Hearing Protection

My ENT Dr just told me to stop using ear plugs which are part of my dry ear canal problem. So does anyone know of an ear pad of sorts to put into my modular helmet to reduce wind and road noise or have come up with a home made pad? Thanks, Dibber

What type of plugs are you using ? Foam expandable? Custom made silicone might work better.
I don't know of any kind of pad that would work sorry.

Ask doc about silicone type. Small speakers can be added so listening to music while riding with radio or MP3 player. $2-3 hundred range though.

If you can't wear earplugs, you may be better off investing in a new helmet from a manufacturer like Schuberth that takes hearing damage seriously, and designs all their helmets to minimise it.

There is a secret to using foam plugs----grease inner ear canal first----Vaseline works, I go thru 2 pr in long day of riding, at 400 miles my ears hurt, so I stop.

The foam plugs I buy by the large box. At 80, my hearing is still here....because I have taken care of ears.

Custom plugs never worked for me.

About the only time I have any wind noise is if I'm taking a short ride in town without my helmet. My hearing aids pick up all kinds of wind noise but on a couple mile ride in town it's not that big of a deal. On longer rides I always wear my helmet and turn the hearing aids down quite a bit. The cones that go into the ear canal block most of the noise along with the helmet covering the hearing aids. I wear the hearing aids from the time I get up until I hit the sack so it's not a problem

I know a lot of people who were on my ship in the Navy who have the same problem with hearing. No hearing protection from the big guns and small arms firing. I can't sit in a "quiet" room anymore with all the Tinnitus hissing and ringing. Oh Well it's my problem now.

My hearing problems come from being a weaver, in a cotton mill, when I was young. I have used the foam plugs and they are okay but I find cotton wool pieces as good as anything, and don't irritate the ear.

I have tinnitus too, no one wore earplugs when I started riding and the generally useless helmets back then will have been a contributing factor. It might have even started earlier in my squaddie years, whenever it started I was unaware of the condition until it was permanent.

When I did start wearing earplugs they were basic foam plugs that either worked, were ineffective, or downright painful after a couple of hours. The later softer shaped plugs were better, and I've tried a variety of different ones, but for every pair that worked, another was discarded as they wouldn't compress or seal properly.

The swimming type silicone earplugs with the gimmicky coloured audio inserts were an improvement on foam, and I have a pair in my travel kit.

Which leads me up to custom fit silicone earplugs where impressions are taken of both ear canals to make. I tried and rejected two brands of over-hyped rubbish before I found a company that lived up to their claims. My first pairs lasted about 10 years although they were noticeably less effective in the last year or so, as ear canals gradually change shape over time.

I had an ear examination and impressions made by an audiologist here in York last year and sent them off to the company that made my original sets. Nothing fancy,  just a basic pair in bright red silicone, and corded together against accidental loss.

These are great, they're all day comfortable, and cut down damaging wind noise. Although you still need to be wearing a well fitting helmet and riding behind an effective screen as well. I can still hear sat nav instructions clearly from the built in speakers in my Schuberth helmets, and that's a big plus as well because with a lot of helmets, fitting speakers causes pressure on the ears if not 100% in the right place, and can also push disposable plugs painfully further into your ears.

Of course custom made ear plugs are a lot more expensive, I get more use out of mine by using them on aircraft flights, music concerts, and in hotel rooms with noisy air-con.

One reason I wear my 3/4 helmet more than my full face modular is noise. The 3/4 type helmet is a lot quieter. Meldrew's recommendation of a Schubert is a good possibility too but it's a bit rich for my wallet.

I also wear hearing aids but the have an open dome which doesn't block outside noise. Too many hours driving little airplanes in Alaska back when few wore headsets.

exavid wrote:

One reason I wear my 3/4 helmet more than my full face modular is noise. The 3/4 type helmet is a lot quieter. Meldrew's recommendation of a Schubert is a good possibility too but it's a bit rich for my wallet.

In this age of online shopping and discount deals, there's always bargains to be found. I got bought my Schuberth M1 open face helmet and plug in intercom locally for a good price as they had a sales promotion on both. I didn't need speakers and microphones as they're already pre-installed in the helmet.

I later bought a Schuberth E1 flip front adventure helmet from an online motorcycle accessories company in Spain. It was almost £300 or about $390 US less than from any UK or German seller at the time.

The Schuberth intercom system for it sits in a slot at the back of the helmet, the speakers into pockets in the liner, and the controls and microphone are very small and inside the helmet at cheek level. I bought that mainly using a large discount code from a German company I've used for years.

I also have a Schuberth remote control that simply clamps oto the left handlebar grip and by pressing a couple of buttons lets me change settings and volume by Bluetooth. Again using an online discount voucher from a German seller I bought some Klim gear from.

Whether things will change much after Brexit is anyone's guess, it's still a much better option than buying anything online from your side of the Pond where any discounts are wiped out by postal costs, import duty, and tax.

Sounds like a great setup, I use a Sena Bluetooth unit mounted in the side of my helmet. It works well for a passenger intercom as well as bike to bike as long as they within line of sight. Much better and clearer than the older Citizen's Band 27Mhz system we have here.

Not as neat of a setup as you're using, unfortunately I haven't seen anything like you have for a price I want to pay.

I just heard about a product called Mack silicone ear plugs that you mold to fit the outer ear only. They are used by swimmers too. I’ll pick them up some day soon and let you know how they work.

I wear ear plugs every time I ride, But I Do NOT insert them into my ear, for one they make my ear hole very itchy and they are Painful to wear inside the ear. Usually instructions for wearing earplugs say roll between fingers and compress slightly, and press into ears. I do NOT do this. I put the ear plug so that it touches the ear canal opening/hole and back of ear plug touches the inside ridge above the ear lobe, this puts enough pressure on the Earplug to keep the earplug in place very well and block the ear hole reducing the sound by a big margin, But No ear Pain from earplug insertion in my ears by Inserting the ear plug in as it only Blocks the ear hole, the ear plug stays in place without coming out.

Thanks for advise. I’ll have to give it a try.

Cycle Gear started to carry the Schuberth helmets, and has a C3 Lite at $400. Its very quiet, light and has a smaller head design. I replaced my Nolan N104 and really like the C3 Lite.