Shokz: The best cycling headphones to give you the sound you want and the safety you need

In cycling as in many other sports music is a key motivator. It gets us going, it helps wring that last watt out after a long effort, or it just puts a smile on our face during a rainy ride. The problem is though that while working out in the gym or going for a run you can to a certain extent be blissfully unaware of your surroundings, cyclists are not afforded that luxury. We have to contend with distracted motorists, amongst various other hazards, leading to a difficult choice: listen to the music you love and risk your safety, or ride without music, and have to put up with the sound of a poorly maintained drivetrain?

What if I told you there is a third option?

Safety through bone conduction technology 

Your brain primarily hears sound when your eardrum vibrates. This is usually achieved by transmitting rapid changes in air pressure along the ear canal, as in standard headphones. It is possible however to bypass the ear canal entirely by conducting sound along the bones surrounding the ear canal. 

By utilising bone conduction, Shokz headphones allow you to listen to the music or the audiobook you love without obstructing the ear canal, therefore allowing you to remain totally connected to your surroundings. You can listen to your favourite albums and still hear cars, other cyclists, pedestrians, and that creaky bottom bracket that you’ve been meaning to service for a month now.

Two pods hook over the ear and press on the bony area at the very top of your cheekbones, vibrating those instead of the air in your ears, and delivering premium sound via a wireless package. While the primary benefit for us cyclists is clearly safety, there are some other benefits too over standard in-ear offerings.

Open-ear Comfort 

If you regularly cycle with headphones in you’re going to have those long rides where, after a while, things start to get uncomfortable. Even the most comfortable headphones involved sticking something into a space that, from an evolutionary standpoint, was never designed to be a receptacle. 

With Shokz though there is nothing sitting in your ear canal for hours on end, and therefore a huge reduction in discomfort, particularly on longer rides. What’s more, given the super lightweight nature of the design the noticeable load on the top of the ears is minimal, certainly no more than the sunglasses we all wear. The flexible nature of the ear hooks too ensures there is never a conflict between the arms of your glasses and the headphones themselves.

At the more severe end of the spectrum, prolonged use of in-ear headphones, particularly when used at high volumes, can lead to an increase in the production of ear wax. I think we’ve all seen some messy headphones in our time so there’s no need to elaborate further beyond stating the obvious that a system that doesn't involve something going in your ears is clearly more hygienic. 

Better retention 

Naturally Shokz headphones are waterproof, so you needn’t worry about using them when it’s tipping it down outside, or for a sweaty session on the indoor trainer. While plenty of in-ear headphones are also waterproof, you can often find that when things get wet they lose the ability to stay in place. I’ve lost count of the number of rainy rides I’ve been on, constantly plagued with having to press one or both earpods back into place. Add in touch sensitive buttons and I'm also forever accidentally changing the volume or skipping tracks while trying to get them to stay put. 

With Shokz though, with its over ear design, there isn’t anything to fall out. Just a pair of secure clips to provide you with an uninterrupted  listening experience, whatever the conditions, and however you ride. Even bumpy gravel riding or mountain biking isn’t going to shake them loose.

Given we don’t all have the same head size, both the OpenRun and OpenRun Pro (which offers a richer sound experience and extended battery life amongst other benefits) are available in a ‘mini’ size for smaller heads, so everyone can get a pair that stays put. 

Discounted for Black Friday 

We all love a bargain, right? Especially when everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment. Fortunately for all of us Shokz are offering a tasty 20% off on the OpenRun and OpenMove models, meaning you can pick them up for £103.95 and £63.95 respectively between 21st and 27th November.

If that wasn’t enough, in the same time period for every £199 spent on the Shokz website £20 will be knocked off your total; maybe it’s time to get some of those Christmas presents early for the cyclists in your life? 

For more information, and to bag yourself some audio bargains over Black Friday, head to the Shokz website.