think ear protection is a neglected and important feature in cycling, even probably for the professionals.
Wind-blox seems to be a direct alternative to Cat-ears ? I bought cat-ears and they do some good (as much as expected, I guess), in hindsight I want even more protection so will probably try the windfree earset. My only concern about windfree is that they are so expensive and I can't find enough evidence.
If I was designing my own my first thought would be to base them on ear hook-overs.
Anyhow thanks. I am grateful there are now some options out there at least. Anyone who doesn't think about wind-noise should try putting a finger in front of their ear, though obviously that's not very practical.
Hey there! Check out Amazon UK! Wind-Blox has a great deal
Green Baron, you could check http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/reviews/board/message/?thread_id=38598 earbags are an option
Thanks. They look the right idea but are for cold protection I guess. Probably get a bit hot in non-cold weather.
I'm still using WINDFREE which gives some wind protection. Say under 15 mph especially (speed or wind). But still I would design my own if I could. If you put your finger in front of your ear when the wind-noise is high, you can see how quiet it should be
Sorry it took us so long to see this thread, Green Baron.
The new Wind-Blox Pro has a 15% off discount code now...maybe you should give it a try for comparison's sake: gocommuterbikePRO www.wind-blox.com
Thanks Wind-Blox. I may give it a try. A finger in front of the ear definitely works, so I can see how in principle this design should work.
My initial layman thoughts are a wind blocker needs to :
1 : not let a gap appear between the head and product
2 : not let air through (at least from in front).
A wind protector I would say is a must for probably all cyclists, wind noise being something most probably don't realise is an annoyance, as well as probably being long-term bad for your hearing.
I guess the concept is pretty new, so is going through early stages as a market.
Feel free to post any new future updates.
I use a few of the cat-ears models and have found that they work well (pretty close to one- or two-fingers to the side of the head that you mentioned). One tip, if you haven't tried it, is to put any glasses or sunglasses over the cat-ears, not under. This makes sure they are snug against the sides of the head where they are most effective. Also, helmet straps shouldn't be loose, which is also a good tip for helmet safety as well. I've also found that the fuzzy ones work best, but look the strangest. (Unless Elvis is your style!). I use them for riding in Hawaii, and among the products I was looking through, I was attracted to the idea that they seemed to allow for the most cooling around my ears and forehead.
Fair comment Pat. Putting the sunglasses over them sounds good advice. Anything that stops wind geting through the gap.
I kind of gave up on cat-ears but take your points (loose helmet straps etc). I may try again with the longer fingers.
I still use windfree. These work well at say under 10mph (either speed or wind) but over that it seems to seep through, presumably at a lower level. In hot weather things get a bit sweaty. And you can use them without a helmet.
The more I use them the more I'm convinced all cyclists need wind protectors. The noise must do damage to your ears long-term.
Hi again!
I thought I'd jump in and let you know we have had quite a few improvements since 2016!
We've got a variety of shapes for different sizes of helmets/straps and also a winter product. Check our site and use this code: BikeCommuterNew for a 15% discount.
www.wind-blox.com
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