joesch

Im Not that kind of serious.
I believe in personal freedoms and being reasonable

Wildwood 

Required equipment under every helmet. Especially in those hot summer regions. Earring not included.

edit: and much less $$$ than $7grand.

Wildwood 

Headphone sunglasses with bone conduction hearing aid & touch control. Www.trivcare.com.

cyclist2000

I have hearing aids and don't ride with them. I'm too worried of losing them while riding. I put them in a frame bag, so they are easy to reach when I stop.

Camilo

Those are called Cat Ears. I had a set and they were OK, but I didn't really need them. I gave them to a friend who wears hearing aids and he loves them.

philbob57

I ride with my HAs, even with wind noise, because my hearing without them is really awful. I lost my left one twice with 2 crashes, but I found one of them once I realized I had lost it. Costco warranty covered both cases. Since, as I say, my hearing is awful, I have decided to take the risk of loss. These are my 3rd HAs. The fitter told me wear them while exercising.

Looking at the specs of various HAs, I don't think one gives up much with Costco. The HAs may not have the very latest technology, but the technology is incremental, so some manufacturer is always ahead of the others. And who knows if the high-priced audiologist will deliver the latest? My W just bought the Kirkland model which was Phonak's latest with a couple of features not activated. Over 3 years, I figured we we saved about $2500 over the audiologist's model, and our Costco's HA dept is run by an audiologist.

Chuck M 

Sweat seems to get into the battery compartments on my Costco HAs but I didn’t ride with them much anyway. I have the KS8s and I wouldn’t mind getting the KS10s as they are rechargeable and have a little bit more of a IP rating.

But if I’m trying to diagnose where a noise is coming from on a bike or wanting to make sure all is good after an overhaul or new build, I will wear them for that. And once in a while I will take them along just to listen to the clicks from an old freewheel because I enjoy that.

I did like to wear them when running with a group to better have conversations but the sweat issue is worse.

zandoval 

I guess it depends on the type of hearing loss you have. My hearing loss is attributed to Tinnitus (ringing in the ear). Luckily it is in the high frequencies so I can hear the low frequency crunching noise of cars sneaking up on my six.

If I were considering hearing aids I would certainly consider the devices that increased my awareness of that tire crunch sound. So maybe noise cancelling devices would be out. I think you should of course get a diagnostic evaluation by an ENT Doctor. Not a hearing aid franchise distributor. Hearing loss can be a sign of some pretty heavy duty problems. If all you have is simple hearing loss then try a cheap Generic hearing aid at about 25 USD and see if it helps.

I know a machinist who uses a Neckband Listener/Amplifier in his shop. He has the noise cancelling option turned off. He says he really needs it because he listens to the sound of his machines when in operation... True MUSIC.. Ta Some...

Russ5415

As someone who rides with someone who has hearing loss let me say this... this is my BIGGEST safety concern. My wife has the expensive $7k audiologist prescribed hearing aids and they only help marginally. But marginally is better than nothing in certain situations where she doesn't hear or perceive what's behind or around her. By the time I yell out three times she could be someone's hood ornament. So if you need them I'd recommend wearing them while riding.

She doesn't complain about the wind noise. Maybe that's specific to her earing loss situation or her hearing aids. Or it could be because our usual pace is sub 20mph.

kahn

I remember vividly wearing my first pair of hearing aids on a bike ride. If I could have found the ice cream truck I would have killed the driver. He must have been on a parallel block but it went on for blocks up a hill. That aside, I decided that sweat would also kill them and there was too much ambient noise.

My latest pair (Costco but not branded) have a rechargeable battery making them less hassle since there's no tiny battery to deal with. But I still don't wear them - as noted, too much wind noise and still all the other ambient noises.

philbob57

I've got Costco Philips HAs, and I was told to ride with them. After 2 years, they are still fine, despite getting wet from sweat. I haven't lost any while riding, but I have from crashing. The Costco warranty covers the loss of one HA from each ear.

If you've got the KS 10s, they're probably Phonaks; my wife's are. Costco sells essentially the same HAs as audiologists do. They may be slightly detuned, but the KS10 claim the same features and sensitivity as the branded 2nd from top-end Phonaks do. Audiologists may have more skills at programming the HAs, but that's not guaranteed, and you may not need that level of skill anyway. Of course, my local Costco has an audiologist on staff. Not every audiologist has the selling skill necessary to sell for $5k-$7k if Costco or Sam's Club is nearby.

rsbob 

My wIfe is a retired doctor of audiology and recommends to the Op to discuss with your audiologist that you cycle and want aids compatible with the sport that can be programmed or attenuated for cycling. She used to recommend turning down forward reception while riding and boosting rearward but modern aids allow the user to select specialty programs using their smart phones. There are probably new options available since aid technology so rapidly evolves. (My wife is also a cyclist so she is aware of the challenges presented on a bike and the safety concerns.)

themp

I am waiting because of this:

https://hearinghealthmatters.org/fin...-hearing-loss/

A big change is coming in the field of hearing aids and the costs are going to decrease. For to long, the hearing aid industry has milked the consumer. There is no reason that hearing aids should be in the 7K range. Costco reduced the cost but it is going to get better than that. I believe Apple will begin also to provide hearing aids. As the article mentions, the AirPods do a pretty good job right now. My neighbor at a lunch outing puts in his AirPods and puts his phone on the table. He also says when watching a movie at home he does the same and puts the phone near the TV(his family hates closed captions).

Totte86

I always ride with inears and music, sometimes audio books. Riding without anything now feels strange, like I've forgot something. I do that occasionally when just going a very short distance like to the nearest convenience store

sarhog

What brand are your hearing aids?

Sunwukong

My audiologist programmed my BTE hearing aids to adjust to wind noise. I love suddenly being able to hear all the little bike noises I was missing, that everyone else whines about. And yes, it takes a little extra thought to remove helmet and glasses. I also carry a thin beanie cap for sudden bursts of rain and even on clear days the humidity in Florida can leave me soaked and on rare occasions make my hearing aids act up, but an electric dehumidifier always sets them right.

MNebiker

About 6 months ago I got a pair of Starkey RIC series behind the ear aids. They have built in compensation for wind noise, and I have no problems riding with them. Seemed pricey to a retiree, but sure not in the 7K range someone mentioned.

In addition to some overall hearing loss, I had significant loss of high frequencies, with one ear worse than the other. These aids have 16 channel equalizers that the audiologist programmed to compensate for my specific loss in each ear. They are linked to an app on my iPhone that gives me options and presets for music, crowds, and some directional sensitivity adjustments for noisy environments. I can also create a custom setting for a specific problem - race tracks, etc. The aids also act as earbuds so that phone calls and music are sent to the aids. I can accept or reject the call via my Apple watch and talk without digging the phone out of the pack. Handy when riding - I missed calls before. (And yes, I stop and pull over when I get a call!)

They also have fitness tracking and fall-alert capability that I have not activated - already using Apple watch settings. Probably more features built in to these things than I will ever use, but they work well and I can hear! Still getting used to how bright and crisp the world sounds after gradually losing the highs.

Pinelander

With the Costco HAs, I had the KS6 with the replaceable batteries and any sweat would muck them up good. I just upgraded to the sealed KS10 rechargeable and have no problem with sweat, and I sweat like a pig. I somewhat mitigate the road noise by using a thin sweat band and pull it over my ears. Wearing HAs is a PITA though.

Inusuit

I have significant hearing loss from a lifetime of firearms, chain saws, motorcycles, etc. and being stupid before hearing protection was a thing. I have the best, top of the line, hearing aids my audiologist sister-in-law can obtain. Don't wear them riding or outside when the wind is blowing. Which it mostly always is in Wyoming. I don't rely on noise from approaching cars. That's what mirrors are for in these days of Teslas.

N2deep

I'm border line deaf and have worn hearing aids for +15 years. Quality hearing aids are expensive, and IMHO provide minimal benefit to a rider due to the noise the wind makes and more importantly the damage caused by sweat to these sensitive devices. I have not worn my hearing aids on a ride in a decade. Being deaf is not a showstopper. You compensate by getting a good mirror, by being flexible enough to check traffic by swiveling your head/body, riding defensively and keeping them in your pocket/case for friends and ice coffee post ride. The behind the ear models are superior to the inner ear types, especially in hot environments.

Best Wishes..

Miele Man

In a post you made just two days ago you said you don't wear them when riding.

Cheers

Sunwukong

That failed. Put them back in after two days. I need to hear

rvman

I don't wear mine while riding. In fact I don't like them at all.

Kobe 

The only time I ride mine while riding is when I ride with my wife. She likes to talk while we riding the trails.

pbekkerh

I don't use them for riding.
1. My sunglasses sit on top of the HA, Annoying
2. Too much windnoise.
3.Most hearing loss is in the high frequencies so when wearing a HA, you get all the high frequencies amplified but there isn't much information in that, only traffic noise. Most high frequencies are noise, so I'm better off without HA. I only use it when in meetings etc..