Wind Noise
 

Not sure if this was a topic already but I did notice it mentioned in a recent post but specific to hearing aids. I don't know if this is an age thing or some kind of medical condition I have but when I ride, the wind noise to my ears is at a very high decibel. Feel free to move this post to Ills & Pills if applicable but I don't ever remember this being an issue when I was younger. Whether there's a breeze or not, as soon as I pick up speed the noise of the wind against my ears is like a jet engine.

I have tinnitus so I don't know if that has anything to do with it and I do notice as I get older that loud noises really annoy me. I am not comfortable in a noisy restaurant or bar but my hearing is fine.

Do other people experience this or should I see a doctor?

I have a friend who swears by these

https://www.cat-ears.com/

Never tried them, myself.

Thanks MinnMan, worth looking into that's for sure. Seems simple and the price is reasonable.

I am a cat ear user. They work great!

I do wear hearing protection when I ride my motorcycle.

BUT

I have noticed , on certain windy days, that my ears are bothered by the wind when riding my bicycle.

I might consider wearing ear protection on those days.

There are many types of ear plugs.

The ones I wear on motorcycle are very "mild".

I really don`t know I have them in.

Those are the type I`d consider wearing on my bicycle.

like ones you can just buy at a pharmacy?

I'm so cheap I stop riding just to pick up pennies so with that in mind I made my own cat-ears out of cotton wrapped around the helmet straps.

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I bought then online many years ago. I actually cut them in half, because that way nothing sticks out of ears. I found that it I didn`t cut them in half, they`d rub on the inside of my helmet, transfering the sound to my ears.
Here`s the brand I use...
Howard Leight
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Checking their website I can`t find the exact ones I`ve been using.??
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https://www.howardleightshootingspor...earplugs-bands
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https://www.howardleightshootingspor...arplugs-orange

I’m another satisfied user of Cat Ears. They reduce the wind noise for me so well I’ve got to look at my speed on my Garmin as I always think I’m going slower than I am. 😁

I wish I had had those ear muffs when riding my recumbent. The wind is so strong or apparent in your ears at 30-35 mph.

I swear I have hearing loss from it, when my wife tells me to do something, I can't hear it anymore.

(Insert pot-stirring emoji)
Wait. Don’t your earbuds with heavy metal music at extreme volume drown out the wind noise?

Dan

I have hearing loss, though I attribute it to my younger loud-music days. I broke down and got hearing aids this year. But somehow, I still can't hear my wife at times.

More seriously, I had never considered that wind noise might have contributed to my hearing loss.

I was gun-shy about the Catears being too hot, so I got the fuzzy helmet strap wrap instead. Found out that, even sweating lightly, the Elvis-impersonator parts were matted down to the point of being ineffective in just a couple hours.

Now if it's windy when I'm heading out (and if I remember it), I'll go with a bit of cotton ball in each ear. It seems to preferentially dampen the higher-frequency hiss of the wind, and I can still hear the road noise of tires or growl of an engine coming up behind me.

Yeah, same hear, the upright riding position really crosses the wind strongly, but it also makes it easier to kill it off. I too made my own awhile back, here is the posting link and there are some photos to help understand the construction : https://www.bikeforums.net/5058382-post13.html The key concept for me is that the devices should actually touch your face, so cloth over foam for me.

But these days any active-noise-canceling ear buds will also greatly reduce the wind noise.

I usually wear buds with music, but sometimes I just wear ear plugs to stop the howl. I am definitely going to try those cat ears, or homemade ones first. Thanks Wilbur for the assist.

There is a medical term for being troubled by loud noises:
hyperacusis
https://hyperacusis.net/

Is it safe to say this occurs more as we age? I remember my dad started to become sensitive to loud noises as he aged and then really increased with Alzheimer's. I also listen to a radio station with a mostly mature radio audience (classical music) and they always have reports on the impact of loud places and even have a record of restaurants and public places to avoid due to the high noise levels.

If so, I guess I've entered that category.

'hyperacusis' is a symptom rather than a dysfunction or disorder. Treated by a otolaryngologist (a specialist ENT) doctor.
It's probably less well tolerated with age and ear parts start to wear-out with age.
The church Music Director is resigning because of 'hyperacusis. Even with musician grade hearing protection, she can't tolerate the sound and they play traditional music.
Some of the causes are mental and others require serious surgery.

I don't want ANYTHING in my ears when riding my road bike. Next to sight, my hearing is my #2 most important sense in keeping me alive on the road. I can hear cars behind me. I can hear when they're accelerating to pass me.I can tell if it's a truck. I'd also miss the sounds of the little stream on side of road as it rolls over rocks. Birds. The world. I'd never wanna mute my hearing; I'd be less safe and miss some beautiful sounds around me.

Then you'll want to protect it when the noise level is above safe or you can lose it permanently. If the ride is quiet, then there really is no need for protection. If the noise level on the ride is excessive, with excessive being defined by a time-weighted-average, then hearing protection is necessary. This can happen as a result of wind noise at certain speeds or in certain conditions, with motor vehicle tire noise, with reflected noise in urban environments, and with any other loud noise.

I live and ride in a mostly rural area where my rides are quiet, but I can tell you if I commuted across the Golden Gate Bridge everyday, I would absolutely wear hearing protection. I was riding it on a tour last week and it's over 100 dB out there. It is not safer without hearing protection.

I don't trim my sideburns, so I have natural cat ears.

How did you measure the dB level while you were riding? Reason I ask is 100dB =

• motorcycle
• ATV
• snowmobile
• tractor
• car horn 15' away
• jackhammer

That must have been an extremely noisy area you rode in, and a great app or measuring device that can be used while riding :speedy:

I didn't measure it. It's been measured by bridge authorities. With respect to the traffic noise, a quick search pulls up, "Golden Gate Bridge Traffic Noise -- you can't even talk to the person next to you without yelling." You'll also find the bridge's new aerodynamic handrailing, completed in 2020, alone will generate a 100 dB howl in the wind. They're supposed to fix that with a half-million dollar project to affix clips to the 12,000 rails, but the tire and traffic noise on a suspended (undamped) roadway is still brutally loud. There's as many as 6000 cyclists crossing the bridge in a day. Just one day. So yeah, hearing protection for cyclists can be a thing, but I would agree that under more typical cycling conditions, it's usually not needed.

I had ear damage as a child and so I have long been more sensitive to cold air coming into my ears when riding. I keep cotton balls in my truck and in my eyeglass case and put a small bit of cotton in each ear. Works well for me and it gives me a use for the cotton from pill bottles.

My wife and I now both have cat ears and we are both pleased with the result. At cruising speed, about 15 MPH, noise is down by 50% which is a huge improvement. Best upgrade for the price.

I recently purchased a set of the Cat-Ears due to the threads here on BF. While they recommend the thick, furry ones for hearing aid wearers (that's me), they don't recommend them for hot, humid areas (also me). I went with the middle set, the Airstreamz, and have been pleasantly surprised by their performance. They very noticeably reduce the wind noise and allow me to hear more of what is going on around me. I give them a :thumb:.