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Best headphones for bicycling?

post #1 of 67
12/10/08 at 1:45am
Thread Starter 
I really like to crank up the tunes and go for a good bike ride. Ive had a hard time finding a headphone that works really well for this. My Grado SR-125s have been the best so far. And they just got better this year. The cable shorted out, and it was the biggest pain anyway trying to roll up 9ft of thick stiff cable and go riding. So I sent it back to Grado and for $35 dollars I had them recabale with I-Grado cord. I am so much happier with them now. and in the fall they are just warm enough to keep my ears warm down to 32 degrees! But i have experimented with other headphone like ue sp5 and ety er4p and ety er6s. Dont like IEms to much, it does kinda block out all the traffic noise (dangerous but allows you to hear music better, also makes me feel a little more invincible) but you hear the road noise (bumps and vibration) sooo much more and its hard to get a good seal. Thinking of trying YUIN pk1 or ok1 maybe ok2, does anywone know if cable whistle is a problem with yuin?. I just wanted to know what some of you guys have tried and what works really well. Oh by the way i tried to ride with my AKG 701s but kids yell and make fun of me tooo much!
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post #2 of 67
12/10/08 at 2:22am
You use full sized cans while biking? That sounds like a terrible idea. one, because it seems like there is no way you could have a helmet on with your phones and two because you can't hear anything else (cars!)

EDIT: I know you talked about that in the thread but my initial shock made me post.
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post #3 of 67
12/10/08 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 
Grados are very open, you hear all traffic. Just like really good speakers. Helmets are over-rated. Ive been commuting for 15 yrs, havent needed a helmet yet.
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post #4 of 67
12/10/08 at 3:04am
The best time to get a helmet is before you need one.
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post #5 of 67
12/10/08 at 4:27am
I bike to school and I just gave up trying to find anything that didn't have insane amounts of microphonics and fit under a helmet. They are mutually exclusive properties and its quite frustrating. If I didn't wear a helmet, grados sound like a good idea.
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post #6 of 67
12/10/08 at 4:46am
My understanding is that in some states it is illegal to operate a vehicle of any type in traffic while wearing headphones. It is understandable why this is so. My opinion is that it definitely is not a good idea to wear headphones while riding a bicycle. And, that includes "open" headphones. You could be listening to music even with "open" headphones and not hear a horn or someone yell "watch out for that truck". Wearing headphones while biking is an extremely foolish idea. And, not wearing a helmet is another extremely foolish idea.
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post #7 of 67
12/10/08 at 5:52am
Earbuds are best for cycling..because they let you hear the honk of a car etc and then are very lightweight.
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post #8 of 67
12/10/08 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Thank God I live in oregon where our freedom hasnt been limited so much that we cant listen to music while excersizing. Ive heard the argument about being distracted by music while biking, if that is the case there shouldnt be stereo systems in cars. And what about walking on sidewalks? More people get hit walking across the street than on bicycles, so then we should outlaw mp3 players in public all together because it is so dangerous and distracting.
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post #9 of 67
12/10/08 at 12:43pm
Grado Igrado, Sennheiser PMX100 .
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post #10 of 67
12/10/08 at 1:32pm
Senn PX100
Use mine all summer and sound great
Lightweight and comfy, and are open enough
so you can hear cars etc.
Koss Portapro also, if you like more bass
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post #11 of 67
12/10/08 at 5:02pm
i use my super fi 5 v2s for biking altho exclusively on the bike trails. wud not dare use em on the road . Sound pretty nice. and yeah helmets are overrated
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post #12 of 67
12/10/08 at 5:18pm
seems to me that KSC-35 would be ideal. Would stay on your head well because of the clips, and allow for you to hear outside noise
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post #13 of 67
12/10/08 at 5:50pm
I love all of the arguments about not being allowed to use headphones while biking, driving, walking, etc. Is it illegal for all of our deaf friends to do any of that?

Also, it is his right to not protect his head. I however would never ride without a helmet. It sets a bad example and they make me look like I know what I'm doing! I hear they can protect your head too, but that's hearsay.

As far as microphonics are concerned, you need to stay away from canal phones, especially closed ones. Also I have used Sennheiser mx75's with great results. However with all of these open ones you'll get a lot of wind noise. I am going to try some slipstreamz and see if that reduces the noise.

Keep on riding!
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post #14 of 67
12/10/08 at 6:18pm
Thread Starter 
jernmo makes a good point. you dont absolutely need your hearing to ride. yes it is helpful, but you learn to use your other senses more effectively. I look around, and pay attention much more. I can generally feel traffic when it comes up on me. without music I am generally much more tense in traffic and often overreact to small things. Ive been riding bike for 15yrs as my exclusive source of transportation and as such it is much more my second nature. sometimes I talk with people who just dont ride much and they have many more near death experiences to talk about, I sometimes think either they are making some rookie mistake like not riding with traffic or trying to ride on the sidewalk or they are overreacting to traffic. anyway back on point. I used the UE sp-5 for a while and those were pretty good for bike riding, less microphonics than the ety-er4 or the ety-er6s I use now. I just didnt like the bassy sound signature. I still want audiophile sound when I am riding so the grado sr-125 is still the best ive used. wouldnt mine trying sr-225 would like a bit more bass. I just purchased a pair of yuin pk1s from another headfier here. I cant wait to try those on fri. If those work really well I might then have to look for a comfortable helmet. Sometimes I ride some gravel roads in the mountains and a helmet would help me feel a little safer, even though I feel like if I rode of the edge of some of these roads I might not want to be concious for the event!
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post #15 of 67
12/10/08 at 6:31pm

Reply to jernmo

Quote:
Originally Posted by jernmo View Post
I love all of the arguments about not being allowed to use headphones while biking, driving, walking, etc. Is it illegal for all of our deaf friends to do any of that?

Also, it is his right to not protect his head. I however would never ride without a helmet. It sets a bad example and they make me look like I know what I'm doing! I hear they can protect your head too, but that's hearsay.

As far as microphonics are concerned, you need to stay away from canal phones, especially closed ones. Also I have used Sennheiser mx75's with great results. However with all of these open ones you'll get a lot of wind noise. I am going to try some slipstreamz and see if that reduces the noise.

Keep on riding!
Yes, I believe in most states it is illegal for someone who is deaf to drive.
I don't agree that it is someone's "right" to not wear a helmet (unless they are not riding a bike in traffic). As you pointed out, when someone doesn't wear a helmet it sets a very bad example for others, especially children. In addition, when wearing a helmet, an accident is less likely to cause injury to the head which would result in unconsciousness thereafter resulting in more problems such as traffic problems, or worse, more accidents.
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