Bluetooth Headphones Under Helmet

[amkluttz]

Has anyone ever used a set of bluetooth headphones under their helmet while riding?  For me they would simply be to listen to music.  I currently use my Apple headphones with the phone control on the cord and it sits just between the bottom of my helmet and the collar of my riding jacket.  They work very well but it is a hassle to keep jamming all the wires in my jacket every time.

The real reason is that I received a bluetooth headset for my birthday that I did not like so I decided to return it and use the money instead on a set of headphones.  I'm not looking for anything expensive as the money I receive back from Amazon is the money I will have to spend.  I have been looking at a set of the LG Tone Pro's.  To me it seems that the earbuds would function the same way my Apple ones do and the controls would still be between my helmet and jacket.  I'm open to other suggestions in the $50 range.

Here's a rough idea of what they are...


I'm not interested in a debate on whether this is safe or legal.  I've been riding with headphones for a while now and do not see them as a distraction.  If the music becomes a problem I simply turn them off. 

I posted this here instead of SVRider (as I have an SV now) because you guys have always been super helpful and friendly and I really appreciate the camaraderie of this board.  Thanks for any input.

-Andy

Also, I've been dying to post a pic of my new girl Emma...

[Watcher]

No suggestion, but I did want to state to make sure what you are doing is legal.  At least in Illinois its illegal for me to wear ear buds or an in-ear communications device, but it IS legal to have an audio and/or coms system as long as it in integrated in the helmet.

I think the thought is that the danger of being on a vulnerable vehicle is multiplied if you remove your ability to hear outside stimuli, never mind the fact a lot of us wear earplugs anyway to compensate for loud exhause or wind noise through the helmet.  An in helmet system isnt putting you in an auditory bubble as much as ear buds would.

That said, I still do wear ear buds on the bike often if I'll be riding for a long time, and I keep the volume to a level where the horn and engine at mid rev WILL overpower the music.  I understand the risks and accept maybe getting a ticket, but sometimes those long rides are mentally exhausting without tunes...
I'll agree wires are a PITA.  Bluetooth would be a winning idea...


Edit:  didn't read your entire post before I replied.  Sorry for the redundancy on the lagality thing.

Lovely bike BTW.

[Malfruen]

I found that nothing bluetooth headphone wise would fit comfortably inside my helmet with my great lump of head and more bulk of bluetooth headphones. I ended up biting the bullet and buying a twin pack Sena SMH5-FM for about $200 AUD, and sharing the cost with my little brother.

The Sena is awesome, doesn't intrude my head space, so its comfortable. Sound is good, and all the controls are on the bluetooth module, so its convenient.

I had the same thoughts you did when I got sick of f%$king with cables everytime I wanted to listen to music, or wanted to be contactable in an emergency, but I simply could not find a bluetooth headphone set that were slim enough that they didnt dig into my ears and skull when I had them on with the helmet. That and alot of those bluetooth headphones have all the controls on the right hand earpiece, which would be inside the helmet, which seemed redundant to me.

Its just my experience. Maybe you will have more luck.

[slug]

I got these jabra sport Bluetooth for running. They work freak under my helmat because they wrap behind your ear and nothing stick out past your ear. Battery life is a little shitty but just remember to charge it each night

[slug]

Great*

[mennobike]

Hey, Andy, welcome back! That bike looks mad! 

As far as Bluetooth headphones go, I've heard about bad battery life as a trend in the market, but have no experience personally, sorry. I'd be concerned about the tone pros being a pain with a helmet, but again, no experience 

[amkluttz]

I have also been considering something like these:



Those particular ones are Photive Silverbuds but those or something similar.  I have enjoyed the controls of my wired Apple buds and this would be very similar. 


I do have two different helmets currently; a Bilt cheapo helmet and a Bell RS-1.  The Bilt helmet is extremely comfortable and I could probably fit almost any of these devices in my ear inside the helmet (which probably says a lot about the actual quality/fit of the helmet).  The RS-1 is a bit tight and all the extra padding on the bottom of the helmet does make it difficult sometimes to get anything to stay in my ear.

Thanks for the posts so far, keep them coming.

-Andy

[Big Rich]

I tried multiple kinds of earbuds with my helmet for the same reasons listed already - music, GPS directions, contact in case of an emergency,  etc. I avoided Bluetooth systems because I thought they were all way overpriced (I have a Nolan helmet and I think the original system was $309-$400?). But I found a Chinese clone on eBay that was about $25 shipped. I didn't have high hopes for it at that price.....but still use it after 3 years now.

And one point I want to mention: forget about the legal aspect of wearing earbuds of any kind for a minute. If you have something solid in your ear and you get in an accident, think about what would happen if you land on the side of your head...... a helmet should protect you for sure, but it doesn't take much pressure to damage your eardrum.

[Toogoofy317]

The LG Tones are the Bees Knees! I've had them for right about a year and always wear them in my helmet. I live in Fl so there is a ton of sweat when riding and they are still going strong with great battery life. I usually only charge a max of once a week and that is with heavy use. Half the time I don't even listen to music I just use them as a set of ear plugs. Most ear buds won't fit my small ear canal but these have attachments that fit well. The sound is great for a wireless too! Only Seinheisser Momentums sound better and being that they are MSRP $249 I see why. I've also never had an issue with fit or pressure and can pretty easily operate it with a gloved hand if needed.

Mary

[Supa]

I use the Vnetphone V8 bluetooth headset. I was looking for something that I didn't have to constantly reach up to my helmet to change songs or volume or pause... etc. Cheap little $100 unit works awesome and has a remote that connects to the left grip. I have complete access to it with my left thumb without having to take my hand off the bar. The only other unit I could find like it was the Interphone F5 which costs significantly more (just the remote is like $125). I wear earplugs most of the time when I ride and I can still hear my music just fine. Pairs nicely with my phone and the only complaint I have is that I have to hold the button for 5 seconds to change songs (3 would be nice, 5 is a bit overkill).

[amkluttz]

The LG Tones are the Bees Knees! I've had them for right about a year and always wear them in my helmet. I live in Fl so there is a ton of sweat when riding and they are still going strong with great battery life. I usually only charge a max of once a week and that is with heavy use. Half the time I don't even listen to music I just use them as a set of ear plugs. Most ear buds won't fit my small ear canal but these have attachments that fit well. The sound is great for a wireless too! Only Seinheisser Momentums sound better and being that they are MSRP $249 I see why. I've also never had an issue with fit or pressure and can pretty easily operate it with a gloved hand if needed.

Mary

Mary,

Thank you for this.  It's always good when someone else has experience with something like this.  I don't mind ordering them and trying them out but I'm afraid Amazon will want a shipping or restocking fee because of it.  Have you gotten caught in the rain with them at all?  My only real concern was frying them because I couldn't outrun a rain storm.

I did end up trying the Photive Silverbuds out and will tell all in my next post.

-Andy

[amkluttz]

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice.  I appreciate you taking the time to discuss a topic that really isn't that serious but is helpful to me.

I decided a couple of days ago after several emails to Photive customer support to try a set of their Silverbuds.  In my head I knew the LG Tone's were probably a better product but something about the Silverbuds lured me in.  Thanks to Amazon Prime they showed up this afternoon. 




Here are my initial thoughts:

Overall I like them.  If I were just using them for running/the gym they would probably be perfect.  The sound seems good to me for small headphones and the noise blocking was pretty good as well; maybe too good for riding a motorcycle.  I did have to find the right combination of ear buds because without them the sound is not so great.  Luckily they come with a basic pair and a pair of small, medium and large sizes.  They also have "ear stabilizers" that help to keep the units in-ear.

The problems arose when trying to use them with the helmet.  With my Apple buds they always tend to pull out slightly when putting my helmet on.  I was hoping the "ear stabilizers" would be helpful here but it was sorta 50/50 on that.  Sometimes they stayed in and sometimes they pulled out slightly.  The length of cord between ear bud and control is great for normal use but with my helmet on it buries the top button (Volume Up/Track Forward) in the bottom padding of the helmet making it difficult to use.  My Apple buds place the control directly between my jacket collar and the bottom of my helmet.  The real problem came when removing my helmet: the buds come flying out of my ears, the ear stabilizers remove themselves from the buds and sometimes so do the buds/tips themselves.  These units are fairly small but are apparently not small enough.  With them in my ears inside the helmet I had no problems and the volume was good but I wasn't on the bike.

I think I'm going to give them a couple of days and definitely get out for a ride with them when I get a chance.  I really would like for them to work but I'm just not sure they are right for me.  I'll let you know what a ride looks like.  It appears as if a set of LG Tones could be in my future.

-Andy

[amkluttz]

I finally got to wear the Photive Silverbuds on a ride this past Friday.  I got an "emergency" call at the end of the day on Friday which took me 50+ miles out of my way to go home and I happened to be on the bike.  I took the opportunity to test these things out.  After about 15 minutes my right ear started hurting due to pressure and the position of the earpiece.  It was bad enough that I considered pulling off the interstate and removing them.  I can say that they work really well at cancelling noise as it was super windy on Friday and the extra noise wasn't even noticeable. 

When I arrived at my destination and removed my helmet the extra stabilizer pieces went flying across the parking lot.  That was it, I was done.  I chose not to use them on the almost hour ride home and instead listened to my Yoshimura.  My plan is to order the LG Tone+ in the next couple of days and give those a try.  If those don't fit the bill I'm going to use my Amazon gift card on a set of new Alpinestars gloves.

-Andy

[pliskin]

I prefer riding with a jam box on my shoulder like I did when I was a kid on my Schwinn with slicks. The louder it was the more people could hear you. I had a box with detatchable speakers I would set up at the town pool. That was the 80's .
The Grease Man was DJ.

[Janx101]

This mob has some hectic jam boxes!

http://www.roweorchards.com/store.html

[amkluttz]

Just an update...


I did end up returning the Silverbuds and picked up a set of LG Tone Pro's for about the same price.  My initial impression?  Where in the world are these buttons!?!  I had a difficult time figuring out the button layout but once I did they have been pretty awesome.  I think sound quality still goes to the Silverbuds but the LG's did get better when I changed the tips out to slightly larger ones.  They do fit well under a helmet and removing my helmet was no problem.  I think these are going to work.  I haven't had a chance to ride with them yet but I am hoping to this afternoon if it's not raining on my way home.  Once I get a couple rides in I will try to update.  I do wish I could switch which side the buttons were on as I have to use my left hand to change the controls (pause/play, forward/rewind) on the right side.

-Andy

[matttkeller]

ive been thinking about the same thing and im glad you've already done some of the testing for me! 

im gonna go to bestbuy later this week and check out the LG tones. could you possibly just flip the thing upside down to access to buttons on the left side instead?

also, is it not difficult to find the buttons with gloves on?

how do they feel on your neck and stuff?

excited to hear about your experience with them thus far!

[amkluttz]

Friday I was able to avoid the rain and ride with the Tone Pro's on my way home.  Here's what I found...

For one thing they are plenty loud for me, even over my Yoshimura.  They do have two volume settings; One is the bluetooth setting on the phone and the other is the volume directly on the device.  The controls can be a little difficult to use while gloved.  I do appreciate the dedicated Play/Pause and Answer/Ignore buttons as they really only perform one (well, two) dedicated function.  The Volume and Fast Forward/Rewind buttons are rocker switches and are a little more difficult to find.  I did find that I prefer the more commonly used controls on my right side while reaching across with my left hand as it made them a little easier to find for me. 

Now, for something that should have been obvious to me...  Wind+Loosely fitting electronic device = Possible disaster.
For some reason this had not occurred to me.  I do wear a jacket with a collar so my initial thought was to put the earbuds in with helmet on and make sure the rest of the device was on the outside of my jacket collar so I can reach the controls.  When leaving work I hit the throttle with a little extra enthusiasm (Friday evening leaving work) and I felt something flopping behind my helmet.  I pulled to the center lane to find that the earbuds in my ears were the only reason that my new toy wasn't laying shattered on the ground.  I readjusted and decided that my extra happy right hand was the culprit and that I would take it easy.  No dice.  The unit once again was flopping behind my helmet under easy acceleration.  Because I didn't want to pull over and take them off I tucked them under my jacket collar hoping I could still use the controls.  That didn't quite work either and every time I wanted to make an adjustment or change a song I had to unzip my jacket slightly.  I eventually turned them off and used them as ear plugs for the remainder of the ride.

If I can't figure out how to keep these from flying off I can't imagine they will be good for much.  I'm hoping to figure something out.  My dad suggested turning them backwards which I have not tried but I can't imagine the buttons would be very easy to access.  I haven't been able to ride since Friday due to rain.  I do still like these and plan to use them as soon as I can figure out how to safely.

ive been thinking about the same thing and im glad you've already done some of the testing for me! 

im gonna go to bestbuy later this week and check out the LG tones. could you possibly just flip the thing upside down to access to buttons on the left side instead?

also, is it not difficult to find the buttons with gloves on?

how do they feel on your neck and stuff?

excited to hear about your experience with them thus far!

This is exactly why I like to finish threads that I start.  I have read through so many different posts about people doing exactly what I was thinking of doing only to find out they never posted the end results.

I guess it would be possible to flip them upside down but I have since found that my left hand trying to find left hand controls under my helmet is actually more difficult than my left hand crossing and finding the controls on my right side.  Maybe it's because I got so used to doing it that way with my Apple earbuds and the controller on that side. 

It's okay trying to find the buttons with gloves on.  Some of the buttons (Volume up/down, FF/RW) are rocker switches and those are a little more difficult to navigate.  I found with gloves I couldn't feel the detent between Up/Down, FF/RW and would sometimes hit the wrong one.

You really almost can't feel them at all.  I even put them under my jacket collar and they didn't bother me.  See above review.

-Andy

[matttkeller]

very good to hear for the most part!

how long are the earbud cords? if theyre long enough, maybe you could somehow mount the unit on the bottom side of your helmet! that way you could take the unit off with attached to the helmet. it might be a little tricky to get the earbuds in though if theyre too short, and also you'd have to orient it so the buttons arent up against the helmet surface


give it a shot maybe and see if its possible! might take some creativity and lots of fidgeting


what i used to use was a pair of earbuds (i even tried some discrete over-ear headphones) and ran the wire under the padding in my helmet, so that i could run the wire under my jacket to my pocket (or a velcro patch on my gas tank for a while haha)

what i currently do is have a small blutooth 'puck' that attaches to my headphones and connects wirelessley to my phone. (but the headphones are sub par and the puck its pretty cheap) i keep the puck beside my chin tucked in the padding and i feel like thats not safe and is pretty annoying haha

once i get over to bestbuy on the weekend ill see if i can do the same thing with these! ill let you know if i can figure anything out before you do haha!

[mennobike]

Thanks for the write up, this has been very informative! Gonna have to try it sometime.