Unnoticable Helmet Suggestion Please

[mrjemm]

I apologise for bringing up the horrid subject, but I am required to get a helmet. It is something I have avoided, and have no desire to wear one, but please, this is not the question as I don't have a choice in the matter.

My partner wears one, and it concerns me that she gets wind noise- admittedly I mumble, but it makes conversation less clear, which to me is another thing I don't look forward to in wearing one.

So, I wonder if there is such a thing as a quiet helmet available, or certain type of helmet that has minimum wind noise? Likewise, I am hoping that it'll be generally non-invasive/unobtrusive.

Cheers, Jem.

[rualexander]

Not sure about wind their wind noise but how about these http://www.yakkayshop.com/Navigering/Em ... lmets.aspx
Quite expensive though.

[meic]

There are some sort of ear muffs that fit to helmet straps and I think that as well as keeping your ears from dropping off with frostbite they cut down the wind noise.

Nice to hide your walkman speakers in too.

[steady eddy]

My new MET helmet is quieter than the last one I had. It has more holes in it and is a slightly different shape. But I doubt if that has made much difference. I do wonder if the noise is caused by wind in the straps by the ears, rather than the helmet
itself.

Motorcyclists have helmet noise problems and frequently wear ear plugs to deal with it, but that of course makes conversation difficult if you like to chat with a cycling partner as you ride.

[xpc316e]

I too hate noisy helmets and have yet to find a solution. Wearing a skull cap over my ears in winter did dull the sound, but it also meant that my sense of hearing was impaired. I have asked on forums for opinions on a quiet helmet and have met with no useful response. It appears that even helmets such as the Catlike Whisper have been named for qualities other than their relative silence.

The idea that it is possibly the straps near the ears which are the root of the problem is an interesting one, and worth exploring further.

[mrjemm]

Thanks for those suggestions, all.

Those Yakkay are interesting Rualexander, but I don't think they're "me", though the Smart Two Oilskin one looks a bit like the little cap I wear sometimes, but oilskin suggests Barbour to me!

Reading Bike Radar reviews of helmets, the Met Estro gets a good review, Steady Eddy, so perhaps that's your one.

I know the mobike windnoise problem very, very well Meic, and suspect it's the cause of what I believe is occasional tinnitus. I find the par "classic" (square ended yellow) ones to be the best in that situation by far.Unlike cycling, on a mobike I want to cut the (external) noise as much as possible, though, and indeed do like to use headphones and listen to music (the iphone "handsfree" adaptor that lets you use any headphones, with a mic and control button is great, but hard to find now). But I don't want to add to the bulk, and would like to hear the outside world, and natter, while a-pedal.

[Ayesha]

My new MET helmet is quieter than the last one I had. It has more holes in it and is a slightly different shape. But I doubt if that has made much difference. I do wonder if the noise is caused by wind in the straps by the ears, rather than the helmet
itself.

Motorcyclists have helmet noise problems and frequently wear ear plugs to deal with it, but that of course makes conversation difficult if you like to chat with a cycling partner as you ride.

Motorcyclists use short range intercoms.

My TomTom has a Bluetooth earpiece. I use a mobile phone security lash round it with the thick end tied to my helmet strap.
"In eighty yards, turn right at the roundabout. Third exit."

[mrjemm]

Oops, I just realised I got Meic and Steady Eddy's suggestions mixed up in my head- sorry guys.

Not quite the way I hope to go Ayesha...

[cycleruk]

Most of the noise on a cycle helmet comes from the straps.
A tight strap will be less noisy. Cycling into the wind causes more noise than going with it.
Sometimes the noise is so bad that I have had cars behind and didn't hear them.
Wearing glasses with the arms inside the straps doesn't help either.
Not that any of the above helps solve your problem.

[reohn2]

I've never experienced any problems:?

[Ayesha]

Even when talking to oneself.....

[pete75]

A helmet cover perhaps - these are quite fetching

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chicken-cycli ... 4948wt_990

[Nettled Shin]

Most of the noise on a cycle helmet comes from the straps.

My pinnae are responsible for quite a lot of wind roar when cycling at speed. If I twist my head slightly, it substantially reduces.

[reohn2]

Even when talking to oneself.....

Especially when talking to oneself we have no problems

[mrjemm]

Now those Pete75, are great. I can't quite see myself riding in one, but...

At times I've noticed without a helmet, if it's windy that turning my head slightly the wind noise is improved.

Thanks for the comments, all.