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Ear Plugs - Discuss.

xp8103

New member
I dont wear them. I tried wearing them once, the orange foam type that I use for other things. I dont like them. I don't like the sound I end up with, a low frequency thrum. THAT actually bothers my ears more than the wind noise (full face HJC helmet) which I don't find objectionable.

What I would like is a set of partial ear plugs. A pair that deadens the sound but not to the point that the average plug does. I wore my ear plug-bud (JVC) on my mp3 player over the weekend and found that level of sound deadening acceptable.

Ideas?
 
In 20 years of riding other brands and some extremely loud I never even heard of using ear plugs while riding. After joining this group I read several threads on use of ear plugs while riding. Really couldnÔÇÖt understand it, thought man bad idea reduce your hearing of other cages. Well I gave it a try and now its part of my daily riding routine. For me itÔÇÖs like balancing the tires on your car quiet comfortable ride made a great difference and I probably wonÔÇÖt ride very often without them.

:heart
 
My take on it...

As a youth, I always wore an open face helmet. I don't recall noise EVER being a problem. But then again, I was a kid.

As someone that returned to riding after a 19 year layoff, I found out that many folks now used earplugs when they rode. Wearing a Nolan N100E confirmed that this was a good option.

I used to only wear plugs when I took longer rides, and never while commuting. This worked OK for me until I started riding the freeway to work.

Even though I'm no longer wearing a flipup helmet, I now wear earplugs every day on my commute. I wear the green foam type. If you hear a vibration or noise while wearing these, then I wonder if they're in the ear where they should be?

I do not listen to headphones while I ride, so I can't speak to that. I've considered getting some custom plugs made, but the green foamies seem to work just fine.
 
I use the orange foam ones on every ride. They're comfortable and cut the wind roar from the neck opening of the helmet.

I can still hear traffic and the machine just fine.

I wear ear protection for everything though, mowing, saws, nailgun... I'm surprised my ears haven't turned orange!

:ear
 
There are a lot of different types- some catalogs and distributors even sell variety packs so you can find the best fit for you. I buy the EAR Classics (yellow foam cylinders) - you can get a case of 200 packs for under thirty bucks.

For me, the lower noise level makes for a lot more relaxing trip - I'm more relaxed and alert, especially on a longish day - your mileage may vary...
 
I find I ride more quickly and more smoothly when wearing earplugs. The only downside is not being able to better hear the cheers and huzzahs of the adoring fans as I pass them. :p
 
I always use 30dB earplugs...

...just part of ATGATT in my opinion.
 
There are a lot of different types- some catalogs and distributors even sell variety packs so you can find the best fit for you. I buy the EAR Classics (yellow foam cylinders) - you can get a case of 200 packs for under thirty bucks.

For me, the lower noise level makes for a lot more relaxing trip - I'm more relaxed and alert, especially on a longish day - your mileage may vary...

+1 on the Classics...I have a couple hundred of them so I have been using them up. I have small ear canals so the larger soft form plugs can be annoying pending manufacture.

I'm currently looking for a pair of high quality small earphones for my Autocom, these will take the place of my ear plugs and helmet speakers. Does anyone currently have earphones that fit small ear canals, sound great and not over $200?
 
Moulded Plugs

I used to wear the orange foam plugs that you squeeze and roll and then insert. The things would rarely stay in. So I went to Sears Hearing Center and ordered a set of moulded plugs. They explained that I had relatively narrow ear canals and that's why they kept falling out. Anyway for $80 or $90 Cdn I wear the moulded plugs and they block out a **** load of noise that would otherwise damage my hearing.

They also sell plugs for musicians that have various filters.

Bob

:drink
 
When someone tells me ear plugs are dangerous because you can't hear well with them in, I compare wearing them to rolling up the windows in your car.

They screen out the wind roar like you get with the windows down, and allow you to concentrate on specific sounds, with the white noise gone.

I also find I finish a day's ride feeling much less fatigued when wearing ear plugs.
 
FWIW, I've religiously used ear plugs (generally EAR Classics) through a 20+ yr USAF pilot career and have retained the hearing baseline that I had in 1986 when I was commissioned...no appreciable hearing loss. Given that the acoustics of riding are at hearing-loss-inducing-thresholds, I have to believe that riding with some form of hearing protection is advisable. The alternative is eventually living with a demonstrable hearing loss. Probably not so critical what version/type you use, simply that you DO use something that fits and lowers the dB going into your ears.
 
I dont wear them. I tried wearing them once, the orange foam type that I use for other things. I don't like them.

I had little success with the orange plugs that I'd buy from places like Home Depot. However, I went to an industrial supply store and bought a few samples and found two brands worked for easy insertion and good for reducing sound. Then I bought each of the two brands in volume, 200 pairs per box.

What also works for me but I only do it for a few minutes at a time (fear of bird droppings and flying insects) is to lift the visor part way up, while wearing the plugs. For some reason, this seems to totally reduce the noise. Despite the in helmet visor, I dread having stuff fly into my face. Hence, this is only done a few minutes per hour.

Musician's earplugs from Etymotics would do the trick: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme.aspx

For listening to music, the foam orange plugs from Etymotics work extremely well for me, possibly better than anything else that I've tried. Their other plugs require a very deep insertion into the ear canal and on two occasions, when putting on the helmet, I've had them pushed right down and lost into the ear canal. Luckily, each time, I found good Samaritans with long finger nails that were brave enough to pull them out for me. I now carry tweezers.

I also use Shure E3s. They work well and also accept the with Etymotics orange foam plugs. I find these more comfortable than the Etymotics.

Two sets of custom ear plugs were totally useless for me. Unfortunately they were very pricey.

Don't give up. Keep experimenting with different brands of earplugs. Good luck.
 
Howard Leight Max Lite

lg7938.jpg
Very soft and comfortable ear plugs. About $25 for a box of 200.

They are softer than the Max and give slightly less protection, about 27
dB instead of 33. They are very soft for those with small ear canals and can be worn while sleeping (say at Elk camp or if the SO snores) I wear a pair a week or so, then toss 'em.

I've forgotten to put them in and have pulled over after a mile or so to get them in. Really does make a difference in the quality of the ride.

Some folks say they 'can't hear the road', same argument some guys made when we first required hearing protection in industry.

You can hear the road/machinery/bike once you train yourself to hear them.
 
Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Does anyone know of any online outlets for buying ear plugs?
 
Ok, never mind. Found the Earplugstore.com. Ordered a pair of their Quiet Plugs. Will let you know what I find.

They also have musicians plugs with variable filters. Don't know how those would fit under a helmet.
 
I had little success with the orange plugs that I'd buy from places like Home Depot. However, I went to an industrial supply store and bought a few samples and found two brands worked for easy insertion and good for reducing sound. Then I bought each of the two brands in volume, 200 pairs per box.

<SNIP>

Don't give up. Keep experimenting with different brands of earplugs. Good luck.

I couldn't find earplugs I liked but I knew earplugs were a good idea...

So I found an industrial supply store in my area and got a few...I cut off the long tips of the earplugs as they tend to hurt being that far deep.

Anyways, don't give up and feel free to mod them slightly to your tastes. Its a bad idea to ride without earplugs...as you do want to hear the whispers of your grand kids.
 
Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Correct insertion of ear plugs makes a huge difference in how well they work. If they are not inserted correctly they will not block out all the noise they are supposed to, and they can transmit vibration from your helmet into your ear canal. The latter may be responsible for your "din".
 
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