These have caught my interest. Looks like a nice compromise for hearing what comes out and the sounds around you.
https://www.bose.com/p/earbuds/bose-ultra-open-earbuds/ULT-HEADPHONEOPN.html?dwvar_ULT-HEADPHONEOPN_color=BLACK&quantity=1
The Jaybird Vistaâs were the best but they are discontinued, I know use a cheap pair Jbuds Mini. I always destroy the battery of my left earbud (they all die) because I only use that one an for very long listening with just the left one (I listen to Podcasts), so I donât buy expensive once anymore for cycling.
Depends a lot on the podcast and what you mean with music. Classical music on the shokzes is pretty much no-go for me, for podcasts I find them perfectly fine unless the audio engineering is bad (or nonexistent) and some speakers just have voices that donât have enough sonority (or something) to get through. I do sometimes have to skip forward to a different podcast episode just because of the audio quality, especially in windy conditions.
(1) Apple Powerbeats Pro were great for my bike path commute. With a tail or no wind I could even make phone calls. If anything, they blocked out too much external noise. The integration with iPhone was very good. But I developed some mild ear canal dermatitis so had to move away from in-ear.
(2) After trying the Shokz bone conduction models (arm across the back annoyed me / helmet) I moved to Shokz OpenFit. No ear irritation because they sit outside the ear. The trade-off is definitely sound quality. I generally have to max out the volume and I canât listen to audiobooks or podcasts when riding into a headwind. And canât ride / phone call when moving at all. But as others have said they stay on my ears, theyâre good for music and are perfectly good when in the office for calls etc. I miss the seamless Apple integration.
As for earbuds, I sometimes ride with a Jabra something Active in my right ear. I also often carry them to wear on pre/post-ride train rides and they are also what I use on the trainer. Absolutely stable in the ear, the only way I have had them fall out of the ear has been if I have managed to get some hairs stuck between the ear and the -bud.
The play/call button on the newer Shokzes is annoyingly tiny and unresponsive compared to both the Jabras and my older Aftershokzes. I usually find myself using my right hand to double press the button (to skip podcast ads) even though the button is on the left side for better motor control and still I far too often get pause instead of skip.
Hi. This is an interesting discussion, and I think I have some valuable insights to contribute. I have been listening to music through my earbuds during my almost daily bike rides for many years.
First, the safety issue! I have found that with or without earbuds, the best safety equipment is the use of front and rear lights during daytime and nightime riding, paired with a good mirror. I have used the Take-a-Look brand mirror clipped to my sunglasses, but prefer the new Spurcycle mirrors, mostly because I look a lot less dorky while riding. A mirror has several advantages. It allows you to safely listen to music while riding and still be aware of approaching vehicles from behind. It also allows you to see if a vehicle approaching is a Mini Cooper or a garbage truck, and to react appropriately. It also allows you to see if they are giving you proper space while passing or not and to take evasive action. I also use my mirror to allow me to ride in the car lane instead of the bike lane if there are no vehicles approaching from behind. This helps me avoid getting doored by parked vehicles, gives me more reaction time in case a vehicle pulls out in front of me at an intersection, and drivers more naturally look for other vehicles in the car lanes and not the bike lanes, so it makes you a lot more visible to approaching traffic in both directions. As I tell other cyclists, you wouldnât drive a car that didnât have mirrors, so why are you going to ride a bike, where you are a LOT more vulnerable, without being able to see whatâs behind you??
On to the earbuds. I currently use the AirPods Pro 2 and they are amazing for sound quality AND noise cancellation. As another user already pointed out, you can set up your AirPods Pro for full Noise Cancellation (my preferred option), Adaptive, or Transparency. The Transparency mode allows you to hear most, but not all approaching vehicles (think electric cars) while still enjoying your music. Electric cars are another reason to use a mirror!
The new AirPods Pro 3 have more sizes for the silicone/foam tips for a better fit, have longer battery life, an in-ear heart rate sensor, and the best noise cancellation on the market. Same price as the previous generation too!
I hope that helps, and Iâm curious to get some feedback. Aloha!
Iâve tried a few, AirPods Pro seem to be the best for me. Pro 2 worked well, but the large ear tips never sealed right at any time for me and after an hour of riding and sweating, theyâd get super loose. Had one fall out of my ear a few months back and get run over by a farm tractor.
AirPods Pro 3 fit better since the tips have memory foam in them. But after riding and sweating, theyâd still get loose but havenât fallen out of my ears yet. Still using the large tips.
Noise cancellation on the 3 vs 2 is a huge difference which is great on a trainer. On the road, transparency mode is much quieter and cancels out more which isnât necessarily a good thing trying to also have traffic sounds coming through.
This is certainly one reason I am interested to try them again - on top of the hearing aid function, but itâs always looked to me like the body of AirPods sits inside other peopleâs ears, whereas they are only hanging on by the tips in mine. 
Shokz Openrun Pro2 is the correct answer. I, too, have tried several. I wonder if some of the folks on here who have had negative experiences with Shokz were using older models. FWIW, I exclusively listen to podcasts. Spin Cycle comes in loud and clear, and I can still hear traffic coming up behind me. Audio is even stronger in the winter under my toque 
FWIW, my old recommendation was Beats Powerbeats Pro. I ended up picking up my Shokz when I gave up waiting for the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 to drop. Now itâs no contest.
2 Likes
I use the OpenRun Pro 2, and podcasts are unhearable (is that a word?). All I hear is wind and car noise. Canât make out a single word. I chalk it up to everybodyâs anatomy being different, in the same way the AirPods work for some and not for others. Is what it is, but at $180 I canât recommend as a result. (But Iâm jealous, glad they work on the bike for you! I love them on runs.)
The biggest issue with any of the Shokz products is that they are rendered all-but-useless when it gets cold. They are fine with a regular skullcap, but once I need ear coverage, I am out of luck.
I wear a headband (or a winter cycling cap) to cover the ears in the cold, havenât noticed any problems with the Shokzes.
1 Like
Are you putting the shock over or under the cap / headband?
Winter is when I have least problems with wind noise and can hear my earphones / hearing aids best - I wear my headband over the top of them, with sunglasses over the headband. In summer I have to stick a thin âwind-sockâ over my hearing aids to reduce the wind noise.
This topic is starting to merge with Wadeâs wind noise topic. 
Oh yeah, wind noise is defiantly better in the winter when you can cover your ears. But I have never been able to get Shokz to work adequately with ear coverage.
I use Sony WF-C700N, usually only ever when doing a long ride on quiet roads or on big alpine climbs, when I can be sure enough that they wonât impair my awareness of hazards. They stay put really well (in my ears anyway) and have 3 modes, including one that blocks all wind noise and one that allows background noise like traffic etc. in and even amplifies it (also the mode I use to still hear if our baby is crying at night when listening to Spin Cycle! 
). I actually have two pairs of these and the older c500 model for using on the indoor trainer, and they are seriously well priced.
2 Likes
Under, and I somehow fit my glassesâ earpieces in there as well (yes under the helmet straps when the ears are covered, so sue me). I donât think the bone conduction works particularly well through fabric.
A side note from me. Have just upgraded from AirPods Pro 2 to 3 and still get roughly the same wind noise issues as I did before. Theyâre good for other reasons but havenât addressed this particular quibble
5 Likes
I canât for the life of me get the Shokz to be comfortable under my skull caps / headbands.
Iâve got Shokz (OpenRun Pro 2, so new ones) and Iâm disappointed for use on the bike. Even with the volume cranked up high, itâs basically inaudible over wind noise when moving at a reasonable speed (above ~25kph, or less if thereâs a headwind). But the same volume becomes unpleasantly loud if moving slowly (e.g. stopped at traffic lights or crawling up a steep hill).
2 Likes