Ear Plugs

[Dave77459]

I tried wearing earplugs on my trip to the Grand Canyon, and found that I really liked it. I felt fresher at the end of the day, and on a long trip that meant something. I plan to ride with them whenever I take multi-day trips. Happily, I have three planned for the next two months! Yay!

 

The problem is not me, but my wife. She seems to have small ear canals, and the foam inserts don't stay in. I can sometimes get them in for her, but she can't. She's also had problems with ear buds, which never stay in.

 

I wonder if someone has solved this problem?

 

Maybe the musician-oriented prong style ones would work? Would they also allow her to hear the music speakers in the helmet? Where would I find these kind of plugs? If they might work, that is.

 

Dave

[awsmsrv]

I always wear ear plugs while riding. They significantly reduce the stress caused by the increasing sound level of wind and other noise as you ride. You will still be able to hear other traffic and things you need to hear in order to ride safely. I use the soft foam plugs. Roll them in between your thumb and index finger to reduce their diameter then insert them into your ear canal as far as is comfortable and allow them to swell up and block the ear canal from all the harmful noise. Look at the package and get the plugs that have a 30 -35 decibel sound reduction. More is better. That's about the maximum decibel reduction you can get for these type plugs. Once you become accustom to the plugs in your ears you will be pleasantly surprised how much you can still hear and how much the harsh, or harmful, noise is reduced to a comfortable level. I strongly recommend that everyone use earplugs all the time while they're riding. Who cares if others look at you funny while you're inserting your hearing protection ? It's your hearing, not theirs, that will be lost by the ongoing exposure. You are already experiencing the warning signs of hearing loss when you have "ringing" in your ears after a ride.

I could go on and on but don't want to get into technicalities here.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Red Baron

+1

I always wear them, as well. I can also hear the radio much better. My wife and I have the Scala Rider Q2 and can hear her voice a lot clearer, too. I do change them every day. They say you should change them after every ride, but, I use the same pair home that I wore to work. And who cares what others think about the plugs. My hearing is more important than worrying about funny looks from those who don't get it.

 

I also wear a do wrap under the helmet and sometimes get funny looks, but, it helps keep the helmet liner cleaner longer (no nasty odor).

[massey130]

my wife also has smaller ear canals. i checked out the etymonic link on the first page where the ear plugs were 12 bucks. they have a small ear version. i ordered 3 pair off amazon where i got a 3 dollar discount for one pair. i believe the smaller pair will work well for her, maybe you can check it out to see if they may work for her. it appears they are easier to insert than foam. kind of push in , pull out motion.

 

dale in La

[Dave77459]

my wife also has smaller ear canals. i checked out the etymonic link on the first page where the ear plugs were 12 bucks. they have a small ear version. i ordered 3 pair off amazon where i got a 3 dollar discount for one pair. i believe the smaller pair will work well for her, maybe you can check it out to see if they may work for her. it appears they are easier to insert than foam. kind of push in , pull out motion.

 

dale in La

 

Thanks for the pointer. I got the bundle, with one "baby blue" for smaller ears, and two other regular-sized plugs. If I like them, I'll keep the bottle of foam plugs to attenuate snoring when I join the group riding to Big Bend.

Dave

[massey130]

yea, the bottle of foam ear plugs may work at breakfast as well.

 

have a good time!

 

dale in La

[SaltyDawg]

Another option although not an immediate solution to small ear canal is to get custom made ear plugs. I had a set made at MBBW last year by Big Ear and just love them. They are easy to put in and take out, are comfortable, and really seem to keep you refreshed on long rides like Dave said.

 

Cool thing is you can have a mold made "FREE" and they hold it for 2 years, during that time you have the option of having them make a set of ear plugs that are wired for audio and by purchasing an adapter cable you can still talk on the CB or Bluetooth.

 

These are the same things you see NASCAR and other Motor sports drivers wear.

 

They are a bit pricey but well worth it in my book. In fact I plan on getting the audio plugs real soon.

 

Check out the place, they call me and inform me of where they will be next and what rally's they are attending. Pretty good people.

 

http://www.bigearinc.com/Products/powersports.aspx

[Dave77459]

Another option although not an immediate solution to small ear canal is to get custom made ear plugs. I had a set made at MBBW last year by Big Ear and just love them. They are easy to put in and take out, are comfortable, and really seem to keep you refreshed on long rides like Dave said.

 

Cool thing is you can have a mold made "FREE" and they hold it for 2 years, during that time you have the option of having them make a set of ear plugs that are wired for audio and by purchasing an adapter cable you can still talk on the CB or Bluetooth.

 

These are the same things you see NASCAR and other Motor sports drivers wear.

 

They are a bit pricey but well worth it in my book. In fact I plan on getting the audio plugs real soon.

 

Check out the place, they call me and inform me of where they will be next and what rally's they are attending. Pretty good people.

 

http://www.bigearinc.com/Products/powersports.aspx

 

That's a good solution, but pricey for sure. I like the built-in speakers. If the Etymonic plugs don't work, I'll keep an eye on their calendar.

 

Dave

[Sunman]

I read somewhere that you don't want the earplugs that are connected together with the plastic string as the string will actually induce noise into the earplug. Like the old tin can and string set ups.

 

I find this a bit hard to believe, only because the principle of the "tin can and string" is the string has to be stretched tight to have the vibration travel along it, to be turned into sound waves, by the base of the can. The string attached variety, are better so you don't lose them, and you can hang them around your neck when they are out.

[thecount]

Another option although not an immediate solution to small ear canal is to get custom made ear plugs. I had a set made at MBBW last year by Big Ear and just love them. They are easy to put in and take out, are comfortable, and really seem to keep you refreshed on long rides like Dave said.

 

Cool thing is you can have a mold made "FREE" and they hold it for 2 years, during that time you have the option of having them make a set of ear plugs that are wired for audio and by purchasing an adapter cable you can still talk on the CB or Bluetooth.

 

These are the same things you see NASCAR and other Motor sports drivers wear.

 

They are a bit pricey but well worth it in my book. In fact I plan on getting the audio plugs real soon.

 

Check out the place, they call me and inform me of where they will be next and what rally's they are attending. Pretty good people.

 

http://www.bigearinc.com/Products/powersports.aspx

 

We recently bought 2 of the comm cord adaptors from Big Ear that allow you to connect in ear cannal phones. With a premium ear phone, and a good fit in the ear, we found this to be amazing to reduce road noise, improve audio and communication sound and also, allowed us to keep the IC # down to around 8 or 9 max.

 

Worth the investment and little extra time to get all the gear on for a ride.

[Venturous Randy]

I don't wear them, but my ears have been ringing constantly since my Marine Corps days. Like I just left the front row of a heavy metal concert. Most times it doesn't bother me, but sometimes when I can't get to sleep, the ringing gets to me. I tried wearing the foam ear plugs on the bike, but I found I couldn't hear what was going on around me and that bothered me more than the ringing. Plus with the outside noise cut down, I was able to concentrate on the ringing and it really annoyed me then.

 

Have you ever addressed this with the Veterans Administration? My wife's cousin, who spent four years in the USAF gets a $100 check each month due to some hearing loss that was diagnosed.

RandyA