Helmet noise & ear protection

[Mr2Mike]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Amazon or eBay are good for the big packs of ear plugs. As said, give them a quick wash and you can reuse them quite a few times, though I find the 3M ones have to be absolutely dry or they won't hold their shape when you roll them up (probably they are all like this).

[Robins]

I went out for a ride yesterday, called in at a bike shop to have a gander at what they had in and a brew, got some plugs why I was there.
Popped them in for the ride back home and will definitely be wearing plugs from now on, the lack of wind noise with them in was bliss!

Never bothered with them before but they made a really good difference

[theshrew]

The ones i used yerterday i just grabbed out of the workshop.

Will pop down Halfords later and get some others to try, i need to get a couple of inner tubes for my push iron anyway. Thanks for the offer though :-)

[black-k1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Same experience here. I use the 3M 1100 orange plugs but having tried washing them after use they definitely are no where near as easy to fit correctly. I gave up on the washing routine as I buy a bulk box of 200 pairs off e-bay for less than £20 and even as a tight Scotsman, I couldn't justify the saving vs. the hastle of having to wash them then trying to get the washed plugs properly into my ear.

[Tall_Paul]

I use moldex spark plugs, less than £3 for 20 pairs from Amazon, each pair lasts about a week so that's 5 months worth - not worth washing them at that price.

[Salgar]

Just to help everyone make a decision:

My tinnitus gets worse when I'm ill, or have been drinking, or when it's quiet, or indeed, when I've been on the bike (with quiet helmet + earplugs).

Having just got back from a 10 day tour, and then getting ill, and last night it was quiet, my tinnitus was so loud that I couldn't concentrate on the book I was reading :-(

[Mr2Mike]

black-k1 said:

Same experience here. I use the 3M 1100 orange plugs but having tried washing them after use they definitely are no where near as easy to fit correctly. I gave up on the washing routine as I buy a bulk box of 200 pairs off e-bay for less than £20 and even as a tight Scotsman, I couldn't justify the saving vs. the hastle of having to wash them then trying to get the washed plugs properly into my ear.

Just leave them out to dry for a few hours (e.g. overnight) and they regain the ability to hold their shape, at least the 3M plugs I use do. If they are even a bit damp they become a bit slimy and quite springy.

[Deranged Granny]

Mr2Mike said:

black-k1 said:

Same experience here. I use the 3M 1100 orange plugs but having tried washing them after use they definitely are no where near as easy to fit correctly. I gave up on the washing routine as I buy a bulk box of 200 pairs off e-bay for less than £20 and even as a tight Scotsman, I couldn't justify the saving vs. the hastle of having to wash them then trying to get the washed plugs properly into my ear.

Just leave them out to dry for a few hours (e.g. overnight) and they regain the ability to hold their shape, at least the 3M plugs I use do. If they are even a bit damp they become a bit slimy and quite springy.

Agreed. I let them dry for a few days to be sure, and never have any problems. In fact, I think they actually stay in better after I've washed them; when they are new they seem to have some sort of very thin greasy covering to them.

[black-k1]

Deranged Granny said:

Agreed. I let them dry for a few days to be sure, and never have any problems. In fact, I think they actually stay in better after I've washed them; when they are new they seem to have some sort of very thin greasy covering to them.

At less than 10p per pair I'm happy to just bin them rather than going to the hastle of washing them. I used to wash them and leave them to dry for a day or so but they were never as easy to fit after a wash as they didn't hold their "squashed" shape so well for fitting in the ear.

[MarkRSi]

I'm sure that 'greasy covering' helps with keeping their shape/putting in your ear and noise insulation - I've tried washing the yellow foam (3M classic?) plugs and sure it restores their original shape and yellowness but they're not as good as new plugs for blocking wind noise IMO

[freddytin]

Only just spotted this thread and I'm truly amazed at the number of bikers that regularly wear earplugs.
I personally am not aware of anyone that feels the wind noise from riding is at all uncomfortable, yet looking through this topic page after page clearly many , seemingly the majority, do .

[cat with a hat]

I've actually decided to buy some as a result of this thread!

[John D.]

freddytin said:

Only just spotted this thread and I'm truly amazed at the number of bikers that regularly wear earplugs.
I personally am not aware of anyone that feels the wind noise from riding is at all uncomfortable, yet looking through this topic page after page clearly many , seemingly the majority, do .

Reading the thread you'll see several mentions of tinitus. That's what most are trying to avoid, rather than wind noise being uncomfortable when riding.

Do your ears ever ring after riding?

[freddytin]

John D. said:

Reading the thread you'll see several mentions of tinitus. That's what most are trying to avoid, rather than wind noise being uncomfortable when riding.

Do your ears ever ring after riding?

The only time I have experienced ringing ears was after a Motorhead concert ....That, I can understand. I genuinely am a little baffled why so many seem to be suffering, as I am certainly no spring chicken and have probably spent more time than most on bikes and around bikers, .

Possibly modern helmet design is playing part ? How simple is it to get a noise level reading from inside the helmet ? Maybe an App on one of those Smarty Pants phones

[Jayyylo]

freddytin said:

How simple is it to get a noise level reading from inside the helmet ? Maybe an App on one of those Smarty Pants phones

Almost impossible without a wind tunnel.
I much prefer riding with ear plugs and the cheap ones are very effective if worn correctly so no need to splash out on custom fitted jobs.

[SVS]

freddytin said:

Only just spotted this thread and I'm truly amazed at the number of bikers that regularly wear earplugs.
I personally am not aware of anyone that feels the wind noise from riding is at all uncomfortable

I've the opposite experience. I'm amazed to read that anyone doesn't wear ear plugs. Everyone I know wears them. The importance of wearing ear plugs has been highlighted for years by bike magazines and on the 'net.

YMMV, but I find journeys far more comfortable with the right ear plugs. Wind noise can be irritating.

[freddytin]

I should be using the bike this weekend , weather permitting travelling over 500 miles . For a few pence I will definitely trial a set of suitable ear plugs . Not sure what to expect , will report back and maybe start spreading the word

[Prof Prolapse]

freddytin said:

I should be using the bike this weekend , weather permitting travelling over 500 miles . For a few pence I will definitely trial a set of suitable ear plugs . Not sure what to expect , will report back and maybe start spreading the word

The wind noise at 70-80mph is over a 100dB. Prolonged periods over 80dB will damage your hearing.

If you've never worn plugs the chances are you've already damaged the upper range of hearing as these are the most fragile, but the lower ones are less easily damaged so you may not notice. Once they're gone they don't come back. A standard hearing test is the best way of knowing.

If you can advise you mates you should.

[freddytin]

Prof Prolapse said:

The wind noise at 70-80mph is over a 100dB. Prolonged periods over 80dB will damage your hearing.

If you've never worn plugs the chances are you've already damaged the upper range of hearing as these are the most fragile, but the lower ones are less easily damaged so you may not notice. Once they're gone they don't come back. A standard hearing test is the best way of knowing.

If you can advise you mates you should.

Having worked with aircraft and vehicle engines most of my adult life, regular hearing tests have shown little or no loss.....so far. Always worn ear defenders when necessary.

Edited to ask. Where does this 100dB @ 70mph come from ?

Edited by freddytin on Tuesday 23 September 10:56

[Prof Prolapse]

You mean a reference for it? Lots of places use similar and it varies slightly, but I'll give you a reliable one to get you started;

http://www.isvr.co.uk/reprints/inter96mc.pdf

If you mean physically where, it's wind noise.