I have heard the light...

[Jiggles]

And it is beautiful...

I had some extra earplugs in my backpack today, specifically the pura fit 6800s that I use at the track. I thought, eh I'll try earplugs again. The last time I tried plugs on the street I hated it, it was just uncomfortable with the low resonance noise they produced in my head. But after using them at the track I'm pretty used to them and they didn't bother me.

It was so quiet, I just loved it and I was able to concentrate much better. Its as if the wind noise draws away my attention from the road and cutting it out makes me more attentive. I figured I'd also try my Schuberth's bluetooth out to see how it was with earplugs in and holy asscheese batman, it was clear and I could hear it even at 80mph. I played music the whole way home and though it wasn't very loud it was clear and not distorted.

What's more, generally when I get off my bike after a long highway commute I'm sort of in a daze and less attentive to things around me. Kind of like I'm recovering from the noise abuse I've just put myself through but with the earplugs I had none of that.

Morale of the story is, you will probably die if you do not wear earplugs.

And get full boots for ****s sake

[menikmati]

But....wut if I wants dem Dainese technical sneakz?

[ADoMinGu3z]

idk y but i prefer the wind noise when riding. makes me feel more alert as opposed to being completely oblivious to my surrounds such as a car horn or other things

[Jiggles]

I can still hear everything around me with earplugs. More so in fact because the wind noise doesn't drown them out

[Singh2jz]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

And get full boots for ****s sake

I'm glad you added that, cuz I keep forgetting to research some boots! haha

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

....Morale of the story is, you will probably die if you do not wear earplugs.

Damn....that's hard.

[geeker]

Originally Posted by menikmati

But....wut if I wants dem Dainese technical sneakz?

I had a friend go down this weekend in those. He got a brake pedal through his calf for his troubles. If he was wearing boots, it would've been just a spill.

Ear plugs are a must for me. I have forgotten to put them in after a few stops on the last several rides, and I'm worn out afterwards from the noise. Everything is clearer for me with plugs.

[tnr4]

Truth. I now keep a selection of earplugs for different kinds of riding. For highway riding, I use the quietest ones I've found (33 rated), and if I forget them, I'm miserable.

[Alex]

Why is it that in every earplugs thread, people still post:

Originally Posted by ADoMinGu3z

idk y but i prefer the wind noise when riding. makes me feel more alert as opposed to being completely oblivious to my surrounds such as a car horn or other things

And then it is immediately followed with the obvious:

Originally Posted by Jiggles

I can still hear everything around me with earplugs. More so in fact because the wind noise doesn't drown them out

Earplugs help protect your hearing. They also make it easier to concentrate while riding, without preventing the rider from hearing any traffic noises. They don't mute the world, they lower the volume to a tolerable level.

[Lychee]

People have opinions. It happens.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

And it is beautiful...
It was so quiet, I just loved it and I was able to concentrate much better.

Roll them with clean fingers, or you may end up with some painful ear infection after a while.
For that reason I prefer the type with a stem for insertion and removal.

I cannot believe that there are riders out there not using hearing protection !!!

[xSean13]

Never used ear plugs, never had any issues. I ride 50 miles, all interstate, to school and back a few times a week.

I'll give it a shot on the way to school today.

[tfkrocks]

I find it an unpleasant surprise now if I forget earplugs. I can never go back to riding without them

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Lychee

People have opinions. It happens.

One reason we're here is to share opinions, share information, and at times, deal with any misinformation.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Daniel_Patrick_Moynihan:

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

[dave42]

Are there any plugs that don't hurt your ears when you yawn to equalize pressure after an elevation change? I'm kinda tired of *muffle muffle okay lemme pop my ears OH GOD OH MY EA- OH GOD HELMET IN THE WAY* every time I go on a long ride in the hills.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by dave42

Are there any plugs that don't hurt your ears when you yawn to equalize pressure after an elevation change? I'm kinda tired of *muffle muffle okay lemme pop my ears OH GOD OH MY EA- OH GOD HELMET IN THE WAY* every time I go on a long ride in the hills.

Hmm maybe I'll test mine out with a 4000ft elevation change

[Alex]

Originally Posted by dave42

Are there any plugs that don't hurt your ears when you yawn to equalize pressure after an elevation change? I'm kinda tired of *muffle muffle okay lemme pop my ears OH GOD OH MY EA- OH GOD HELMET IN THE WAY* every time I go on a long ride in the hills.

I don't get that effect with the yellow foamies that I use; what type are you using? Perhaps they are creating a stronger seal?

[dave42]

Originally Posted by Alex

I don't get that effect with the yellow foamies that I use; what type are you using? Perhaps they are creating a stronger seal?

I'm using these purple foam plugs from Walmart; maybe it's because I jam them in too far. I tend to do that because I really hate the wub wub wub wub noise caused by the helmet touching the plugs while I go over any kind of bumpy surfaces.

Do I always sound this whiny when I post?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by dave42

....Are there any plugs that don't hurt your ears when you yawn to equalize pressure after an elevation change?

Most soft foam ear plugs work well to equalize the pressure in the inner ear when experiencing barometric pressure changes. Not everyone is sensitive to those types of pressure changes.

The air (or barometric) pressure inside the middle ear is always equal to - or trying to be equal to - the air pressure of its outside environment. To
facilitate this pressure equalization, the eustachian tube (which connects the back of the throat with the middle ear) acts as a two-way vent.

When you chew, swallow hard, sip on fluids, yawn, open your mouth wide , or pinch the nostrils while swallowing, you use muscles that open the eustachian tube.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by dave42

Do I always sound this whiny when I post?

We wouldn't tell you if you were. Earplugs are cheap, nothing wrong with trying a bunch of different kinds until you find ones that work best for you. I haven't used the ones you linked, so I don't know what type of seal they make. If they are foam, I would think they breathe a little bit, but I don't know. I would think that the silicone custom ones would provide a strong seal, so would be more likely to cause pressure discomfort if that seal held while changing elevation.

[dave42]

Guess I'll go back to not jamming them in that far and see what happens.

[Jiggles]

cut them?

[Alex]

I don't think it's ever a matter of jamming them in, you shouldn't need to force them to go in at all. But - they do need to be in reasonably deep enough to provide a decent fit and work well. The trick is rolling them up as tight as possible in your fingers, pulling your ear back, and inserting them all the way. Not forcing them in, just placing them all the way in. Then when they expand over the next 15 - 20 seconds, they take the shape of your ear canal and should be comfortable. I've seen people with the foam earplugs coming halfway out their ear, and it's clear that they would be barely working, and probably wouldn't be that comfortable either.

[dave42]

Yeah or there's that

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Alex

Why is it that in every earplugs thread, people still post:



And then it is immediately followed with the obvious:



Earplugs help protect your hearing. They also make it easier to concentrate while riding, without preventing the rider from hearing any traffic noises. They don't mute the world, they lower the volume to a tolerable level.

every time i get pulled over, the cop gives me **** for wearing earplugs... **** about how i can't hear anything with earplugs in... no... i just can't hear your ****** little bike siren when you are 20 car lengths behind me because you don't know how to go fast enough so then you think i'm running from you and when i stop at my destination you pull me off the bike and treat me like a criminal. dicks.

[tfkrocks]

I have only been pulled over on my bike once and I definitely forgot to take out my earplugs while talking to the chp officer. He didn't say anything about it. I also didn't get a ticket haha.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by alex.s

every time i get pulled over, the cop gives me **** for wearing earplugs... **** about how i can't hear anything with earplugs in... no... i just can't hear your ****** little bike siren when you are 20 car lengths behind me because you don't know how to go fast enough so then you think i'm running from you and when i stop at my destination you pull me off the bike and treat me like a criminal. dicks.

You are a criminal, you steal internet

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

You are a criminal, you steal internet

you have to deprive someone else of something in order to be a theif. i am simply using something that would have otherwise gone to waste.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by alex.s

you have to deprive someone else of something in order to be a theif. i am simply using something that would have otherwise gone to waste.

You jerk, my netflix won't stream in full HD because of you and your ninjette porn

[red5]

Originally Posted by dave42

Guess I'll go back to not jamming them in that far and see what happens.

The foam ones never worked for me. The seal was so tight, every bump felt like a bass drum in my head.

These are "free" at work and work much better for me.



Wash em once a week and they last for months.

[dave42]

Originally Posted by red5

The foam ones never worked for me. The seal was so tight, every bump felt like a bass drum in my head.

These are "free" at work and work much better for me.



Wash em once a week and they last for months.

Don't those stems get bumped around by your helmet?

[Coolbpf]

Its hard for me to put the plugs in and not have the get pulled out when I put my lid on.

[xSean13]

How do you hear light, btw?

[tfkrocks]

http://www.earplugstore.com/unfoamtrialp.html

I found this site helpful for finding the right pair of foam plugs since there are different sizes and softness-es.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by xSean13

How do you hear light, btw?

Lasers.
Newest technology in hearing devices.

[antiant]

Originally Posted by alex.s

every time i get pulled over, the cop gives me **** for wearing earplugs... **** about how i can't hear anything with earplugs in...

That's when you tell the cop that deaf people drive, so whatever point he or she is trying to make, is a moot one.

Source: California Driver Handbook - Health and Safety

Hearing

Hearing is more important to driving than many people realize. The sound of horns, a siren, or screeching tires can warn you of danger. Sometimes you can hear a vehicle but cannot see it, especially if it is in your blind spots.

Even people with good hearing cannot hear well if the radio or CD player is blaring. Do not wear a headset or earplugs in both ears while driving; it is against the law.

Hearing problems, like bad eyesight, can come on so slowly that you do not notice them. Have your hearing checked periodically. Drivers that are deaf or hearing-impaired can adjust their driver safety habits by relying more on their seeing sense and therefore, compensate for the loss of hearing.

On another note, for those who find ear plugs uncomfortable, get custom made ones (something I plan on doing) that actually mold to your ear. You can even get them with headphones built in (if that's your thing), for music, bluetooth, etc.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by xSean13

How do you hear light, btw?

Acid.

There is a House episode that mentions a condition that crosses the senses like that.

Originally Posted by antiant

That's when you tell the cop that deaf people drive, so whatever point he or she is trying to make, is a moot one.



On another note, for those who find ear plugs uncomfortable, get custom made ones (something I plan on doing) that actually mold to your ear. You can even get them with headphones built in (if that's your thing), for music, bluetooth, etc.

I didn't realize this until a deaf teenage rear-ended my brother last month!

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Acid.

There is a House episode that mentions a condition that crosses the senses like that.



I didn't realize this until a deaf teenage rear-ended my brother last month!

hahaha. best post i've read by you. also its called synesthesia. certain neural signals from various senses "bleed" into other paths for other senses, and so you "see" a sound... it works because the sound triggers are activating higher level patern recognition networks... its much like a hallucination except the signal is coming from somewhere instead of neurons firing on their own potential. most people see simple colors and geometric shapes, or feel the way something looks. i think theres even one guy who smells his hearing.