5 Best Headphones for Cycling in 2023

After examining numerous sports models, we have identified the top 5 cycling headphones of 2023.

If you're having difficulty finding headphones for cycling that provide a secure fit while wearing a helmet or minimize excessive wind noise, then you've come to the right spot.

Within this guide, you will discover:

- The most recommended cycling headphones

- Key features to consider

- Safe practices for listening to music while cycling

Let's delve into it.

Key Features of Headphones for Cycling

Beyond sound, there are other essential factors to consider. Both your listening comfort and safety should be taken into account.

For cyclists, we have identified the following features as crucial:

Safety (As In: Awareness of Oncoming Traffic)

Safety is paramount, especially for road cyclists who need to hear the outside world around them.

Frequent accidents often occur when cycling on busy streets. It is important to remain alert and attentive.

Avoid blocking out background noises such as the sounds of engines and car horns.

Ensure that the volume of your headphones is low enough for you to still hear approaching cars. It is unsafe to do otherwise.

Although active noise-canceling can be helpful, refrain from using it while cycling with headphones. Deactivate the ANC feature for better awareness.

If your wireless Bluetooth earbuds support it, activate "awareness mode", "hear-through" mode, or a similar function. This will allow you to hear the surrounding traffic.

Consider using bone conduction headphones that keep your ear canals open to the environment. These headphones transmit sound through your cheekbones, making bone conduction technology an excellent solution for cyclists. Refer to the top model listed below.

Stability (Get the Headphones to Stick Like Glue)

Cycling is frequently characterized by its high intensity and speed. However, the issue of headphone stability arises when engaging in such active movements.

Therefore, the question remains: what is the solution?

The answer lies in acquiring sports-oriented headphones equipped with ear wings and hooks, which effectively secure the headphones in position even during rapid head movements.

Seek out compact earbuds that are not bulky. The in-ear design is undoubtedly the most suitable for this purpose.

Avoid on-ear and over-ear headphones (they won't fit under a bike helmet and will produce excessive wind noise).

Long-lasting headphones are a must-have, as you don't want to keep replacing them every few months due to breakage.

For cyclists leading an active lifestyle or simply biking around town, durability is crucial.

Consider this scenario: if you are caught in a heavy downpour and your headphones are not water-resistant, what will happen? Most likely, you'll need to purchase another pair.

Opt for cycling headphones that offer at least some level of sweat resistance. Whether it's sweating on a hot, sunny day or enduring unfavorable weather conditions, these headphones will come in handy.

Battery and Bluetooth (How Long Does It Last?)

If you plan on purchasing wireless headphones, it's important to ensure that the battery is strong enough to last throughout your entire biking routine.

It would be quite inconvenient if the lithium battery were to die while you're in the middle of a tour, especially if you enjoy cycling long distances.

However, you may wonder if Bluetooth is a reliable option.

In general, Bluetooth is considered reliable and stable nowadays, allowing you to listen to music without any interruptions, even when riding on windy or rainy roads.

So, what sets cycling headphones apart from regular headphones?

When searching for cycling headphones, one key difference is that you should prioritize stability over sound quality.

Why is that?

While good sound quality is important, it becomes completely useless if you're constantly dealing with true wireless earbuds that keep falling out.

The best cycling headphones are small earbuds that fit securely in your ears and can comfortably be worn under a bike helmet.

Besides, do you really think you'll be focusing on sonic fidelity when you're busy pedaling and breathing heavily?

How to Select Earbuds for Cycling?

To choose the appropriate headphones, you must consider your personal requirements.

While good audio quality and stability are crucial, you may also require specific features. Since every cyclist is unique, ask yourself this question:

Where and How Will I Ride?

For cyclists, being able to hear is always important, but it becomes absolutely critical in certain areas.

Cycling in busy streets and traffic: Opt for headphones with excellent awareness. Look for options like "hear-through" (ambient-aware) mode, open-ear design, or wireless bone conduction headphones that don't obstruct the ears.

Long-distance cycling: You will need reliable Bluetooth headphones with a long battery life, good situational awareness, and some water resistance. When listening to music while cycling, you might encounter unexpected rain or road conditions.

As you can see, selecting the right cycling headphones involves determining which features are essential to you.

Now that you know how to find suitable headphones for cycling, it's time to review the detailed list of biking headphones.

Best Headphones for Cycling: The List

Wissonly Hi Runner

Wissonly bone conduction vibration unit optimization technology is one of the best technical solutions in the industry, because their team has accumulated in the field of bone conduction for 10 years, which is highly respected by people in the industry in terms of product quality and hearing protection.

Once, there was a saying that the sound quality of bone conduction headphones was average. However, Wissonly Hi Runner refreshes this knowledge. It is excellent in sound quality. It uses a 360-degree bone conduction vibration unit, which can increase the vibration area by 35% compared with traditional bone conduction headphones. Moreover, its loss of bone conduction sound transmission is lower, making the sound more shocking and powerful.

wissonly Hi Runner has added a number of innovative features to make bone conduction headphones better integrated into many scenes in life. It supports IPX8 diving waterproof, which is very good for me who loves swimming. What's crazy is that it can still work normally under 20 meters of water! It also has 32GB of memory, so it can play music even if it is not connected to a mobile phone. I basically use it as an MP3 player, and I don't take my mobile phone for running at night. It uses the Bluetooth 5.0 chip, and outdoor activities can make the connection more stable.

In terms of appearance, Wissonly Hi Runner adopts classic black color, and its simple appearance involves matching whatever clothes you wear in any scene.

Beats PowerBeats Pro

PowerBeats Pro are the best bass headphones for those who want deeper and stronger lows in music. The Bluetooth headphones have an emphasis on bass and treble, which results in a fun V-shaped signature.

Even though they have ear hooks they should fit nicely under a helmet for most people. Bare in mind they might generate some wind noise, despite good noise isolation.

They’re lightweight and completely cord-free, which makes them impossible to entangle. The fit is highly secure and doesn’t require adjustments.

To protect sports earbuds against weather, they have an IPX4 water resistance rating for rain and sweat protection.

And, if you own Apple devices, the built-in H1 chip ensures excellent connectivity. Also, you can make phone calls or give voice commands from your bike with built-in mics on the two earbuds.

With quick-charging capability, you will get around 11h per charge (24h with the case), and charging takes less than 1 hour.

1MORE ComfoBuds Mini

Earbuds can get decently loud and reasonably punchy, giving you extra energy and rhythm when cycling up the steep hill.

As the name suggests, ComfoBuds Mini stay comfortable throughout the entire day. And due to ergonomic design, they won’t fall out in the middle of the road.

Most importantly, they’re one of the smallest earbuds out there, meaning they don’t protrude out of your ears. That reduces wind noise during cycling, ensuring a clearer listening experience.

Furthermore, 1MORE uses good microphones in their earbuds, providing clear call quality.

One thing to keep an eye on is the battery life, which only lasts around 5 hours on a single charge (with active noise cancellation enabled).

Anker Soundcore Life A1

Fun-sounding true wireless earbuds with a V-shaped sound signature that doesn’t get too boomy. Toggling between 3 different EQs lets you add or reduce bass.

The housing’s shape is perfectly ergonomic and fits comfortably in your ears. With the addition of ear wings, they won’t fly out of your ears no matter how hard you shake your head.

Despite using physical commands, they’re comfy to use and offer all essential commands, including volume control. Also, you get great Bluetooth connectivity, even though earbuds use a bit older Bluetooth 5.0.

Since they’re flush with your ears, you don’t have to deal with annoying wind noise when riding outdoors.

Furthermore, they’re fully waterproof and pack more than 8 hours of battery life on a single charge.

TOZO OpenReal

Among air-conduction headphones (and the ones that look similar, like bone conduction), the OpenReal sound is by far the best.

They don’t have a bass oomph, but they posses excellent clarity across the midrange and treble. They can be shouty sometimes, but the quality and detail retrieval are unmatched.

Since speakers play in front of your ears, you can still hear everything around you, which is crucial during cycling. Furthermore, the “ear hook” design keeps them stable when cycling at high speeds.

One thing is that the wind noise is slightly more noticeable. However, it doesn’t hurt the music playback.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can cyclists wear headphones?

Some countries and states allow you to wear headphones when cycling, while others don’t. In California, it’s illegal to cover both ears with headphones, while Texas has no such law. Always check your local laws to avoid getting fined. Read more about road rights and cycling laws.

Do headphones fit under a bike helmet?

Earbuds (in-ear headphones) are small enough to fit under most bike helmets. As long as the helmet doesn’t cover your ears, you will be able to wear most earbuds. Still, some helmets make it uncomfortable to use ear hooks, so check first.

Is it dangerous to cycle with headphones?

If you don’t fully block environmental noise and always check your surroundings before making a turn, you should be fine. The safest are open-ear headphones, like bone conducting headphones for cycling or earbuds with ambient-aware mode.