IEMs for cycling - Page 2

Yes, I always use IEMs on the trail and the eye's have it. Ears can give you a heads up but I never make a move unless I see a safe line.

People over here are paranoid about everything. I'm an avid cyclist myself and I wear some $60 Sony non-isolating buds while riding, not too concerned with great sound quality. I just love listening to music while riding.

There's a big difference between riding a bicycle in a country like the Netherlands, where it's a part of the culture, and riding here in the US. Paranoia while road cycling in the States is healthy. It keeps you from getting killed.

I guess I'm fortunate to live in Portland, OR where cycling is part of the culture. There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes and paths and drivers are used to cyclists being everywhere, even in the rain. I know it's different in most of the U.S. though where cars rule the road.

The usa actually has pretty safe stats for bicyclers at least compared to England, and in places like Korea where it is bloody suicide to ride. Red lights, walking signals, and turn signals mean nothing to any public bus or taxi. Then there are the delivery bikes which ride everywhere no matter the terrain. This country is the most chaos I've seen among developed nations.

But, there is a large trail network (which of course goes chaotic like Korea's streets) along the rivers which helps to get from A to B. I feel somewhat safe using earphones there as apart from maintenance trucks, there _shouldn't_ be any cars there at all.

Well, the Netherlands is no1 bicycle country and no one wears helmets here

I recommend some dynamic driver earphones, because they isolate less

A deaf person will use his vision and become second nature, a person with hearing who pops on phones will not automatically use vision as much as a deaf person.

So ride with IEM's if you like at least provide a spleen to somebody.

Probably because you have dedicated cycle lanes and cars won't knock you off. Are your cycle lanes everywhere, I mean even town to town? (20+ mile long) because the ones we have are about 20 yards long. Pointless.

Hi. Sorry to stumble in here a little rudely but... I was gonna enthusiasticly subscribe to this thread but its seems the topic has derailed quite a lot from advice on the best IEMs for cycling to (albeit interesting) considerations about safety that dont have much do to with IEMs...

I cycle a LOT myself, and i like to use IEMs instead of headphones now so i would like to hear experiences from others IEM-using cyclists.

I think to make them good cycling pairs, IEMS would need:

-below average isolation (changing the tip size/type can help)
-a decent fit so they wont pop out of your ears and distract you thus potentially putting you in danger
-good microphonics!
-probably not ported so the wind will not ruin the sound (form factor is important here)
-and i would say J-cord is much better than Y-cord: you can take one or both buds out and back in at will if you need much more easily with a J-cord, and you dont need a shirt clip.

I used to use CX-300-II for cycling and they check all of the boxes above for me, making them quite a good pair for cycling (for those concerned about safety, with smaller tips they barely isolate and i can hear every outside noises almost as well as with my px100 on. And, as opposed to px100 and probably other open headphones, the sound does not get affected the slightest by the wind whipping your face when cycling at high speed)
The problem with cx-300-II is just that.... they dont sound that great!! (much better than cx300, but still....)

So, does any of you can think about another pair of IEM with better SQ that could make a good cycling pair?

I should receive my pl21 and Hippo VB soon and will put them to the test (none of them has a J-cord though) and give you feedback about that.
Thanks!

I guess ear shape plays a significant role in the amount of wind noise your IEMs will make, as my CX300-IIs are very bad in that department. Unfortunately, I have nothing better to use in its stead at the moment. My CX300-IIs make a very annoying and pretty loud whine, which is very fatiguing and makes me have to turn up my volume more than I want to.

That's actually I'm very interested in hearing what you think of the PL21 and the Hippo VB. Even though your experience will not tell me the whole story of what those will be like for me.

if you have the money, the CK10 remains the best option for iem cycling. I have used it for a long time in minus 16 to plus 35 for hours on end. best cable (low micro phonics), no wind noise as it is very small, not too much isolation, and superior build quality to withstand the rigours of cycling.

I've bicycled for over 20 years on the rural roads (never in the city) around western Wisconsin wearing various types of headphones without an issue. I ride about 3,000 miles a year.

I tried my Ety6 once, and that was scary. Total isolation.

Earbuds work the best, with the Yuins being my favorites. You can still hear ambient noises, like cars, but hear the music well enough. A windy day will cut back on the ability to hear the music. The Fii0E5 give a bass boost that helps. It certainly is a compromise, but a necessary one.

In the past I've also tried PK100's, iGrados, Koss PortaPros and an untold number of Sony cheapies. The PK worked well, since they are open, but the sweat tore up the pads. The iGrados are just uncomfortable but I do use them on cold days as they double as warm earpads. With a lot of bending the PortaPros worked well to but again the sweat ran through the pads.

Of IEM's I'm guessing that the PL50 may be a good choice, depending on the tip used. They lie flat to the head and wrap back around the ear. They're comfortable.

Back off topic (sorta):
The question of bicycling and listening to music is one I've given a lot of thought too. As noted, I've been doing this with cassette, CD and now mp3 players. It gets me out on the road. Without the exercise and de-stressing that bicycling provides, I would certainly have health problems. But, let's face it, bicycling can be boring, especially if you're riding alone ( riding with others has got to be one of the more dangerous things to do on a bike, most accidents I hear about are with other cyclists ). Without music, I just wouldn't ride as much.

And I do listen to music. When podcasts starting getting popular a few years ago I listened to those. But I found the concentration needed was too distracting and have cut back.

Hearing is the most overrated sense when it comes to bicycling. Presumably, better hearing should alert you to traffic. But you cannot hear many cars when they are coming up behind you. Some are just quiet (like a Prius). Other times wind noise totally obliterates most sounds, including cars.

Sight is a far better sense for identifying traffic. Many hardcore or enthusiast bikers don't have rear view mirrors. A mirror will tell you far more accurately than your ears what traffic is coming up. Is there one car or a line? Is the car weaving around, in your lane or starting to give you some space? Hearing will tell you none of this.

As you can see above, I don't ride with IEM's. I do believe that hearing does play a part in a bicyclists safety. I just don't think it is as important as some contend.

I use jvc marshmallows when cycling. You have to learn to 'hear' w/ your eyes, then you'll be ok. But this can be a hard habit to ingrain. Maybe take shorter rides at first where you are constantly telling yourself to scan and stay aware of whats happening all around you. You can develop such habits but first you have to unlearn the habits of old.

Just to fan the flame war: a study a few years ago found that drivers are more careless around helmeted riders than non-helmeted riders. So by one measure (getting hit) you are safer w/o a helmet (provided you don't crash). Stuff is complicated, right?

Also, w/ canal phones you get much less wind noise and can therefore listen at lower volumes which makes it possible to hear some cars and definitely car horns.

One last piece: I usually listen to podcasts where all I need to do is play it loud enough to understand speech. It doesn't need to be in 3D stereo. Just loud enough to understand is usually quiet enough to hear cars. But I still never assume I can. Hear w/ your eyes!

Just read the response above mine: yes some intellectual podcasts can be pretty distracting as you strain to comprehend everything said. I tend toward lite stuff like NPR Fresh Air or PRI This American Life, and less NPR Planet Money or Itunes U. Cognitive Psychology which involves more focus and effort to take in. I save the harder stuff for mtb rides. And w/ everything YMMV. Robust observational habits can override difficult podcasts--you just miss alot when you are 'distracted' by traffic. After a while you might tire of rewinding and reviewing what you missed.

Do you listen to Cool and the Gang "Celebrate" when you ride in your hometown? Just wondering