Do you wear headphones when you ride?

[Anton Lee]

I’ve been looking for a decent pair of headphones for cycling, both on the road and during longer trail rides.
I used to ride with regular in-ear buds, but I always felt a bit cut off from the surroundings, which isn’t ideal when you need to hear traffic or other riders.

Recently I tried a pair of open-ear headphones (NANK Runner Diver2 Pro). They don’t block the ears at all, so you can still hear cars, people, and nature sounds while listening to music or podcasts.

My takeaways so far:
- Very secure fit, even with the helmet on
- Waterproof enough for rain rides
- Battery lasts through long sessions
- Much safer feeling than closed earbuds

Curious what you all use when cycling – do you prefer in-ear, open-ear, or nothing at all?

[rydabent]

Absolutely not. I consider any distraction like music unsafe.

[Painkiller]

(08-26-2025, 10:34 AM)rydabent Wrote:  Absolutely not. I consider any distraction like music unsafe.

Thats to bad, you do not know what you are missing.

[Clint in KY]

I am lucky (?) enough that I wear hearing aids which connect to my phone via Bluetooth and I can stream music that way and I can hear both the music and the sounds around me.. That being said I only use that on a bike path or off road where I am not likely to encounter traffic.

[Flowrider]

I'm with @Clint in KY on this one, in that I only use them on bike paths or off-road where traffic is not around.

[rydabent]

(08-27-2025, 01:12 PM)Painkiller Wrote:  

(08-26-2025, 10:34 AM)rydabent Wrote:  Absolutely not. I consider any distraction like music unsafe.

Thats to bad, you do not know what you are missing.

Like the car sound coming up behind me at a street crossing?

---

The point here is why not enjoy all the sights and natural sounds on a bike ride?

[Zviedrs]

I practically never wear any headphones when riding my bike.
In such a rare case, I only occupy the left ear with my Airpods. It's much safer & I enjoy city sounds.

[Ed McMahon]

I will admit to wearing…. I like my Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. Does not obstruct the sounds of the road, but gives me my music to ride by :-)

[Brassboy77]

Shokz Open Run Pro - my go to open ear ear buds.

I think the current version is the Open Run Pro 2. Not sure what the difference is.

(08-26-2025, 01:51 AM)Anton Lee Wrote:  I’ve been looking for a decent pair of headphones for cycling, both on the road and during longer trail rides.
I used to ride with regular in-ear buds, but I always felt a bit cut off from the surroundings, which isn’t ideal when you need to hear traffic or other riders.

Recently I tried a pair of open-ear headphones (NANK Runner Diver2 Pro). They don’t block the ears at all, so you can still hear cars, people, and nature sounds while listening to music or podcasts.

My takeaways so far:
- Very secure fit, even with the helmet on
- Waterproof enough for rain rides
- Battery lasts through long sessions
- Much safer feeling than closed earbuds

Curious what you all use when cycling – do you prefer in-ear, open-ear, or nothing at all?

[MR GERALD O RYAN]

My mother used call the obituaries th Irish Funny Papers
Wearing headphones or buds is a sure way to show up in them.
You can't hear cars, passing cyclists on paths.
Danger Will Robinson.

[gwb]

I have a blue-tooth speaker that is mounted on my handle bars. Works great. Not very loud so can still hear what's going on around me.

[meamoantonio]

the sound of my tire rolling against concrete, asphalt or the trail is the one that keeps me entertained hahahaha

but seriously I like the hum of road tires against pavement and mountain bike tires against soil or dirt haha

[Painkiller]

(09-25-2025, 02:57 PM)MR GERALD O RYAN Wrote:  My mother used call the obituaries th Irish Funny Papers
Wearing headphones or buds is a sure way to show up in them.
You can't hear cars, passing cyclists on paths.
Danger Will Robinson.

thats funny, because I can hear everyone in my group and carry on conversations just fine, all listening to my music. I know we are not lip reading..lol

[rydabent]

People that wear head phones on the trails are a pain. They all seem to ride or walk in the middle, and you have to get real close and scream to let you by. And then it is rather off putting when you scream and yell as loud as you can, and see an opening to get by-----------------but then be yell at for not saying on you left.

[Zviedrs]

(10-21-2025, 01:34 PM)rydabent Wrote:  People that wear head phones on the trails are a pain. They all seem to ride or walk in the middle, and you have to get real close and scream to let you by.

Ah, and then there are people walking right in the middle of a bike path/trail with their headphones on, while you’re approaching from behind on a bicycle... The bell is ringing, you’re shouting “Hellooooo, a bike’s coming!” - and there’s no response at all until the very moment you slowly pass them and they become (surprise, surprise) startled!

[JJMarsh]

(08-26-2025, 01:51 AM)Anton Lee Wrote:  I’ve been looking for a decent pair of headphones for cycling, both on the road and during longer trail rides.
I used to ride with regular in-ear buds, but I always felt a bit cut off from the surroundings, which isn’t ideal when you need to hear traffic or other riders.

Recently I tried a pair of open-ear headphones (NANK Runner Diver2 Pro). They don’t block the ears at all, so you can still hear cars, people, and nature sounds while listening to music or podcasts.

My takeaways so far:
- Very secure fit, even with the helmet on
- Waterproof enough for rain rides
- Battery lasts through long sessions
- Much safer feeling than closed earbuds

Curious what you all use when cycling – do you prefer in-ear, open-ear, or nothing at all?

I use bone conduction headphones for the same reason - you get your music but still hear everything around you. Safety first! Your open-ear choice sounds perfect for riding.

[enkei]

(10-24-2025, 09:48 AM)Zviedrs Wrote:  

(10-21-2025, 01:34 PM)rydabent Wrote:  People that wear head phones on the trails are a pain. They all seem to ride or walk in the middle, and you have to get real close and scream to let you by.

Ah, and then there are people walking right in the middle of a bike path/trail with their headphones on, while you’re approaching from behind on a bicycle... The bell is ringing, you’re shouting “Hellooooo, a bike’s coming!” - and there’s no response at all until the very moment you slowly pass them and they become (surprise, surprise) startled!

My favourite around where I live are the people wearing headphones with dogs wandering around on 15-foot leads. Bonus points when it's a group of 3 or 4 people carefully arranged to block the entire width of a 20-foot wide shared-use path while being being completely ignorant of the fact that they're sharing the space with others.

I generally encounter the same people when they congregate for an utterly inane discussion in the main aisle of my supermarket, with their shopping trolleys completely blocking the shop's main thoroughfare.

[froze]

Never, I use my ears a lot, I can hear cars coming from at least a quarter mile away, besides, when I ride, I want to get away from electronics and artificial noise, I just want to hear the sounds of nature, which is why I don't have buzzing rear hubs.

[GirishH]

@meamoantonio, I’m not sure how I missed your reply!

Frankly, I find the sound of my fat tires against the pavement or dirt so soothing; on the road, it sounds like a buzzing swarm of bees. When I’m flying down a highway, that sound becomes even more pronounced and pushes me to go even faster.

I’ll be honest: I don't know how these electronics become so addictive, but I’ve actually walked into traffic while looking at my phone.

That’s exactly why I hate the thing! :-)

(09-28-2025, 09:59 AM)meamoantonio Wrote:  the sound of my tire rolling against concrete, asphalt or the trail is the one that keeps me entertained hahahaha

but seriously I like the hum of road tires against pavement and mountain bike tires against soil or dirt haha

[Flowrider]

I found these earphones, which don't block out surrounding sounds, so you can still ride safely.

https://shokz.com.au/products/openrun