Ear Plugs - Discuss.

[glennhendricks]

Very soft and comfortable ear plugs. About $25 for a box of 200.

They are softer than the Max and give slightly less protection, about 27
dB instead of 33. They are very soft for those with small ear canals and can be worn while sleeping (say at Elk camp or if the SO snores) I wear a pair a week or so, then toss 'em.

I've forgotten to put them in and have pulled over after a mile or so to get them in. Really does make a difference in the quality of the ride.

Some folks say they 'can't hear the road', same argument some guys made when we first required hearing protection in industry.

You can hear the road/machinery/bike once you train yourself to hear them.

[xp8103]

Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Does anyone know of any online outlets for buying ear plugs?

[xp8103]

Ok, never mind. Found the Earplugstore.com. Ordered a pair of their Quiet Plugs. Will let you know what I find.

They also have musicians plugs with variable filters. Don't know how those would fit under a helmet.

[motoedde]

I had little success with the orange plugs that I'd buy from places like Home Depot. However, I went to an industrial supply store and bought a few samples and found two brands worked for easy insertion and good for reducing sound. Then I bought each of the two brands in volume, 200 pairs per box.



Don't give up. Keep experimenting with different brands of earplugs. Good luck.

I couldn't find earplugs I liked but I knew earplugs were a good idea...

So I found an industrial supply store in my area and got a few...I cut off the long tips of the earplugs as they tend to hurt being that far deep.

Anyways, don't give up and feel free to mod them slightly to your tastes. Its a bad idea to ride without earplugs...as you do want to hear the whispers of your grand kids.

[rdalland]

Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Correct insertion of ear plugs makes a huge difference in how well they work. If they are not inserted correctly they will not block out all the noise they are supposed to, and they can transmit vibration from your helmet into your ear canal. The latter may be responsible for your "din".

[brownie]

Wear'em for 'bout everything: cuttin' lawn,, flyin', ridin'......

[Paul_F]

Wear'em for 'bout everything: cuttin' lawn,, flyin', ridin'......

So I am not the only one that wears them for cutting the grass! Use them as well when I clear the snow with the snowblower. When I vacuum, I use my noise reducing headphones. I didn't have a proper fitting helmet nor proper fitting earplugs when I first started riding a few years ago but I did have a windshield that sent the airflow right up into my helmet. My right ear developed a bit of hearing loss. I consider it essential to protect all the hearing that I have left.

[BeemerMike]

Wear'em for 'bout everything: cuttin' lawn,, flyin', ridin'......

If you are exposed to a noise level of 82 dBA or higher you should be wearing some sort of hearing protection, and it would be better if you wear hearing protection at a noise level of 75 dBA or higher. But, it's your hearing . . .

[BLUEGRASSPICKER]

I dont wear them. I tried wearing them once, the orange foam type that I use for other things. I dont like them. I don't like the sound I end up with, a low frequency thrum. THAT actually bothers my ears more than the wind noise (full face HJC helmet) which I don't find objectionable.

Ideas?

I find the low noise conducted through my bones when I am wearing ear plugs annoying...
I can see where it would be less fatiquing if I could get used to it though....

[26667]

Start saving up for hearing aids.

sorry, but I gotta agree. I rode for years in a full-face helmet and one day discovered that the ringing in my ears wasn't going away ever. not at night, not at lunch, not in the morning, not at the movies, not at a concert, not ever. And I couldn't hear worth a damn anymore either. High freq' loss. I now wear hearing aids. They were about two thou' a pop. Plus all the batteries. Plus I wear hearing aids. It's a PITA. I hear better than w/o , but still not so good. If you're good with that, keep riding w/o hearing protection.

[BeemerMike]

I find the low noise conducted through my bones when I am wearing ear plugs annoying...

If worn properly, foam earplugs should be touching nothing but your ear canal, not even the inside of your helmet. I cannot imagine what "low noise" could be caused by the ear plugs that is not already there. Maybe you just cannot hear the "low noise" when not wearing the ear plugs because the other loud noises drown it out.

[Rpbump]

EAR foam plugs with a cord fill my needs when riding or shooting. Should have used them in the 60's, would not have tinitus today. The custom moulded plugs seem to be the best option in terms of comfort and noise suppression. Many gun shows have vendors that can make custom ear plugs on the spot. The cost averages about $50.

[ducatipaso]

check your local laws, I believe earplugs are illegal in California and other places. I wear them on longer rides, not for around town stuff, although the pipes on the beater are pretty damn loud.

[knary]

Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Does anyone know of any online outlets for buying ear plugs?

It really does sound like they didn't get into your ears properly. Sometimes a plug or kind of plug won't install as it should and the result is much as you described it.

[jskene]

I tried many kinds of foam plugs, with varying degrees of effectiveness and comfort.

I then tried Sonic Defenders:

http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/...4306/sesent/00

and found them much more effective than the foam ones. They have 2 settings, so you have some control over the attenuation. In the maximum setting they are very quiet. Cost is ~ $10.