Need a tiny speaker– Can't hear RWGPS
 

I did a ride today with the bike club, using Ride with GPS navigation for the first time. I have a small handlebar bag, and I put my iPhone in it. It was difficult to hear the cues. I'd rather not mount the phone on the handlebars, and I don't want to use an earphone.

So– has anyone found a tiny Bluetooth speaker that can go on the bars or in the handlebar bag that is LOUD? It needs to have decent battery life too.

Thanks!

Maybe something like this will suffice? It’s not a ear bud blocking all sound rather it sits above your ear so you can still hear everything else around you. My wife picked up a set and seems to like them since it doesn’t block you out from the rest of the world while riding.

AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Open Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones, Slate Grey, (AS600SG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018XNGQOE..._6tE5Cb0494Y9N

I have this:
https://www.amazon.com/VicTsing-Wire...s%2C260&sr=8-3

Has a mic for calls and won't cover the sound of traffic

I get pretty good volume from the Oontz Angle. It's not super tiny, but is small enough to fit in a handlebar bag. I have not used the JBL Clip 2 or 3 speakers, but they look interesting as well.

@BCDrums, are you by any chance a drummer? :D (It might explain what you mean by loud!)

https://www.outdoortechnology.com/pr...nt=33755700430

Buckshot Bluetooth speaker.
I have had one for three years and it still works well. Also had bought one for a friend who has been using it for a couple years.

honestly, pretty much any bluetooth speaker out there will do.

I didn't know there was such a thing as bone conduction headphones. Looks large on the head.

This speaker sure looks popular, 7700 reviews! Too big for me though. I was hoping for something about this size, the size of a marshmallow. It gets terrible reviews, however, poor battery life.

Pardon me? :thumb: Yes, A lifetime of drumming and rock bands has taken its toll.

My son has this speaker, and it's a real candidate. It too is bigger than I'd like, but because of its shape and mounting band, it would fit neatly on the upright part of the stem, and I know it has plenty of volume and good battery life.

Any of the tiny, tube-shaped Bluetooth waterproof speakers you can find on Amazon would be perfectly suitable. Small, light, decent battery life, and under 20 bucks. Not the greatest at music playback, but for GPS turn-by-turn cues? Tough to do better.

A drummer here as well and as deaf as ...

These always used to get good reviews
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Generation-...RHTWHTS1BWGTRP

Whilst I was trying to find them came across this as well which seem to have good reviews ... if you wanted it out of the bag just get a short extension lead as well
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Sp...C73PK37YGMZ4RJ

The problem with anything non bike specific is going to be where to mount it though

Got an Apple Phone without a Speaker or headset jack?
 

since its a club ride ., over a predetermined route,

print our the turn by turn cue sheet, ahead of time .. put it in the map window of your handle bar bag
highlighter marks on a photocopy of a map perhaps?

high tech solutions are not compulsory ..

Do they drop you off the back, & ride off out of sight?

Get the address of the cafe they end up @, & enjoy the ride ...


https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...50&oe=5D677595




....

Gee, Bob, that's kind of RetroGrouchy. I am familiar with paper maps and cue sheets, having navigated with them on a bike from sea to shining sea. I much prefer audio turn-by-turn navigation, I use it all the time in my car. Maps are great, but I find the audio cues superior when I'm in my car in deepest, darkest downtown Boston.

No. In fact, I need neither audio cues or a cue sheet with the club, as I can just follow the other riders. But mostly I ride solo, and I am using RWGPS route planning to modify my existing routes and design new ones. And I can take advantage of routes planned by others. I find the audio cues make it easier to enjoy the ride.

I like the Pringles speaker array, but it's too big for my handlebar. :D

I have a very nice map collection, from the many countries I rode through,
on my few European bike tours,

from before the technology was promoted or developed..



Anyone know if the WRC Rally Racing Co drivers use I Pads
rather than ring bound books , for their turn by turn cues
so the driver knows how fast they can get away with , and not crash off the course?






....

Or a Bluetooth speaker. Cue sheets don't seem to increase device volume, in my limited experience.

-Matt

Someone mentioned the Ootz Angle. I use one in the garage to broadcast tunage whilst working on stuff. It would indeed be a bit big for the bike, but would likely fit in a small handlebar bag. LOTS of audio output and it seems rugged and at least somewhat weather resistant.


-Matt

+1 on this. I have one similar to this and it works pretty well.

Use the Bose Compact. It's not tiny, but I've got room in my commuting bag anyway, and just toss it in and go. No mounting needed. That keeps it with me too, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/...nk_micro_black

Second this.
These speakers can even take some exposure to rain without shorting out, so you don't have to worry if you get caught in a sudden sprinkle.

I googled them and the reviews on Amazon were pretty dire, quite a few people saying the had the old version which had been great and had bought the newer version and it was rubbish ... just thought worth mentioning so anyone thinking about buying one can at least do their own research.

so with the caveat that your mileage may vary...

i am on my third speaker in four years; that may not sound like a glowing endorsement until you consider that the first speaker was used rain or shine, hot or cold, and managed to last almost 18 months before it went south.

the second speaker lasted a little over a year, with the same level of usage.

i wised up that despite the marketing these speakers cannot be left out in all conditions and have a long life, so i take the third speaker off the handlebars when it is raining or snowing hard; that speaker has lasted roughly 18 months and still works like new, with no degradation in sound quality.

outdoor technologies' marketing makes it seem like these speakers are bulletproof, but they are not. they are however relatively inexpensive, have a low profile form factor, pack a pretty good punch for their size, and with a modicum of care for usage conditions are pretty reliable.

all that said, i will freely admit these shortcomings:

- when the speaker goes bad, it tends to do so with no warning.

- the audible low battery indicator is intrusive and repetitive; this is particularly annoying when my phone seems to indicate there is roughly 50% battery life left.

- rubber band mount provided works, but initially isn't very intuitive in how to use to mount the speaker. i was able to hack together a mount using a cannibalized strap mount from a Light & Motion Urban 250 headlamp and a trip to Home Depot for small hardware pieces that screw into the tripod mount on the speaker.

It is not that big. I think they just make it look like that in the ads. Mine is about the diameter of a coffee mug, about 1 1/2" high.

My son has his second OT Buckshot 2.0. He bought the first in January, it failed in April. REI took it back and gave him a refund, and he bought a second one. In spite of its crapping out after three months, it's a very-good sounding speaker and it's pretty small.

I think with many of these tiny electronics, it's going to be the battery that dooms it. Little batteries have short life spans, and can't be recharged ad infinitum.

Wonder if anyone's found a way to replace them .... I'm guessing the unit can be taken apart and it'd only mean soldering another that fits in it's place.

They shouldn't have short life spans but one thing they don't like is being left fully charged and not used for long periods it's teh best way to kill one as their internal resistance builds up and that's what destroys them.

Maybe time for a new hearing aid? ( he said over his back ground ringing tinnitus)



Nagging Stoker,* backseat driver, in app form?

*who also has hearing loss,, so is speaking loudly.

Those collar bone conducting audio output devices probably cannot be used for speech recognition..






any bluetooth wireless built in headphones bike helmets? (asking for a friend)



...

I'll second the Aftershoks. I have the Trek Titaniums and have no problems with hearing vehicles/GPS/Phone/music. Can even answer the phone speaking normally with the caller hearing clearly. Highly recommend.

Not wireless but I did stumble across these but didn't look at them closely as it wasn't what I was interested in but may possibly be for "You're Friend" ;) :thumb: If they really want wireless there are really cheap blue tooth receivers available they could plug into one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-Tec...BG666JTZS58JX1

Tinnitus is not good ..... if you find a way to continue playing in bands without making it worse let me know :)