Do You Use Earplugs When You Ride?

[SMman]

Always! Wind noise is distracting and WILL harm your hearing. I have rubber earplugs that are attached to each other with a rubber "string". They are comfortable and do a great job blocking all that noise. I don't dare ride even around town with them in my ears. Protect your hearing everyone.

[tfkrocks]

I'm rather sensitive to loud noises and never ride without earplugs. I also keep a few extra pairs of earplugs with me for this reason.

[Joshorilla]

I brought a bag of Oxford ear plugs which are genuine 3M -33db plugs, i got them for £4 for 25.

I was told by my parents never to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear, so I don't, I have great hearing, when I put them in it was very noticable how quiet it was, I couldn't hear ****.

I put them in at work about five minutes before clocking off, shouted way louder than usual "SEE YA GUYS TOMORROW!" Then walked off, by this time they had sealed very tight, I could hardly hear my bike ticking over, I found myself shifting way later than usual as I use my ear not my tach, I found the lack of road noise concerning as I like to hear what's going on around me, road noise etc I felt too removed.

I took them off at the gas station, it was like their fridge units were raping my ear! So loud! I may try sleep in them, i'm forever being woken up at 4 or 5 am by people, so not a total waste of money!

[willk]

Always - helps me focus on the ride and saves me from (supposed) ear damage.

[Minikin_Jo]

Originally Posted by kkim

If so, why? If not, why not?

I don't. I don't see the need.

It seems dangerous to me, too. Why does one wear ear plugs anyways?

[SMman]

This thread is 10 pages long and you will easily find the answer to why there's a need to wear earplugs. If you are not wearing them, you are damaging your hearing from prolonged wind noise.

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by SMman

This thread is 10 pages long and you will easily find the answer to why there's a need to wear earplugs. If you are not wearing them, you are damaging your hearing from prolonged wind noise.

QFT

[milhouse]

Originally Posted by Joshorilla

I brought a bag of Oxford ear plugs which are genuine 3M -33db plugs, i got them for £4 for 25.

... I could hardly hear my bike ticking over, I found myself shifting way later than usual as I use my ear not my tach, I found the lack of road noise concerning as I like to hear what's going on around me, road noise etc I felt too removed.

I also use 3M plugs, but the 29db version

Not sure how much difference the 4db makes, as I've never tried the 33db ones, but I'm definitely able to hear the bike, tach, etc. So maybe give the lower db a try.

[Slick_Stevo]

I've always used the disposable type....I get em at work for free ....so I was at a motorcycle show a couple of weeks ago and I bought a set of custom ear plugs....the guy has a booth and makes them for you on the spot...I think they are made of a high density silicone....anyway, I got to try them out for the first time today....I had to stop and take them out, it was the weirdest feeling... couldn't hear a thing....not the bike...not the trucks goin by, nothing....felt like I was floating in space....

[BRad704]

Originally Posted by Slick_Stevo

I've always used the disposable type....I get em at work for free ....so I was at a motorcycle show a couple of weeks ago and I bought a set of custom ear plugs....the guy has a booth and makes them for you on the spot...I think they are made of a high density silicone....anyway, I got to try them out for the first time today....I had to stop and take them out, it was the weirdest feeling... couldn't hear a thing....not the bike...not the trucks goin by, nothing....felt like I was floating in space....

That would freak me out.

I've tried the orange disposable ones and even those are 'too quiet' for me to be comfortable. But I have only been riding around town at speeds <50mph mostly. Once I start doing a little touring/travelling, I will surely start using them.

[Slick_Stevo]

I'm back to using the cheapies....and I've started using my Bell Vortex. I didn't like it when I first got it cause the fit felt a little tight...but its a much better helmet than the HJC

[bfpower]

I use them on out of town rides >15 minutes. Honestly though, I feel carsick whenever I do. Anyone else have that problem?

[UnshavenCanuck]

Cheapies for me, the first time I used them I was amazed how focused you become. It was a windy day and my buds and I were doing a 60km or so cruise. My friend offered me a pair for the ride and I declined, we got to our destination and he offered them again for the ride home. I accepted and what an incredible difference, it's like the wind just stopped and I felt soooo much more in control. Don't know the specs on them but I can still carry a conversation with people. Anyone who hasn't tried them or think they don't need them spend the 2 bucks and give it a try it'll surprise you.

[DaBlue1]

Speaking as someone who has worked for decades in very close proximity to military aircraft, explosives, pneumatic & heavy equipment, exposed diesel engines, large and small arms fire, I do not take hearing protection for granted. Over those years I witnessed my hearing level shift, despite wearing some of the best hearing protection currently available at the time. This was proven by regular hearing examination testing.

Although some riders would argue that wind noise from a motorcycle is less damaging or not damaging at all compared to jet noise, the truth is they are both just as bad. Hearing loss is insidious and is slow in it's progression, so much so, that it's difficult for a person to detect any drop in hearing from month to month, much less year to year. Keep in mind: There is no known cure for a hearing loss due to loud noise. There is no surgery, no rehabilitation, no medication that returns a noise-induced hearing loss back to normal.

In a NIOSH field study exploring why noise-exposed workers don't wear their hearing protection, the primary reason given was the workers' fear that it would interfere with communication and job performance. For workers with normal hearing, the signal-to-noise ratio actually improves when wearing ear plugs in loud noise, such that hearing a conversation is easier. But that's not the case for workers with existing hearing loss. For them, wearing hearing protection produces a double hearing loss -- the attenuation of the ear plug overlaid on their existing hearing loss. Some powersport operators go thru this same thing. They feel like they can't or won't be able to hear what is going on around them. If you are a car driver and you really take time to think about it, most times you don't ride with all the windows down in your car, stick your head out the window to hear what is going on around you. In fact it's probably the exact opposite.

This article provides some very interesting information and facts concerning the common ailment of motorcycle riding, is a condition known as "Temporary Threshold Shift," commonly referred to as TTS by audiologists and hearing healthcare professionals.

So if you value your hearing, invest in a dozen pair of 15 cent earplugs. Experiment with them to find out which ones work best for you. In my opinion, by far one of the best and cheapest motorcycling and personal investments you can make.

[tooblekain]

For those that don't believe in wearing earplugs...PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE!!!

http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_m...clefacts.shtml

[drbyatch]

Originally Posted by workdaddy

Hey Ryan:
Did you try others before getting the Skull Candy brand? I have tried like 2~3 and they all seem to hurt my earhole... These seem alittle smaller and softer almost siliconish? If so I am sure they are better, my ear mic for work is way comfy... have been looking for ones like that (silicon)

am i the only one that giggled at "earhole"

[Kokosun]

I never used to wear ear plugs. Now I do, so that my hearing doesn't get any worse.

[RedPepper64]

Originally Posted by kkim

http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

This is fascinating. I thought it would be a joke but at 26 I can't hear the 24&younger ones. I probably should start wearing earplugs but I hate the feel of them in my ears.

[tooblekain]

You just need to try different brands. It took me about two months trying different brands to find the ones that fit comfortable for me. The ones that work for me are a brand called Howard Leights Laser Lites. I believe they block out 32 decibels and are the most comfortable for me and a lot of people that try them. There is a website that I can't recall off the top of my head that sells nothing but your plugs and has many different brands with different shapes and sizes. That website also offers sending a sample pack for you to try ear plugs your plugs that will best fit you

[Kokosun]

I use Howard Leights too, but I use the MAX 1's.

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-...ard+leight+max

or

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They're comfortable, effective and inexpensive. I have a pack of 20, and I stash spares in various places so that I can't forget them. There's some in my jacket, some in my tank bag, some under my seat and some sitting on the desk right next to me (cos I occasionally use them when I'm working and need to REALLY concentrate).

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by tooblekain

You just need to try different brands. It took me about two months trying different brands to find the ones that fit comfortable for me. The ones that work for me are a brand called Howard Leights Laser Lites. I believe they block out 32 decibels and are the most comfortable for me and a lot of people that try them. There is a website that I can't recall off the top of my head that sells nothing but your plugs and has many different brands with different shapes and sizes. That website also offers sending a sample pack for you to try ear plugs your plugs that will best fit you

http://www.earplugstore.com/

this the one?

[Alex]

[Christofini]

I wore them once and didn't like it. They drowned out every noise apart from the constant clicking every time I ran over one of the very many potholes on these roads. It got to the point where I had to take them out during my 20 minute commute to work due to a headache.

I used to own a helmet which had incredible wind noise, but about 4 months ago acquired a Schuberth S2 fullface lid. The noise cancellation is amazing and I only hear slight buffering as I speed by cars on the highway. I take great care of my body, ATGATT.

The helmet doesn't drown out other noises, such as my engine or other vehicles, which is great.

[Alex]

Bumparino.

[capt_bugaloo]

Maybe I'm just lucky so far, but even with 22 years of street riding, I have excellent hearing at all frequencies.

I will sometime wear earplugs on a long ride, but often I just don't bother.

[rasta]

Only on the freeway

[cadd]

I plug them in pretty much all the time. The only time I don't is when I ride down the street to get gas or to the local store 1/2 a mile away.

But anytime I know I'll be on the bike for more than 15 minutes (even putting along in town), I pop them in.

[ally99]

I didn't the first 3 years I rode and noticed my most acute sense, hearing, started to diminish somewhat. Now I wear them almost all the time unless it's a 10 minute ride down the street. I still like riding better without them, but I like hearing the most.

[misfitsailor]

i don't wear ear plugs, but I do wear Skull Candy ear buds. They block the noise well even when the music is off.

[auntymunga]

I recently bought a pair for when I'm riding at night because it's becoming colder here in SA at the moment and I was getting ear ache from driving at night (cold air). I must say, it really does help! I don't bother in the day though.

[redbike2]

its important to ride with ear protection every time - alex & kim explain it well. its part of atgatt.

when riding, you can incur hearing damage from high pitch wind noise and not realize the damage or the extent of the damage. the damage can be permanent.

when choosing ear protection, it is important to consider the high pitch protection, not simply the decibel protection.

it is worth doing the homework when choosing ear protection.

alex and kim seem very knowledgeable (as usual).

[fast1075]

Someone asked "what difference does 4 DB make?".

Sound pressure measured in DB increases as an order of magnitude.

11 DB is twice as loud as 10 DB, etc, etc. When you get to ranges of pressure that are damaging, it is MOST important to remember that.

Having said that, at 60, I am basically deaf in my left ear. I can still hear some low frequency and some high frequency, by the most important ones are a no go. The right ear is around 80% ok, with some loss in normal speech frequency.

Why? Years of racing, and tuning open pipe bikes with no hearing protection at all, combined with an affinity for shooting big bore firearms, also for years with no hearing protection. And maybe a little too much Led Zepplin at max volume, combined with years of working in noisy equipment rooms. As Forrest Gump's momma said "Stupid is as stupid does".

Today, I wear ear plugs around anything the slightest bit noisy to save what I have left. Wise up young'uns. PLUG EM!!!

[saxnbass]

@fast1075 Doubling in volume occurs every 3dB (not every dB). So in your example, 13dB would be twice as loud as 10dB, and 16dB would be twice as loud as 13dB (therefore 16dB is four times as loud as 10dB).

[fast1075]

Error in, error out. Either, I was taught wrong, or my hearing isn't the only thing failing!

[auntymunga]

I drove about 100 kms on a highway yesterday to have lunch with a friend, on the way there I wore earplugs and it was a wonderful ride there. Coming back I was in a bit of a hurry so I forgot to put them in and had a massive migraine last night because of it. Take my advice and wear earplugs

[kawabama]

Between my job, my hobbies, and my motorcycle, about the only time I don't have in earplugs is when i'm in my house and the kids are gone.

[JohnnyBravo]

I love to plug up my ear holes on rides, that crazy wind noise is annoying

[Worldtraveller]

Hell, I wear earplugs at the movies these days. Always when riding! I find I tend to hear traffic and other important noises better with the earplugs, since they mostly filter wind/road noise.

[Country Joe]

Originally Posted by kkim

The whole point of this thread was to save you younger riders potential hearing loss that can creep up on you without you ever knowing it.

have you ever taken your helmet off after a long, high speed ride and noticed your ears ringing? If so, that's not good. repeated, prolonged exposure to high volume noise can slowly kill the tiny nerves in your ears.

I never used plugs in all my years of riding and now I wish I had. Now that I do use them, like Alex said, the ride is so much more enjoyable. If I can learn new things at my age, what's your excuse??

Protect your hearing. Riding w/o earplugs will cause hearing loss in the long run.

This is absolutely correct. Try wearing earplugs, preferably plugs with at least a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 27, the higher the better. Go on at least a 2 hour ride, preferably one you are familiar with. I will almost guarantee you that you will be less fatigued than you would normally be, all other things being equal. As a borderline old fart, I have to warn you pups, once your hearing is damaged, you don't get it back.
Joe

[jschorr]

i wear a pair of skull candy ear buds. same as when i am at work. don't usually plug them in unless i am using gps but they cut out the noise of the hoods at work pretty good and the road/motor/ wind noise is cut down a lot, can still have a conversation with them and the helmet on.