Wind noise reduction

greasedscotsman

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... ook-35984/

Never really thought of this as a problem. Maybe I'm not going fast enough!

Buckie2k5

thats what wiggos big sideburns were for. but seriously wtf at they cat thingys.

smidsy

I would have thought they would create turbulence and thus more noise.

I do notice how much quieter it is when I wear my skull cap, but I actually prefer without as I am more aware of upcoming traffic etc.

Unless you are doing 50mph+ for long periods I fail to see that the level of noise would be an issue.

Bozman

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Sussed out

Bozman wrote:

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Yeah the downside of wind noise is definitely worth not wearing a helmet for.
When I'm in the car sometimes the seatbelt ruffles my clothes so I don't bother wearing it.

butcher of bakersfield

smidsy wrote:

Unless you are doing 50mph+ for long periods I fail to see that the level of noise would be an issue.

I find it depends a lot on wind conditions rather than your speed. I only really suffer from bad wind noise when I'm riding into a headwind. And it becomes a bit of a problem because at those times I can't hear the traffic coming up from behind. The first I'll know of it is when it comes into my peripheral vision.

On the other hand, I have found myself doing 50+mph before, and because I've had a strong tailwind behind me, it's been virtually silent.

thefd

Sussed out wrote:

Bozman wrote:

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Yeah the downside of wind noise is definitely worth not wearing a helmet for.
When I'm in the car sometimes the seatbelt ruffles my clothes so I don't bother wearing it.

And...when I play cricket I never wear any of the padding or cricket box, as it makes it really hard to walk out to the middle of the crease in....

Bozman

TheFD wrote:

Sussed out wrote:

Bozman wrote:

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Yeah the downside of wind noise is definitely worth not wearing a helmet for.
When I'm in the car sometimes the seatbelt ruffles my clothes so I don't bother wearing it.

And...when I play cricket I never wear any of the padding or cricket box, as it makes it really hard to walk out to the middle of the crease in....

Go and preach somewhere else and lets stick to freedom of choice.

billreay

There are some of us who might find these very useful i.e. those of us who wear hearing aids. For us, wind noise when cycling has always been a big big problem. Despite advances in hearing aid technnology, it is still not possible to filter the noise out electronically. I just have to switch off which then means it is difficult to converse when riding.

I used to wrap a pipe cleaner round the aid as the hairs on that broke up the wind noise as these shields do and like the 'hairy' outside broadcast microphones. You can't get pipe cleaners nowadays.

greasedscotsman

billreay wrote:

There are some of us who might find these very useful i.e. those of us who wear hearing aids. For us, wind noise when cycling has always been a big big problem. Despite advances in hearing aid technnology, it is still not possible to filter the noise out electronically. I just have to switch off which then means it is difficult to converse when riding.

I used to wrap a pipe cleaner round the aid as the hairs on that broke up the wind noise as these shields do and like the 'hairy' outside broadcast microphones. You can't get pipe cleaners nowadays.

Good point, never thought of that.

lotus49

billreay wrote:

I used to wrap a pipe cleaner round the aid as the hairs on that broke up the wind noise as these shields do and like the 'hairy' outside broadcast microphones. You can't get pipe cleaners nowadays.

You can actually, it's just that they aren't marketed as pipe cleaners any longer.

Have a look in the craft section of an arts shop. My wife buys them for my little daughter to make things out of. They are mostly multi-coloured rather than white but I'm sure you can find some to coordinate with your bike/cycling clothes .

billreay

Many thanks for that. It sounds a daft idea but it does make a difference.

teisetrotter

Useful for me, I use a dhb headband with ear covers. I get serious ear ache from a dodgy ear drum.

Gizmodo

I have a problem with wind noise, but I fail to see how those things are going to help with flatulence.

Sorry, I'll get my coat.

Paul 8v

Bozman wrote:

TheFD wrote:

Sussed out wrote:

Bozman wrote:

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Yeah the downside of wind noise is definitely worth not wearing a helmet for.
When I'm in the car sometimes the seatbelt ruffles my clothes so I don't bother wearing it.

And...when I play cricket I never wear any of the padding or cricket box, as it makes it really hard to walk out to the middle of the crease in....

Go and preach somewhere else and lets stick to freedom of choice.

So it's worth wearing a helmet in the winter in case you got knocked off/fall off but not in the Summer? Just seems like strange logic...

alihisgreat

smidsy wrote:

I would have thought they would create turbulence and thus more noise.

I do notice how much quieter it is when I wear my skull cap, but I actually prefer without as I am more aware of upcoming traffic etc.

Unless you are doing 50mph+ for long periods I fail to see that the level of noise would be an issue.

I'd guess they create smaller areas of turbulence, but in doing so eliminate the big areas of turbulence that cause the problem.

Paul 8v

They definitely missed a trick not making them ginger :-)

diy

why not just wear ear plugs? Personally, I reckon you need to be going a lot faster than the 20-30mph i go at. On the motorbike I wear plugs as anything above 40mph can cause hearing damage.

Bozman

Paul 8v wrote:

Bozman wrote:

TheFD wrote:

Sussed out wrote:

Bozman wrote:

I don't wear a helmet in the summer because of the wind noise, i'll wear a helmet in the winter due to the road conditions and thankfully the noise is cut out by a belgian cap or a scull cap.

Yeah the downside of wind noise is definitely worth not wearing a helmet for.
When I'm in the car sometimes the seatbelt ruffles my clothes so I don't bother wearing it.

And...when I play cricket I never wear any of the padding or cricket box, as it makes it really hard to walk out to the middle of the crease in....

Go and preach somewhere else and lets stick to freedom of choice.

So it's worth wearing a helmet in the winter in case you got knocked off/fall off but not in the Summer? Just seems like strange logic...

Part of the attraction of cycling where i live is the peace and quiet and i like to extend that to my ride, so the last thing i want is the constant sound of wind in my ears, during the winter months though when the roads get greasy or icey i'll wear a helmet due to the heightened chance of slipping off, not getting knocked off, knocked off isn't the issue with me, if i was worried about getting knocked off i'd never ride. I feel no need to wear on in the summer because the roads aren't icey or greasy and in the wet my tyres still maintain a good level of grip, i have taken a spill due to diesel though.
I'd rather not ride when the roads are greasy but i want to maintain a good level of fitness through-out the winter months, so i'll put a helmet on my noggin rather than face a session on the turbo.
Like i quoted earlier it's a choice and long may it remain that way.

Paul 8v

That's fair enough, as you say it's your choice. I personally wear mine all the time as even on the quiet roads I still think it's dangerous. I had a rabbit run in front of my wheel before when I was going about 30 down a hill. I manager to avoid coming off bit wouldn't have fancied hitting the road at that speed that would hurt no matter what season it is!

I've never really thought of excessive wind noise through a helmet being a problem but I've never ridden particularly fast without one on. That said I do have Wiggo style sideburns (Had them since I was about 17 before anyone says anything !) Maybe they have created small areas of turbulence and kept it from my ears!

ricky1980

was about to post the same thing LOL

this explains so much for Wiggo's side burns...wonder if he intend to grow his hair long in the winter days to make them into some kind of organic ear muffs too

priory

I've a sealskins under-helmet cap which has tiny holes punched in the cloth over the ears. The wind noise created by them is so loud I can hear nothing else unless I flip them up off my ears. I am going to get some wool off a fence next time I am in the hills and stick it on.